NASSAU, BAHAMAS — A war of words erupted in Parliament yesterday as Opposition Leader Michael Pintard and Leader of Government Business Obie Wilchcombe clashed over the issue of Labour Minister Keith Bell’s involvement in the release of illegal Chinese workers at the British Colonial Hilton during a debate.
The dispute erupted when Pintard, after supporting the Governor General’s Volunteer Society Bill which was being debated, sought to address the issue. Bell was not present in Parliament at the time.
Wilchcombe objected strongly, stating that the issue was not relevant to the ongoing debate. Pintard, however, argued that he had the right to address matters of national importance during his allotted time, citing similar actions by members of the governing party.
Pintard and Wilchcombe engaged in a heated back-and-forth, with the Marco City MP refusing to be in his words “muzzled”.
House Speaker Patricia Deveaux intervened and demanded order and decorum, threatening to have any disruptive members removed from the Parliament precinct by the Sergeant at Arms.
Earlier this week Pintard claimed that Minister Bell had superseded senior immigration officials on January 17 by forcing the release of dozens of Chinese nationals working illegally at the British Colonial Hotel.
Speaking on the issue ahead of a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, Bell asserted that it was not necessary to take the workers in question to the Carmichael Road detention center given the circumstances and that the irregularities were quickly “cured” by the employer.
