On Friday in the House of Representatives, the government is expected to table the Belize Constitution 11th Amendment Act.
It seeks to amend section 58 of the constitution which prohibits convicted person who are serving sentences from being in Parliament.
But the insertion of a new paragraph would seek to include anyone who has, quote, "served a sentence of imprisonment for more than twelve months, imposed by a court in or outside of Belize."
That would certainly seem to include Shyne Barrow - who served 9 years in jail in the US for a shooting. Now, it can't work retroactively - so his standing as a duly elected representative for Mesopotamia is safe, but it could bar him form running again. We asked him about the amendment this evening and how he plans to challenge it:
Hon. Shyne Barrow, Leader of the Opposition
"I am certainly being targeted. My gut reaction is manifold. We are going down a dangerous path when the government would seek to pass legislation to disqualify the leader of the opposition or opposition members."
Jules Vasquez, reporter
"You think its specifically to target you?"
Hon. Shyne Barrow, Leader of the Opposition
"Absolutely, but beyond me is a whole class of people, because we have to deal with the classism in Belize and we have to deal with the justice system in Belize and the welfare and the upper class never face justice in Belize and then to say that someone who committed a crime or served time for a period of time would be ban from running for office unless they have rehabilitated and they have redeemed themselves, I would support a legislation like that, but to have a perpetual ban on someone that was convicted of a crime and then it doesn't even define crime, it doesn't say a public trust, or corruption or elections - it's just any crime. So they could give the guy that stole the corn beef 12 months for stealing a corn beef and he could have done that when he is 20 years old and then now he is 30 or he is 35 and he wants to serve his community. You are not only disenfranchising him, you are disenfranchising an entire constituency."
Jules Vasquez, reporter
"Is it concerning for you that you could be looking at the end of your career in politics."
Hon. Shyne Barrow, Leader of the Opposition
"Well, I never had dreams about being a career politician."
Jules Vasquez, reporter
"You said you want to be leader of the UDP."
Hon. Shyne Barrow, Leader of the Opposition
"No, I said I am prepared to lead. I said in my first house meeting that I am here to do what is right. This is not right. It's not about me and my career. Certainly, I am thinking about all of the people who will be impacted like this. This is a move also by the elites who believes that only the highly educated and the aristocrats and the upper echelon should run this country. No. I am saying to those young men and women out there on the south side and anywhere in the villages - anywhere of poverty, or disadvantages does not disqualify you from going to the house of representatives or becoming whatever it is that you want to become. This attempts to put a glass ceiling on redemption and rehabilitation and that is a part of life from Paul to Nelson Mandela to Malcolm X who is one the greatest world leaders."
Shyne says he is prepared to take this all the way to the CCJ. Tune in to Uncut later tonight when we'll ask Leader of the Opposition Barrow's Collet Representative and Party Leader Patrick Faber where he comes down on that constitutional amendment.
