Opposition leader explains legislative boycott
You will not see much blue and white in the House of Representatives on Wednesday and the only Guyabera in evidence may be that worn by Deputy Prime Minister Dean Barrow. The reason, of course, is the several month old boycott of the legislative process by the People’s United Party. Opposition leader Said Musa told News Five’s Stewart Krohn that the House has been dishonored by the behavior of its U.D.P. members and that’s why he’ll be listening to the budget speech on the radio, instead of in person.
Said Musa, Leader of the Opposition
“This is not something that happened overnight; it’s been? Ever since they came into office in 1993 they have used the House of Representatives, which should be a place where we discuss and debate issues. Yes, to disagree and even disagree vehemently at times. But a place where we can discuss things, get things done hopefully for the benefit of the country.
Instead the House has been converted into a platform simply to personally vilify opposition members in the house who are not afforded even the opportunity of even a right of reply by the way standing orders are interpreted by the speaker. And of course in recent times we know since October last year and January of this year they have used the House. They have used the House now, converting it, assuming judicial powers now and treating it as a kangaroo court. The opposition leader, try me and appointing themselves not only the prosecutors but the judge and jury as well – completely changing the whole complexion of the rule of law in our country.”
Q: “Mr. Musa by making the decision not to appear in our National Assembly you are essentially giving the Government a free ride in terms of being able to present his views unopposed. Is this really a good idea?”
Said Musa
“Well we will be able to get our views across through the People?s Assemblies. We intend to give wide coverage to these assemblies to let our views be known and will not be just P.U.P. talking down to the to the people. It will be an interactive process where we will be listening to the people and we’ll be taking questions and answers. We’ll be discussing things with the people.”
Q: “The budget always has its political component as well its economic one for this is particularly true in an election year.” What kind of things do you expect to see in Mr. Esquivel’s budget tomorrow.”
Said Musa
“I expect the Prime Minister to once again say that he has rescued the economy and that there will be quite a few giveaways in this year’s budget. He has spent four years and eight months punishing the people, squeezing the people but now he will say we can now give you the benefits of this tightening that has taken place. And so there will be quite a few giveaways in the budget. I imagine there may be some reductions in income tax. I imagine they may even present some reduction in real electricity rates which they have been promising for a long time. Many of the giveaways that they are noted for and no doubt there will be many new promises just as the free land and the free education that were given before. My advice to the people is to take all their giveaways as going away presents and send them packing.”
Q: “The election has to be called by the middle of October. Some people have said that it really ought to be called as early as June or July which would be five years from the last election. Is your party ready for an election?”
Siad Musa
“Our view, the elections should be called in five years. The whole spirit of the Constitution is a Government is elected for five years not five years and three months. There is a provision in the Constitution talking about an additional three months from the time the House is dissolved. The House must be dissolved by the fifteenth of July of this year so we are saying that elections should be called by the thirtieth of June which is the five years from June thirtieth, 1993. But whenever they are called, whether they are called in May or June, July, October, our party is gearing up we’re organizing, mobilizing and energizing our people. We are gearing up for the elections and I believe we will be prepared at anytime whenever they call it.”
Q: “If you look back to the time when the Government did propose its re-registration process your party, with you at the head, were particularly vociferous with your objection to re-registration. Do you think that looking back you might have been crying wolf a little bit?”
Said Musa
“Not at all, I believe it was a necessary thing that we did. I believe we had to alarm, send the note of alarm to our people because it was a clear attempt to steal the elections with this clear attempt to re-registration process. If you go back and think how it was being managed in the beginning, when the whole process was taken over by U.D.P. party hacks in every constituency it was very clear that their whole attempt was the hijack the whole elections and boundaries commission process in our country. Because of the vehement protest and opposition we made about it things have normalized to a certain extent but let us not dilute ourselves in thinking that there aren’t still games played in that system. Many of our people are still having a hard time getting registered.
I can tell you it’s a constant daily battle in terms of trying to solve these problems out but we are not going to shout and scream and say you know because of this you cannot call the elections. We know they will do these things. We know they all gerrymander divisions. But we are saying do whatever you like, change divisions whatever you wish, the fact of the matter is the people are sick and tired, the people want to change and we are confident that we’ll get that change.”
The P.U.P. plans to convene its own informal legislative process, called the “People’s Assembly,” beginning next week in Belize City.
