P.U.P. Condemns Coast Guard ‘Abuse’

John Briceño

Is anybody buying Minister of Defence John Saldivar’s staunch defence of the decision to transport his Belmopan Bandits teams on Coast Guard? Certainly not Opposition Leader John Briceño when we asked him about it today. While he did not pick a fight with Coast Guard Commandant John Borland, Briceño says his logic would suggest that other sporting teams have a right to access government resources. But to keep the playing field level, no government resources ought to be used for private reasons.

John Briceño, Leader, P.U.P.

“Here we have now no other than the Minister of Defence using these boats that have been donated for a specific purpose – for our security and for the fight against drugs. And the Minister of Defence is using those vessels for his own personal use, for his football team or his basketball team or whatever team that he has – it is wrong. And what he is doing, he is putting this country at risk; because the donors, I am told, are very upset, and the donors could very well decide that you know what, if this what you are going to do, if this is the abuse we are going to have, then we are going to stop assisting the country. Again, I call on the Prime Minister to take action – the Prime Minister needs to do what is right. These abuses in office must stop and I can assure you that a new P.U.P. government will ensure that these things do not happen again. We cannot continue to govern this country as if this country belongs to you and that the people’s assets are your personal assets.  It must stop. I am not picking a fight with Commander Borland; I think he is a good man, but quite likely he is acting under orders. You can see that at least from the body language, he is uncomfortable with his answers so I am not going to pick a fight with him. We can all see that it is a weak excuse; because how is it that it’s only the Bandits that are getting access to these boats; how is it that other people and other organizations are not getting access to it; that in itself would answer what has taken place.”