Shyne Set to be the Next Leader of the Opposition, Again

Shyne Barrow

Mesopotamia Area Representative, Shyne Barrow, is set to become the fifteenth Leader of the Opposition on Monday, when he is sworn into office for a second time in less than a year.  He will succeed Patrick Faber who is stepping down on Monday in wake of the latest scandal that has wracked the United Democratic Party.  But, Shyne’s return to the parliamentary leadership of the U.D.P. is not unchallenged.  Earlier this week, Albert Area Representative Tracy Panton spoke about the constitution of the party which sets out the order of leadership succession.  Shyne, however, refers to the Constitution of Belize which he says the party’s statement of its fundamental laws is not aligned with.

Shyne Barrow, Area Representative, Mesopotamia

“The Constitution of Belize is the supreme law of the land and the Constitution of Belize says explicitly that the person that enjoys the majority support of the members of opposition benches in the House of Representatives is the person that will be the Leader of the Opposition. It does not say the person who the U.D.P. or the P.U.P. says will be the Leader of the Opposition will be the opposition leader. So our party constitution needs to be amended to be consistent with the supreme law of the land because it is a matter of confidence and the Constitution of Belize gives that right in the House of Representatives to the members that sit on the opposition bench. It doesn’t give it to the political party and this is just a matter of fact. Just a matter of fact, that is number one. Number two, the honorable Hugo Patt, the deputy party leader, did not just vote for me arbitrarily. He consulted with the other thirty-one caretakers and standard bearers of the party who represent the wider party and they were the minority who said yes, Tracy and the overwhelming majority indicated to him that they support me.”