Bunting’s Senate swearing-in may be delayed to January
GORDON House is still awaiting a writ from the governor general confirming the resignation of Norman Horne and the appointment of Peter Bunting to replace him in the Senate.
President of the Senate Thomas Tavares Finson said last night he is yet to receive any document from Governor General Sir Patrick Allen confirming either Horne’s decision to resign from that House, or the Opposition Leader Mark Golding’s choice of his business partner, Peter Bunting, as Horne’s replacement.
In fact, Tavares Finson told the Jamaica Observer that while he expects that the document will be sent to Gordon House sometime next week, the swearing-in of Bunting could be delayed until January unless there is a meeting of the Senate next week.
“I have no doubt that we will get the instrument from the governor general sometime in due course. But, there is no guarantee that the House will meet after this week,” he said, noting that both Houses of Parliament are scheduled to break for their Christmas recess next week and resume in January.
Clerk to the Houses of Parliament Valrie Curtis said the only document the Parliament has relating to the current issue is the instrument sent by King’s House in September with the eight senators named by former leader of the People’s National Party and Opposition Leader Dr Peter Phillips.
Horne had delayed taking up that assignment, suggesting instead that he would prefer to wait until the party elected a new leader to replace Phillips. However, he failed to fulfil that promise after the PNP changed leadership on November 7, with Golding elected as party leader and, eventually, as leader of the Opposition.
“We got the list of eight senators at that time, and nothing since. I was in Senate today [yesterday] and we heard nothing from the governor general so we have to wait until he sends us the writ,” the clerk said.
In the meantime, Horne has issued a statement which said that he has written the governor general asking Sir Patrick to take the necessary steps to cancel his appointment to the Senate.
“I have advised the governor general that I will not be accepting the appointment to sit as an Opposition senator. I have requested that the necessary steps be initiated to rescind my appointment,” Horne said.
His statement was dated December 10.
Later yesterday, the People’s National Party said in a release that it had advised King’s House to appoint Bunting, Golding’s close ally and a former Cabinet minister, to fill the vacancy created by the resignation.
The PNP release stated: “On December 11, 2020, the governor general advised, by way of letter to the leader of the Opposition, Mr Mark Golding, that a vacancy exists in the Senate to be filled by a member of the Opposition party. Accordingly, Mr Golding has advised that Mr Peter Murcott Bunting be appointed as a senator so that the full complement of eight Opposition senators is established.”