P.M./Opposition Leader officially sworn in as members of the House
Five weeks after the general elections, today members of the new parliament convened in the nation’s capital to participate in the ceremonial opening of the National Assembly. News Five’s Janelle Chanona attended the event but her report is voiced by Marion Ali.
Marion Ali, Reporting
This morning’s outdoor ceremonial opening of the National Assembly took place on the steps of Independence Hill with a wide range of dignitaries, invited guests, family, friends and supporters of the new Government in the audience.
Leader of the Opposition Said Musa and the other five representatives of the People’s United Party were the first elected officials to take their seat.
Then came the Government’s parliamentarians … followed by Prime Minister Dean Barrow.
The event officially started with the P.M. inspecting the Honour Guard.
Conrad Lewis, Clerk of the House of Representatives
“The first order of business, the first sitting of the House of Representatives is to elect a speaker.”
Prime Minister Dean Barrow
“I propose Mr. Emil Arguelles as Speaker of the House of Representatives.”
Emil Arguelles, Speaker of the House of Representatives
“Though I am but little able to fulfil these important duties and unworthy of the high honour which this house has seen fit to confer upon me, it is with deepest gratitude that I accept and submit myself to this honourable House whose servant I now am.”
Marco Pech will serve as Deputy Speaker. The next order of business was the swearing of the oath of allegiance.
Prime Minister Dean Barrow
“I, Dean Oliver Barrow, do swear that I will bear true faith and allegiance to Belize and will uphold the constitution and the law.”
Gaspar Vega, Deputy Prime Minister
“And that I will conscientiously, impartially and to the best of by ability, discharge my duties as member of the House of Representatives.”
Edmond Castro, Area Rep., Belize Rural North
“And do right to all manner of people without fair or favour, affection or ill will so help me God.”
Said Musa, Leader of Opposition
“I, Said Musa, do swear that I will bear true faith and allegiance to Belize and will uphold the constitution and the law and that I will conscientiously, impartially and to the best of by ability, discharge my duties as a member of the House of Representatives and do right to all manner of people without fair or favour, affection or ill will so help me God.”
Musa wasn’t the only P.U.P. rep to prompt a response from the crowd.
Francis Fonseca, Area Rep., Freetown
“I Francis Fonseca do swear that I will bear true faith and allegiance to Belize and will uphold the constitution and the law.”
President of the Senate Andrea Gill and the other members of the Senate were then invited to the sitting to hear the Government Speech delivered by the Governor General.
Sir Colville Young, Governor General of Belize
“In this session of the National Assembly, the Government shall restore and maintain good governance. To achieve this, the Belizean people will be empowered with the right to recall elected representatives and impeach the Prime Minister. State reform legislation to outlaw secret contracts, to prevent conflict of interest, nepotism, and cronyism and to punish unjust enrichment by elected or public officials are all to be addressed in this first session. The people demand justice and restitution where economic and political crimes have been committed.”
Prime Minister Dean Barrow
“I borrow from the words of an American president who, surveying the wreckage of his predecessor’s administration scattered all across the political landscape, consoled his nation with the assurance our national nightmare is over.”
When it was his turn at the microphone, Prime Minister Barrow started off with poetry but ended on the politics of governance.
Prime Minister Dean Barrow
“We know there is no room for back-sliding, there is no room for failure. We know that there is no room for anything other than to walk the straightest, truest governance course ever on behalf of the people of this country—all the people of this country. Of this Mr. Speaker, I am determined, to this I am dedicated. And there is no power on earth that can keep me from serving Belize now with all my heart and with all my mind and with all my soul.”
“We will lower GST. We will reduce the cost of living. We will bring down the price of fuel. We will distribute land to the poor. We will expand free education. We will create jobs. We shall not let this nation down. After all is said and done Mr. Speaker, the task given Belize’s new government by the Belizean people may be summarized in just tow words “national reconstruction”. Let the work now begin.”
Undoubtedly that work will include the actions of the previous administration which has already been exposed for using twenty million U.S. dollars of public funds to pay off the private debts of Universal Health Services. But today, former Prime Minister refused to discuss the matter.
Said Musa
“Won’t give you an interview, sorry.”
Janelle Chanona
“No interviews today? Any plans on when you’ll be talking to the public?”
Official investigations into the former Government’s financial decisions are well underway, but those teams have yet to reveal whether the former Prime Minister will be able to walk away from the possible legal liability of his actions. Reporting for News Five, Marion Ali.
No date for a business sitting of the House has been set.
