Opposition walks out of House

While it was apparent from the Prime Minister’s opening statement in the House that his mind was fifteen miles west in Spanish Lookout, it was just as clear that Opposition Leader Dean Barrow was focussed on a snob his party suffered at the last session… and he rose early to make his point.

Dean Barrow, Leader of the Opposition
?According to Standing Order 293 when you call on me or any member to raise a matter of privilege, that member shall briefly state the facts to which he wishes to draw the attention of the House and the grounds on which he believes that those facts affect the privileges of the House. I want to say that I wish to refer to what happened at the last business meeting of this House on Friday June seventeenth, 2005, when Madam Speaker, the Chair required the member from Mesopotamia to hand over his private papers being used at the time in aid of his speech on the adjournment, to the Prime Minister. The Chair insisted that if the member did not give across his documents, he would not be allowed to continue his speech. And when the member in fact chose not to relinquish his papers, he was forced to discontinue his speech because the Chair immediately?and in my view entirely prematurely?terminated the sitting. It is my thesis Madam Speaker that that action deprived both the member from Mesopotamia and other members who might have wished to speak on the adjournment of their right so to do. Madam Speaker, in my view, the free speech right of members of the House is the most sacrosanct of the privileges that attach to all members of the House. Accordingly in that context there is a resolution that I wish to move on that matter. It is for you to decide whether I am to be allowed to move my motion since according to the Standing Orders you must state whether in your opinion the matter may or may not affect the privileges of the House and I will take it from there after you indicate to me what your position is.?

Elizabeth Zabaneh, Speaker of the House
?Honourable Member, according to Standing Order 4, provided if he deems it necessary and in this case it?s she, I am going to defer my decision until the next regular sitting of the House.?

Dean Barrow
?Madam Speaker, the Standing Order in fact gives you that prerogative, but this is a matter that has been long outstanding. I would ask you to take into account the fact that on this side of the House we consider it to be an extremely urgent, in fact a burning issue, and that while you have the right to delay, which we must respect, if you do so, on this side of the House we feel that the original error is being thereby terribly compounded. I would ask you Madam Speaker to reconsider your position and to give us leave to move this motion now so that we might dispose of this once and for all and try to move on with the business of Belize?s parliamentary democracy.?

Elizabeth Zabaneh
?I am still sticking to my opinion that I will defer my decision until the next regular sitting of the House.?

Dean Barrow
?In that case, we will come back when you allow us to move the motion.?

Outside the National Assembly Building Barrow was asked whether such hasty action was really necessary.

Stewart Krohn
?Mr Barrow, what was the rush? I mean you admit the Speaker was within her rights to defer consideration of your motion to the next meeting, yet you decided to walkout. Looking at the motion itself, it was really just a statement because it would be defeated anyway, so why the play today???

Dean Barrow
?Well if what you say is correct, why is there a need to defer a decision? It is all about the signals being sent to the public, it is all about our insistence on our rights, in this so-called parliamentary democracy, being properly respected. Without a doubt, there was an issue. Whatever side you want to come down on, there was an issue. We have a right to raise what she did as a matter of privilege because it does affect the question of your free speech privilege, which as I said, is the most sacrosanct of the privileges attaching to the members of the House. Why? It?s a no-brainer. Why does the Speaker need to defer a decision on whether to allow the debate to take place until the next session? This is too long delayed as it is. We came to the first session after the incident took place because it was a ceremonial session having to do with the President of Mexico. There is no way we are going to continue in the same way without making the point that as far as we are concerned needs to be made in terms of her behaviour on that occasion.?

Stewart Krohn
?Assuming that most Belizeans agree that you are right, what you have done in fact however is deprive the public of a chance to hear your party?s view on a very important matter that is being debated today.?

Dean Barrow
?Agreed Stewart, but we can propound that view by way of interviews with you and the other media, which does not take away from the point you?re making. And so we had to do a balancing act. We feel though that it is more important to make the point that we think we make by today?s action than to come to the House and debate this B.T.L. matter. We are going to be weighing in undoubtedly on the B.T.L. matter.?