In mid-May the government presented five pieces of legislation in the House Of Representatives, all of them drastic anti-crime measures. The raft of legislation would, among other things, allow preventative detention, trial without jury in certain cases, and anonymous witnesses.
They are inherently controversial but government's thinking seems to be that desperate times call for desperate measures.
Except that the opposition isn't nearly convinced. Yes, often times, they oppose just for opposing's sake, but this time the party says it has put together a coherent, fairly simple position paper on the proposed legislation. They hope to get enough public support to block most of the legislation - we found out why at a press conference this morning:
Jules Vasquez Reporting:
Hon Francis Fonseca - Senior Deputy, PUP
"We believe there is absolutely every need for us to be very concerned about these proposed amendments. So we have to do everything in our power to ensure that the Belizean people understand exactly what the Government is proposing."
Hon. Lisa Shoman - Senator, PUP
"This is our way of helping to explain, educate and demystify what is in some of the laws."
The Legal lights of the PUP held the briefing to at Indpenddnce Hall before a small group of supporters and press to discuss the five main pieces of legislation - of which the party strongly opposes four - calling the package repressive:
Hon. Francis Fonseca
"It is a fundamental responsibility of a Government to ensure the safety and personal security of its citizens but repression cannot and should not be justified on a false promise of security."
And the one that ah's excited the most debate is preventative detention:
Hon. Francis Fonseca
"During that period of detention, the detainee will be denied all of those personal liberty rights customarily associated with being detained -and this is very important - or even on remand - such as access to a lawyer, access to family members especially in the case of minors, access to a phone call, access to medical treatment and care, access to a Justice of the Peace and access to the Supreme Court (habeas corpus). The PUP cannot and will not support this proposed amendment to the Constitution of Belize."
The PUP also opposes the amendment which would allow witnesses to remain anonymous:
Hon. Francis Fonseca
"The fundamental, long-standing common law and natural justice right enshrined in our Constitution, of every accused person to know his or her accuser, to face that accuser, and to challenge the veracity of that accuser through cross-examination, should not be so readily sacrificed even on the altar of crisis, much less in a spirit of desperation."
With these objections and a nine page position paper, the party says it will emphatically oppose the amendments:
Hon. Francis Fonseca
"We will be very robust in advancing our position in this issue at the House of Representatives, in the Senate, and the public area - obviously in the public consultations. We believe there is absolutely every need for us to be very concerned about these proposed amendments."
Hon. Lisa Shoman
"Invite us anytime, anywhere, and we will accept any challenge to debate the merits and demerits of these proposed legislations."
According to the opposition, if these laws are passed as is:
Hon. Francis Fonseca
"We would be living in a much more fearful society, a much less freer society."
And they hope they can force the government to backtrack:
Hon. Lisa Shoman
"The Prime Minister uses his super-majority to pass what he wants, but the voice of the people have proven time and again, that when the Prime Minister is forced to have a hard look at what he has proposed, then there are times when he is forced to walk it back."
The opposition does support one legislative measure and that is the SUPREME COURT OF JUDICATURE (AMENDMENT) BILL, which provides that an appeal against the decision of a magistrate will NOT operate as an automatic stay of execution of the Magistrate's decision. That loophole had recently been exposed when Mexican Jose Luis Robles Beltran pleaded guilty to gun possession in the free zone, filed an immediate appeal - and was free to go - had he not been further detained by authorities.
