Email

Print

There's no telling yet where that effort will go, but if Friday's events do demonstrate anything, it's that in politics, a few minutes can change everything. Tonight Daniel Ortiz recaps all those minutes that made Friday's House Meeting pivotal:...

Daniel Ortiz reporting
The day started off as normal with the Members of the House of Representatives debating the different items on their agenda.

Outside, a second protest was organized by members of churches, this time by the Spanish arm of the Evangelicals, with a few familiar faces.

Louis Wade - Protester/Talkshow Host
"Today is different, we are not afraid to call a demonstration today and we're not afraid to associate with COLA, PPORS, the Alliance and other groups as well as some teachers are here today."

But, maybe that was a miscalculation because at the height of the midday heat, the Belize City based agitators slowly started to take over the Church Protest. The subtle hijack looked like ordinary supporters being given a chance to take the pulpit and deliver their sermon of discontent.

Wababa Noralez - Protester
"We stop killing each other, we will war the government now and the police, and do you understand me? No more gang violence, let them pay attention to us. We have to start to pay attention to those people up there."

That could have been taken as a portent of the ruckus which would unfold later, but still, no-one took it as anything but a speech.

And then, Raymond Rivers, firebrand unionist, political activist, and grassroots politician took the lead, and assisted the frontline protesters to tear down the police barrier which all demonstrators agreed to respect.

He then dashed towards the stairs, and realizing that he was alone, he retreats briefly, and signaled others to come over.

When they did, he rushed the police guarding the National Assembly Steps. That's when the cop fired a warning shot into the air.

That confrontation kept them back, and the situation started to calm down.

Inside the house, Julius Espat and the PUP spoke on the adjournment to start lambasting the Barrow Administration for the findings in the Auditor General's report. But things went quickly downhill:

Hon. Michael Peyrefitte, Speaker of the House
"If you can't get to the matter, we'll have to ask you to end your speech. Get to the matter."

Hon. Julius Espat - Cayo South Representative
"That is what you really want which I know."

Hon. Michael Peyrefitte, Speaker of the House
"If I wanted to do that.."

Hon. Julius Espat - Cayo South Representative
"Yes I know because you are an honorable member of the house, I found out. I am speaking on corruption in public light."

Hon. Michael Peyrefitte, Speaker of the House
"That's too broad."

Hon. Julius Espat - Cayo South Representative
"You didn't say that in the beginning."

Hon. Michael Peyrefitte, Speaker of the House
"I thought you were going to get to your point."

Hon. Julius Espat - Cayo South Representative
"You can't think what I am thinking."

Hon. Michael Peyrefitte, Speaker of the House
"Listen to me. I will give you another minute, if you continue this way, you will have to sit down and discontinue your speech."

Hon. Julius Espat - Cayo South Representative
"What is your problem Mr. speaker?"

Hon. Michael Peyrefitte, Speaker of the House
"The problem is they pay me to ensure that you do your job and that is impossible."

Hon. Julius Espat - Cayo South Representative
"They pay you to block me, that's what they pay your for."

Hon. Michael Peyrefitte, Speaker of the House
"You know what, that statement, can I get a minister to name this person please."

Hon. Julius Espat - Cayo South Representative
"This house of representative is a joke. You are a swear mercenary for that government."

Hon. Michael Peyrefitte, Speaker of the House
"Can I get a minister to name this person?"

Hon. Julius Espat - Cayo South Representative
"It is ridiculous that a member of the house cannot speak about good governance in this country. its thieves you have over there."

House Speaker Mike Peyrefitte then got what he wanted when Foreign Affairs Minister Wilfred Elrington named Espat, getting him suspended from the House.

Hon. Wilfred Elrington - Minister of Foreign Affairs
"If a member shows disregard for the authority of the chair or abuses the rules of the house by persistently and willfully obstructing the business of the house or otherwise, the speaker shall direct the attention of the house there to mentioning the name of the member concerned. The speaker shall then call upon a minister to move that Mr. so and so to be suspended of the services of the house. It is premised on the issue as to whether or not a member shows disregard for the authority of the chair. If you replay the tape, you can't excuse his conduct. I call upon the speaker to suspend you."

Hon. Michael Peyrefitte, Speaker of the House
"Member, according to the rules, I kindly ask you to leave the premises of the house."

The police tried to reason with Espat, who defiantly chose to hold his ground. The police may have realized that it would become an ugly scene as they tried to forcibly remove an Elected Representative for the first time in Belize's Parliamentary history. That prompts them to try to remove the media, most-likely so as to prevent the ugly scene from being caught on camera. 7News Director Jules Vasquez tried to resist and he was also dragged out.

And then, it was Julius Espat's turn, in the absence of the media, but in full view of his fellow PUP colleagues and their cell phones.

Of course, he says it was orchestrated to block him from speaking on the Auditor General's report. But, just maybe, he was hoping to use his parliamentary privilege as a shield.

Hon. Julius Espat - Cayo South Representative
"It's a lot of pages to review, it's close to a thousand pages but it's easy to review because every page that you have there is signs of corruption and it's not that we're inventing it, the auditor general was quite specific. She quotes in the law that they did things that were improper. But listen to me today in the house and you'll have an idea as I can say more in there than I can say out here."