And while that question hangs, the public wants to know tonight about those accused of acting illegally in the past!
In selecting CEO's, the John Briceno leadership initially turned to loyalists who have been in the trenches with him for those many years in opposition, the same loyalists who also stood with him when he was being attacked and undermined within his own party 10 years ago.
We're talking about people, who have earned a place at the highest level of his administration - nothing unusual about that, a basic operation in the established political calculus.
But, in 2020, where outrage is always just a social media click away - the established norms of politics won't do for an electorate which has shown that it wants and is ready to publicly demand real change.
That shift in public expectations and the ability to broadcast it instantly on social media, has put the young Briceno administration in an interesting political pickle one week into office: will he stick to his loyalists, or surrender them to the social media mob?
We don't know because 7 days after he went to Belmopan, Mr Briceno still has not had a press conference - today he gave a statement - and as you just heard, neither has his government formally named CEO's. So, in lieu of direct answers, Jules Vasquez has this commentary on a cute political moment:
They were right there, immediately behind Prime Minister John Briceno as he took the walk up to the Belize House to get sworn in - loyalists good and true, first in line to the executive throne - and no one complained.
But, that changed this week when it was leaked that these supposed ghosts of PUP administrations past, Narda Garcia - who was fired from Social Security for alleged misuse of SSB funds, Amalia Mai who was at the centre of the controversy of the diversion Venezuelan grant funds to pay for Universal Health Care, and Marco Tulio Mendez - the former elected rep who was accused of child molestation had been tapped to take up posts as CEO's in the new Briceno administration.
The reaction to and rejection of this news of the politically undead walking right back to Belmopan has been visceral - like hundreds of angry arrows aimed at the PUP's heart, the social media missives were fierce, fast and furious on Facebook and Twitter.
Now, facebook and twitter storms come and go in the political life of any government, but what makes this an interesting moment is that the PUP's recent political success has to do - in part - with its social media savvy. Unlike the UDP, it is socially media aware and adept. Briceno boasted about the party's social media success 8 days ago, the day before election:
John Briceno - PUP Leader "I think we have been very successful on Facebook, on Instagram, a little bit on Twitter."
And, unlike his predecessor - who had no personal social media accounts, John Briceno is on Twitter and facebook - and the reviews of his appointments there have been WITHERING:
John Briceno "You look at all these things, you look at Facebook, you look when you put a post the kind of response that you get, we get a lot of positive responses."
Well, we hope he's still looking because the responses this time have been almost all negative.
This tweet said he's going into the crypt to raise PUP Lazaruses
While this Facebook post suggested that the PUP would consider going into the grave to get out former disgraced minister Max Samuels to be the next CEO in the Ministry of Immigration.
And this comment said, it's like someone lifted up the linoleum and all the cockroaches came out.
And while there were humorous and acerbic takes on the appointments, there's also heartfelt disappointment in there - this voter says
that new, young faces should have been given a chance, and then cynically concludes, "or is it that no one in this generation licked enough boots to be considered?"
While this poster says, "I know you don't drive ahead by looking in the rearview mirror"
And this tweet says, "I did not wait an hour and a half in line to cast my vote during a pandemic to end up right back in 2008."
While this tweet warns:"young people put unu there and was tek unu right back out if unu continue"
And this tweeter has put up an online petition to stop the appointment - up to noon 1,516 people had signed on.
So, now, his first public act not even completed, Briceno finds himself like this movie character, Captain Beckett, his ship of state taking fire from both sides - but the sallies are from facebook and twitter, not civil society and the opposition.
Whether he can remain stoic like Kurosawa's Emperor as the social media hordes try to storm his political castle or whether he will be forced to capitulate to the social media horde - is what remains to be seen.
He might be wise to take some advice from this young post-er and party supporter - she says: "We are going to see levels of civic engagement that many have not seen before. It might make some uncomfortable at first, but it's a necessary part of the political process. It is a signal of our political maturation as a people, and we shouldn't shy away from it. We have much to learn."
We stress that while Narda Garcia was fired as the CEO of the Social Security Board in 2006 at the recommendation of a Senate probe into SSB, she was never criminally charged or found guilty by any court of wrongdoing. A court later found she was denied natural justice by the Senate.
For her part in the diversion of Venezuelan housing funds to settle the Universal debt, the then CEO for Foreign Affairs, Amalia Mai was basically found to have been acting on orders from higher ups.
And, the child molestation charges former PUP Orange Walk East Representative Marco Tulio Mendez were dropped when his accusers told the court that they do not wish to proceed with prosecution against him.
And while all this speculation swirls, PM Briceno says the CEO's have to be appointed by the GG - and the new Prime Minister has still not held a press conference. At the last change of government in 2008, all this was finalised and announced at a press conference in four days - suggesting that the management of this 2020 transition - in a most challenging time - has been more than a little choppy.
