And from the courthouse to the Laing Building, today Prime Minister John Briceno held his first press conference since taking office - and he did so along with Foreign Minister, Eamon Courtenay.
What took 19 months to happen lasted a little less than an hour but with a surprising and welcome twist - the media wasn't limited to two or three questions. So we were able to engage in an open exchange with both the PM and FM, within the tight confines of an hour.
But before the questions, the PM gave a statement, during which he announced that for the next three weeks and a little more, he will be out of office, traveling to six countries on three different continents.
PM Briceno explained what each trip would encompass, starting with the Commonwealth Heads of Government Summit in Rwanda - with an important pit stop along the way:
Hon. John Briceno, Prime Minister
"Tomorrow I leave for the summit and yes it is early because I will be in Brussels where I have been invited to attend the EU Development Days Conference to discuss development issues. Only three Caricom Heads have been invited: Belize, Dominica and Trinidad and Tobago. In Brussels I'll be meeting with the EU heads of government including the Prime Minister of Belgium. I'll be pushing for the establishment of an EU delegation in Belize and continue our campaign for VISA free access to the EU. As you all know, the EU is one of our largest donors and our second largest trading partner. From Brussels, Belgium, I go to Rwanda for the Commonwealth Heads of Governments Summit. There will be the election of the secretary general, Foreign Minister Johnson Smith and Baroness Scotland are vying for the post. We also have some bilateral lined up with Commonwealth partners. On the way back, I will stop off in Lisbon, Portugal for the World Oceans Summit. Here Belize will be featured for our successful negotiation on the Blue Bonds. I'l also going to be meeting with potential investors on the matter of renewable energy. We want to see how we can harness all that sargassum and turn it into electricity, so I'll be having some meetings on this as well. Let me say that a large portion of the funding for attending these meetings will be paid by some of our IFI's. And finally, from Lisbon I go to Suriname to hand over the chairmanship of Caricom to the incoming president pro-temperate, President Santokhi of Suriname. The Caricom Heads will be meeting over three days to discuss regional matters. Thereafter, on the invitation of President Ali, I travel to Guyana for an official visit. It will be a long trip covering three continents but all very important for Belize and fulfilling my world as chairman of Caricom."
And we asked the PM if how he felt about leaving about leaving the country he heads in the hands of his Cabinet, where his DPM will likely take the helm:
Courtney Menzies:
"But any Prime Minister who can leave his Cabinet for three weeks has to be very secure and you noh worry that there will be any tempest that start to stir up in your Cabinet. Was this a thought as you planned your month of travel that, ey, I need to keep an eye on the homestead?"
Hon. John Briceno, Prime Minister
"Actually, no. and initially, the trip was to be just to Kigali and then to come back to Belize but once that came up then the EU sent that invitation and my immediate reaction was, I can't, since I'm going to Kigali. But they made a strong case to the foreign minister and to my CEO and to others that I should attend and the EU is one of our strongest partners in development and in funding and in other matters. So I said, okay I will attend. After I had already agreed to that, the United Nations sent an invitation to the Conference of Oceans in Portugal. Again, my initial answer was no, I'm going to be busy. But another case was made and they want to hear on the success of the blue bond and the work that we've been doing in conservation, especially in our marine space, so again another strong appeal was made. They said, well you're already over there, just stop there. And then well, I have to go to Suriname to hand over the chairmanship, I can't say I'll keep the chairmanship so that was already set."
