Someone stoned Orange Walk East Area Representative Marcel Cardona with a wallet at the last Sitting of the House of Representatives; so at the Sitting of the House of Representatives on Friday, July 22, Cardona decided that he would take some precautions. He donned a bold green hardhat inside Parliament, to protect his head for any further assault.
Hardhats are worn by people in construction and other danger zones where falling objects may cause head injuries. Cardona used it as a statement to decry the assault meted out against him at the last meeting of the House of Representatives on Monday, July 4, 2011, when the re-nationalization of Belize Telemedia Limited was approved by Parliament.
On seeing Cardona in his hardhat this Friday, Mesopotamia Area Representative Michael Finnegan, saying that Cardona was disrespecting the House.
Cardona rebutted by saying that it is with tremendous dismay that he had to endure dishonor and disrespect at the last House meeting, not just to him but also to “the entire honorable House of Representatives.”
The assault, said Cardona, was intended to “intimidate the voices of dissent and opposition.”
“For the first time in history, someone, a member of Parliament, has been not only assaulted in Belize but has been assaulted within the sacred precinct of this honorable House of Representatives. That was not an isolated case!” Cardona said.
Speaker of the House of Representatives Emil Arguelles has put a temporary ban on that person from entering the House for two meetings. During Friday’s Sitting, Arguelles apologized to Cardona, saying that he would do whatever he could, within his power, to ensure it does not happen again.
Cardona said he was humbly urging the Speaker and all members of Parliament that when you start things sometimes, it is difficult to put a stop to it.
“If members of Parliament are now to be threatened with physical violence from those members of the gallery who disagree with the views of members of Parliament, where is this country going to? Where is our democracy going to?” Cardona questioned.
Speaker Arguelles insisted that Cardona needs not wear the hardhat.
“I have spoken to the police and it ought not to be worn…” said Arguelles.
Cardona eventually complied, but he playfully boasted his hardhat on exiting the building, after the meeting was over.