Government and Oceana Say They Respect People’s Say on Offshore Drilling
Almost a year ago, the Government of Belize and OCEANA had a back and forth over a report that G.O.B. had intentions to conduct offshore oil exploration. OCEANA raised the concern and the prime minister assured that such was not the case, and if the government changed its position, it would go to the public in a referendum first. But OCEANA has already conducted a petition and, in June, handed over to the Governor-General a list with more than sufficient signatures compelling the government to carry out a referendum before proceeding with any sort of offshore oil exploration. The petition list ended up at the Attorney-General’s office, where the government sought legal advice on the matter. Fast forward to today, when the government and OCEANA issued a joint press release in which they state that they will respect the demand of the people for a referendum on offshore oil drilling. And the government announced that it would introduce a bill in the House on Friday to amend the Referendum Act so that it makes a referendum mandatory prior to any proposed amendment or repeal of the Petroleum Operations Maritime Zone Moratorium Act. News Five’s Marion Ali reports.
Marion Ali, Reporting
Last November, OCEANA sounded the alarm on a report that the Government of Belize was considering conducting seismic testing and offshore drilling in Belizean waters. The news shocked many in the environmental community because of what such an activity would do: nullify an indefinite moratorium on offshore oil in its marine territory, including territorial seas and Exclusive Economic Zone that the Barrow administration had instituted in October 2017. It would also put the marine life and resources, as well as the vulnerable tourism industry, in direct risk should there be an oil spill at sea.
Prime Minister John Briceño responded, assuring OCEANA that his government also supports the ban on offshore drilling. The government had indicated that if it changes its position on the matter, it could only do so if the public agrees to it by way of a national vote. Back when he was the Minister of the Blue Economy, Andre Perez told the media that while there might have been discussions off the record on petroleum resources as a form of income under the blue economy, no sound government would contemplate offshore exploration.
Andre Perez
Andre Perez, Minister of Blue Economy (File: November 23, 2022)
“There is nothing on record that has been discussed about seismic one-on-one discussions. It has been discussed what is out there as it relates to the blue economy. Let’s not forget what is the blue economy, and we have to educate our people what is the definition of the blue economy. The definition of the blue economy is whatever is out there that is there for us to extract, whether it’s seafood, or whatever is out there, we do it in a manner that is environmentally friendly and at the same time very much sustainable. Now back what that organization did, sounding alarm bells as if the sky is falling down that’s what I call it – it is regrettable, it was unnecessary. I am part of a government that is very responsible and no one in Cabinet or in government would in their right mind want to do any kind of drilling. And I have every confidence that what my prime minister said was somewhat of an opinion and nothing is wrong with that.”
OCEANA’s Vice President, Janelle Chanona had asked PM Briceño for a meeting to discuss the possibility of amending existing laws to include a referendum. Chanona mentioned in her letter that once the amendments to the laws are made, OCEANA would discontinue a petition it was conducting on the matter, an undertaking that the PM said was unnecessary.
That petition drew twenty-two thousand signatures; more than the ten percent of the electorate that it needed to trigger the referendum. They were delivered to Governor-General, Froyla T’zalam in June and handed over the Attorney-General’s office thereafter, where the government was seeking legal advice on the matter. On that occasion, Chanona told the media that Belizeans are against offshore drilling because it could negatively impact our lives, if something should go wrong.
Janelle Chanona
Janelle Chanona, Vice President, OCEANA Belize (File: June 22, 2023)
“Why this emotion is so high around this issue because as I said, so many things fall off of the stove, back ah the stove, get lost, replaced by the scandal or the next big issue. But this issue, there has been persistence, resistance, perseverance. Belizeans really don’t want to be left out of this conversation because I think they fully grasp or very many Belizeans fully grasp what that would mean and just how inherently dirty and dangerous it is. And I think it is so, as I said that connectedness at a spiritual, at a soulful level, but also that realistic and very real interconnectedness in terms of our jobs, our way of life, our food, our cultures and I think increasingly it is not lost that environmental justice has and is now being perceived by many as a human right.”
Today, the two opposing parties, OCEANA and the government issued a joint statement on the matter. It opens up by saying that the dispute arose over the proper legal process required to hold a referendum on a constitutional amendment to the moratorium on offshore oil exploration. In it, the government states that it has no intention of amending or repealing the provisions of the Moratorium Act. Both sides say they are committed to respecting the demand of Belizeans for meaningful consultation on the matter through a referendum. The government has committed to introducing a bill in parliament on Friday to amend the Referendum Act so that it makes a referendum mandatory prior to any proposed amendment or repeal of the Petroleum Operations Maritime Zone Moratorium Act. This amendment must ensure that everyone of voting age will have a chance to vote in a national referendum if the Government chooses to amend or repeal the Moratorium Act. Marion Ali for News Five.
