The controversial 11th Amendment to the constitution is reportedly off the table - but the Belize Network of NGOs says Government is now trying to push ahead with the Tenth Amendment Bill at tomorrow's House Meeting.
A release says "The Belize Constitution (Tenth Amendment) Bill is on the agenda for this Friday's House meeting, which indicates second and even third reading is possible."
This is the Amendment which will make it so that members of the Belize Advisory Council, the Election and Boundaries Commission, the Public Services Commission, and the Security Services Commission should vacate their post when an election is called.
It's been widely condemned as robbing these bodies of their independence - and that's why the BNN is telling the government that amendments to the Constitution should, quote, "follow an inclusive, thorough and carefully considered national review process" and that the "current "piecemeal" approach is a departure from the PUP Administration's tabled Good Governance agenda."
They are calling for the appointment of a broad-based Constitutional Assembly to conduct a comprehensive review of the Constitution. Until then, their release says "we look forward to the Belize Constitution (Tenth Amendment) Bill's removal from the agenda for this Friday's House of Representatives meeting."
