Yesterday Foreign Affairs Minister Eamon Courtenay was attending an OAS General Assembly meeting in Panama, a high level event, and he was surprised to learn over lunch that he'd gone from head of delegation to observer. He told us that he got news of his firing via text message.
Jules Vasquez Reporting,
Did you resign or were you fired?
Hon. Eamon Courtenay, Former Minister of Foreign Affairs
"Jules yesterday morning whilst I was at the General Assembly of the OAS in Panama City, Panama, I got the news that the Prime Minister had decided to demote John Briceno and that John Briceno had declined and indicated to the Prime Minister that he was not going to serve. I immediately called the Prime Minister and indicated to him that I was very disappointed with that decision, I didn't think it was a right decision, and that in solidarity with my very close friend and colleague I was not going to serve.
I told the Prime Minister that I was going to come, I said I know that you have Cabinet tomorrow, which is today, and I was going to try to get a flight as quickly as I can and I will ask him to see me for just one minute so that I can give him a letter of resignation. We left it there. He called me about a hour or so later and asked me if he was right in saying that I had called and said that I was going to give him my letter of resignation today, on Tuesday. I said to him yes and I said that I am right now trying to make arrangements to get out as quickly as I can.
He indicated that things are moving very quickly here and he has to move. So I said to him, 'are you firing me in the middle of the General Assembly?' He said no he wasn't but he has to make his decision and he has to make an announcement, there are rumors flying all over the place, and he has to move forward. I said Prime Minister I am trying as quickly as I can to get back to Belize to give you my letter of resignation. He said, 'well I have to move and I have to make decisions.' I said, 'Prime Minister with respect, do what you have to do.' He said okay.
The next thing I heard was a text I received during a lunch, which we were having a lunch with the Ministers of the OAS where I got a text that a press release was out that Lisa Shoman had been appointed the Minister."
Jules Vasquez,
So you were fired essentially in your absence, you were fired over the phone?
Hon. Eamon Courtenay,
"I just told you what happened."
Jules Vasquez,
Would you consider that a disrespect? We know the conventions, if a Minister is to be replaced, he is brought into the Prime Minister's office and he is told or he is contacted directly. He doesn't find out via a press release that his Ambassador is now his Minister. Would you consider it a disrespect?
Hon. Eamon Courtenay
"I would say it is a very inelegant way to do things. No, I don't like the way Said did it but he and I shake hands every time. I say to him 'Prime Minister I didn't like it,' we shake hands and we move on."
Jules Vasquez,
When you received that text message at lunch announcing that a press release had gone out, how did you react? Were you having lunch with Ambassador Lisa and did you tell her, 'Hi boss,' or how does one react to that?
Hon. Eamon Courtenay,
"Well no she wasn't in the room because she was at that time Ambassador and I was the Minister. But when I came out as the Ambassador, well not even as an Ambassador, as a private citizen, she was outside the room, greeted me, she obviously knew, and we exchanged some words and I got in a car and left."
Jules Vasquez,
So she then took over the meeting as Minister?
Hon. Eamon Courtenay,
"I got in a car and left. I don't know what she did."
Jules Vasquez,
Why did you feel that you had to, were compelled to resign in light of what had been offered to the Deputy Prime Minister?
Hon. Eamon Courtenay,
"Two points as I said Jules. Firstly, I do not believe that that decision of the Prime Minister to demote the Deputy Prime Minister was one that is in the best interest of the government at this time. It was not in the best interest of the party. I don't believe that it achieved anything.
We are going through particular difficult times as a government and as a party and every effort must be made to make us work as close and as united as we can and I felt that such a decision was not conducive to building unity, to building team spirit, to working together to face a very difficult election. And so as a matter of policy and principle, I felt that that was wrong.
But beyond that, my relationship with Johnny Briceno is priceless to me and if that is the way he is going to be treated then I would walk. And Jules like the last time, and Prime Minister would tell you this, I have no quarrel with the Prime Minister over this. This is his decision and I accept it and I respect it. That's the way politics is."
Jules Vasquez,
Would you say that what happened to John Briceno is a punishment for the stand he took on the Universal issue?
Hon. Eamon Courtenay,
"That is the rumor that is all over the place, I don't know. I have not been able to speak to the Prime Minister yet since I returned to ask him why. I intend to do so but I also think that the Prime Minister owes an explanation to the nation and more so to the party. Why would we do this? Why would we do this now? Maybe there is a good reason and I would like to hear it."
Jules Vasquez,
You were there in 1996 alongside John Briceno when Said Musa made his bid for the leadership and John Briceno had to then go against the general of the north at the time Florencio Marin Sr.. It was a gamble for him because had Said lost, certainly his future would be significantly bleak. It was a gamble which paid off but now we enter a situation where the Prime Minister from a tactical perspective seems to be taking in Florencio Marin as protection against John Briceno. How has it all come to this?
Hon. Eamon Courtenay,
"I don't know, politics is politics. There is the old adage that politics makes strange bedfellows and I guess this is an example, a prime example of it. The Prime Minister has done what he has done for political reasons and I am sure that he cannot justify it on a political basis but I think most people looking in will say what is this, strange, inexplicable."
Jules Vasquez,
Looking at it from the G7 which you were a part of, August of 2004, up to we can say the safe restructuring of the bond, that will be seen as one block of rather neat history, although there are aberrations within the block, but that neat history within the Musa administration advancing towards cleaning up, reform and, finally ending with the restructuring of the debt, having a manageable debt burden. After that all hell breaks loose. Would you say we have seen a pattern shift in the actions of the Prime Minister's leadership since the debt bomb was dismantled? Has his style changed, has his outlook towards the future changed?
Hon. Eamon Courtenay,
"Jules, just before I respond, I will add one other factor to that. I think the village council elections should also be added because I think the PUP did much better than the UDP would want people to believe from their ads and I think that most of us in Cabinet and in the party and in the Executive felt that we have a steep hill to climb for this campaign but at least things are starting to come around our way, at least in the initial stages.
And then as you point out, a number of issues, difficult issues emerged and you're questioning the Prime Minister's management of those things. Let me say this to you, I believe that every leader has to make decisions and you have to take advice and counsel and at the end of the day, the decisions you take are influenced by the people you listen to.
We will see what happens but from my perspective, my service in government, in Cabinet as a Minister, as an Ambassador before, has been very rewarding. I like it. I believe that Belize has a great future and I believe that with the right vision, I believe that with the right people moving the People's United Party in a new direction, I believe that we can take Belize to a great future and I want to be a part of that so I think that after the election I will look about getting a seat."
Jules Vasquez,
But are you able to do that, taking around a manifesto with the picture of Said Musa on the cover? Are you able to do that, putting up posters on the lamppost with Said Musa as leader, are you able to do that?
Hon. Eamon Courtenay,
"There is no way that you are going to get me to say that I am not supporting Said Musa. Said Musa is my party leader and I am a PUP and I am a good PUP and I will continue to be that. Jules, as I said to you, we can all look back and put all the blame squarely at the feet of Said Musa. That would be misplaced. There are other people who have to share the blame. So there is no point now saying to him that you are the one who is all to blame.
What we are going to do in terms of defining a new policy in terms of adopting new strategies for the party, of engaging the people of Belize in a new discussion about a new future. We have made some horrible mistakes over the last nine years and I will not sit here and attempt o absolve myself at all. Some of it we were a part of, some of it, we should have spoken up, some of it we should have taken different decisions. We can all look back and share the blame. The point to me is what do we do now and where do we go. I believe anybody who is in politics, anybody who is in public service, reaches a point where they have to ask themselves should I be here, should I be wanted here. I have no doubt that Said thinks about it, I have no doubt. He is a shrewd politician but I'll tell you this, he is a fighter and I don't think he's ready to give up."
In a notable historical symmetry, Courtenay joins Mark Espat as the only Ministers to have been fired twice by Prime Minister Musa and both at around the same time, in December of 2004, and now in May and June of 2007.
