VIP joins in the recall of Elvin Penner

Bobby Lopez

The Vision Inspired by the People political party says that Minister of Immigration Godwin Hulse is a disappointment to them. Today that party came out swinging in the wake of the press conference – at Godwin Hulse and at the government. VIP public relations officer, Bobby Lopez, referred to the immigration measures announced Thursday as just a kneejerk reaction. He says that this was Hulse’s last chance to prove that he serves the people above his party, and he failed the test miserably.

Bobby Lopez, Public Relations Officer, VIP

“What the VIP feels we witnessed is a pyridine flip of Mister Hulse. For years he has been the champion of reform, the champion of good governance and basically the champion of the people. And what we saw him flip to was become the champion of the party he now serves. Prior to 2012, he served for the Chamber of Commerce which represented the business community and by extension the people of Belize. But now he serves the U.D.P. and he has done exactly what he said the one party rule was to protect his interest and you can never expect a party to police itself and audit its performance. So what we are saying is the same masquerading as a magnanimous organization desirous of promoting and protecting the public interests. And those are Godwin’s word. Now we expected no less or no more from the prime minister because he obviously is going to do anything to protect his party and the power that they now hold. We put out a ten point release where we are still calling on Minister X, Minister Penner to resign, we are still calling for a criminal investigation to take place—a full impartial independent public forensic audit and inquiry into exactly what took place at that ministry for the last twenty-four months. We are calling for Minister Penner to comply immediately with the prevention of corruption in public life act which state that he is supposed to annually disclose the year before and right up to the current for all the years he has served in office. We think that he now needs to do that and by extension we are calling on all parliamentarians to step in line and do the same. We are calling on this government to immediately sign the United Nations anti-corruption convention. This needs to be done now; if you are serious, let’s do it now. We are also calling on the U.D.P. to allow the recall mechanism to proceed without their hindrance and intimidation and malice and everything that they are doing man. Allow it in good faith to take place and let the chips fall where they may.”

Lopez says that they plan to join the social partners in a demonstration scheduled for October thirty-first, if government does not accept the points in the release. Additionally, the VIP will actively add its numbers and influence to the recall process in Cayo Northeast.