Did PM Briceño Know That Definitive Agreement was Wrong?

Former Prime Minister Barrow also weighed in on PM Briceño’s presentation of the Definitive Agreement to Cabinet, saying that while the former Minister of Economic Development was wrong to have signed such an agreement, the sitting head of government was equally wrong for presenting it to Cabinet.

Dean Barrow

Dean Barrow, Former Prime Minister

“The fact that the prime minister initially took to Cabinet this agreement saying that the agreement was binding and that therefore the current administration, his Cabinet, out to approve a draft bill to go to parliament to give effect to the Definitive Agreement, that’s a whole new ball of wax.  What Contreras did was wrong, what the prime minister trying to do was also wrong.  There is no way under the sun the prime minister can justify taking this agreement which one of his ministers picturesquely described as UDP fecal matter but wanting to embrace it, cover himself with that same fecal matter and actually go to parliament to get legislation to give effect to the fecal matter. In terms of the motive of the prime minister for wanting to push forward with something that was clearly illegal, I’m not going to speculate.  All I am going to say is, clearly, he, as well as Portico, in the same way that Portico must have known that that agreement was improper, the prime minister must have known that the agreement was improper and so for him to want to go forward with that agreement is something that he’s had the dickens of a time trying to explain because it’s inexplicable. We understand that he’s saying, okay well, because Cabinet did not approve the agreement in the form in which he took it, well they will seek to renegotiate now and take to the House something else that would see the agreement shorn of all these outrageous terms and conditions.  That remains to be seen.  I have my doubts as to whether the administration will succeed with that. I do wonder how it is that the prime minister can dispatch Chris Coye and Anthony Mahler to go to Royal Caribbean to ask them to agree to a renegotiated agreement, to a renegotiated position.  First of all, the Definitive Agreement was not with Royal Caribbean, it was with Portico.  Clearly, Portico has a memorandum of understanding with Royal Caribbean which is not binding, but that gives them some sort of comfort in terms of trying to raise the money to continue with their project.”