You could say Godwin Hulse wrote the book on an empowered Senate and literally you would be right. In 1999, he was part of the Political Reform Commission and wrote the chapter on a reformed senate. And many of those proposals are what have been adopted to today account for the radically reconstituted Senate. And on Wednesday, the Musa administration has put a resolution to take that reform one critical step forward proposing a referendum to make the electorate decide if it wants an elected senate. Senator Hulse has been publicly campaigning for that, but does he support the government's resolution and its dicey politics. Dicey because our sources say the referendum will likely be appended unto into the general election ballot. Today, that resolution and other business went to the Senate for consideration. Acting Leader of Government Business Dolores Balderamos Garcia said the time is right to do it now but Senator Hulse wasn't that sure.
Senator Dolores Balderamos Garcia, Government
"We are within a month or two of general elections. Perhaps it is timely that we should hear from the people at this time on this issue, on the principle of the elected Senate. Not how it is going to be composed or who will ultimately decide in the National Assembly, but in the university of the people."
Senator Godwin Hulse, Business Sector
"As you know there are about 47 different mechanisms for electing people to office. If you scan the web you will see governments use all sorts of methods; mixed member proportionate, single transferrable vote, open list systems - all sorts of things. Let the people of Belize, when this question is put, must be very clear as to what we intend to do. It is not just a question of will you elect the Senate yes or no. This is a very in depth discourse. So we need to ask the people. But we need to ask them the right question and in that vein I would make two very serious recommendations.
The first is Mr. President that we not rush to haste in asking the people the question. Let us not rush to haste to stick this question before the Belizean people until the Belizean people have had satisfactory enough time, all the relevant agencies have been spoken with, we understand what we are doing, what we intend to do, and then question is put: should we elect the senate.
And then question two comes if that answer is yes: how we should we elect the senate, what mechanism we will use etc and that debate can go on for a lengthy time. Hopefully that is premised on good and adequate and honest and clear and straightforward discourse devoid from any politics, devoid from any games, any motives, any agendas, any issues, and that applies to myself. The people would be crystal clear that these are parameters, this is what we want to do, why we would want to do this, and so forth and then make discussion. But I say again the time is not tomorrow, please, and the motion doesn't mention any time but I expect that there will be prudence in the determining the time. One of the things I would like to say, at election time the tensions are high and the air is charged."
Senator Rene Gomez, Unions
"Why the hurry? Why the rush to come this? We need to have, as Senator Hulse said, and Minister of Foreign Affairs said, there so many models, about 50 or more models. We need to look at these so when we go to a referendum for an elected Senate, we say these are the models and these are the models you would vote for in a referendum. But to go blindly and say then, at this time as to how this referendum is being put forward, we the stakeholders, we independent Senators are being left out. Everything we must do right with proper consultations. We are responsible and hence likewise let us do that with this referendum. Before we go to a referendum, let us consult more with our stakeholders."
At the end of the day, the "yea's" had it and the Senate approved the resolution for a referendum on an elected Senate. Despite their cautions about timing, both Senators Hulse and Gomez voted in favour of the resolution. But after the vote, Hulse told us that if government decides to have the referendum on the same day as the election, he will then campaign against its inclusion on the ballot.
