The long and short, according to PM Barrow, is that the National Assembly would be taking action on a report that was initially tabled at the House of Representatives. As for giving up its singular majority on the committee, the government leader says that won’t happen because the standing orders are quite clear. Prime […]
On Wednesday, we shared the strident response of Minister of Education and Youth Patrick Faber to the goings-on with the union. He insists that there is currently no labour dispute between the Government and the public sector unions and since the Government is addressing other national issues, any demonstration or other industrial action should be […]
The battles between the powerful union and the second most powerful man in Belize revolve mostly around their disagreement on how far the union is taking its issues. But Faber has also personally criticized Luke Palacio for acting on political motivations. Palacio seemed loath to respond but used the example of the infamous events of […]
Senator Godwin Hulse represents government business in upper parliament. While he will not be sitting on the soon-to-be constituted task force to look into the findings of the Auditor General’s Special Audit Report on Immigration, the outspoken member of the Senate has weighed in on the pending inquiry. In fact, Hulse was the one who […]
Minister of Immigration Godwin Hulse will not sit on the Senate Select Committee to investigate the Auditor General’s Special Audit on the Immigration Department. Both the People’s United Party and the B.N.T.U. have made that demand. But the decision was taken during the meeting of the Cabinet on Tuesday. The feeling has been that the […]
Does the Prime Minister have the power to name the senators who will form the Senate Select Commission? That’s what we asked Minister Faber today, following concerns that the PM is not legally authorized to do so. According to Faber, as leader of the executive branch and Cabinet, the prime minister was first to receive […]
He was controversially dragged from the House of Representatives by security forces on August twenty-sixth in a heated conclusion to a battle royal with Speaker Michael Peyrefitte, after being chided for using unparliamentary language. Cayo South Area Rep. Julius Espat insists that he has not been properly suspended from the service of the House. But […]
Espat told us that he had written the National Assembly to inquire about his status, and he is still not sure if the letter issued today is a response. That aside, he plans to take the matter to court. He also told us of an interesting happening last week. Julius Espat, Area Representative, Cayo […]
In other news, the People’s United Party issued a release today condemning the vicious and completely unwarranted personal attacks on Auditor-General Dorothy Bradley. It states that since the release of the Auditor General’s Reports revealing widespread and pervasive corruption at the highest ranks of Government, a shameful and cowardly campaign has been waged against Bradley […]
Village council elections are just about concluded in the Toledo District where a number of independent slates contested the leadership of their respective communities. In Cattle Landing, a satellite community just outside of Punta Gorda Town, a team of independent candidates led by Carlos Bardalez was victorious at the polls. But despite coming out on […]
For a second time in five days, the government has had to withdraw its position on two major issues. Last Thursday, the Prime Minister announced it would appeal a portion of the ruling of Section Fifty-Three of the Criminal Code. The original position was not to appeal, but after meetings with the churches, G.O.B. agreed […]
The PM did not offer comments on this major concession following Cabinet today, nor did one of the most outspoken senior parliamentarians Michael Finnegan. While Finnegan pulls no punches as far as sharing his opinions on issues debated in Cabinet, today he was circumspect presumably to avoid preempting the prime minister’s announcement. But he did […]
As we told the composition of the Senate Select Committee is already coming under fire. The Opposition says it is not for the executive to dictate the composition of the Committee. This afternoon, we spoke with P.U.P. Leader John Briceño via telephone from Houston, Texas, where he is currently on personal business. Briceño told us […]
Briceño told us that he is willing to sit down with the Prime Minister at any time to discuss the committee. He also told News Five that the committee should be made up of one member from Government, one from the Opposition and one each from the social partners. According to Briceño, he has not […]
The People’s United Party is also calling for Senator Godwin Hulse, who is Minister of both Home Affairs – which covers the Police Department – and Immigration and Nationality – to give up the former portfolio and not to be considered for appointment to the Senate Select Committee. Leader John Briceño explained that it would […]
Another national issue that is bubbling is the final instalment for salary adjustments to teachers and public officers. This afternoon, Government also announced that a majority of two to one of the unions voted in favour of a delay in salary adjustments until the start of the next fiscal year, 2017-2018. The Public Service Union […]
In the wake of Hurricane Earl and due to the present economic climate, government has been lobbying for a deferral of the third tranche of wage increases. That final adjustment, according to B.N.T.U. President Luke Palacio, was due on July first and is retroactive to the beginning of April. The Barrow administration, on the other […]
In his press conference on September first, PM Barrow also went on record to dismiss the notion of the business senator as the chair for an investigation into the immigration scandal during the period 2011 and 2013. While the Cabinet will revisit on Tuesday the issue and the P.M. has said he would now not […]
In the days that followed the Supreme Court decision, the National Evangelical Association of Belize, NEAB, and the Alliance for Defense of the Natural Family were extremely critical of the landmark ruling. Despite their staunch position against the amended law, both religious organizations were never party to the initial claim. The move by the government […]
Firebrand religious and social activist Patrick Menzies has been leading the charge in demanding that government appeals Section Fifty-three. As the head of the Alliance for the Defense of the Natural Family, he has been a part of the ongoing dialogue with government. Despite not being a hundred percent satisfied with the outcome of today’s […]
The decision of the Supreme Court on Section Fifty-three was perfected on August twenty-sixth, effectively commencing a twenty-one day period during which government, as well as the churches, can challenge the ruling. The appeal, aside from the call of the churches, was equally prompted by the fact that the interpretation of sex came after the […]
The Prime Minister has been advocating for a joint select committee to investigate the special audit on immigration irregularities. That position is changing very quickly because the motion for a senate investigation is picking up steam. The Chamber of Commerce has already voted for a senate select investigation so have the unions and the P.U.P. […]
The composition of the parliamentary committee to investigate the Immigration Department remains a contentious matter. The Prime Minister went on record earlier today to state that personally he has no problem with a Joint Select or for that matter, a Senate Select Committee. What he refuses to cede is government’s majority on the task force, […]
Will President Lee Mark Chang allow the Senate to reintroduce a motion to vote for a Senate Select Committee? It’s a question that can only be answered at the next session of upper parliament. While PM Barrow refused to speculate on that end, he says that he hopes that the president would grant the opportunity […]
At the last senate meeting, the Belize Chamber of Commerce as well as the unions and the P.U.P. voted for a Senate investigation. But that motion was defeated and the government pushed for a bicameral investigation that would give G.O.B. majority members on the committee. Mayor Darrell Bradley believes that the process must be transparent […]
