P.U.P. Politicians Say Government Was Trying to Silence Discussion of Immigration Reports
Following the madness inside the meeting of the House, Leader of the Opposition John Briceño and Deputy Party Leader Julius Espat spoke candidly with the media. Briceño and Espat vehemently argued that the reason for the turmoil was simply because they chose to address the issue of the Auditor General’s report which names several government ministers, officials and highly connected party members. The report also names PM Barrow, among those who requested nationality on behalf of foreigners.
Julius Espat, P.U.P.
“The people have to understand that I am not fighting for Julius Espat; I noh even di fight for P.U.P. I am fighting for the people that put me here and I have to be given an opportunity to express myself for them. We di got so much problem. You know why dehn neva want ah talk? Because they knew I had information from the Attorney General on Barrow himself. He knows it. The Speaker call me the day before and say boss, yo can’t talk about that man. You noh see the Speaker gone pan media yesterday di say that the Auditor General report noh important because they make one mistake. And fi make dehn do that ina di House? I apologize, but I di talk Creole because that di come from mi heart.”
Reporter
“What point did you stand down? You were ready to apologize.”
Julius Espat
Julius Espat
“My point was governance in public places. I have a right to speak about corruption in public places; that’s my job. I am the chairman of PAC. I did not insult him; it is the truth. He is a paid assassin for the U.D.P. in there. He ran for the U.D.P. What he expect? We forget that? He dah the man weh mi di try bruk up Belize; di say ram it. This is the same guy and I have had enough of him.”
Reporter
“Sir but you are asking for rules to be followed elsewhere, but you are not following the rules.”
Julius Espat
“Well if the rules have to be broken in Belize so that we could get back our country, I want my country back. I am ready and willing to go to jail; that is what I told the police officers. I have officers from my constituency weh know I fight for them, one of them right behind me; I fight for them. And they were honest and they were fair. Some of them beat me up; that cool. They take unu out so that they neva show how they do it. I di laugh right now Jules, but it is not a laughing matter. I am feeling what the poor, oppressed people of this country feel every day—the south side, Cayo south, Toledo. They can’t get their information when the goddamn thief di give away passport to people left and right. Fifty-five thousand passport; that is sixteen percent of our population have illegal or fraudulent passport. Sixteen percent of three hundred and fifty thousand people have illegal or fraudulent passport and they noh want we talk about it in there.”
Reporter
“Sir what do you expect to happen after this?”
Julius Espat
“I don’t know ma’am, but I will fight for my people to the end.”
John Briceño
John Briceño, Leader of the Opposition
“Well certainly it was something as I was pointed out to the speaker that he needs to be more tolerant. Member from Cayo South was speaking the truth and the U.D.P. does not want to hear the truth. This was all planned out; that they did not want us to talk about the audit report because then we know the level of corruption is from the highest levels of the U.D.P. all the way to the bottom of the drivers. Ministers are named, drivers are named, you have U.D.P. operatives are named. And when you put a money figure to the amount of visas and passports that are missing, we are talking about hundreds of millions of dollars that have been stolen from the people of this country and this U.D.P. is saying that they are not going to hold anybody responsible. The prime minister said that there was no wrongdoing when the Auditor General is saying that there are illegal actions taken by ministers. This is in the report Jules.”
Julius Espat
“Party leader let them know that the reason why they kicked me out is because Dean Oliver Barrow and Kim Simplis Barrow recommended a person for nationality that could not and noh have the requirement to pass nationality and that person is the bra-lee. The bra-lee never have the necessary information and the necessary time in Belize for him to become a Belizean citizen. And Barrow, in his way, making everybody bruk di law so that ih could get ih nationality and ih could get ih passport. And that is why he cannot discipline anybody in his cabinet because he is at the top of the pyramid called corruption. Barrow is the demon.”
Reporter
“Sir when do you all come back to this House?”
John Briceño
“I have absolutely no idea; as it is right now, when we come, we want to talk about the people’s business. But they need to give us an opportunity to speak about the people’s business. The last House meeting was in March; here we are at the end of August and they finally decide to have a meeting. And the only reason they had a meeting was because they had to raise the treasury bills and treasury notes so that they could continue to max out the credit card because they have an insatiable appetite to spend and spend money. Look at the prime minister telling the teachers that they need to go through some hard times because of the hurricane, yet the deputy prime minister vehicle; somebody close to the deputy prime minister, ran his vehicle into the sea and now the prime minister is saying that the deputy prime minister is not going to be held responsible for a car that cost the taxpayers over ninety thousand dollars. Yet, he di tell the teachers unu need to go through some hard times. No, no, we are not going to stand for that.”
Julius Espat
“Mister Vasquez and all the media….page 172, it is clear. This is the reason why they took me out of the House meeting.”
Reporter
“Peter William Dalston, a native of Sweden did not qualify for Belizean nationality.”
Julius Espat
“And who recommend ahn, knowing fully well that…Kim Barrow. That is why they kick me out. They don’t want it on the record.”
John Briceño
“And that is why they don’t want us to discuss this record. Look when I was going through this, I wanted to vomit. I wanted to vomit when you look at the level of corruption that is taking place under this government and nobody is going to be held accountable? Something must be wrong with this government. Jules anybody could see; look at any page, you can see all the wrongdoing that’s going on with this government.”
Reporter
“Sir now so what do you expect to happen to them?”
John Briceño
“They need to be held accountable and I am saying it right now. I am going to have our senators to call for a senate investigation. When Senator Lisa Shoman was calling for the senate investigation, what did Godwin Hulse say? Let’s wait for the Audit report. We have the audit report so I am telling Godwin Hulse, let’s see what you are going to do. Are you going to block it again? And when we get into government, we are going to go through this and anybody that can be held liable, we are going to hold them liable and if they have to go to jail, they are going to go to jail. Enough is enough.”
SOME TIMES AS HUMAN BEINGS WE DONT THINK BEFORE WE ACT, AND THIS IS THE CASE WITH MR ESPAT, I TEND TO AGREE WITH HIM IN SOME AREAS, BUT MY BROTHER MR ESPAT THAT IS NOT THE WAY TO DO THINGS. THAT IS WHY THERE IS LA TO BE FOLLOWED, YES YOU WERE ELECTED, ELECTED TO SERVE THE PEOPLE, YOU WERE SWORN IN AS AN ELECTED OFFICIAL AND YOU AGREE TO UP HOLD THE LAW, LIKE YOU SAID YOU FOUGHT FOR SOME OFFICERS CONGRATULATION. BUT THAT DOES NOT GIVES YOU THE RIGHT TO BEHAVE THE WAY YOU DID, AND YET COME ON PUBLIC TELIVISION AND TRY TO DEFEND YOUR STUPIDITY COME ON MAN YOU KNOW BETTER. THE PEOPLES UNITED PARTY HAVE IT RULES AND GUIDE LINES ALSO TO BE FOLLOWED JUST LIKE ANY OTHER INSTITUTION SO FOLLOW THEM, YOU WERE ASKED TO LEAVE, YOU WASTED THE PEOPLES TIME AND THE MEDIAS TIME COM ON MR ESPAT BE AN EXAMPLE NOT A CLOWN AND I MUST SAY THIS MESSAGE GOES TO ALL YOU IN PARLAMENT. BELIZE DESERVE BETTA ITS SAMLE COUNTRY BUT RICH IN ITS UNIQUE WAY, YES THERES CORRUPTION WE KNOW IT HAS HAPPEN AND CONTINUES TO HAPPEN BUT THAT DOES NOT GIVES ANYONE THE RIGHT TO TAKE THE LAW INTO THIER OWN HANDS ESPECIALLY YOU WHO FIGHT DAILY DEMANDING A BETTER BELIZE, LET USED MR ESPAT SHOW HE PUT DOWN IN THE CAPITAL AS AN EXAMPLE AND MOVE ON. MAY ALLAH CONTINUE TO BLESS BELIZE AND IT ITS PEOPLE AS YOU ALL CONTINUE TO STRIVE AND DEMAND BETTER FROM THOSE ELECTED OFFICIALS YOU ALL ENTRUSTED THE WEALTH OF BELIZE……..ALLLAUAKBAB!!!!!!!
WE IN CAYO NEED THE PASSPORT HUSTLE TO CONTINUE, PLEASE…PLEASE WE NEED A BRIDGE OR ATLEAST A REPAIR,EH?
Such silly fools!
They should know by now they owe me everything.
Perhaps stripping them of citizenship and placing in a 6ft prison will bring them to heel.
To oppose me is to oppose your last breath.
Go outside and do as the police order you.
Of course he will block and subvert the report.
That is why he is a senator I have appointed.
No one would elect him to office but me.
The fact that the report is about the ministry he runs makes this corruption much more beautiful in my eyes. Hulse is an effective and most modest thief of my forty.
Mr. Bricenio as soon as the P U P takes over Belmopan you must order a complete shut down of the exit point of our country so that non of this criminal involved in the passport scandal escape from Belize. USA ambassador you must read the report and cancel the US visas of these criminals. Because of them Guatemala and Mexico give use lots of problems when we present our passport for entry into their country . Our passport has lost credibility.
.
El Moreno?? Are you for real?? If you quantify what Mr. Espat is saying we are talking about figures in the region of U.S.$250 million. And that’s the floor!!! That’s the work of Ministers, political operatives and corrupt civil servants who “follow the rules”. Christ!! Only a Special Edition Blonde would post the nonsense you just did. There comes a time where you have to cut your party loose for the sake of your country. It’s called Patriotism. Even Allah would agree with that one. Please, spare me the b.s!