The Opposition Will Go to the Sarstoon This Saturday

John Briceño

Tonight there is confirmation that the People’s United Party will be going to the Sarstoon on Saturday to challenge the Sarstoon Law which prevents Belizeans from visiting the area. That law is about to expire on May twenty-seventh. Interestingly, Saturday is the very day when Minister of Foreign Affairs Wilfred Elrington will be holding talks with his counterpart in Istanbul, Turkey. Those talks, according to a government release, will center on the Sarstoon protocols. We revisit comments by P.U.P. leader John Briceño on Friday at the Teacher’s Rally, as he explained the Party’s rationale behind heading out to that very volatile zone.

John Briceño, Leader, People’s United Party [File: May 13^th, 2016]

“As you know, we have filed a suit against the government challenging the SI.  We believe that it is unconstitutional and that is why we felt that it is important to put it on record that we are challenging that SI.  Now I know some people are saying well, or people that understand the court system, that it could be that by the time this case goes in front of the courts that the thirty day limit that the prime minister has put in would have been up.  Well whilst we recognize that that could be true, for us it is important to put forward the case for two reasons.  One, to put it on record that we are against it; but secondly, should the government decide that they want to extend another thirty days, our case is already working its way through the system and hopefully we can get it listened to in front of one of the learned justices.  As to the Sarstoon, we have made it abundantly clear that we are going to visit the Sarstoon.  We’re working at setting a date, it’s going to be before the thirty days is up.  I am happy to hear that the government has decided to open up the Sarstoon somewhat, that if you go to the forward operating base and report then you can be allowed to go to the Sarstoon and then if that is the case then we are going to see if that is so because we are going and we are going to stop at the forward operating base of the BDF before we go on to the mouth of the Sarstoon.”

Isani Cayetano

“Isn’t there a clause within the SI that prevents the movement of political groups or those wanting to create political mischief, if I may, from traversing that area?  And yours is the PUP.”

John Briceño

“We are not creating any political mischief.  Our party is the party of independence.  We fought for this country, our party led the nationalist movement and we have every single right to go anywhere in this country.  We are not creating mischief, we are creating awareness of the challenges that we are facing at the Sarstoon River and that is why we are planning on visiting the Sarstoon.”

Interestingly, we have also been informed that the Party’s constitutional challenge to the controversial Sarstoon Law will be heard this Friday.