Caribupdate Weekly
For the second time in 2 months, Senator Nazim Burke’s premature and abrupt departure from the Upper House of Parliament, has raised questions on whether he’d walked out of the chamber. After contentious debates in the senate in July and again on 9 September — each time on the constitution reform bills — the NDC leader suddenly left the Senate.
Burke, defending his action in July — which parliamentary colleague Peter David described then as akin to the behaviour of a “spoiled child” — later denied that he was involved in an act of protest.
“I have commitments that I have to keep; I have deadlines that I have to meet,” he said at the time.
Burke’s responded similarly when asked about the 9 September early Senate exit, saying he had “another engagement’’ to fulfil.
“I have some deadlines I’m trying to meet in respect of an assignment I am doing,” he claimed. “It is a very difficult period in terms of balancing my time now between all the many responsibilities that I have to carry out.”
During his Senate presentation earlier this month, Burke was interrupted several times by President Chester Humphrey, who ruled the senator’s comments as irrelevant to the debate.
In the end, Burke told Humphrey, “I have nothing further in respect of this matter.” He began gathering his belongings and started leaving the House as Senator David began speaking.
“I’m not sure if my friend is leaving,” David said, in reference to Burke. “He does that every time, Mr President. Raises issues and does not stay for a response. I’m not sure if it’s a walkout, Mr President, or if it’s simply my friend not wanting to hear me.”