Caribbean Shores Area Rep Weighs in On Redistricting

Kareem Musa, the Area Representative for Caribbean Shores, also weighed in on the recommendations following the redistricting exercise. In a recent interview with Moses “Shyne” Barrow, the Leader of the Opposition contended that the process has been heavily politicized to save Musa from losing his seat in Caribbean shores. Musa responded to that assertion. He also provided some insight into the government’s concerns about the Election and Boundaries Commission’s proposal.

Kareem Musa

Kareem Musa, Minister of Home Affairs

“From what I gather from the Cabinet meeting is that even that proposal has raised many concerns. In particular, there is a situation where you have a twenty-five percent deviation from the average, meaning that we are not going to accomplish our objective of making each and every division have an average of say five thousand, five hundred voters. We still have one division, as I understand it, I haven’t seen the proposal yet, that has eight thousand voters and other divisions that have four thousand.  And so that is a huge gap still. And the whole point of redistricting is to ensure that each and every division has the same, if not the same, close to the same amount of voters. Now in terms of the leader of the opposition’s allegation, that I am somehow fearful of losing my seat, man.  I don’t know where these politicians come up with these things. And I have to chalk it up to the fact that many of them have no life outside of politics. I am an attorney at law. I studied five years to get my degree to practice law. I have a life outside of politics. And so, I do not depend on politics. The way Boots Martinez does, the way probably Shine does, because I don’t know what his profession is. And so these individuals need to be in power. They need to be, at all times, in politics. That’s not me. But let me just say this. If, for whatever reason, the proposal were to come back and they say, well, Caribbean Shores has to join up with Caye Caulker or has to join up with Fort George or Pickstock, I have no problem with that. I will most certainly challenge for my seat because my people will demand of me. And so, you can call it whatever you like. You can call it Fort George, you can call it Pickstock, you can call it Caye Caulker, Belize Rural South. If Caribbean Shores moves in that direction and it’s called something else, I will continue to contest because the people will demand that I represent them.”