Page 969 - Week 04 - Tuesday, 27 March 1990
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MR HUMPHRIES: Mr Speaker, if there was a murder trial, they would be convicted. They would swing, whatever the expression is.
Lithuania
MR STEFANIAK (11.19): Mr Speaker and members, I think it is probably appropriate that we leave this rather petty debate and go 12,000 miles away and think about a situation that is probably far graver than what we have been discussing this evening.
Some historic events have happened in recent years in eastern Europe. One of the most historic events has occurred in the last 12 months when the people of Lithuania declared their independence from the Soviet Union and went towards a true democracy. Restraint has been shown to an extent by the Soviet Union under Mikhail Gorbachev, but some disquieting events have occurred over the last few days. I had the misfortune to see one of the news reports tonight. As members may no doubt be aware, the Red Army moved back into Lithuania in a show of force, but there seemed to be some hope that violence would not eventuate and that consultation would occur between the Soviet authorities and the Lithuanian independence Government.
I was saddened to hear today on the news that members of the Red Army stormed a Lithuanian hospital and shot six people. I would hope that members of this Assembly would join with me in hoping and praying that the situation there does not revert to the totalitarian form of repression that was exercised by the Soviet Union over that unfortunate country from 1940 until very recently. I hope all members of this Assembly will monitor the situation and hope that democracy does return to Lithuania and to all the former subject peoples of eastern Europe.
Assembly - Conduct
MR BERRY (11.21): Mr Speaker, I would like to refer to some reprehensible activity in this Assembly this evening which will cause eyebrows to rise in other places. Tonight we saw examples of interjections from the other side of the house and I must say that the Chief Minister was responsible for a good part of those, even to the stage where he completely ignored the Speaker's rulings. Some other members opposite took a similar stand in relation to the Speaker's rulings and they were, in essence, ignored as far as warnings were concerned.
Mr Speaker, I formed the view that that represents reprehensible behaviour from members opposite because of the events which followed. I should say, and I repeat the words of Mr Wood, that it can be dangerous to criticise the
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