Barrow: Facilitators, negotiators acted in good faith
Dean Barrow, Leader of the Opposition
“I think this was an extremely useful exercise. Clearly people will need some time to digest what they’ve heard, to look at the proposals in black and white. But I certainly believe that there really is no room for us to be accusing those that participated in the facilitation process of any kind of bad faith. It seems to me that since there is the ultimate safeguard of the referendum, we need to, in a reasonable and mature fashion, look at these proposals and decide whether they are in the best interest of the country. But to jump up and to say that this one has betrayed us or the other one has betrayed us, I really don’t think it’s helpful. We need to recognise that this situation is different from all that has gone before, because previous proposals never had the input… or were never subject to the final veto of the Belizean people. And when those therefore were put forward, people knew that unless they express themselves, perhaps in a violent manner, they would not get the attention of the authorities. Here, there is no question as to the referendum. That I think provides the greatest comfort for all of us, and that I insist is what ought to allow us to debate this thing in a reasoned fashion.”
Janelle Chanona
“Now you’ve stated before, I think to Channel 5 even, that you have recommended to the United Democratic Party, that ever person for himself, every man or woman will be entitled to his or her own decision. Personally speaking, did this leave you feeling comfortable today?”
Dean Barrow
“Well let me clarify that, because we are going to have a meeting in another hour of so, the National Party Council of the UDP, and we expect to be able to take an official position as a party; I think our leadership role requires that. But I’m saying that not withstanding the official position of the party, if individuals think they are compelled to say publicly that they disagree with that position, there is no way we’re gonna attempt to muzzle them or to impose sanctions. Everybody must be free to express his or her individual position according to that person’s conscience.”
Janelle Chanona
“And that would be vice versa, that if the party position is that they don’t agree, but they agree?”
Dean Barrow
“Right, they ought to be free to say so.”
Janelle Chanona
“And there we had the three perspectives there from government leaders. What was your estimation of how the mood was in the room during the ceremony?”
Stewart Krohn
“It’s always kind of a dangerous question, because then it comes down to which side, or which political party can pack the room with the most people. I think I could best answer the question by saying that there were a number of light moments before the actual press conference even began. You had various politicians of both parties, kind of making nice to each other, cracking jokes. The Senior Minister George Price was in a good mood; Ralph Fonseca was shaking hands with Delroy Cuthkelvin. So I think that was really the big icebreaker and while there were some not violent, but some vocal outbursts in the room, I think that tended to be viewed upon by everyone in the room as kind of something that was an aberration. I think most of the people in the room, whether they liked the proposals, whether they didn’t like them, I think they kind of as Mr. Barrow alluded, there was not that kind of pressure. That the trouble makers didn’t feel like I had to make trouble to oppose the thing, and even those in favour of it didn’t feel that they had to clap loud because that’s the only way their side was gonna be appreciated. So I want to sense kind of a maturity on how the people are viewing it.”
Janelle Chanona
“I definitely agree, I think both sides were expecting a lot worse. I think the people in the audience had braced themselves for just the worse possible scenario, and at the same time I think people at the head table were saying that they could come at us with all or everything they had. So I think both of them, and that’s why I think there was a lot of laughter, a lot of smiles you know lighthearted moments during the ceremony because everybody was waiting for that release. It’s such a sensitive issue, obviously people were tense about how they were going to react and what they were going to hear and have to react to publicly. But, I definitely agree with you, I think people were very sure of themselves when it came to expressing themselves.”
Stewart Krohn
“As someone who’s been through this thing a few times, I was impressed. I would hope that it is a signal of the way the debate is going to go on in the future.”
