And while he would hardly talk to 7NEWS before the late December Cabinet shuffle, we have also been refused an interview since the so-called Cabinet downsizing. But lo' and behold, today the Prime Minister did talk. Not to us, but to government approved media, namely the Belize Times and Love FM.
This afternoon the Prime Minister gave interviews to Richard Merrill and a Times reporter at his King's Park residence. We weren't invited to the house party, but we did keenly listen to the Love FM interview which aired at 6:00 pm this evening. Here are excerpts of that where he addresses the political consequences of the Cabinet shake-up and the issue of what he considers Mark Espat's disloyalty.
Hon. Said Musa,
"It was necessary to reduce the size of the Cabinet in order to reduce expenditure for one thing but also to pursue our program of political reform. There is a need to reduce the cost of government at all levels. You will recall that in order to bring down the fiscal deficit our government cut $30 million from the Capital budget and about $4 to $5 million from the recurrent expenditure of all ministries. We have also agreed that all members of the Cabinet will take a pay cut of at least 10%. I will also be proposing that all members of the National Assembly should do likewise. As to the reason why it was done at this time, the truth is Richard that there is never an ideal time to restructure the executive branch of government. It is always a tough call on the shoulders of the prime minister."
Richard Merrill, Love FM
"One of the people that was caught up in the downsizing, one of the people removed in the downsizing was Minister of Tourism Mark Espat and this created quite a bit of speculation about why was he taken out of the Cabinet. What can you tell us about that?"
Hon. Said Musa,
"I felt that the collective responsibility of Cabinet was not as it should be. Team spirit is critical to the proper working of a government. Yes you can have differences of opinion, even dissenting voices inside the Cabinet, but once a decision is made you're obliged to give it your full support. If you can't give that support, privately and publicly, then your duty is to resign. I need to make the point that none of us owns a ministry. We are all elected as representatives, servants of the people. We were not elected as ministers. Secondly, yes Mark may be seen as competent, as being competent in his work as a minister but so are many others who are elected in our PUP government. Competence is importance, but it is not the only important factor in government or in politics."
Richard Merrill,
"What about Cordel Hyde, why was he removed from Cabinet?"
Hon. Said Musa,
"Well the truth of the matter is that Cordel was not removed from the Cabinet. In fact I expected him to continue serving as a Minister of Housing and Transport. Indeed I believe I had offered also to add the additional portfolio of labor so it would have been housing, transport, and labor. It was he who informed me that he was, as he put it, 'respectfully declining my offer.' In effect he resigned for whatever reason."
