People’s United Party Secretariat PRESS RELEASE. Sune 26, 2015 PUP STATEMENT ON PARLIAMENTARY WALKOUT Today at the Special Sitting ofthe House of Representatives, the Opposition members of the House were obliged to walk out ofthe sitting following the abuse of authority by the Speaker of the House in ordering the summary removal of Senator Patrick Andrews from the House Gallery by the Police. ‘The Standing Orders ofthe House makes clear thatthe Speaker can only summarily order the withdrawal ofa stranger from the precincts ofthe National Assembly under Order 87. The removal of a Member ofthe National Assembly cannot be carried out in the same manner as the removal of a siranger and cannot be done summarily. The Legislative Assembly (Powers and Privileges) Act makes clear that “a stranger” is any person other than a member or officer of the National Assembly, ‘The Speaker of the House therefore had no authority to order the summary removal of Senalor ‘Andrews (a sitting member of the National Assembly) from the House precincts. In so doing, the ‘Speaker, acting in response to the Hon, Michael Finnegan, has shown once agsin, his pointed Aisregard for his role as Speaker and of the rules which govern the National Assembly ‘This is in keeping with the UDP govemment’s continued disrespect forthe laws of our country and their ruthless determination as an administration to make and amend laws to suit themselves ‘The Belizean public witnessed this determination today with the indecent ramming through ofthe Petco Caribe Amendment Act and two supplementary budgets authorizing the expenditure of an additional $62 million, only three months after the UDP government came to the National Assembly and got approval to spend over billion of our tax dollars. Ths i reckless and unsustainable spending which has eaused Moody's to issue astern warning in rebuke only afew weeks ago about the fragility of our debt sustainability and its ratio to GDP. ‘This Prime Minister and his administration are acing recklessly and are taking this country down a ‘dangerous and undemocratic path. Wecall on all Belizeans to stand with us against the tyranny of, those who control the Executive and the Legislature of our Nation. ~~ENDS~~ Serve the People! #3 Queen Street, Belize City ‘Telephone: 674-9938 Facsimile: 2333476 Email: pupsecretariat@yahoo.com