An interruption and a qualification, followed by heated exchanges earned them their expulsions. Karen Fook Kune-Bacha, Joanna Bérenger and Arianne Navarre Marie were asked to walk out by Sooroojdev Phokeer at the second reading of the Supplementary Appropriation (2020-21) Bill (No. 3). The three MMM MPs were suspended for the sitting on Wednesday 15 June under 3 motions presented by Deputy Prime Minister Steven Obeegadoo at 9.30pm. Sooroojdev Phokeer justified his right to act!
Three women expulsed at once!
This is the first time that three women from the same political party have been expelled from the Mauritian Parliament. While Health Minister Kailesh Jagutpal was reporting on the expenses of his ministry and while he was replying to the criticisms of the Opposition Leader and other critics, Speaker Sooroojdev Phokeer took the floor to prevent any interruptions during the explanations of the Health Ministry. Karen Foo Kune Bacha blurted out the word ‘Unfair’ as she called the intervention ‘It is very Unfair’ during the Speaker’s speech, questioning his bias and judging his attitude.
The Speaker considered such a description of his person and position unacceptable and told the MMM MPs that she should walk out. This was misunderstood by the House and the Speaker had to repeat it three times. He even walked out of his seat to talk to MP Foo Kune – Bacha and Joanna Berenger who supported her sister in arms with the direct qualification to the Speaker “You are being unfair”. Both were expelled. The Speaker suspended the meeting but the spats continued and Arianne Navarre Marie was also declared expelled from the chamber.
Vulgar
At the press conference outside parliament, Arianne Navarre Marie spoke about this injustice to women in parliament. She denounced that the Speaker is “verbally and gesturally vulgar and discourages women in politics and parliament” and that he shows a “dictatorship in parliament. She returned to the Speaker’s repeated cuts during the speech of her running mate Karen Foo Kune-Bacha. She confessed that she cried dictatorship and was also named! She said she condemned this attitude of muzzling a parliamentarian. She recalled that the same Speaker is the Chairperson of the Gender Caucus and is called upon to encourage women’s voices. “He will not be able to stop us from saying what to say and where to say it”. She also highlighted the fact that the Speaker had already suspended the meeting and it was only after he said ‘I Name You’. He came out of his chair to talk to us. I don’t know if he has the right to do such a thing. In any case, if he has the right, the dictatorship in the parliament has reached a very high level,” she said.
Cowardice
Karen Foo Kune Bacha called this attitude of domination “cowardly” saying that the facts about the health ministry’s budget of “Rs 1.18 billion that they are asking us to vote on without questions” must have bothered her. Karen Foo Kune Bacha was repeatedly interrupted by the Speaker who accused her of playing politics, on the “Policies” of the use of the additional funds to be voted. Karen Foo Kune Bacha pointed out that “when Minister Jagutpal expanded on the ‘Policies’, he let her speak without interruptions.
The very definition of dictatorship!
Joanna Berenger did not wish to go back on the facts stated by her comrades. She took the floor to question the role of women in politics and in parliament, but also to praise the female solidarity shown during this political session. She also pointed out that male MPs who make “more serious, more insulting denunciations and as recently as this morning by the Prime Minister who openly called the Uteem MP Zero are still sitting in parliament as we speak. She concluded by recalling the very definition of dictatorship!
The Speaker justifies his rights!
Thus, following the decision taken at 9.30 pm by Deputy Prime Minister Steve Obeegadoo, based on three motions, Karen Foo Kune-Bacha, Joanna Bérenger and Arianne Navarre-Marie were suspended for Wednesday’s sitting. The Speaker, responding to a Point of Order by Reza Uteem, spoke about having ‘Named’ the three MMM MPs when he was not ‘On Chair’, “according to the Standing Orders, I am entitled to do so because the business of the National Assembly was still in progress when I Named them”
Supplementary budget 2020-2021 : 9.5 billion voted without amendment
This is the conclusion of the open debates of this Tuesday’s session on the subject of Supplementary Appropriation (2020-21). Rs 9.5 billion was passed without amendment. Reganaden Padayachy pointed out that the bulk of this additional sum was for the management of Covid-19. “The opposition is again ignoring the context of the pandemic. This expenditure saved lives when the country was in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic. The Finance Minister also said “those who question the spending on the health crisis have no respect for the work and efforts of the frontliners. Tourism Minister Steven Obeegadoo, supporting the Finance Minister in this statement, “we had always played the card of openness and transparency. I invite all those who contradict the management of the budget to go and denounce openly to ICAC for formal denunciations.
The debates around the 2022-2023 budget will follow.
