Is GOB's controversial contract with the Carnival Corporation unconstitutional? The Belize Tourism Industry Association thinks so and to prove it, the group is taking government to court.
In the Supreme Court today, the association's attorney Lois Young-Barrow filed a 40 page judicial motion asking the court to review the contract. In a press release, BTIA stressed the court action must not be seen as being against GOB, Belize Ports Limited, Belize Cruise Terminal Limited or the Carnival Corporation. In fact BTIA President Lucy Fleming says they are only asking the court to review the contract to weed out any unconstitutional clauses.
Lucy Fleming, BTIA President
“We’d actually like the court to review the contract in its entirety because we feel that several of the clauses in the contract are, in all probability, perhaps unconstitutional. However that’s for the law courts and the law attorneys to decide and not ourselves so this is why we are asking for this review to take place in its rightful place in the Supreme Court of Belize.”
Keith Swift,
Why is BTIA taking it to court? We know that the Carnival Corp. is negotiating with the Ministry of Tourism, and we know today there was a meeting between BCIA and the Ministry of Tourism to discuss the new contract. Why go to the courts when a solution seems to be on hand?
Lucy Fleming,
“What we are doing is fulfilling a mandate that was presented on the floor of our AGM and it was a motion to seek legal advice to basically review the legality of the contract and to take action.”
“We’re not saying that this would in anyway halt the negotiations which are taking lace between BTB and Carnival Corporation. In fact we are hoping this would strengthen their hands at the negotiating table because we feel the laws of Belize should be reviewed by the courts of Belize.”
Keith Swift,
The Prime Minister said a couple weeks ago in the House of Representatives that these ‘foreigners’ in the BTIA are trying to derail this Carnival project. Now this would seem to be as the PM said another attempt by these ‘foreigners,’ as he put it, to derail the project.
Lucy Fleming, President BTIA
“Okay Keith well I’d like to call a spade a spade and reiterate first of all we are for cruise tourism. We have always been for cruise tourism within the BTIA. Its one of our sectors and we support regulated and controlled growth. We have a lot of our members who have invested quite a lot in this niche and obviously we support their endeavors. And we would like to see all Belizeans benefit from cruise tourism and this is basically what we are after. With regard to the foreign issue…who are the foreigners? Are we the foreigners…the people who have invested our time, our energies and our lives to tourism in Belize over the last four decades? Or is the huge giant company Carnival the foreigner? Let’s let the public decide.”
As mentioned in the interview, today Minister of Tourism Hon. Mark Espat consulted with representatives of the Belize Cruise Industry Association to discuss the re-negotiated contract. BCIA President Tom Greenwood deferred comment saying the discussions are delicate.