Today the Prime Minister held his first open press conference since January. As we showed you earlier the major part of it was dedicated to issuing an official statement on the present unrest. But after in the question and answer session, the members of the press corp riddled him on pressing political and national issues. While the PM artfully sidestepped most of the blows and Minister of Information Godfrey Smith made sure there were no follow up questions to re-direct there was the spirit of honest inquiry beginning with the first question: does the PM still have a popular mandate.
Kalila Enriquez, KREM FM
"More and more segments of society have become involved in the perhaps revolution, if you want to call it, or demonstrations against government. You have the unions calling for your resignation, you had the students coming out in support of the unions, and you had people using whatever means are available to them to protest against the things that are happening. Last night during the burning and looting that occurred on Albert Street we saw the inclusion of the poor, the marginalized, another sector of society has reportedly joined the movement. Do you still believe you have the strong mandate that you think you have?"
Said Musa, Prime Minister
"First of all let me say I do not blame the poor and marginalized, as you put it, as being responsible for the looting and the vandalism that took place last night. I blame the thugs and the criminals who looted and vandalized downtown Belize City. Secondly yes we live in a free democratic society and I've always maintained that people have a right to exercise all their constitutional rights; freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, the right to organize, that is their right. All I am saying is that a serious of action have taken place which are clearly outside of the law. Even before last night I am saying that now we cannot tolerate that any longer; you break the law you must pay the penalty. You must face the full force of the law. That is how we maintain the rule of law."
But we later challenged the Prime Minister on that much praised rule of which in the perception of many applies only to unevenly to those at the bottom end of the social and economic ladder.
Said Musa,
"Even if I were to accept the premise that there has been wrongdoing on the part of any official of government, two wrongs do not make a right."
And the media also questioned the Prime Minister about what the Trade Union Congress called "an absolute lack of veracity in his public pronouncements" or what we might just call being untruthful. The PM defended his position saying he's always been true to you and to himself it's just that sometimes he gets taken out of context.
Said Musa,
"Of course there will be people who have questions about my competence, if you like, that is part of the democratic process. Of course there will be people who have questions about statements that are made from time to time and some like yourself, I'm not sure, might dub it as deception or what have you but you're entitled to that."
"Absolutely not. I believe I have been truthful to the Belizean people. I believe Miss Adele hit on some thing that often times perhaps in my manner of speaking I might seeming to be saying different things at different times. But it all depends on the context and certainly when I am taken out of context it can be perceived as a contradiction or a deception. But I have always tried my best to maintain absolute truthfulness and veracity with myself, to thine ownself be true, and with the Belizean people."
"If we've lost that confidence that you suggest the people will have an opportunity when general elections are called. They will have the opportune time to decide whether they want to continue to support a People's United Party government or to change the government."
Changing the government from the union's perspective that's the end game. How it will play out over the next 24 hours much less the next three years is difficult to tell. Tonight, we can tell you that as we end this newscast Albert Street which was the scene of looting is completely empty tonight like a pre-dawn Sunday morning. Police are visible on most corners and the city remains under the guard of hundreds of uniformed officers, riot squads and BDF soldiers. So, as the picture shows there is calm almost as if a curfew has been imposed a sharp contrast with 24 hours ago when there was utter chaos on this same street. We wait to see what the rest of the night and tomorrow will bring and we continue to monitor for pockets of resistance as appeared today. We also wait and see if the businesses that shut down this afternoon will re-open what we do know is that the executive of the teacher's union has announced that there will be no classes tomorrow so schools will be closed.
