Why Was Union Position So Long in the Making?
The release from the N.T.U.C.B. is rather tardy, almost a month and a half after the incident made international headlines. According to N.T.U.C.B. President Marvin Mora, the cumbersome structure of the trade union congress often affects the timeliness of its position since general consensus needs to be met prior to taking a public stance on national issues.
Isani Cayetano
“It would seem however sir that this release is rather tardy in a sense simply because Pastor Lucas has been killed over a month now. And while extensive coverage was being given to the manner in which he was killed and the circumstances surrounding this issue, the N.T.U.C.B. is only responding a month later.”
Marvin Mora, President, N.T.U.C.B.
“Right, we are not….if you take a close look at the release, we are not only responding a month later, but we are also emphasizing the point that the issue is not dead; that we still have to solve this murder as a country. We have to ensure that it is done properly as well and that we are also addressing the issue of the fact that the investigation is still being done locally and we want it to be done by international parties rather than from our own police. We believe that that way, we will get better results and the issue will be addressed in a better manner. So to answer your question, really and truly it is not late, it is right in time because we want the Belizean public to realize that we are not going to rest until this is being given the necessary emphasis from not only the police, but from the government as well.”
The N.T.U.C.B., in its statement, says, “The N.T.U.C.B. wishes to state, for the record, that this Congress cannot endorse anything short of having a proper investigation being done into his killing. To this congress, a proper investigation is translated as having an international investigation done.”