7 News Belize

PM Says Hon. Julius is A "Sick Puppy"
posted (June 21, 2019)
And while that exchange took on dimensions of national import - another about social security disintegrated into a testy exchange of insults. It happened when PUP Cayo South Rep Julius Espat spoke about the increase in Social Security contributions and caught everyone off guard when he started praising his senior colleague Said Musa, whom he disparaged at the last house sitting. Here's what Espat said, and what the PM snapped back with:...

Hon. Julius Espat, PUP Cayo South
"You are asking the people of Belize to pay 2% more on social security contributions, but at the same time the inflation rate is high. The regular Belizean makes $148.50 a week. Now just for comparative, the CEO of the social security board after receiving his salary and perks receives $200,000 a year. More than the judges, more than the Prime Minister, more than any member of cabinet and if the opposite side does not believe me then let's do an audit so that they can show that I am telling the truth. It is time that the contributors of the social security board and the people of Belize start benefitting from the fund, real benefitting. SSB needs to invest in hospitals, pharmacies and labs so as to make sure that our people get guaranteed, complete health protection. I know the past Prime Minister Hon, Said Musa has taken a beating from many, sometimes including me, yes, but he and I are close because he is a mentor to me in various ways and one of the positive things that the Prime Minister did, the Hon. Said Musa when he was in the government, one of the best initiatives that he took on in my humble opinion was putting the NHI forward. Put all the politics aside and put all the differences the Prime Minister and I have, if we are serious about social security giving real benefits to our Belizean people, we have to give them healthcare coverage."

Rt. Hon. Dean Barrow, Prime Minister
"My pronouncement is that you are bi-polar, there is something wrong with you. You are Schizophrenia or..."

Hon. Julius Espat, PUP Cayo South
"Madam Speaker, in anywhere in my presentation did I insult the Prime Minister as he is doing me. This is the Prime Minister of a country that goes down to the gutter, he should be ashamed."

Rt. Hon. Dean Barrow, Prime Minister
"I should be ashamed and you should be taking medication, because I am telling you there is something wrong with you."

Hon. Julius Espat, PUP Cayo South
"Madam Speaker, the only person that on record in this house that takes medication is the Prime Minister and you know more than anybody else the medication for back pain affects your mind, you know that Madam Speaker, I don't have to tell you."

Speaker of the House
"Prime Minister I think we need to move on."

Rt. Hon. Dean Barrow, Prime Minister
"I shall move on, the point having been taken, although I'm saying that if we do not want to neither of us parsing ourselves off as having any medical expertise, maybe I should refrain from medical jargon, I merely say sir in common parlance sir you are one sick puppy. Now.... man..."

Hon. Julius Espat, PUP Cayo South
"Madam Speaker, I have endured countless years even before your time by this gentleman who is supposed to be the daddy of this parliament, I repeat myself, every time he opens his mouth to insult somebody on this side, it is the deplorable, it is unparliamentarily, it is disrespectful and it is not at the level of a prime minister. Thank you very much."

Rt. Hon. Dean Barrow, Prime Minister
"Except I don't want to boast not at the level of a 3-time prime minister. So what counts is the judgement of the people."

Hon. Julius Espat, PUP Cayo South
"3 times more shame."

Rt. Hon. Dean Barrow, Prime Minister
"I listen to him as he was metaphorically speaking on the floor licking up his vomit, it terms of what he had to say about the former prime minister on that famous or infamous occasion when we were last here, just now you would have thought that in fact there had been a 180-degree turnaround, in the same way as he was utterly dismissive as he treated the former prime minister with contempt. He now pretends to be full of praise and admiration and respect for the former prime minister. At the very least of all the things that are wrong with that member, hypocrisy has been most on display in this house when it comes to the honourable gentleman."

Hon. Julius Espat, PUP Cayo South
"This man is the prime minister of the country. What a shame Madam Speaker."

Speaker of the House
"Honourable member, kindly take your seat."

Rt. Hon. Dean Barrow, Prime Minister
"Weren't you talking about my sweating? Isn't that what you said? but man remember the old Virginia Slims commercial, never let them see you sweat. When you have to jump up every 5 minutes, you are exposed the world the fact that I am getting to you, that I am eviscerating you, that I am destroying you. That's what it shows."

Hon. Julius Espat, PUP Cayo South
"Madam Speaker, I am merely an honourable member from a rural community, this is the prime minister of a country, what a shame. I repeat it over again. Madam Speaker, can you get your house in order? Thank you."

Rt. Hon. Dean Barrow, Prime Minister
"The last time when he got up he came with this act now as he being a mere representative of a rural constituency as though he is the repository of the sorts of rural virtues, that we associate with good hard working farmer, but it is as I have said to you a long time ago, but I think it bears repeating, you want to play campesino, but you are not a campesino, you are nothing, but a peasant. Now Madam Speaker, let me continue. There is nothing wrong with the word peasant."

Hon. Julius Espat, PUP Cayo South
"Madam Speaker, I appreciate when the prime minister calls me a peasant, because a peasant is a hard working rural person. I have absolutely no shame of being call a peasant."

Speaker of the House
"Have a seat then member."

We'll have more from today's house meeting later on in the newscast.

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