Former PM Dean Barrow Goes In on New Courtenay Arrangement

On Monday, news of a pending resignation involving Foreign Minister Eamon Courtenay was first shared in the media.  The following day, that announcement was confirmed via a release from the Office of the Prime Minister stating that Senator Courtenay, Leader of Government Business in the upper house, would be abdicating his seat as a cabinet minister at the end of December.  It sparked a number of theories as to why Prime Minister Briceño’s chief political strategist would suddenly demit office after three years at the helm of the foreign ministry.  The statement went on to say, “Honorable Courtenay will continue to serve as Leader of Government Business in the Senate, with Cabinet privileges, and will retain overall responsibility for Belize’s two cases currently before the International Court of Justice”.  It’s a controversial arrangement, one that is unprecedented and has raised more questions than the Briceño administration is prepared to answer.  In fact, the official account from the Office of the Prime Minister has it that Courtenay initially agreed to serve only three years out of a five-year term of office and that position was supported by Transport Minister Rodwell Ferguson on Wednesday.  It appears to be a confused mess and we turned to former Prime Minister Dean Barrow to explain the new configuration involving Courtenay’s role in the Briceño administration.

Dean Barrow

Dean Barrow, Former Prime Minister

“This thing is such a muddle, it is such a hash that the prime minister has made of this development that one hardly knows where to start.  But, perhaps, a good place is to take up immediately the question that you asked.  How does this new configuration accord with precedent, accord with principle, accord with the constitution of the country, accord with practice?  The answer is, it doesn’t.  But the answer also is, whatever it is it doesn’t, but we don’t know what it is.  The press release, the government’s position is that Mr. Courtenay will retain Cabinet privileges.  What does that mean?  Whatever it means, it can’t work.  Cabinet privileges are privileges accorded to members of Cabinet, under the constitution of the country.  Cabinet privileges also carry with those privileges responsibilities.  All the world knows about Cabinet’s collective responsibility.  That means Cabinet, which makes all these serious decisions and governs the affairs of the country is held accountable and it is held accountable both individually and collectively.  If you are not a minister, you are not a Cabinet member, you’re given Cabinet privileges?  Well, does that mean that you also will continue to share in the collective responsibility?  When the Cabinet is being held to account, if the Cabinet commits some obvious error, if there is some serious policy mistake made, will Eamon Courtenay be obliged to say, “Well I am also to blame because I share in Cabinet responsibility.”  On the face of it, no, because he is not a member of Cabinet.”