Orange Walk East Representative Marcel Cardona on the 9th Amendment

Marcel Cardona

The proposed ninth amendment to the Belize Constitution has been debated by the two main political parties, the Council of Churches, the Belize Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Bar Association of Belize and vocal Senators. But one voice in the wind, which caught our cameras today, is Orange Walk East Representative Marcel Cardona. Though unaffiliated in the House of Representatives, Cardona, a practicing attorney, is very much affiliated to all the disapproval that the bill has received since its inception.

Marcel Cardona, Orange Walk East Representative

“I am horrified that the current government would even dare to propose such an amendment to our constitution. Our constitution has been based upon the sacred principle that the constitution is supreme. If any other law is inconsistent with the constitution, that law shall be void to the extent of the inconsistency. It is with this constitution that ordinary people have relied upon to protect them from government’s sometimes overarching powers and attempts to interfere with their fundamental rights. We have seen this over and over again; people going to court, their lands being taken away from them or other rights being encroached upon them by the government and them having to resort to the courts.  Now what is this legislation seeking to do now? It is seeking to incorporate into the constitution, provisions that state; that stipulate, clearly that whenever a law is passed amending the Belize constitution; that law should no longer be questioned—its legality or illegality should no longer be questioned because it now forms part of the constitution. Once the government is able to muster the requisite seventy-five percent majority as established I believe under section sixty-nine, then that is fine. In my humble opinion, and in the humble opinion of many attorneys in Belize; in fact the vast majority of attorneys; that in itself is a flagrant violation of the constitutional principle that constitution is supreme not parliament. And the Prime Minister is obviously intent on making parliament supreme.”

Two rounds of public consultations have been held and there’s another coming up on Wednesday in Orange Walk.