The House of Representatives met today for the first time in two months, and while the main item on the agenda was the presentation of the budget, it again got overshadowed by political fireworks.
Today's meeting ended with the opposition party five representatives staging a walkout - which in the present political climate is pretty standard - considering that 13 months ago when the then UDP government presented its last budget, the opposition PUP staged a walkout.
But, this time, the walkout wasn't about the budget, it was about the use of a single word: "BOY".
The UDP's provocateur in chief, PUP area representative for Cayo South, Julius Espat, referred to Patrick Faber as "boy," something that sparked outrage in the Leader of the Opposition and his party.
Here are clips of the very fraught back and forth that followed between Espat, Faber, Shyne Barrow, and the Speaker of the House:
Hon. Julius Espat, Area Rep., Cayo South
"The People's United Party's mandate was that we would lend support to the agro-productive sector. Something that the past administration for the past 13 years never did. They totally ignored the productive sector. What am I referring to the productive sector - we invested in infrastructure for the sugar roads."
Hon. Patrick Faber, Leader of the Opposition
"On a point of order, Madam Speaker."
Hon. Julius Espat, Area Rep., Cayo South
"Madam Speaker, I am not yielding to him."
Hon. Patrick Faber, Leader of the Opposition
"It's a point of order, you must yield."
Hon. Julius Espat, Area Rep., Cayo South
"No. Must. You sit down boy."
Hon. Patrick Faber, Leader of the Opposition
"Madam Speaker, I will ask you to have him apologized to me. That remark is completely unparliamentarily."
Hon. Valerie Woods, Speaker of the House
"Members please sit. So I ask for respect. Those last choice of words used I will ask not to be entered into the record and I will ask member for Cayo South if we can as you are standing to respond to the member from Collet to restrict the comments to that so that we can proceed to the adjournment."
Hon. Patrick Faber, Leader of the Opposition
"May I ask Madam Speaker that it goes beyond that. Every time he does this, you restrict him, but he never apologizes and continues to do it."
Hon. Valerie Woods, Speaker of the House
"Members, I will rule that the house now be adjourned and I will ask that everybody sit and we adjourned. I have ruled. That matter is dealt with."
Hon. Shyne Barrow, Area Rep., Mesopotamia
"My point of order is standing order 44 3B, where such member has used objectionable abusive and insulting or offensive words and language that is unparliamentarily, he should be ask to withdrawn from the house. This is a repeat offender, the member from Cayo South. He is very disrespectful to members on this side and you Madam Speaker you have been an enforcer, yes you have struck his abusive language from the record, but just now he referred to the leader of the opposition as a boy. For him to sit down, that has racial undertones and he should apologized. You should compel him to apologized Madam Speaker. It is not enough that you strike it from the record."
Hon. Julius Espat, Area Rep., Cayo South
"I am bewildered by a certain personality calling me a repeat offender, I mean, I am just saying..."
Hon. Patrick Faber, Leader of the Opposition
"This is what happened when he is not asked to apologized. This member is really out of order and if you refused to discipline him, if he can call me a boy, what if I would call you girl, and it will just strike off the record? That would be the most disrespectful thing. I demand an apology from him Madam Speaker and if we don't get that then we are gone."
