ROBINSON: MY VOTE IS NOT FOR SALE
NASSAU, Bahamas — Bains and Grants Town MP Travis Robinson today called for the establishment of a select committee of the House of Assembly to evaluate the effectiveness of the Westminster system, arguing it is “choking the life out of democracy”, the Nassau Guardian reported on June 27.
Robinson spoke publicly for the first time since Prime Minister Dr. Hubert Minnis fired him as parliamentary secretary in the Ministry of Tourism and Aviation last week. He was terminated after voting against the government’s bill to increase value-added tax (VAT) from 7.5 percent to 12 percent. The VAT increase bill was part of the budget.
Budget bills are considered confidence votes. An MP who votes against his own party’s budget risks discipline.
By convention, those with government appointments should resign before opposing their government in a confidence vote. https://thenassauguardian.com/2018/06/27/robinson-my-vote-is-not-for-sale/
