He spent question time alone, behind Act MPs, at the very back of the debating chamber.
Dr Sharma, the MP for Hamilton West, has always been a backbencher, but it is difficult to find more of a backbench than the one on which he now sits; his back nudging the wall of the debating chamber, he is surrounded on all sides bar one by empty seats.
Dr Sharma was expelled from Labour’s caucus yesterday after a fortnight in which he accused fellow MPs of bullying and the Prime Minister’s office of avoiding official information laws.
Both allegations have been strongly denied.
Dr Sharma has himself been accused by staff of bullying behaviour.
Dr Sharma made the accusations over nearly a fortnight of wall-to-wall media appearances in print, radio and TV, as well as Facebook posts.
He now has the chance to make further allegations against his party, while protected by parliamentary privilege.
The place where this would happen is in the general debate, but speaking slots are allocated based on the size of a party’s representation in the House.
As a caucus of one, he would wait a long time before being given a general debate place, unless he was given a slot by one of the larger parties such as National or Act.
It is understood National has at least contemplated offering him a speaking slot.
Act leader David Seymour was open to the idea of giving Dr Sharma a slot.
"We’d certainly consider it if he approached us," Mr Seymour said.
"We think he may have useful insights into how this Government has suppressed the free flow of information."
Dr Sharma said he had yet to be offered a slot, but he would consider it.
The Sharma fiasco now shifts to the wider Labour Party.
Dr Sharma has been expelled from the caucus but he is still a member of the Labour Party.
Caucus has referred his case to the Labour’s governing council, which will now consider whether to expel him from the party. — The New Zealand Herald
