By Belize Live News Staff: In a departure from their previous boycott, two opposition members attended Thursday’s Special Sitting of the House of Representatives. The boycott had stemmed from concerns over inadequate notice for the last meeting, which was called with only three days’ notice instead of the customary seven.
The meeting began with Leader of the Opposition, Shyne Barrow, raising a privilege motion to address this issue and its implications for Belize’s democracy. Barrow emphasized the importance of sufficient notice for opposition members to effectively represent their constituents and hold the government accountable.
“We as opposition members travel all over this country…and I get many questions that the citizens have of the honorable ministers,” Barrow stated. He stressed the opposition’s use of standard orders to present questions to ministers and how deviations from protocol hinder their ability to fulfill this role.
Barrow questioned why the standing orders couldn’t be amended to ensure a minimum of five clear business days’ notice for regular sittings, citing previous amendments made for other purposes. He urged collaboration to address this irregularity and safeguard the opposition’s tools for holding the government to account.
