Opposition Storms Out of House Meeting Following Ejection of P.U.P. Senator

Tonight, we have extensive coverage of a House meeting in which four significant bills were passed through their stages. But we start with certainly the most significant single event of the day’s proceedings – the Opposition walking out of the House in protest. It happened a little over one hour into the session, when Senator Patrick Andrews, seated in the Opposition gallery, snickered loudly during a presentation by Collet Area Representative Patrick Faber. Generally a snicker from the gallery doesn’t even register. We’ve seen much worse, including outright insults, curses, shouting and name-calling, but Speaker Michael Peyrefitte immediately ordered Police to remove the Senator from the gallery. That led to a protracted back and forth, and eventually the Opposition walking out even as Police refused to physically remove Andrews.

Michael Finnegan, Area Representative, Mesopotamia

“Mr. Speaker, on a point of order, sir, I think you instructed the police to take that gentleman out weh di disrupt the House. Well make ih get out. Make ih get out; you get out of the House. Make ih come out of the House. Who he? Fi he pa mi di make ahn when ih drunk.”

Francis Fonseca

Francis Fonseca, P.U.P. Leader

“No man, Mister Speaker.”

Michael Peyrefitte, Speaker of the House

“I explained a long time ago, I explained to both sides. When your side is doing a presentation, you can clap, you can support; you can do whatever you want within reason. When the opposition side is speaking, remain quiet. It doesn’t matter if you are a senator or governor general or anybody, you will be removed by me if you can’t follow my rules. Simple. When you speak, they have to be quiet or I’ll move them out too. And for the record, I put out more from this side than that side. And who vex could leave. Officer, remove the gentleman.”

Michael Peyrefitte

Francis Fonseca

“Mister Speaker, this is outrageous man. This is outrageous. We are subjected and we take it like big boys and girls. We are subjected all kinds of name calling and we take it. I did not hear the senator say anything Mister Speaker. He laughed during a comment made by the member for Collet. Mister Speaker, I am appealing to you to reconsider because if you remove the senator, then we will walk out of this meeting. I am telling you that right now. You touch one of us, you touch all of us. You are treating us unfairly, you are treating the senator unfairly; he did nothing. He is one of the most well-behaved person in this chamber.”

Michael Finnegan

“Mister Speaker, you have laid out your rules to both sides.”

Michael Finnegan

Michael Peyrefitte

“Let me say it. Member, it is not true. It is not true that when you speak or when any other member from this side speak, that I tolerate any shouting at you or anything like that. That is not true. But I believe that if the person is a senator, the person should set an example. To be frank with you, he acted that way as if though he was daring me to put him out. Well he dared me and he dared the wrong person and he has to go.  And if you chose to go, then that’s your choice; that’s your choice. Remove Mister Andrews please?”

Francis Fonseca

“Mister Speaker, Mister Speaker, we are walking out and I put on record again; this is the arrogance and tyranny and dictatorship of this government that the people of this country are starting to wake up to and stand up against. We will have no part of it, Mister Speaker.”

Michael Peyrefitte

“Watch ya, remove this person yah noh. Remove this man, remove this man.”

We note that despite the repeated instructions of the Speaker, the senior Police officers instructed to remove Senator Patrick Andrews from the House exercised their discretion and did not. Andrews eventually walked out on his own, without a Police escort.