Musa says, “Let’s get it on.”
His opponents may have assembled thousands strong and much of their rhetoric was directed squarely against him, but today opposition leader Said Musa says that his party is ready to go toe to toe with the U.D.P. … and that includes a debate with Manuel Esquivel. Musa laid down that challenge, and a few others, at a late afternoon press conference in Belize City.
Said Musa, Leader, P.U.P.
“Indeed, I believe from last Friday, the chairman wrote to Mr. Dylan Vernon and to Mr., the gentleman from the Chamber, Hererra, indicating that the People’s United Party stands ready, the P.U.P. leader is prepared to debate. We have not imposed any conditions. We are prepared to debate; we stand ready to debate from day one. We have said let’s have a debate between the two party leaders and we are ready for that.”
Q: “What led to this change in position?”
Said Musa
“Well, clearly we felt that the details were being ironed out by the various parties. Clearly as to who should go first and who goes last in the debate are debating points that we could argue about but in the final analysis we want a debate and we are calling the U.D.P. bluff now. If they are serious that they want a debate, let’s have it; let’s get it on.
Clearly the number one issue, as far as the People’s United Party is concerned, is the whole state of the Belizean economy. We believe that people’s lives have been seriously affected for the worse over the past five years because of the wrong-headed policies of this government, and because of the irresponsibly policies of this government and I believe this is borne out by the recent statement made by the I.M.F. which in fact has gone as far as question the very stability of the Belizean dollar, questioning the sustainability of the exchange rate peg. So clearly the economy will be a major issue.
Another issue of course is the whole social well being of our people. There has been growing poverty in our country; the politics of hate has brought victimization, witch-hunts. We want to move back to a Belize where we can work together as a people, to work towards progress and social well being of all Belizeans.
It’s the P.U.P. that came out and said yes we need political reform and proposals on disclosure on campaign finances. That is clearly in the P.U.P. document on political reform, which was revealed at the Bliss Institute. It is the P.U.P. that came out with the proposals and said that if any elected member of the House decides to cross the floor to change his party, then he has to resign and go back to the people for a new mandate; it is the P.U.P. that came out with the proposal on downsizing the Cabinet. So we are happy to see that the U.D.P. is now beginning to see the light of day. But we can’t take them seriously when they will tell the people two years later that they still do not have a firm position on political reform.”
The full version of Musa’s statement is being broadcast tonight as a paid advertisement on this station and others around the nation.
