Minister Elrington Speaks on Cabinet’s ‘Yes to the I.C.J.’ Position

Earlier in the week, the Government announced that Cabinet had unanimously taken a ‘yes’ position, affirming its support in settling the territorial claim at the International Court of Justice. A release from the U.D.P. ministers stated that ‘the I.C.J. is where Belize can secure the full and binding recognition of its borders with Guatemala as defined in the Constitution of Belize and based on the 1859 Boundary Treaty.’ In speaking on Cabinet’s position, Pickstock Area Representative and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Wilfred Elrington, says that he assumes that his Cabinet colleagues consulted with their constituents before taking their ‘yes’ stance.

Wilfred Elrington

Wilfred Elrington, Minister of Foreign Affairs

“The assumption is that you would have consulted with your constituency and you are satisfied that they would be happy with your vote. I of course made it very clear to my colleague that I have on every Thursday afternoon, at around fifty-thirty, been brining people in my constituency and talking to them and they have not suggested that they want to vote no at all. Once they have heard the facts, and once they have heard the law the obvious response from all of them is that yes we should go. They have no fear. They are quite content, they have confidence in their leadership, I imagine, and they are prepared to vote yes.”

Hipolito Novelo

“Sir can Belizeans interpret since Cabinet unanimously decided for a yes vote, that the government will now push a yes to the I.C.J. Referendum campaign more openly?”

Wilfred Elrington

“Certainly I think you will hear much more from ministers and political activists articulating that people should vote yes. As you well know I have always been saying that you should vote yes. I have never been hesitant about that. My own personal view is that that is the role of the leader. The leader should make it clear to the nation how he feels about such a seminal issue so that there can be no doubt, no equivocation this is how my leader thinks. This is not a matter you will have a second chance to do a post mortem on. This is an existential matter.”