But that is not the only fight Shyne will have in the National Assembly. He's also been vocal about his position in regards to the 11th Amendment: he believes it is not only a direct attack on him, but also a way to further marginalize the underprivileged.
But Faber says he doesn't have a position on it - and neither does the party. He called Shyne out for insinuating that his personal views were that of the party, and says they will need to meet to discuss it further.
Hon. Patrick Faber, UDP Party Leader
"I've heard my colleagues say that I am the only one who supports the 11th amendment and to be honest with you, my position has been that I have not taken a position. As you know, there is a 90 day mandatory waiting period that allows us to do consultation. As the leader of this party, I intend to consult fully with the membership of this party, what mechanism, we'll use to do that I can't say just yet but it will be based on such consultation that I will determine what the party's position is and also once the party's position is declared, that will be my position, I am not thrilled at all that the leader of the opposition has used his individual position to say that's the party's position, even if it is the position of other parliamentarians, it's not necessarily the position of the UDP and we've not really put that to a test just yet and there's no hurry to do that, as I've said, we have a 90 day waiting period, we will go through the processes and once we come up with a position, that will be my position as well."
But, again, the internal conflict continues because while Faber is saying one thing, the press release, sent out by Leader of the Opposition Shyne, was issued today with a completely different message. With the title, "Opposition Staunchly Against the 11th Amendment," it reads, quote, "The proposed amendment targets an entire race and class of people on the Southside Belize city and other vulnerable communities who are already disproportionately negatively impacted by poverty which often leads to committing crimes of survival or worse being wrongfully targeted by the authorities due to their geographic location and social status." End quote.
It goes on to say that unlike those who are rich or powerful, like politicians, these men and women oftentimes don't have the resources to hire a lawyer to fight their case and this amendment will not aid in the development of the country. The release also says that there should be no amendments to the constitution without first convening a bipartisan Constitutional Assembly.
