Shyne Barrow Says Parliament is Ready for a Reset

In writing to the chair of the Constitution and Foreign Affairs Committee on Wednesday, Opposition Leader Barrow requested that the next meeting of that working group, scheduled for October twenty-third, be used to discuss equally unsavory language used by Prime Minister John Briceño and Orange Walk South Area Rep Jose Abelardo Mai towards Albert Area Representative Tracy Panton in previous house meetings.

Shyne Barrow

Shyne Barrow, Leader of the Opposition

“My hope is that while when it comes to the People’s United Party, I am extremely pessimistic, but my hope is that Julius Espat and the members of the house committee, as well as members of the house, will be true to all of the sanctimonious pontification that they exercised in the house last Friday when it came to the recommendation that I should apologize to the speaker.  As to the Standing Orders, all members of the house be treated with a certain level of reverence and respect, and certainly that should apply to the opposition members and certainly in the way that they attempted to misuse and abuse the gender issue.  In this instance, where the member from Albert is a woman and, in particular, both offensive, objectionable comments made by Abelardo Mai and John Briceño related to gender.  I find it fitting in this spirit of reset, everyone seems to want to reset and doesn’t want the house to continue the way it may have been conducted under previous speakers and during this speaker, you know, we have seen the house really descend into chaos and really reach extreme lows.  So if we are all going to reset then this is a perfect opportunity for the Constitution and Foreign Affairs House Committee to demonstrate that they are about equity and fair play when it comes to members of the house, regardless of which side.”