Party leaders disagree on flag issue

The question of what to do with the Guatemalan flag was the first to be asked at Tuesday’s press conference hosted by the Prime Minister and Leader of the Opposition. The answers given by the nation’s political leaders closely matched the mixed feelings of their constituents.

Prime Minister Said Musa

“Quite frankly I do not believe that now is the time for this kind of gamesmanship, playing around with each other’s national flags. I believe Belize has been able to maintain the support of the international community because we come across and we are a peace-loving nation. We’ve extended the hand of friendship to all our neighbours and we must maintain the moral high ground at all times. That is my position.”

“Of course that is not to say that this is an expression of weakness. This is an expression of maintaining a particular type of behaviour. If there is a need for action, clearly all Belizeans will stand behind Belize and defend the interests of Belize.”

Dean Barrow, Leader of the Opposition

“I think that the removal of the Guatemalan flag is a gesture that we could very easily take and which would serve two purposes. While we have to continue to negotiate with the Guatemalans, there is no doubt that they have been acting consistently with bad faith. There is no doubt that their behaviour over the past few weeks constitutes naked aggression and hostility towards Belize.”

“Short of breaking off the negotiations, which nobody would suggest, there clearly has to be a range of small incremental actions open to us, which would serve to confirm our displeasure with the behaviour of the Guatemalans, and to indicate the nature of the kind of resolve that we as a nation are capable of in the face of this sort of behaviour. I therefore think that removing the Guatemalan flag from the roundabout could act in precisely that manner and I will therefore be very much in support of taking it down.”

Both Musa and Barrow agreed that their tactical difference of opinion had no bearing on the strength of their call for unity in the face of Guatemalan aggression.