Today's House of Representatives Meeting was the very first held in its temporary location. We told you yesterday that due to renovations at the National Assembly, the parliamentary meetings will be held temporarily at the George Price Center for Peace and Development.
But the new location isn't the only thing that was unprecedented about today's meeting. The Opposition Party turned on itself during the adjournment, with the Leader firing shots at the Collet area rep, and Patrick Faber returning them.
However, according to Shyne Barrow, Faber and Tracy Panton aren't members of the UDP, though they insist they are.
So it's like Schrödinger's Cat in the Opposition, where we're not quite sure whether Faber and Panton are living members or dead ones. And that came to a head today in the meeting. Courtney Menzies was there and has this story.
It was an explosive adjournment in the House of Representatives Meeting today, but it wasn't between the government and the opposition. In fact, it was between two members of the opposition - at least Patrick Faber maintains that he and Tracy Panton are still part of the UDP.
Patrick Faber, Area Rep., Collet
"The matter of public importance is that the leader of the opposition even though it was not his official presentation, just now when he stood on the adjournment I would have left it alone had he not be allowed to say things and I don't accuse you Madam Speaker, you probably didn't even know what matter he would have spoken, he just snuck it in there. He was actually speaking on the hospital land deal. But the Belizean people must know and if that is going to reflect on the record then we must put on the record that we have absolutely not resigned and that we reject the leader of the opposition and the leader of the UDP's position that we have constructively resigned."
But if you ask the Leader, Shyne Barrow, Faber and Panton have "constructively resigned" and are no longer in the party. In fact, he went so far as to have them removed from House committees. It was that move that led Faber to stand up against his leader - or former leader? - in the House.
Patrick Faber, Area Rep., Collet
"As I was saying, I went dutifully downstairs to the committee room to participate on behalf of my party who I know."
Shyne Barrow, Leader of the Opposition:
"You are not part of the party."
Patrick Faber, Area Rep., Collet
"Not because you say so. Anyway, Madam Speaker, can you talk to him so that he's stops interrupting?"
Madam Speaker:
"Member for Mesopotamia, Leader of the opposition, 42b-."
Shyne Barrow, Leader of the Opposition:
"You cannot pronounce on our internal matters and he's lying he's not a member of the UDP! It's like me getting up and saying I am the Speaker! I am the Speaker then, come on!"
Madam Speaker:
"You did say that once I believe that. Member for Mesopotamia you seem to have difficulty respecting the Chair."
Eventually, Barrow allowed Faber to continue, and the Collet area rep added that he doesn't care where he sits, so long as his chair is on the UDP's side.
Patrick Faber, Area Rep., Collet
"It is prerogative to decide where we're going to sit on this side of the isle. I would have had a problem if there was some kind of decision to say you can't sit with the UDP but as long as these five chairs are joined together, it doesn't matter where we sit because he does not determine whether I have resigned from this Honorable House nor does he determined whether my colleague from Albert has resigned from this Honorable House."
"So we expect that he will cease and desist from that and again we make the pronouncement loud and clear that we are members - sorry to disappoint you members on the government side, we are not crossing the floor and we are not going to pledge allegiance I don't think ever. I heard all of them talking about crossing the floor, no, we are UDP and as far as I'm concerned I'm going to die a UDP."
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