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Nov 15, 2010

Bar Association condemns Prime Minister’s statements

Last Friday, a peeved Prime Minister told the House of Representatives that the Bar Association has gone PUP. The comments were made by PM Dean Barrow in response to a statement made by Freetown Area representative Francis Fonseca in which he described the perilous state of the judiciary.  Now, as it is well known, the relations between the Bar and the PM have been going downhill for some time and Friday’s comments have caused it to nosedive precipitously. In one of its strongest statements to date the Bar says it condemns in the strongest possible terms the very public and unwarranted attacks launched by the Prime Minister to put political labels on and personalize the reasoned position of the Association. The intentions says the Bar is to “inflame and incite his supporters and thereby avoid the manifest need to address in a sober and rational way the very serious allegation that the Honorable Prime Minister has sought to undermine the rule of law through unwarranted and unjustified interference with persons holding high judicial office.”

The release concludes with a reminder to the PM that he was elected to govern and serve all the people of Belize and that in accordance with the Legal Profession (Code of Conduct) he is obliged to maintain the honor and dignity of the legal profession and that as an attorney, he is further clearly prohibited from engaging in undignified or discourteous conduct which is degrading to his profession.


Viewers please note: This Internet newscast is a verbatim transcript of our evening television newscast. Where speakers use Kriol, we attempt to faithfully reproduce the quotes using a standard spelling system.

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17 Responses for “Bar Association condemns Prime Minister’s statements”

  1. Lindsay Howard says:

    Dictators in training don’t give a hoot about paper tigers. Unless the attorneys of Belize grow some cojones themselves, they won’t affect Barrow. Also, members of the Belize Bar routinely flount court orders and many wouldn’t know a conflict of interest if it slapped them in the face on public television. They’re all afraid to report misconduct by each other, even though it’s often blatant, because the Bar in Belize is a club of the highest order and no one wants to antagonize a club member. They need to get their own house in order in terms of professional ethics and obeying the law before they can effectively take on the PM.

  2. rod says:

    corrupt and useless pm worse ever in the history of belize .

  3. EMS says:

    Leadership crisis..SOS…LEADERSHIP IN PERIL….SOS..pm barrow has got to go?

  4. javier solis says:

    Check out these ambulance chasers. They are the reason Belize is messed up today. In the past the accuser would face the accused and a jury of peers would determine if the accused was gulity. Now the accused uses a person trained in trickery to get off from his crimes. They accuse Barrow of acting indignified as an attorney. How are they acting with this release? and does not the tone of the release prove that they are all PUP lambiscones?

  5. Global Perspectives says:

    All of you at the bar association including Mr Barrow: You guys need to get over yourselves. You all fight like a bunch of nancys, its pathetic, childlike behaviour, if this is Belize’s finest, most educated then we must all give up now. Name calling is least of Belize’s worries today from where I am sitting and if you M’F’s, dont get it, you never will.

    I have never seen a more sorry group of people prancing about calling yourselves legal professionals. Is this the example that you people want to show to the public? Well well. So what if a man call you PUPs supporters? Is it that bad that you don’t want to be associated with the party? Meanwhile the country fall apart. You all behave like bunch of Infantiles, and I am absolutely sick of hearing about this behaviour whether its one of you dragging your sorry @$$ to a media house to complain or through press releases like this one. Grow up!!!!!!! I think it is in all of your interest that your review the legal code of conduct, attend workshops on working each other, managing people whatever it takes but this really is not what I want to hear or see because not one of you have behaved dignified or honourable.

  6. ivan cal says:

    ‘dean barrow is NOT acting as prime minister he is a DICTATOR”…THE justice system in belize has been under attack since PM BARROW came in power because he wants to have the justices as his puppets and if u are not with him then u have to GO! simple as that we see the exaple with justice Abdulai conteh,justice mottley,etc…he has someone at the DPP who like a puppet which he just gives orders and she complies’ so how do we call a government like that ‘DEAN HITLER BARROW”…THE DICTATOR..but his days are counted the people OF Belize are very disapointed of him’. he AND HIS X-WIFE LOIS YOUNG BARROW ARE THE BIGGEST HIPOCRITES OF OUR NATION”…THEY need an award for that.

  7. sunset says:

    I believe that politics has its hands in everything and some people just cant seem to see further than their nose. Things are getting serious in Belize and we still have time to be arguing politics. Sometimes I wonder where some people are living! It is degrading to see how the members of the house behave, like they have no education. Mr PM you disappoint me over and over again. It is so sad the way you behave in the house. We don’t want to hear what the PUP did, that’s why they are not in power. I’m tired of you and your Minister’s comments of “oh, how when unu mi d duh it, or we kia compare or keep up with unu!” Bulls…!! We put you there to do better! What I see is an ignorant PM who doesn’t like to be told or shown that he’s wrong or going about something the wrong way. Like the saying says ‘If the cap fits, wear it.” I’m not taking part for the PUP but let us move on for the betterment of Belize and not for your personal ego’s. Mr PM you need to set the example for it looks so bad on us when you behave this way. I watch you in these sittings because I always admired you and believed that you would do a better job for Belize, but you are acting no different that the past government or maybe even worse. Take charge of your party and act as a Prime Minister and please begin to show some respect to the judiciary branch. Each and every one there has worked hard just like you to be where they are. Some people acting like its all bright and beautiful with all that is going on and I wonder where you people living, can’t be in Belize!! We need to move on and quit looking backwards! A good leader must have the courage to act against an expert’s advice and must be one who has the sense enough to choose good men to do what should be done and put to right what needs to be made right.

  8. jukdog says:

    We Need To Start Electing GREAT COUNTRY LEADERS and NOT GREAT PARTY LEADERS ! Imagine sweet our country would be if our leaders were as Loyal to Country as they are to their PARTY n it’s supporters ! How Bout Loyalty To BELIZE for a change and STOP ALL THE GAMES MOVE OUR JEWEL FORWARD FOR A CHANGE instead of the same old politics as usual ! If Belizeans voted for CHANGE Why we keep hearing THEM mi Do it too !!! come on mein sound like standard V quarrel yo !

  9. rod says:

    i agree totally with you sunset but unfortunately we do not have a leader we have a treasonous useless pm who is taking the country into the gates of hell and he wants to drag everyone in the country with him but it will not happen make sure you pyjamas clean barrow .

  10. RadicalBelizean says:

    Ivan Cal: I think you will find like the rest of the people before you said we don’t have anymore appetite to hear this he said she said ..it. We don’t want to hear what happened to Motley, Conteh, or and any other body. I think we’ve exhausted those stories. Let’s concentrate on Belize for a minute. It is highly likely these individuals are living comfortably whilst our country is in turmoil. You and your friends at the Bar association are displaying a very immature attitude. I agree with the sentiments of Mr Solis, Howard and Global. I am absolutely sick to my eye teeth of the bickering.

    Believe me you don’t know what dictatorial regime look like, however I guess is easy to shout that for a reaction and raise the emotion of your fellow party faithful. Furthermore what is the problem with literacy among the PUP supporters? Perhaps this is reason for these Bar Association members found the mere suggestion an insult. Yes, I know I am pompous, arrogant and anything else you want to call me. Just words and unlike these guys I won’t write to anyone to complain and I have saved you the bother to respond, because more than likely I won’t understand your writing.

  11. GOD FEARING youth says:

    Global Perspective could not have said it better

  12. Donny says:

    you know there is this thing called parliamentary privilege.a member of parliament is basically free to say anything in parliament even if it is defamatory and not be able to be sued. Second of all the people in the bar exec who wrote the release give credence to Mr. Barrow’s claim that they might be PUP. If I was on the Bar Exec I would just have kept quiet because in the end the voters will decide. It no matta how mucch we complain because every GoB do as deh want until election time. Da only afat election dat di losers think dey shudda cudda wouldda. Yo feel mi.

  13. Love says:

    when you all sit in the house you just give more pain. you come out as you enter.

  14. karla says:

    I voted UDP BUT i have not seen a most vindictive and dictator PM as far as i can remember.. He feels only he is right and that no one can tell him what to do. Not even the people which are the ones that put him in power. The way he behaves in the house is shameful. He thinks this country is his. Hardworking canefarmers arre suffering, hurricane victims are still suffering and has he still addressed this problem on a personal and direct front. NO.. he is worried about BTL shares that will fall in the hands of his son and ex wife and having the judiciary system for his brother.. what is happening MR. Barrow.. have you lost sight of focus in your arrogance or you simply have a personal agenda. I have heard many many people that were UDP very dissapointed about the government we voted for. Look at what happened to Obama for going against its people wishes.. he lost control of the house…

  15. belizean says:

    LET BARROW APOLOGIZE TO THE BAR.

  16. Commoner says:

    Who cares about them? The Bar Ass. has never bothered about our issues. They live in a different Belize from the rest of us commoners. They open up the doors to their homes at 3:00 a.m. if a criminal needs them to take on a murder or a drug case.

    It doesn’t matter which political party a particular lawyer serves, it won’t make any of them a humanitarian. They swim with the sharks. I can see why our PM was a part of that group. Lawyers have never joined in our concerns about crime situation in this country. If you ask me they worsen it by defending these criminals so passionately.
    They don’t care about the Bad Public health care system in this country, about the many wastages of our tax money by GOB, on frivolous things like gas drinking SUVs, cronyism, nepotism, ministers and their cronies’ personal pleasures such as trips to Free Zone and over the Boarder in Gov’t vehicles, etc.

    They don’t care about the rising poverty level in Belize, partly because of High Utility rates, High taxes, etc. They just don’t care about this country and its people because they will always survive even if it means keeping a big drug dealer free, or getting a murderer off the hook.

  17. BZNinCALI says:

    Thank you Lindsay Howard, well said.

Comments are closed