And while his leader says that the Police Department is trying to mute genuine protest, today Area Representative for Port Loyola Anthony 'Boots' Martinez told us that more than that the government is trying to derail democracy. And he may have a point. Remember all that talk about the one week giving the public a chance to give formal input when the motion goes to Committee? Well, that committee meeting was today; but it wasn't announced to the press and thus not to the public. But Boots Martinez showed up for another committee meeting and when he found out that that one was on, he asked to sit in. But he says the Chairman Rodwell Ferguson went there without any documents, so he asked that some be provided. He told us what happened from there.
Hon. Anthony 'Boots' Martinez, Port Loyola Area Rep.
"I asked to get the loan guarantee and let us see it, let us see the loan note that the Prime Minister signed, let us see the UHS audited statement, let us see the future plan that government has for this hospital, let us see the projection, let us know the documents about the $12 million that was written from DFC, let us see what is the payables because a part of this motion is talking about taking over everything, including creditors, so let us see what UHS owes in terms of creditors, whether its $40 million, $30 million, $10 million.
So I got the committee at that point to agree that yes we need a starting point in terms of documentation. So they adjourned and the Chairman said he was going over to the Ministry of Finance and also find somebody from Cabinet to see what documentation. I asked for the adjournment for tomorrow and they said they will do it at two o'clock, I even placed on record that I think they are rushing this motion through and so they said they will try and get the documentation by two o'clock.
About quarter to two now, Rodwell passed me and obviously it looked like Mr. Burgos, Maxwell Samuels, and Valdemar Castillo were up there already. The clerk knew I was there, the Chairman knew I was there. They passed me walking and the meeting was over. So they convened a meeting before."
Jules Vasquez,
So you're a member of the National Assembly and you're saying these people conspired to deceive you, to lie to you?
Hon. Anthony 'Boots' Martinez,
"I have never seen a conspiracy at this level in my life. So they don't have any use to the Belizean people in my view. They don't have a use to the Belizean people. I asked in the meeting if the notices went out and they said all the notices went out on Friday; Channel 5, Channel 7, Love FM. That is on record in the meeting because to my amazement I don't see how a burning issue like this and people don't have representation there."
Jules Vasquez,
But no public notice went out?
Hon. Anthony 'Boots' Martinez,
"He said, for the record, that all the notices, and it is recorded in the minutes of the meeting, and Channel 5 also said so and Love FM says so and Krem Radio and Wave says so (that no notices went)."
Jules Vasquez,
So what conclusion do you draw from all of this?
Hon. Anthony 'Boots' Martinez,
"My conclusion, those people are looking to hide everything from the Belizean people. They don't even want to give negotiation a chance. You hear the Prime Minister talking about how they want people to make representations and that's why they sent it to committee but they haven't even told people when the committee is meeting, and that's including the committee members were locked out arbitrarily.
I was out whole weekend to try to get somebody to talk, to try to get somebody to talk to Mr. Musa, at least so that maybe somebody can influence God to talk to him before Friday."
