Constitution Chairman says 9th is about Ashcroft

Arthur Saldivar

And if anyone was wondering what the true motive is for this Ninth Amendment Bill that has stirred a hornet’s nest in Belize the answer was provided by Minister John Saldivar, Acting Chairman of the Constitution and Foreign Affairs Committee on Wednesday night.  Minister Saldivar made the comments to answer the other Saldivar, Arthur the attorney.

Arthur Saldivar, P.U.P. Rural North Standard Bearer

“Subsection two of the constitution and section sixty-nine subsection nine. What do these two sections have to do with nationalization of public utilities? What do these two sections have to do with B.T.L. and B.E.L. and BWSL? That’s my first question. Secondly; as it relates to nationalization, certainly all of us in this room would agree: we want to have ownership of these utilities—that’s no dispute—I am a hundred percent for ownership of the utilities. But why stop there? Why give the Honduran Banco Atlantida, the cane industry? Why not nationalize BNE? We are on nationalization come on now. Let’s talk about nationalization. Why not give a Belizean jurist the Chief Justice position? Why not give a Belizean jurist the Chief Magistrate position? Why not give a Belizean the solicitor general position? Let’s be nationalistic, let’s be nationalistic; come on!”

John Saldivar

John Saldivar

“What changing section two and sixty-nine has to do with public utilities is to put it out of the reach of Michael Ashcroft. We have had instances where previous governments have used the Courts to say to the Court that we have no interests in collecting monies that belong to the Belizean people. We want to make sure that no future government can ever go to court and say that we have no interests in upholding the amendment to the constitution that requires government to have fifty-one percent ownership of the utilities.”