This afternoon, senior parliamentarian Michael Finnegan shared his thoughts on the new ministerial appointments. Isani Cayetano “It would seem as if though two of the most powerful portfolios within the respective ministries in government have been given to nonelected officials. Attorney General Vanessa Retreage is also the Minister of Natural Resources; that’s one of […]
Litigation in respect of the compensation award, following government’s acquisition of B.T.L. in 2009 is ongoing. The latest round of legal battle is presently before the Caribbean Court of Justice; despite a recent decision by an arbitration tribunal regarding the amount government owes B.T.L.’s previous owners. After seven years of litigation, government now has to […]
During Monday’s press conference, People’s United Party leader John Briceño explained that the B.T.L. settlement did not make it into Friday’s debate because of the ruckus that ended the House Meeting. John Briceño, Leader of the Opposition “What happened, there was a confusion that happened there, again by the Speaker. The Speaker messed up on […]
During the spectacle in the House on Friday, Junior Minister Elodio Aragon remained in his seat and observed the entire drama involving Julius Espat as it unfolded. Today, he expressed disappointment with the conduct of his colleague. Aragon says that Espat threw an unnecessary tantrum, despite the clarity of the standing orders which govern the […]
The political brouhaha at the sitting of the House of Representatives on Friday remains at the forefront of national discourse tonight. It is the first time that security forces are used to physically remove a sitting member from within the House. The back and forth between Speaker Michael Peyrefitte and Cayo South Area Representative Julius […]
In the wake of Friday’s chaotic sitting, the People’s United Party announced that it has agreed to hold a series of activities; the first to take place on Wednesday at the Senate meeting and to be followed by a demonstration in Belize City. The P.U.P. invites Belizeans across the country to join the cause in […]
Cayo South Area Representative Julius Espat was suspended as a member of the House of Representatives, at Friday’s scandalous sitting. While questions have been raised as to the legitimacy of his removal, Espat maintains that he is prepared to attend the next house meeting whenever it is called. We’ll have a legal perspective on the […]
According to senior parliamentarian and Leader of the Opposition John Briceño, the Speaker of the House has been very biased in moderating House debates. The P.U.P. claims the Speaker does not stifle the government side, but consistently goes against the other side of the House. John Briceño, Leader of the Opposition “It was the […]
The ejection of the media from the gallery has also raised concerns in respect of the apparent abuse of authority by members of the police department. Without verbal authorization from the Speaker of the House, police on duty inside the Assembly Building proceeded to forcibly remove reporters, cameramen and technicians from the balcony. The media […]
The People’s United Party is also calling for an appeal of the Supreme Court decision on Section Fifty-three of the Criminal Code. In the days following the landmark ruling, the P.U.P. stated that it respected the decision of the Supreme Court as the rule of law. Today, however it has made an about turn, demanding […]
The P.U.P. touched on a number of other issues. It weighed-in on the massive turnout of protestors who were present for the COLA/Evangelical Church rally in Belmopan on Friday. According to Party Leader Briceño, the opposition deliberately abstained from bringing out its membership out of respect for the church’s cause. The events on Friday, however, […]
Turning to the procedure on the naming of a member of the House of Representatives…. As you know, the House ended in utter confusion not to mention the chaos after Espat was suspended and ejected by the security forces. This morning, Caribbean Shores Area Rep. Kareem Musa relied on the Standing Orders to outline as […]
The People’s United Party has joined the B.P.P. in demanding that the Barrow administration immediately sign on the UN Convention on Anti-corruption. The urgent call for the U.D.P. government to endorse the convention comes amid the mounting scandals that the government is facing. John Briceño, Leader of the Opposition “No Mister Prime Minister; it […]
We have been covering House Meetings for decades, but we cannot remember one as chaotic and as dangerous to democracy as today. There was total pandemonium on Independence Hill where a sitting parliamentarian was suspended—though no knows for how long—another was manhandled and then there was a direct attack on the media. Outside of parliament, […]
As Julius Espat was being dragged out of the building, the Leader of the Opposition John Briceño attempted to intervene, telling the police that Espat was already outside of the Chambers so excessive force was not necessary. But he too was manhandled by the officers who appeared to be overextending their authority. At least three […]
Following the madness inside the meeting of the House, Leader of the Opposition John Briceño and Deputy Party Leader Julius Espat spoke candidly with the media. Briceño and Espat vehemently argued that the reason for the turmoil was simply because they chose to address the issue of the Auditor General’s report which names several government […]
The media also came under attack by the police. Colleagues were asked to leave, but stood their ground and then the police went into attack mode. The removal of the media from the gallery was an attempt to stop the recordings of the ugly scene unfolding. During that mayhem, our colleague at 7 News, Director […]
Moments later, flanked by a massive security detail, PM Barrow would exit the building. The shouting and jeering from onlookers continued as he made his way downhill towards his vehicle. We tried ardently to get a word from him concerning the pandemonium in today’s historic House Meeting. Here’s what happened. {Images of Prime Minister […]
Deputy Prime Minister Patrick Faber’s assigned vehicle, a 2013 Toyota Prado, was plunged into the Caribbean Sea near Marine Parade by an unknown driver on August fourteenth. The account given by the Minister of Education a day later was that the vehicle was stolen from his girlfriend’s house near mile four on the George Price […]
C.E.O. Candelaria Saldivar, the sister of Minister John Saldivar, remains on administrative leave over a year after vacating her office in the Ministry of Immigration. That’s because she reportedly couldn’t get along with the Heads of Department. During this time, the senior public officer continues to enjoy her full salary, as well as the perks […]
The heinous murder of Pastor Llewellyn Lucas in early July, as well as the call for an external investigation also came up in the House today. Pastor Lue was beheaded after being abducted from the home of businessman William Mason on Intelco Hill in Belmopan during a business deal gone wrong. The issue was brought […]
How much is the Prime Minister’s son, Anwar Barrow, earning as Chairman of the Executive Committee at B.T.L.? That’s what Area Representative Kareem Musa asked in the House this morning. Granted, the House of Representatives is not the place or forum for a such a question, but Musa asked nonetheless. Here’s how the PM responded […]
There has long been a call for re-registration of the electoral roll and for re-districting of the electoral boundaries. The former has only taken place in 1996 and 1997 after first being introduced while the last took place between the 2003 and 2008 general elections. Reports are that as many as ten new constituencies will […]
Ministers of government also illegally intervened in the nationality process when there is no such provision for them to do so in the Belize Nationality Act, pointed out by the Auditor General in her findings. Appendix ‘F’ to the Special Audit on Nationality confirms that seven current ministers and ministers of state and seven former […]
The Special Audit Report on Nationality at the Immigration and Nationality Department, 2011-2013, to be laid at the House of Representatives this coming Friday. The audit was concluded three years later and sent to the Prime Minister by the Auditor General, Dorothy Bradley, on May thirty-first of this year. It details a very long list […]
