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Church Senator Ashley Rocke tabled a motion today that Senate configuration be 2:1:3. That's in line with what the Government is prepared to support, and though his motion was scheduled to go after Eamon Courtenay, the acting president, Dr. Carla Barnett, allowed him to table his first. Here's his presentation to his colleagues:

Hon. Ashley Rocke, Church Senator
"Terms of reference A: to conduct an independent and impartial investigation and inquiry into all policies procedures and processes in the grant of nationality and the issuance of visa and passport in the ministry responsible for immigration and nationality. That this committee be appointed consisting of 6 senators as follows: 1) 2 appointed on the advice of the Prime Minister. 2) 1 - from those appointed by the advice by the Leader of the Opposition. 3) 1 - appointed by the advice of the Belize Council of Churches and the Evangelical Churches of Belize. 4) 1- appointed on the advice of the Belize Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Belize Business Bureau. 5) 1 - appointed on the advice of the National Trade Union Congress and the Civil Society Steering Committee."

"When we met as the church, we talked about what we believe would have been an appropriate composition for the senate select committee. In our view, we had agreed on 3 from the government, 1 from the opposition and the 3 social partners. After going through that and putting that together, we were called by one of the social partners and in their view, they were asking us to support their position and their position was that the composition would have been in their view 2 government, 1 opposition and 3 social partners."

When he tabled that motion COLA members caused a ruckus from the Gallery. The Police had to escort them out for disrupting the business of the Senate. Here's that moment in the meeting when Geovannie Brackett, and grassroots activist Raymond Rivers publicly rebuked Ashley Rocke for it.

Geovannie Brackett, President - COLA
"There are large populist that feel that Pastor Rocke is a pappy show - is a sellout, is a traitor. You know what is the honorable thing between Judas and traitors - that Judas did the honorable thing. He found a tree and a rope, because that's what traitors represents."

"Let me tell you something, Pastor Rocke statement, if you notice we allow them to finish his statement before we did what we did. We wanted to do it from the minute that they suspended the vote on whether or not senator Hulse should recuse himself. From that very onset we believe that we should have made a statement. We wanted to hear what senator Rocke said. He was appointed by just people like Howell Longsworth and he does not represent the church as it is in its larger sense."

Raymond Rivers, Community activists
"At the end of the day the poor people of this country feel the most. Who will pay back this money? Dean Barrow, Denny Barrow, Mr. Courtenay, Mr. Briceno? No. The bank account is very full, overflowing, but they will never give the poor anything. We are not playing. We are not afraid for Dean Barrow, Godwin Hulse, Senator Rocke - you understand that we want corruption done in this country. If corruption done, the poor people wins. If corruption continues, the poor people will die - noodles 7 times a day is wrong."

That's was from members of public in the Gallery, and when it was time to debate it, Ashley Rocke's mauling from his Senate Colleagues was just as critical. Here now is the debate on his motion:

Mark Lizarraga, Business Senator
"We will not be supporting this second motion which has now become the first motion, because it lacks in our view clarity in many areas, ambiguity in some areas and what we believe are positions that cannot be defended - it would be difficult for us to defend under the constitution and the standing orders. It goes on to say that where the government acknowledges and heeds the call of the citizenry including several of the social partners represented in the senate (it never said all). It certainly is not heeding our call and it certainly is not heeding the call of the unions, because there is no way we can defend what I will discuss when we get to the terms of reference."

"We are under the composition that is being proposed to have 6 senators. I thought that this was going to be an impartial committee well balanced, trying to give the people of this country the public hearing that they deserve, that we are obligated to give to them."

Aldo Salazar, UDP Senator
"And now let's examine the composition that is being put forward in this motion. With regard to what order 70 says, every select committee shall be so constituted so as to ensure so far as possible that the balance of parties in the senate is reflected in the committee. How is the senate composed? There are 6 senators appointed by government; there are 3 senators appointed by the opposition; there are 3 other senators appointed separately. Each is appoint separately. The term social partners is a term of - I don't know where it came from, but there is no social partner senator."

Elena Smith, Union Senator
"I note that in the motion presented by Senator Rocke, it says that the government acknowledges and heeds the call of citizenry including several of the social partners. Our call has been to ask for a committee comprised of five members. That was our last vote and that vote remains. We believe that if we have such composition, it will reflect a fair representation of what our people are saying. With that said Madam Chair, there is no way that myself representing this organization can support this motion."

Paul Thompson, PUP Senator
"A few weeks ago in these chambers my colleague Senator Chebat introduced a motion to have a senate inquiry. Pastor Rocke rose and spoke in support of the motion, but when a division was requested he voted no to the senate inquiry, making a change in his stance right in the middle of the hearings without the benefit of knowing what the heck was being proposed as it relates to a bicameral inquiry."

"He is now the senator re-introducing a motion for a senate inquiry. There is no principle in this. This is wishy washy. We expected far more from the honorable senator. We would have expected that he would have heard the cries of the teachers and the wider public and he would have heeded their cries."

"We have to ask and we ask with the greatest respect, how do you justify making such a motion? I have to stand in solidarity with the teachers. One of their demands from the government is to have the composition of the senate committee be as my colleague will proposed in the second motion. If the teachers can make the sacrifice of engaging in industrial action and if they can risk their pay and stand up for what is right, then I know we must do the same."

Valerie Woods, PUP Senator
"Let me say outright that I cannot support this motion on several grounds. I am disappointed, dissolution y the church that they would dare to put such a motion on the table for discussion for debate if it is indeed that they were heeding the call of the citizenry."

Eamon Courtenay, PUP Senator
"There are some curious things about this motion which the people of Belize should know, because when you see something that pretends to be a motion from the church and when you read it it looks like something else. We have an obligation to point it out. This motion has a recital and whereas the government acknowledges and heeds the call of the citizenry. Is Senator Rocke speaking on behalf of the government? Whereas the government acknowledges and heeds the call of the citizenry including several of the social partners represented in the senate through the Belize Chamber of Commerce and Industry, well the senator from Belize Chamber of Commerce and Industry was here and he disassociated himself with this motion. The Belize Business Bureau and the National Trade Union Congress of Belize senator is here and she disassociated herself. Did not support this motion."

"I read over and over to see where this motion talks about the church. Nowhere in this motion does it say the church believe that something should be done. Nowhere in this motion does it say that the church has consulted with all the church leaders and therefore it brings a motion."

"What we have Madam President, is a motion by the government masquerading as a motion from the church. We do not support the motion Madam President, but it is clear numbers being what they are that the motion will pass."