And while Shyne Barrow feels the treatment is uneven, his colleague from across the floor, Kareem Musa is certain that the problem is on the other side of the floor. Speaking in what he must know to be hyperbole, he says it's never been this bad:
Kareem Musa, Minister of Home Affairs
"First of all, when it comes to House meetings these days, I try not to even get involved because I realize that there is just so much disruption, it's never been like this. Every single time that a member on our side gets up to speak, the Leader of the Opposition disrupts continuously and so it's not conducive to discussing the people's business to always be interrupting speakers and so on that particular day, the Speaker of the House rightfully put a warning and said you are continuously doing this, let us try to respect others, because when the Leader of the Opposition is speaking, nobody interrupts him, you know. He is allowed to speak freely and express this point of view and I don't know why that respect isn't mutual or reciprocated to our side. And so after that was done, while I was speaking, he got up, did not have a point of order, he's saying now that it's elucidation but he did not express what his point of order was and in fact became very disrespectful to the speaker. Now, he's just chalking it up and saying that the speaker is PUP, trying to downplay what in actuality the effect of what he was saying because what he was insinuating is that the speaker is biased and he is calling into question the integrity and reputation of the chair, that is essentially what he was doing. And that has never been done in the seven years that I've been a part of the House of Representatives, we've always had respect for the previous Madam Speaker but for whatever reason, and then he tried to hide it one top of that to compound what he has already done in calling into question the speaker's integrity, he then tried to lie and say, I didn't not say that."
"And so it is very unfortunate like I said and perhaps it's just part of the learning curve because he is a first time area rep, but he's the Leader of the Opposition, and a lot more is expected out of him in terms of his professionalism and his respect for the Speaker of the House."
"I think this is one of the most fair, above the fray speakers that we've ever had, including the former one as well, Mrs Laura Tucker Longsworth, both of them have to have extreme patience dealing with the members of the House, and so you will always have that question, but at the end of the day I think the Speak is extremely fair and extremely patient with us."
