Phillips regrets conduct in Parliament, alleges MP McKenzie made offensive remark about his deceased mother

Member of Parliament for Manchester North Western Mikael Phillips has expressed regret over his conduct during an incident in Parliament on Tuesday, but says he reacted angrily after Government MP Desmond McKenzie allegedly made what he described as an offensive reference to his deceased mother.

Phillips, in a statement today, strongly rejected what he described as false and misleading claims by Deputy House Leader Robert Morgan about the altercation at Gordon House following the adjournment of the House of Representatives.

Morgan, in a statement, described the incident as disgraceful, accusing Opposition parliamentarians of bringing the proceedings of the House into disrepute through what he characterised as boisterous and disrespectful behaviour during and after the sitting.

READ: https://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/news/20261104/morgan-condemns-opposition-mps-over-parliament-fracas

According to Morgan, the situation escalated when McKenzie urged Phillips to show respect to the Speaker, prompting the Manchester North Western MP to unleash a series of expletives and move aggressively towards McKenzie.

“We wish to decry the unparliamentary behaviour of several members of the Opposition, both during the sitting of the House, as we were carrying out [the] nation's business, and after,” Morgan said.

However, Phillips outlined his version of events.

He said he was standing with two other Opposition MPs discussing the manner in which the sitting had been adjourned when Speaker of the House Juliet Holness exited the chamber.

Phillips alleged that McKenzie, the MP for Kingston Western, then verbally attacked him and made an offensive reference to his deceased mother.

“As soon as the Speaker left, the Member of Parliament for Kingston Western, Desmond McKenzie, verbally attacked me, making an offensive reference to my deceased mother. He then repeated the offence,” Phillips said.

He acknowledged that he reacted angrily and used an expletive, but said he regretted his response.

“My reaction was inappropriate, and I regret that I allowed myself to respond in that manner. I sincerely apologise to the Jamaican people,” he said.

However, Phillips rejected Morgan's claim that he had pushed away Opposition Leader Mark Golding during the exchange, insisting that Golding was not involved in the incident.

He said two Government MPs intervened but maintained that he did not physically touch either of them.

Phillips also questioned Morgan's account of the incident, arguing that he was not in the immediate vicinity when it occurred.

“It is deeply irresponsible for a Member of Parliament, particularly one entrusted with a leadership role in the House, to circulate an account that is so fundamentally at odds with what actually occurred. Mr Morgan should withdraw his false and malicious claims immediately,” Phillips asserted.

He further argued that the incident should be viewed against the backdrop of growing tensions in the House of Representatives, which he attributed to what he described as the Government's efforts to curtail debate and restrict the Opposition's participation in parliamentary proceedings.

Phillips said repeated frustrations of MPs' rights to speak and debate had contributed to an increasingly tense atmosphere in Parliament.

“The right of elected representatives to speak, question and debate is fundamental to our parliamentary democracy. When those rights are repeatedly frustrated, it undermines the proper functioning of Parliament and contributes to an atmosphere of unnecessary tension,” he said.

He maintained that all MPs had a responsibility to uphold order and decorum, while calling for fairness, mutual respect and greater restraint on both sides.

Phillips also urged the Government to respect the rights of elected representatives to carry out their parliamentary duties without unnecessary obstruction.

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