Dawson issues apology in HOA, here’s why

First District Representative Dr Karl Dawson recently issued a public apology after proceedings in the House of Assembly got off to a late start during sitting last week.

“We started late on Tuesday and I apologise to the public for the delay this morning due in part to members paying their respect to the late Abdul Shabaz, who is being laid to rest even now as we speak,” said Dr Dawson, who was acting as House Speaker for the sitting.

Delays in starting House sittings are not uncommon and have been a frequent point of criticism from both members of the public and some elected officials over the years.

However, Dr Dawson’s apology came amid renewed public frustration over the lack of punctuality from legislators.

Talk show host Claude Skelton Cline recently noted he had received numerous complaints from residents who are often left waiting for hours beyond the scheduled start time of House proceedings.

Skelton Cline labelled the repeated delays as “reckless” and described them as a “dereliction of duty” by some of the territory’s top elected officials. While promises have been made in the past to address the issue, punctuality at House sittings remains a longstanding concern.