NGOs get ready to select Senate representative

Consultations on the proposal to expand the Senate have been held countrywide and before this can become law the Constitution will have to be amended. But before this can take place, the N.G.O. community is organising to elect their first representative to the expanded senate which will grow from twelve to thirteen members. This morning those organisations outlined the process for the selection of their member. APAMO, the Association of Protected Areas management Organisations, is spearheading this initiative.

Yvette Alonzo, Coordinator, APAMO
“This is something that the government has committed to expanding the Senate so that it can include this new seat on the Senate. So we have to wait until this has been completed, which we understand will be the end of August, early September, so that when that comes into effect, we’re ready with our representative to just jump in and be able to participate in the Senate immediately.”

Marion Ali
“How seriously do you think that your representative and the issues that he or she will represent will be addressed being that these are social issues, environmental issues that tend to always get less attention from whichever government?”

Yvette Alonzo
“I’d say that it’s an opportunity for us to have an N.G.O. representative on the Senate now and that’s the reason why we’ve taken it very seriously. The N.G.O. networks of Belize have come together—eight of them—and basically we’ve outlined a process, roles and responsibilities not only for the Senator but also for the Advisory Committee and the networks so that they can support the Senator in pushing issues that affect us from all sectors; social, environmental, economic, and so we hope that now we have great opportunity to certainly have better importance at that level.”

The election is tentatively set for September fourth. N.G.O’s who wish to submit the names of their nominees for the election process may send an e-mail to APAMO at: apamo@pfbelize.org to find out more about the prerequisites. Deadline for nominee submissions is August eighteenth.

And in related news, the Belmopan announced today that copies of the Bill to Recall Elected Representatives before the expiration of their term in office, are now in circulation. Those wishing to submit their views and comment can so do to the Secretary of the Cabinet, Office of the Prime Minister.