Following a nearly hour-long combative debate between House Speaker, Halson Moultrie, and Englerston Member of Parliament (MP), Glenys Hanna Martin, which climaxed with the MP exiting the lower chamber before the Speaker could finish his remarks, the MP was named and suspended from the House on Wednesday.
In a show of solidarity Opposition Leader, Phillip Davis, and Exuma and Ragged Island MP, Chester Cooper, also exited the halls of Parliament.
The showdown came as a result of previous comments made by Hanna Martin regarding two Eleuthera airport employees who were fired. Those comments were expunged from the record by the Speaker, who also reprimanded her for “disrespectful” comments toward him.
This did not sit well with the Englerston MP who rebutted that the comments in question were attributed to her in error and she wished for the record to reflect the corrections.
In her reasoning, Hanna Martin also accused Moultrie of targeting her and of an ambush and said, she will not be silenced nor does she intend to surrender her sworn responsibilities as an elected MP.
The speaker said that he will give notice of the length of time Hanna Martin’s suspension is expected to last.