That video was provided by the Government Press office - which is a trend that's been happening for some time - going back to the UDP - where ministers can't be bothered to deal with the independent media.
For the UDP, saddled by a decade of dirty deeds done cheap, we kinda knew why they didn't want us there - but for the new PUP government, with enormous popularity and a huge mandate, it's slightly puzzling - until you consider…that in the era of Trump, the un-mediated message is the preferred mode of communication. Jules Vasquez did a little look at this new normal:
Wednesday's rambling report to his Belize Rural South constituency by the Minister of the Blue Economy And Civil Aviation to the was a first - speaking plainly about Cabinet disappointments:
Hon. Andre Perez, Minister of the Blue Economy And Civil Aviation
"Now some of us might be saying you know Mr. Andre why didnt you get tourism, but I want to assure you that first, must place confidence in our prime minister and I am sure that he has seen me, he know my value, he knows what are my strenghts."
From there he went into making political attacks.
Hon. Andre Perez
"Our country has been plundered, has been pillage. We have been raped. This past government has left their cronies in there stuck with all different positions and contracts, daughter-in-laws, primos, esposas, sobrinos, amigos - everyone are still in there embedded. Its like a virus on top of us that we cannot chop, that we have to take them one by one to take them out."
And from there he went to speak on major policy issues:
Hon. Andre Perez
"I will be asking respectfully to the consultations and everything that we must put it on hold."
The presentation ran for a discursive 35 minutes, but it marks a sea change - it is a government seeking an unmediated interface with the electorate - and by unmediated we mean cutting out the media. The trend has been set by Prime Minister John Briceno who has taken four total questions from the press in this one open engagement - other than that he has been on Facebook - not taking questions but making two statements with a familiar refrain:
Wed, Nov. 18
Juan "John" Briceno, Prime Minister
"In simple terms, the UDP Government maxed out the credit card. We do not earn enough to pay our bills. We are more than double the internationally acceptable debt to GDP threshold and the second highest in the Caribbean. This is unsustainable."
A Message from the Prime Minister | November 29, 2020
"Recall that what I told you on 11th November was that government was borrowing about 1 million dollars a day just to keep government functioning."
A message without a mediator - no nagging questions or pesky reporters - just state level dicta - a move used to great effect by Donald Trump and, the question now is, will the Facebook live be to the Briceno administration what Twitter was to Trump?
Going for a month into office next week, Prime Minister Briceno has still not had a press conference. He is presently self isolating at home with COVID 19 - but we'd expect, he can still have one on Zoom - since he is asymptomatic and active on that platform daily.
