PM Meets with N.T.U.C.B.

Last Thursday, the National Trade Union Congress of Belize took to the streets to protest corruption and to bring pressure on a number of demands they are making on government.  Within twenty-four hours, on February twenty-first, they met with the PM starting at ten and concluding just before one o’clock.  There was headway in some issues, but not on all. One of the burning issues involves the implementation of the UNCAC, to which the unions were told that government cannot proceed with implementation of the recommendations made until the full report is completed on March seventh. The unions also repeated a request to obtain the list of persons who are benefitting from the controversial ninety-million-dollar amnesty programme. The PM is said to have undertaken to provide the names.  In respect of the Special Senate Select Committee Report on Immigration, the unions learnt that it is almost complete, however, Senator Aldo Salazar is uncertain as to how the report will be publicized because he is alleging that he does not have a quorum. PM informed the N.T.U.C.B. that Salazar has complained he was deserted by other senators during the drafting of the report, specifically, Senator Elena Smith from the B.N.T.U.  The PM also did not accept a proposal to restructure the Integrity Commission and told the unions that the D.P.P. did not seem keen on prosecuting public officials who did not comply with filing. The PM held to the position that he could not change the composition of the Public Accounts Committee and neither could he remove the embattled John Saldivar, but said he was displeased with the social partner senators, with the exception of Senator Rocke, since the senators have not been supporting government bills. On the ongoing scandal involving John Saldivar,  PM said he has given the directive to the Commissioner of Police to investigate Saldivar and Herman Longworth. We know that the ComPol has said that the investigation on his former boss would take place until trial transcripts are obtained. On the matter of the Chief Justice, while there is consideration for the CJ to be given an additional one-year contract to deliver pending written judgments, there are concerns with the timely delivery of judgments.