Request for Senate Inquiry on Definitive Agreement to be Tabled

Janelle Chanona

This afternoon, the media spoke with N.G.O. Senator Janelle Chanona who confirmed that the social partner senators jointly presented a paper to the President of the Senate requesting an inquiry on the Definitive Agreement. Senator Chanona confirmed that the motion will be tabled at the next meeting of the Upper Chamber. While she chose not to comment on the document itself, she spoke of the importance of the inquiry.

Janelle Chanona, Vice President, OCEANA Belize

“Collectively in early June, the social partners met and we jointly discussed this matter and drafted jointly the motion. We put it to the president and the clerk. We have been informed that the motion will be on the order papers for the next Senate meeting and we hope to get the necessary votes for that to happen. We felt that it was important to do that as our own. We shared it simultaneously with both sides of the isle and we will see how the motion is debated.”

Reporter

“What was your reaction when you first saw the definitive agreement?”

Janelle Chanona

“I will reserve comments specific to the agreement because we are asking for an inquiry. I do want to underscore personally my position that I don’t want this to be perceived as anything but an inquiry at this time. This is not a, there are no predetermined conclusions before but we think that enough is out there that it should be fully ventilated so that everybody is armed or aware with what is at play and I will leave it there.”

Reporter

“Will the inquiry maybe call to the witness stand Mister Contreras, Mister Prime Minister [and] the former AG?”

Janelle Chanona

“The only thing I will say is as a senator, I am very aware of the core functions of the senate being to conduct inquiries, to bring whoever is able to provide information to the inquiry panel to make sure that they have the information needed to draw a report and I will leave it there.”