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Colourful National MP Bob Clarkson upset his own colleagues and was ejected from the House yesterday after repeatedly suggesting that the family of Folole Muliaga should have paid their power bill before she died.
Mr Clarkson had to be persuaded by National's chief whip, Nathan Guy, to return
to the debating chamber and apologise for his comments, which were labelled deeply offensive by other MPs.
Mrs Muliaga, 44, died in her Mangere home last May after the power was cut by a Mercury Energy contractor because of an overdue bill.
She had an oxygen machine operating at home because of health problems.
Since Mrs Muliaga's death, the Government has hardened guidelines on electricity disconnections and last night Parliament passed a bill which gives it powers to regulate electricity companies if they do not comply with the guidelines.
During a speech by Labour MP and Pacific Island Affairs Minister Winnie Laban about that legislation, Mr Clarkson was heard by other MPs to call out something along the lines of "pay the bill, pay the bill".
Mrs Laban said last night she tried to ignore the calls and was not certain what Mr Clarkson was saying, so she continued her speech, which focused on how important the legislation was.
But former Labour Cabinet minister Mark Burton became so incensed with the repeated calls from Mr Clarkson that he stood up and asked the Tauranga MP to withdraw them and apologise.
"He did it three times, which I found, and clearly everybody else in the House found, not only offensive but also embarrassing," Mr Burton said last night. "When he did it a fourth time, cutting across a contribution from Winnie Laban which I think everyone else recognised was a sensitive matter that needed to dealt with respectfully, I simply thought it was over the top."
However, Mr Clarkson - who has a history of making unbridled comments both in and outside Parliament - refused to withdraw or apologise for the comments and was ordered to leave the chamber.
Some time later he returned and withdrew the comments and apologised.
National whip Mr Guy said he had not been in the House when the incident occurred but it was raised with him by a few of Mr Clarkson's own party colleagues who thought it was inappropriate.
He went and spoke with Mr Clarkson.
Asked if it had been hard to convince the Tauranga MP to apologise, Mr Guy said he had been "reasonable" to deal with.
Mr Clarkson did not return a Herald call to his office late yesterday afternoon.
Mr Burton acknowledged the debating chamber was a robust place but said there was a time and a place for certain things.
"Sometimes you've got to be appropriate to the moment and the issue, and I just did find it deeply offensive."
