With Social Partners, Can Opposition Get Enough Votes for Debate?

Senator Courtenay is also a former Foreign Minister. He says that despite having been advised in the past on amending the piece of legislation that is now being challenged, government has failed to act on the matter.  Since the Opposition has taken up that mantle, it has garnered the support of all social partners in upper parliament, with the exception of the church which he hopes will refrain from making it a political issue.

Eamon Courtenay, P.U.P. Senator

“I have no why idea why the government has not done this.  I am sure that the government has seen the same advice that we have seen where the Government of Belize was advised that if the Belize/Guatemala dispute was not going to be resolved by negotiations, then one of the first things to do is to amend the Maritime Areas Act to protect Belize’s interest and to claim all our territorial sea and all our exclusive economic zone, as provided by international law.  The government has not done it, we believe that it should be done and so we have decided that this, along with other issues on the Belize/Guatemala issue, we are going to be pushing forward.  I can only assume that if the government wants to be nationalistic, if the government wants to be patriotic, it will fully support the P.U.P. and support our leadership on this issue.”

Eamon Courtenay

Isani Cayetano

“Speaking of support, has this notion been brought to either the social partners or the business community within the senate, ahead of this particular debate?”

Eamon Courtenay

“We have.  Senator Thompson has done some consultation among the non-governmental senators and so far we have been getting full support for the motion that will be moved at the next senate meeting.  I would hope, the only senator I believe we have not yet spoken to is Senator Rocke.  I would hope that the church would see its way to raise the Belizean flag, to be nationalistic and patriotic and not be political on this issue and to support the motion.”