On Saturday afternoon Senator Godwin Hulse's pickup truck mysteriously caught fire while he was attending a meeting at the office of Attorney Lois Young on new road. Today we visited Hulse at his home and got his impression of what went wrong. Not surprisingly Hulse, who is a trained mechanic told us that his vehicle, which he keeps in excellent running condition could not simply have caught fire.
Alfonso Noble Reporting,
Having had 6 days to examine the extent of damage that his truck sustained on Saturday at around 1:30 while attending a meeting in Belize City Godwin Hulse says he's simply perplexed as to how the fire could have started.
Senator Godwin Hulse,
"I just find it very strange. I will not speculate but I find it very strange because my truck is always in excellent state, there is non leak, no grease, no nothing anywhere. My wires are never loose, I don't have any problem with it and even if there was a potential electrical problem, sitting that long time there it seems odd that it would just suddenly self-combust and just ignite. And looking it, initially I didn't have a chance to inspect it well but now that I've been able to bring it here to my home, I've been able to look at it. I find for example that my left front tire is burnt at the top and there is a firewall really around that tire in a wheel so I find that also that that would have ignited there at that spot."
Even with all those tell-tale signs Hulse says he's not one to speculate as to how the fire started but because of the nature of the work he is presently doing, specifically heading the Senate Select Committee investigating Social Security irregularities there are questions that loom. That is that maybe someone intentionally set the vehicle on fire. Hulse says that he is of a clear conscience and is diligent in doing his work to do better for the country and this senior statesman says he is without worry or care about anyone wishing him bad.
Alfonso Noble,
While you are speculating, there are those who are speculating and saying that this was an intentional fire set on your vehicle, maybe to interrupt or change your frame of mind that you are in.
Senator Godwin Hulse,
"Well if that is so then who would attempt that obviously would fail
because that sort of incident is never going to deter me or change my frame of mind. I live by certain basic fundamental principles. I believe that a human being needs to live proper good life, you need to do right by your fellowman, and I will continue to champion those charges whatever the consequences are. If there are forces of evil who would intend to deter me they will not succeed. It's a truck noh and I'm more concerned about life and living, concerned about my wife and children, but again I will not succumb to those type of things to deter me from doing what I do; I just continue to do and say what I say as long as I continue to do so with dignity, with respect, and truth I will continue to do that."
And that means for the time being concluding the committee's present tasking which for the moment Hulse says is on the verge of being presented to the President of the Senate.
Senator Godwin Hulse,
"We're right there, very shortly. I have to consult with the President of the Senate and also I have to consult with my other colleagues and they are wrapping up and we're wrapping up and very shortly we'll be presenting, very shortly,."
Alfonso Noble,
Do you have a complete document?
Senator Godwin Hulse,
"We have a complete document in the sense that we've written the report but we want it to be very impeccable as I've said before and we don't want holes that people will be able to punch into. So we've been in the process of double checking and making sure that everything we say is in fact very accurate. No matter what we say, it has to be accurate. I am not driven by any agenda to malign or to make sure that any specific weight is given to any issue. We're reporting facts but we need to make sure that they are facts as well and that is what has taken us some time because after we wrote the report we've had to go back and make sure that everything we said is actually so."
Alfonso Noble,
When you say shortly, it has on that little string, everybody wants to know. Mr. Hulse you are a man of dates and a man of almost always certainty and when you tell us something will be tomorrow, so it will be. I have never seen you this vague before, I've never seen you say shortly.
Senator Godwin Hulse,
"Because there are certain things that are, while within my control, to a certain extent they are outside my control. I am guided by the respect I have to give the President of the Senate and my other colleagues in the Senate and once I submit that information that the report is now complete, it is for him to determine the date when it will be presented to the Senate. So I don't want to preempt or usurp that power at all and so this is why I will not and cannot say that on 'x date' I am going to present it. That is his prerogative and I leave that there. But I can assure you that once I've given it to him, or informed him that we are completely finished, he will set a date shortly and we will wait for that and that point in nation that on 'x date' we will be reporting."
Hulse says the police are aware of the fire on his truck and he is told they are investigating the matter.
