Daily Nation
Walk-out
By CHRIS GOLLOP
May 21, 2009, 07:55 UTC

BRIDGETOWN - A DISPUTE OVER the time former Prime Minister Owen Arthur was scheduled to speak, led to a walk-out from the House of Assembly by Opposition Members of Parliament (MPs) during last night's Budget debate.

And in a hastily called Press conference after she led the walk-out, Leader of the Opposition Mia Mottley took aim at the Leader of Government Business, the Speaker of the House and the Prime Minister.

She also questioned the absence of the Caribbean Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) from the Press conference and charged that Government was deliberately trying to muffle the voice of the Opposition Barbados Labour Party (BLP).

The 8:10 walk-out, said Mottley, was triggered by a deliberate attempt by the Government benches to prevent Arthur from making his contribution to the 2009 Financial Statement and Budgetary Proposals.

She explained that the former Prime Minister was slotted to speak at 8 p.m., yet it was just after 7 p.m. that Prime Minister David Thompson rose to wrap up the debate.

At that time, said Mottley, Arthur was in the Opposition offices at Parliament in discussion with her, unaware that there had been a change in the scheduled time as previously set out by Leader of Government Business Ronald Jones.

Holding up a sheet of paper headed Parliament of Barbados, she showed reporters a hand-written schedule, purportedly done by the hand of Jones, that confirmed that Arthur was originally scheduled to speak at 8:30 p.m. before the time slot was changed to 8 p.m. which would normally be right after dinner was taken.

"In his hand-writing he set out the time for when the five speeches (from the Opposition benches would take place)," explained Mottley.

It was against this background, she added, that when Arthur was allowed to make his contribution after rushing to take up his seat in the Lower Chamber, that the Opposition decided to walk out.

"Earlier tonight the Barbados Labour Party took the decision to walk out of Parliament as a result of a fundamental breach of trust that took place between the leader of Government business and the Leader of the Opposition," Mottley explained.

She said Jones should have indicated to her a change of schedule.

"This (action was done) in utmost bad faith and angers us," said Mottley. "It is only one in series of measures where they (the Government) showed bad faith," she said.

Having lashed out at the Leader of Government Business, Mottley then switched her attention to Speaker of the House Michael Carrington.

"For the Speaker of the House to refuse to entertain me on a matter of privilege without first finding out what the point of privilege was, is highly unusual which reflects poorly on his management of Parliament," she charged.

She then lashed out to CBC, saying that a senior journalist at the Government-owned station had given her a commitment to cover last night's Press conference, but was subsequently told by the director of news affairs that no one was available to do so.

Noting that she had already complained about the lack of adequate coverage for the Opposition by CBC, she charged that such action was a threat to demoracy.

"These are dangerous and ominous signs and we will not participate, nor will not stand by idly . . . and allow these things to take place. It will spell doom for this country," she said.

For his part, Arthur, who made his contribution without the benefit of his notes, questioned if the DLP Government was "scared" of him.

Explaining that he was prepared to speak at the scheduled time, he said: "The DLP continues to treat me, as a former Prime Minister, with discourtesy and I am getting accustomed to it," he said. "What are they afraid of? Are they scared of me?"