All the drama that we showed you at the top of the newscast, including the arrest of UDP member of the National Assembly Patrick Faber resulted form the Prime Minister's appearance at the University of Belize's Belmopan Campus this afternoon. The event was viewed with some anticipation because the university, mainly the city campus, has been at the front and center of protest actions against the government. So today it was with the sense of going into the belly of a surly beats that the Prime Minister strode into the UB auditorium. But ever the goalie and willing to roll with the hurly burly of angry youth, the Prime Minister seemed prepared to take it on the chine, it's just that he probably didn't expect all of the blows he got. Here are some of them.
Student #1,
"Firstly I'd like to thank you for being here and for screwing up our country. Secondly do you have Belize's interest at heart when you make your decisions? If you do why then did you give up sovereignty with the deal with Prosser?
Hon. Said Musa, Prime Minister of Belize
"The first question was concerning the issue of sovereignty with the case going on in the Miami courts. I think if you examine the documents and the facts clearly, you will see that the way that the way this sovereignty issue arose is because when Mr. Prosser took on the loan with the bank in Miami he signed a share pledge agreement and it is the share pledge agreement between ICC and the bank in Miami so that when the government took back the shares it was bound by that share pledge agreement. Under the share pledge agreement the court jurisdiction was Miami; simply because it was the Miami bank that dealt with the ICC in terms of getting the loan for them."
Student #2,
"Once more I am here again to say the same thing that I said yesterday, I really do not believe anything that you are saying and I stand behind what I said. In your speech you were talking about good faith practices and integrity. Not disrespectfully but who are you to talk about good faith practices and integrity? And then if good faith practices and means selling up BWS, selling up all our national assets, I would like you to look over there. That little girl in pink you see is my daughter. Look at her because she is the person you are depriving in the future; the future that I have not lived yet. How do you expect them to practice good faith practices and integrity if you Mr. Prime Minister and your party does not do it yourself? We need example from you so that we can learn and lately that's not what you have been doing."
Hon. Said Musa,
"Well the only question that I heard you asked, putting aside the political rhetoric, is what are the good faith practices that I expect when I spoke of those. We are dealing here with issues of reform. It has to do with transparency which means openness. It has to do with accountability. And I need to make this point, the government yes must be fully accountable to the people, because it is the people that elected the government and the government are servants of the people; that's what accountability is all about. I dare you young lady to show me one example to give you cause to doubt me other than the fact that you do not agree with me, and that is your right. You have every right to agree with myself as Prime Minister or with the government. That is what democracy is all about."
