And so, is the PSU president right? Is the government trying to have it both ways? We challenged Mai on that today:
Jules Vasquez
"I'm saying your shading meaning, we have already told the world we are with CITES, and now you are saying you sign it but we never really mean it. There's precedent in law."
Hon. Jose Mai - Minister of Agriculture, Food Security and Enterprise
"I have never said that Jules, don't put words in my mouth please. You know how long we signed onto CITES?"
Jules Vasquez
"I would say over 12 years."
Hon. Jose Mai
"1978, so you know what should be done? Pass the damn law."
Jules Vasquez
"Well it's your job to do it."
Hon. Jose Mai
"Exactly, it is in process, it is in committee level right now."
Jules Vasquez
"But in the meantime you will just play with the loopholes?"
Hon. Jose Mai
"No and this is where today BAHA and forestry are meeting to iron this out, we cannot have this happening again, it's shameful."
Jules Vasquez
"The BAHA person inspected it at the border, I know forestry didn't."
Hon. Jose Mai
"The report come to me that is was inspected, we will not allow it to come in without inspection, that has been sitting there for a while you know."
Jules Vasquez
"Now miss Diani Chan had attended a meeting at forestry where all these steps were made clear, this is in early March on who gives what permits and it was forestry that has the authority they claim to give the permit."
Hon. Jose Mai
"They claim, that has been corrected already, we discussed this at length in cabinet, Mr. Habet, I and prime minister, we have to get the law in place, you cannot do something if there is no law to back you up and you know better than I. So, that has to be put in place and I told minister Habet we need to move on. Again, simple example..."
Jules Vasquez
"You clashed over it because forestry wanted the control, you told them you need to move on."
Hon. Jose Mai
"No, we didn't clash, we discussed it and we decided what we're going to do this week."
