Flip Flopping over Position on I.C.J. Referendum

Lisa Shoman

Attorney Lisa Shoman appeared on behalf of the government today in the case brought by the P.U.P.  Shoman has been a party supporter having served as Ambassador, Senator and Minister of Foreign Affairs. Over the past months, she has had both a yes and no position, but more recently, she has been appearing on behalf of the Referendum Unit promoting a YES vote. Today, she was asked if it was a coincidence that she now sits on the opposite side of a party position.

Lisa Shoman, Former Foreign Minister

“I am still a P.U.P. and until I am ex-communicated, I will continue to be a P.U.P.  I think even the deputy party leader and the party leader would agree that I am a P.U.P. so let’s get that out of the way. You know this is not about P.U.P., it is not about U.D.P.; it is about Belize. And let me just remind everybody it is the People’s United Party who started this journey; that knew that we were going to go to the I.C.J.  In fact, I was the foreign minister when Jose Miguel Insulza recommended that we should go to the I.C.J.  The government thereafter changed and Senator Courtenay was present when the special agreement was signed.”

Reporter

“So this is only coincidental that you find yourself on the opposite corner of your P.U.P. colleagues?”

Lisa Shoman

“No, it is not a matter of coincidence. It is a matter of my nation, my country, what is important. I heard the deputy party leader of the P.U.P. talking at length about what we could lose or not lose. But what nobody ever tells you is what is the cost of not going to the I.C.J. and there are several people who hold differing views. There are people who tell you hell no, we won’t go to the I.C.J.; I noh care what you say. And then there are people who tell you were are not ready yet. At least the P.U.P. is divided down the middle on that. Some tell you point blank they noh gwen and then some say, yah we probably gwen, but not right now. And I would insist that the party leader of the People’s United Party, the leader of the Opposition, already said that his personal view is that we should go. It is just that he is now being bound by a party decision to urge people to say no.”