U.D.P. Rejects Motion to Ratify New York Convention

Michael Peyrefitte

And while that was the hope of the Government, they did not enjoy the support of the Opposition Senators.  Lead Opposition Senator made it quite clear that senators on his side of the house were never consulted. He says bringing the convention to be ratified now raises a lot of questions and concerns.

Michael Peyrefitte, Lead Opposition Senator

“I heard Senator Courtenay said that high ranking government officials have been in contact with members of the senate for consultation on this matter.  I was never a balloon of said importance Madam President but nobody consulted with me and I am the leader of the Opposition in the Senate. Senators Salazar and Pitts have never mentioned to me and we were in discussion on this matter until this morning, nobody has contacted her Majesty’s loyal Opposition on this matter in terms of this motion.  Why the rush? If it is already part of our laws, then why the rush to do it. Well Senator Courtenay has said and it was said in a press release by the government yesterday that this is so that talks can go along in a debt negotiation that is ultra secretive and ultra sensitive which I don’t understand, Madam President. I don’t know what can be so ultra secretive and ultra sensitive that we as the Opposition have not been invited to be a part off. This is where I don’t get it. We have to come to his august body to ratify a convention before talks can even proceed. The government is not saying that debt negotiations have started, we have come to a deal that is favorable to Belize and in order to finish t his deal we need to ratify this convention. We have to ratify this convention so we can continue to talk which means that we are already conceding that we haven’t gotten anything yet. So what if we ratify this convention and the talks, the debt negotiations falls flat, then what? We would have ratified a convention for nothing? Which begs another question, if this just a formality if this is not I don’t want to misinterpret what he said, or misrepresent what he said, but if this is something that technically by law according to the C.C.J. this ratification is not even something that we need then why are the people who we are negotiating with insisting on it before we even proceed to any more talks.”