P.M. tells FOB referendum ain’t happening
Friends of Belize sought a Referendum on the Ninth Amendment. In a span of two months, the NGO collected over twenty one thousand signatures towards that effort. The government says that the public consultations that went on a countrywide road show did enough to educate the public on the amendment. But the Belize Bar Association, all ten branches of the Belize National Teachers Union, the Association of Protected Areas Management Authority and even at one juncture, the Council of Churches found the ninth to be dangerous. Friends of Belize, as far as it concerns the Prime Minister, will never have a Referendum in spite of the signatures collected. This is what he said at his quarterly press conference on Wednesday.
Dean Barrow
Dean Barrow
“When it comes to referendums, this particular referendum, the one that FOB wrote to governor general about, I really don’t know what the position is. We know because Friends of Belize exhibited the letter. We know that he wrote to them saying that there were some obvious difficulties in the way of proceeding. Now that the case is over in which Friends of Belize, by their agents, sought to stop the enactment into law of the constitutional amendment. I not quite sure what their position is. I understood that Goldsmith said in court that this was a matter of great urgency so as to require Saturday and Sunday sitting, precisely because once the law, once passage was achieved and once the amendment had became law the whole thing would be moot. There could be no need for referendum because of purpose of a consultative referendum is so that in circumstances like these the legislatures would know what people are thinking and perhaps take the sentiments expressed by way of the referendum into account. It is now part of the constitution of this country so in my view no justification for a referendum. I can’t tell you which way we will actually go until or unless we are confronted with the conundrum. But as of now, I would certainly think that we would try get the court to say that this referendum cannot be had since this is now part of the constitution of our country and the purpose of a referendum, the whole rationale for holding a referendum has completely disappeared.”
It is true. Barrow you are right but, do not forget that in less than two years; you shall face the people for whom you so arrogantly shown contempt.
You are a total idiot barrow worse pm in the history of Belize but don’t worry the will of the people will prevail remember barrow .
Exactly you forced the issue over the brink and then now say it is too late for the referendum; a well used tactic used all over the world by many governments to do the wrong thing!
The idea Mr PM was for you to hold the referendum before you held the charades in each district. This would have given people a a real say. Then you could have started out by writing a better Bill that did not exclude the courts of the land.
Let me let you in in a littel secret Mr PM; your courts must never be written out of any law if you plan to remain a democratic leader! Not every Bill needs to go to the court but if the court is called upon to review a proposed law on its merits it should be allowed to do so. They can then make a decision on the merits. The end result will create a law that will be respected and your critics will be silenced or at lease muzzled!
Thoze were never consultations mr.barrow ,mr. partic faber looked like a clown and the whole process looked like a circus,the people have the power and 21.000 signed for a referendum why are you afraid to call it mr barrow? thatz not democracy u are chamging the constitution for ur own benefit not for the people,better call ELECTIONS SOON MR. BARROW U WILL GET THE PEOPLE’S REFERENDUM.
CEO, well said and perfectly in order my friend, but we should all know by now that we are dealing with a Dictator. “Dih man chap pah both sides when ih convenient and benefit him an ih famly”. All good things must come to an end and it is coming very soon.