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Here's what Saldivar had to say when he was pointedly asked if he played politics and forced the meeting to adjourn:

Hon. John Saldivar - Member, Public Accounts Committee
"No - Obviously, the PUP is attempting to grand-stand. Nobody is playing politics with this issue. But what the member for Cayo South will have to understand is that - he kept repeating it today that he is led by the people of Cayo South. News for him, he is elected by the people of Cayo South, but in the house, he is led by the standing orders of the house. And unless he understands that, he is going to have a problem chairing this committee."

Now, fast forward to today's press conference and here's what the Chairman and outside observer, PUP Toledo West Representative Oscar Requena, had to say about GOB's members, and Saldivar in particular:

Hon. Oscar Requena - PUP, Toledo West
"I expected that the least that could have been done was that as an elected representative that the courtesy could have been extended for me to at least listen, and when the time was appropriate, for me to participate in the session. But I want to tell you that as we entered the room yesterday, we went into the room prior to the other members of the Government side arriving. Once we were seated, the detective - and I am going to share this with you - the police detective came and said - Special Branch - 'I am here under the instructions of the Clerk of the National Assembly, and I want you to know that you cannot remain in this meeting, as long as you are not a member of this committee.' Those were his exact words. This, of course, was followed by the Hon. John Saldivar, when he arrived. He was obviously upset, in my opinion, that we were present. And he said, 'Well, I want to make you all know that no meeting is taking place with these people in here."

Hon. Julius Espat - Chairman, Public Accounts Committee
"I drafted a proposed agenda. This is not an agenda that was intended to rammed down the throat of anybody. As the chairman, it is my responsibility to propose an agenda. That agenda was sent to the Clerk as a proposed agenda. 'Mr. Clerk, this is what we are trying to achieve.' The meeting yesterday, the gentlemen walked in - especially the Hon. John Saldivar - without even looking at an agenda, and said, 'We noh deh pan that. We don't approve the agenda, and we will come up with our own agenda. Well, I want to read the agenda to the people of Belize, so you can have an idea that it was not an agenda with any sinister motive. It was an agenda just to make sure that the meeting worked. It started by saying, meeting called to order by chairman; 2nd review of minutes, standard; 3rd, introductory remarks by the chairman, standard; 4th, new business, establishment of meeting procedures - what I wanted to achieve was exactly what they were saying; we wanted to agree on how we would move forward. We wanted to agree on how we would meet, if we were inviting people. Whatever procedures that the members wanted, it was in the proposed agenda so that we can work as a team. Public accounts committee meetings, how will we handle the meetings? How will we move? What will we do? And most importantly, a communication line with the public."

"I was recommending that we review the Auditor General's report by having the Auditor General do a presentation, not a question and answer, just a presentation, and by having the Financial Secretary do a presentation on that same report. This was a proposed agenda, and the way it should have worked is that in that meeting, we could have argued - if they wanted - we could have discussed, if they wanted, and come up with an adjustment to the proposed agenda, not the concept of just going in there and refusing because you have 4 over 2 majority."

According to the PUP, the Government may not want the Committee to properly do its job because they may be afraid to be exposed by the supposed damning evidence from the Auditor General's report which was tabled in the House of Representatives.

Here's how the Chairman described what the Auditor General's report could be interpreted as:

Hon. Julius Espat
"The Auditor General has made her presentation; it is a public document. Most of you guys have already reviewed it. There is one statement that's in there that is extremely glaring, and I will read it. It says, 'As a result of the significant material errors and omissions identified in the financial statements received from the Accountant General, I am withholding my opinion on the statements.' I have never been in Government before. This is new to me, but I have sat on boards; I have dealt with bankers; I deal with financial investors, both foreign and local. And I am telling you that when an auditor tells you that they are withholding their opinion, it is sending the wrong signals. It is telling you that you need to go check, and that is why the presentation of the Auditor General is important. She needs to explain to the people of Belize why she is withholding her opinion. Now, remember, this is not anybody, you know. This is a professional public servant. This is a person who was the Accountant General before she became the Auditor General. This is a qualified Belizean public servant."

According to the PUP, due to these perceived irregularities, they will remain committed to press for open meetings of the Public Accounts Committee:

Hon. Julius Espat - Member, Public Accounts Committee
"We are insisting that the future meetings of the Public Accounts committee be held with the public. Now, people are saying, 'well, you can't have a bus load of red, and a bus load of blue.' But in reality, at that meeting - and I can say who was at that meeting, the Hon. Mike Espat, who is a duly elected representative, the Hon. Oscar Requena, who is a duly elected representative, and a member of the media from Krem Radio, who was Ms. Yaya Marin. They were the only 3 members of the public that were in the meeting, and the security forces came in, and they were removed from the meeting. We want in the future that the Public Accounts Committee be public."

According to Espat, he will official propose December 3 as the next possible date for the meeting of the committee. Before news time tonight, Saldivar, through the National Security Ministry, sent out a release in which he attempted to clarify yesterday's proceedings.

Saldivar quoted Standing Order 79 (9) as saying quote, "Subject to any order of the House or resolution of the Committee, the meeting of a Select Committee shall be held in private."

As a result, Saldivar concludes that Chairman Espat acted wrongly when he invited the media and members of the public to yesterday's meeting.

The release adds quote, "It is also my firm belief that the Chairman erred in purporting to direct the Clerk of the National Assembly to invite the Auditor General and the Financial Secretary to appear before the Committee without the prior consent of the members of the Public Accounts Committee."

He continues, But again, the Chairman, in my opinion, misapplied this Standing Order in presuming to give to himself an authority that explicitly resides with the entire membership of the committee and not the Chairman alone." End quote.

The release ends by noting that Espat has, for some unknown reason, decided to question the integrity of the staff of the National Assembly.

Espat - we should note - during his brief time in the house has styled himself as a sort of rogue member - freely tuning out the cuaitons of the House Speaker.

He recently commented that his "standing orders" come from the people of Cayo South.