Preventative Detention bill, other constitutional changes presented to House
The day’s other political developments took place at the National Assembly in Belmopan. News Five’s Janelle Chanona has the highlights.
Janelle Chanona, Reporting
The first business meeting of the House of Representatives was a busy session as the new United Democratic Party Government introduced the first of several bills as part of their reform package.
The sixth amendment to the Belize Constitution Bill 2008 covers a wide range of proposals including legislation to assert all petroleum and mineral rights to the Government of Belize, a three-term limit for the Office of the Prime Minister, the impeachment of elected representatives, the expansion of the Senate to give the Opposition and social partners the majority and power to conduct investigations into public affairs.
Prime Minister Dean Barrow
“These are splendid proposals that the government is introducing and I’m not blowing my own horn. This is the effort, this is the work of the government of Belize, of the Cabinet. But the truth is that these are fantastic proposals by way of enshrining the reform agenda and I think all of us that are members of Cabinet, all of us that are members of this party, all of us that are members of the government of Belize can feel extremely pleased with the fact that we are delivering so early on this fundamental commitment to the people of Belize.”
But the most controversial change presented in the House today involved the “pre-detention” of suspected criminals for up to a week.
Prime Minister Dean Barrow
“We understand that people feel that there have been abuses in the past—not people feel—there have been abuses on the part of the police. I say this without prejudice to the wonderful work that, by and large, they do. But there have been egregious abuses on the part of the police and the fear is that this power would be abused by the police. Well we will make absolutely sure that the power cannot be exercised except either a civilian majority body orders it or an entirely civilian body orders it. That would then allow the police to detain somebody for seven days. If there’s a wish to extend that to a maximum period of thirty days, the police would then have to go to court, to a judge in chambers and make a compelling case for the judge to make such an order. So while, MisterSpeaker, we are floating this proposal in all seriousness, in all earnestness because as the Minister of National Security says, we understand that we are being gripped by a crisis and a crisis requires extreme measures, extreme responses. If during the public debate on this provision in particular, it appears to us that the majority opinion is against proceeding with this feature of the bill, we will withdraw it when we come back to the House to pass the constitutional amendments.”
For his part, Minister of National Security Carlos Perdomo says in addition to swift and severe penalties for gun related offences, as well as educational and social programmes, the Government will embark on a number of “fundamental” initiatives to change “a culture of corruption”.
Carlos Perdomo, Minister National Security
“No branch of the Ministry of National Security is involved in any telephone or email surveillance whatsoever. And let me further state that no citizen is subject to any electronic surveillance. This new government will be led by good example and that is by being a government that will fight and confront corruption openly. The vast majority of Belizeans know that when our political leaders in government are corrupt in high places, people under that leadership will most likely turn to corruption and greediness.”
Less divisive amendments to the constitution include a proposal to enable ten percent of the electorate to call for a national referendum as well as the banning of secrecy clauses in the Freedom of Information Act.
Prime Minister Dean Barrow
“That was used to hide from the public some nefarious contracts that the last government signed; to hide from the public and indeed to hide from members of the last government’s own cabinet.”
The fiery debate across the aisle was missing at today’s meeting but barbs did pass during the Opposition’s questions to Ministers.
Francis Fonseca, Area Representative, Freetown
“Have had their jobs terminated by his administration since February eighth 2008 to date. State the reason or reasons for such termination”
Prime Minister Dean Barrow
“Mister Speaker I really can’t tell the Honourable Member, I almost said Leader of the Opposition but I see the clerk has said to paste over the sign in front of him. Obviously, somebody had not reckoned with what happened at the convention. But in any event, MisterSpeaker, I really can’t tell the member exactly how many open vote workers in the public service or the publicly formed statutory bodies have had their job terminated. I don’t have a number but I can tell him that it is certainly a quarter as many as the amount that was fired after the change of government in 1998. He’s asking about the reasons for termination. Well the reasons vary but some of the reasons have to do, for example, with the fact that his Government and in particular him as Minister of Education, had people hired who were doing absolutely no work and being paid for doing nothing. And I will give him some examples. Emilio Zabaneh, whom he hired as a teacher down in Mango Creek; for two years he collected his teacher’s salary and never reported one day for work. He hired him. Cleaning house, which was the mandate given to this government has started and will proceed.”
The Minister of Natural Resources Gaspar Vega also drew blood when Freetown Area Representative, Francis Fonseca, enquired of the status of land titles issued to residents in Belama Phase Four.
Gaspar Vega, Minister of Natural Resources
“I am certain that maybe this time, Mister Fonseca, Honourable Member of Freetown, does not know how a legal form look for the application of land. And I say that, Mister Speaker, because the applications for land from his division, as you can see it reads “Freetown Land Application Form, Belama Phase Four Land Development Project”. I mean to say you can’t display your arrogance any better than this. And again Mister Speaker, we have the proof, we have the proof where Bill Lindo signed on his behalf. Mister Speaker, it is worse than that; when neither him nor did certain Bill Lindo—who as far as I can remember was never an elected representative of this House or an employee of the ministry—no one signed and the application went through.”
Mark Espat, Albert Area Representative
“Will he provide a specific time table for the fifty percent reduction in electricity rates recently promised by the Prime Minister’s public relations officer?”
Melvin House, Area Rep., Stann Creek West
“Boy, my buddy from Albert. Mister Speaker, this boggle my mind yoh noh. But I proud that you have courage fi ask wah question like this afta sitting inna yah fi ten years, you di joke. View not only B.E.L. numbers but go into BECOL numbers and see they are the providers because the whole time unnu noh mi di watch bout who di provide. You only mi di worry bout who mi di distribute. Man dah two sista thing man, do yoh job properly. So I will say here we will work, we will reduce utility and you should be happy cause you wah benefit too.”
Mark Espat
“Can the Honourable Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, whose party was overwhelmingly elected on among other the promise of lowering the cost of living, outline his government’s plan and timetable to reduce the cost of living.”
Prime Minister Dean Barrow
“You are asking for a policy statement. You don’t do that by way of a question. The standing orders are quite clear and perhaps, Mister Speaker, if the Honourable Member had not been too busy plotting and scheming to try and make himself Leader of the Opposition or alternatively to try and prevent his expulsion from the Peoples’ United Party, he might have had more time to read the standing orders and might have come better prepared to a job on behalf of the constituency that elected him. It is difficult to lower the cost of telephone. It’s because is government signed a secret agreement with B.T.L. which we only became aware of after we took office and we were written to by B.T.L., referring to this so called “accommodation agreement”, a secret agreement as it were handcuffing the government, shackling the government, making it impossible legally, contractually, for the government to do anything about rates because that agreement guaranteed B.T.L. a rate of return of fifteen percent and said that if B.T.L. didn’t make that rate of return they could withhold the payment of their business tax which they’ve done for the past three months. Well we are not going to tolerate that.”
But beyond secret contracts, today the Barrow administration formally addressed the ever-rising cost of fuel and food. According to the P.M., the plan is to concentrate on local production and rely less on imports. That will mean tax breaks and low interest credit for farmers.
Prime Minister Dean Barrow
“Their production for the local market or the prices that they will sell their products for in the local market will go down and so there will be a direct, dramatic decrease in the cost of food items with respect to local production in this country. We’re going to make sure that when we give the farmers duty … import duty relief and when we provide them with access to concessionary credit, our consumer protection agency will at the same time be expanded. We’re going to pass a new consumer protection act to ensure that the advantages that the farmers will receive will pass through to the consumers by way of lower prices. But we encourage our people to consume more of what we produce.”
And according to the Prime Minister, plans are already in the pipelines to give consumers a break at the gas pumps by cutting back on Government’s tax bite on fuel imports and provide cheaper diesel to the productive sector through a private refinery.
Prime Minister Dean Barrow
“Either we will have to tax the local refining process at such a level as to result in no net benefit for the consumer or government, again, will have to revenue. This government is indicating that it will forgo revenue so that the refined products can come to the pump at a cost savings for the Belizean people that will be significant. Another way we will have to make up for the loss of revenue that will the shift from the imported fuel to locally refined products is that—and we have said this publicly—we are going to impose a windfall tax on Belize Natural Energy.”
The constitutional amendments presented at today’s meeting will be brought back to the House in ninety days time. During those three months, a Committee of the House will hold public hearings on the recommendations. Reporting for News Five, I am Janelle Chanona.
The only representative missing from today’s meeting was the Fort George division’s Said Musa. Sources tell News Five the former Prime Minister left the country on Thursday.
