Will Shyne Barrow apologize to Madam Speaker for his rude email in August. On Friday the House voted that he had until October 31st at 5:00 pm to do so in writing. And while on Friday, Barrow was resolute that he would not apologize, today, he did send a letter to the Speaker - in which he offers an apology, but does not apologize.
The letter begins by reading, quote, "I write in the spirit of a reset to offer my apologies for the offense you took to my email August 10th. It is regrettable that the valid complaints raised in my email have been hijacked by the pup Members of the House to serve their partisan agenda to distract the Belizean people from their failed government that has inflicted the most punishment on our Citizens with heartless hawkish policies." End quote.
The letter ends by again asking for a reset between the Office of the Speaker and the Office of the Leader of the Opposition, and that moving forward, there would be mutual respect.
Today, Barrow told us that the letter was sent of his own volition, not because of the house vote. But it does not exactly constitute an apology - in fact, he never says he is sorry, or that he made a mistake. So we asked him about it this evening:
Shyne Barrow, Leader of the Opposition
"If you read the contents of the letter carefully, the letter speaks of a reset. When you spoke to me on Friday, I certainly was not going to comply with any recommendation of the House Committee report that was adapted as a motion because that was a kangaroo House Committee and a very disingenuous motion because if there was any sincerity in that motion, it would have included a recommendation for Abelardo Mai and John Briceno to apologize to Tracy Panton. Notwithstanding those set of circumstances, I do believe that the People's United Party desperately need a distraction, they desperately need a circus and myself and my colleagues in the United Democratic Party, we are simply not prepared to do them that favor. The Belizean people need us to be focused and we cannot afford any distractions, and this is a distraction that the PUP would love to have had me engaged in and roll around with them in the mud, but pigs like to get dirty but you don't really prove a point when you roll around in the mud with a pig."
"The letter is an olive branch to Madam Speaker, I have said all that I needed to say as far as the frustrations and the complaints, valid they are, from members of the opposition. I pray she had heard our complaints and we can reset and I will give the office of the Speaker, the institution of the House, the highest regard and reference it requires and the hope is that there will be reciprocacy as we proceed in conducting the business of the people in the people's House."
Courtney Menzies:
"While you said that you did extend the olive branch, it's clear in the letter that there isn't really any remorse for what you said or how you phrased it, you said that the complaints were still valid in your opinion, which is why I asked if you think she'd accept it as an apology because it doesn't really seem, it's not like you said, I'm sorry for what I said or how I said it."
Shyne Barrow, Leader of the Opposition
"That is your opinion. I have said all I have to say on the matter, we're all subject to our opinions. I have explained to your what prompted the letter and my focus is on wining the municipal elections and serving the people of this great Belize in all 31 constituencies."
But it doesn't end there. Barrow has also written to the chairman of the Constitution and Foreign Affairs Committee, Julius Espat, to request that at their next meeting, the comments made by Minister Jose Mai and Prime Minister John Briceno towards Tracey Panton be discussed.
The comments made by Mai were done so in June of last year, and by the PM in March of this year.
We asked Barrow if it's worth prolonging the battle.
Courtney Menzies:
"Isn't this a part of continuing this "rolling around in the mud" rather than just ending it here?"
Shyne Barrow, Leader of the Opposition
"No it's not. If it is equity that we are dealing with, if it is fair play that we are dealing with, if all of the sanctimonious pontification that took place in the House on Friday is genuine and sincere then we will hold everyone accountable. So I have done my part for a reset with the Speaker so that we can move forward with a clean slate and hopefully all of the valid complaints are taken into consideration and in my part will take into consideration the challenges and difficulties of having, as Julius Espat confessed, that he doesn't like the rulings of the Speaker himself, and that he feels that the speaker needs to be harder on the Opposition."
"With those types of revelation, you can see why a Speaker may be pressured and why certain decisions may come across as misapplied or misinterpreted so the hope is that no Julius Espat, no individual will be able to interfere with the decision making of the Speaker and I have done my part to give the Speaker the opportunity for a reset so that we can conduct the business of the people because it's not personal, it's never personal with me."
We have yet to see whether the Speaker will accept Barrow's olive branch.
