Photo: Hon. John Briceño, Prime Minister of Belize
by Kristen Ku
BELMOPAN, Mon. July 3, 2023
Belizean politics took an unexpected turn as the continued absence of an elected representative prompted a heated debate about the rules of parliamentary attendance. That member is Hon. Denise “Sista B” Barrow, who, despite being elected to represent the Queen’s Square division, has not attended a House Meeting since her election.
The issue came to the fore during the House Meeting on Friday, June 30, where Prime Minister John Briceño called for amendments to the Standing Orders of the House of Representatives, a request met with objections and interruptions from the Leader of the Opposition, Hon. Shyne Barrow.
In his address during the House Meeting, Prime Minister Briceño expressed deep disappointment that Barrow has been absent from the National Assembly for an astonishing twenty-eight meetings.
“Today is the 28th House Meeting that we have since we were elected Madam Speaker – 28 House Meetings and the Honorable Member from Queen’s Square has refused to come to House Meetings,” he said. “I find that disrespectful to this House, disrespectful to the people of Queen’s Square, Madam Speaker. I find it disrespectful [of] the Leader of the Opposition, her nephew. I think it’s just very important to make a point that she continues to collect a salary, and refuses to represent the people of Queen’s Square. If she was not interested, why did she put her name on a ballot?”
Denise Barrow, also known as “Sista B”, was elected as the Area Representative for Queen’s Square in November 2020. An important figure in the Queen’s Square community for many years, she stepped into the role previously held by her brother and former Prime Minister, Dean Barrow. The constant absence of Sista B in the House of Representatives is proving problematic.
The debate extended beyond the walls of the House, with Hon. Henry Charles Usher, Minister of Public Service, weighing in on the issue in a post-meeting interview.
Hon. Usher reiterated the Prime Minister’s concerns, and emphasized that the decision to sanction a member in the House lies solely with the Speaker. He supported the Prime Minister’s sentiment that the Standing Orders may need to be stricter to enforce attendance at meetings.
Usher further highlighted his concerns by stating, “I can understand you’re sick one time, you’re out of the country another time, something comes up, but for every House meeting, you have an excuse for every House meeting? I find that to be highly, highly irregular, and certainly, the Speaker has to do something about that,” he shared. “For the Leader of the Opposition to say that he does not have a problem with his member not coming to the House. That shows what he thinks about the democracy of this country,” he added.
Despite the criticism, the Leader of the Opposition, Hon. Shyne Barrow defended “Sista B”. In a post-meeting interview, he argued that she is adhering to the Standing Orders. “The Standing Orders require that she give notice to the Speaker of the House and the Speaker excuses her. If the government objects to that, they have the majority to change it,” he argued.
While changes to the Standing Orders of the House of Representatives may be on the horizon, it is clear that the attendance of elected representatives will remain a point of contention.