Finnegan Gets Rebuked for Lashing Out at Audrey
Michael Finnegan
Seasoned parliamentarian Michael Finnegan, area representative for Mesopotamia, is once again making headlines for unsavory remarks made against CWU President, attorney Audrey Matura-Shepherd, in the House of Representatives. On Tuesday, Finnegan went on record during the debate to excoriate Matura-Shepherd, describing her, among other things, as a second rate legal professional. If that wasn’t bad enough, the senior politician punctuated his diatribe with a sexual innuendo that had everyone on his side of the floor howling with laughter. Today, the United Women’s Group, an arm of the People’s United Party, issued a release criticizing Finnegan’s behavior in the House. You would recall that this is not the first time that he has come under fire for disparaging remarks towards women.
Dolores Balderamos-Garcia
Dolores Balderamos-Garcia, United Women’s Group
“Disparaging is to put it mildly. I think it’s vile, it’s personal, it’s nasty. So let’s call a spade a spade. But clearly, this is a member of the house who is emboldened, he is reckless, he has no regard for decency and he unleashed a very personal and petty attack on Audrey Matura-Shepherd. He called her duncey, duncey lawyer, in effect. He says I’m not going to call her, you know, a low grade attorney but then he had already said it, you know. Isani, I think it’s very bad and one would have hoped that, well I’ll talk about the speaker a little later, but one would have hoped that the member would have had at least a little bit of a sense of decorum. Instead, he abused his parliamentary privilege and immunity because a member cannot be sued for anything he or she says in the National Assembly. It was a clear abuse and to me it was not just a veiled sexual innuendo, it was pretty clear. It was pretty clear when he says she’s good at certain things, you know, and “Prime Minister weh you do da lady?” And somebody next to him was hollering, “Da weh ih no do ahn!” So, the sexual innuendo and the nastiness of it was absolutely clear Isani, and as somebody who has been on the receiving end of that kind of vile attack a short twenty-five months ago, in August 2013. I can tell you that it hurts as a woman and I think that it is something that we ought not to let go this time. I mean he can’t get away with this man. The speaker must keep his house in order and insist that members have a little bit of decency man, right. Unless one is rising on a specific point of order you can’t be hollering across the aisle. I was in the chamber when the personal attack on Audrey came and it was terrible to watch and I think we have to call out the, speaker as well.”
But clearly Finnegan is a leader in this house of cards. He like Castro and Hulse, are very good at sucking my to favorite toe, a secret pleasure. They pucker their lips and gnaw with grace. First rate professionals!
Soon these UDP heroes will teach the new gibnuts their best technique.
And the new gibnuts shall show them how to bite babies.
String him up march on this no good corrupt incompetent impotent pm and gov put all these criminals in jail .and finnegan you tha the only duncy person in that room I remember you in a school you were always the one pan the chair in the corner with the big duncy hot ps you head.
See why as a country Belize no grow up. We have these leaders talking foolishness in the House of Representatives when they should be discussing how to better my country and its people. No respect at all and that’s why some Belizeans behave like that on the streets.
We need a new generation of leaders in the House of Representatives and stop name calling and discuss things that will benefit the younger generation. We have too many old leaders in the house too long that’s why our country is like this today. Will name a few: barrow, musa, contreras, finnegan.
Who is worst Finnegan or Boots? For me two of these uneducated fools need to go.
If you look at Finnegan’s credentials and compare them to those of his counterparts in the rest of Central America and the Caribbean you will understand why the poor sinister (not minister) lacks self censorship. The secretaries within the ministries even have more sense than their bosses.
Well. What did finnegan say. I get the duncey part. what was the sexual innuendo? I’m missing something here. “dah whe yu du da lady?” I don’t get it maybe I am duncey. Watcha, politics in Belize and in general all over the world is a dirty game. You can’t be thin skinned; that’s why a lot of people don’t get involved. Ask Evan X.
Anyway, Finnegan must have been watching the US republican front runner Donald Trump who is saying some mean stuff to women. He remains the front runner.
My advice is to Matura is pick up your big girl pants and move on; focus on real issues not petty innuendos.
Well!! Is she good at certain things. Such a statement is a stretch to a sexual innuendo and only becomes such in the minds of perverts. I’m sure Ms Matura is good at many things and if that includes her matrimonial duties, that is certainly not a negative thing. Whether Finnegan, if he was referring to such activities, should have brought this up in chambers is another matter. He has no business in what dat lady do in her personal chambers. It could be that Finnegan was using a well used tactic to deflect focus on real issues. Ms Matura should know this, she is a lawyer after all meddling in politics.
Jane every word of what you said is true. Leaders have to lead by example. This man has no kind of class, little to no culture. Very very disgusting! But I blame the Belizeans over there in Belize. Both the ones who vote for these criminals and those who do not actively do their part to kick them out! Shame shame! No wonder women are treated with less and less respect.