Order in the Assembly and in Committee

“52. (1) The Presiding Officer or the Chairman of a Committee after having called the attention of the Assembly or of the Committee, respectively, to the conduct of a member who persist in irrelevance, or tedious repetition either on his own arguments or of the arguments used by other members in debate, may direct him to discontinue his speech and to resume his seat.

(2) Any member, after the Presiding Officer or the Chairman of a Committee, as the case may be, has under paragraph (1) of this Standing Order, once called the attention of the Assembly or Committee to the conduct a member who persist in irrelevance or tedious repetition of his own arguments or of the arguments used by other members in the debate, move that the member be no longer heard and such motion shall be put forthwith without amendment or debate.

(3) The Presiding Officer shall order any member to withdraw immediately from the Assembly during the remainder of the day’s Sitting and may direct steps to be taken, as required, to enforce such order:- (a) where the conduct of any such member is grossly disorderly; (b) where such member has used objectionable, abusive, insulting or offensive words or language or parliamentary expressions, and, on being called to order, has refused to withdraw such words or language or expressions, and has not offered an apology for the use thereof to the satisfaction of the Assembly.

(4) If an order under paragraph (3) of this Standing Order is not complied with at once, or of, on any occasion, the Presiding Officer considers that his powers under that paragraph are inadequate, he may name such member in pursuance of paragraph (5) or paragraph (9) of this Standing Order.

(5) If a member disregards the authority of the Chair, or abuses the rules of the Assembly by persistently and willfully obstructing the business of the Assembly or otherwise, the Presiding Officer shall direct the attention of the Assembly thereto mentioning by name the member concerned, and the Presiding Officer shall then call upon any Secretary to move “That Mr……………………………. be suspended from the service of the Assembly”, and the Presiding Officer shall forthwith put the question, no seconder being required and no amendment, adjournment or debate being allowed.

(6) If the offence has been committed in a Committee of the whole Assembly, the Chairman shall forthwith suspend the proceedings of the Committee and, as soon as the Assembly has resumed, shall report the circumstances to the Assembly, where upon the procedure provided for in the preceding paragraph shall be followed.

(7) If a member is suspended under any provisions of this Standing Order, his suspension shall continue until it is terminated by resolution of the Assembly.

(8) Not more than one member shall be named at the same time, unless several members present together have jointly disregarded the authority of the Chair.

(9) A member who is ordered to withdraw under the provisions of paragraph (3) of this Standing Order, or who is suspended under the provisions of paragraph (5) of this Standing Order, shall forthwith leave the Assembly and its precincts.

(10) If any member, who has been ordered to withdraw or who has been suspended under this Standing Order, refuses at any time to obey the direction of the Presiding Officer to withdraw from the Assembly and its precincts, the Presiding Officer shall call the attention of the Assembly to the fact that recourse to force is necessary to compel obedience to his direction, and the member named by him having so refused to obey his direction shall thereupon without further question be suspended from the service of the Assembly for at least six months.

(11) If resort to force is necessary, the Presiding Officer may suspend the Sitting during the removal of the member and invoke the assistance of the police officer in ejecting the offending member and such officer shall, for the purpose of this Standing Order, be deemed to be an officer of the Assembly.

(12) A member, who is directed to withdraw or who is suspended under this Standing Order, shall not be entitled to attend the Sitting from which he was directed to withdraw or in case of suspension to attend any Sitting or enter the precincts of the Assembly until the termination of his suspension.

(13) In the case of grave disorder arising in the Assembly, the Presiding Officer may, if he thinks it is necessary to do so, adjourn the Assembly without question put or suspend the sitting for a time to be named by him.

(14) Any remuneration to which a member is entitled as a member shall cease for the period of his suspension. (15) Nothing in this Standing Order shall be taken to deprive the Assembly of the power of proceedings against any member according to any resolution of the Assembly.”