One other matter that the PSU president wanted to address in his briefing this morning was the justifications that different ministers of government have made in defense of Prime Minister John Briceno.
You'll remember that the PM acknowledged several weeks ago that he did make a call to the forestry officer to discontinue enforcement against Diani Chan for her importation of plants regulated by Cites. Other Ministers have been questioned about it, and their answers don't sit well with the PSU President.
Here's how he insisted that the PM and other Ministers know all about the dangers of political interference in Ministries and Departments that they don't lead:
Dean Flowers - President, Public Service Union
"The Minister of Public Service, Honorable Usher, was asked, or his opinion was sought as to whether or not he felt the prime minister was justified in intervening on behalf of the young lady, Chan, in importing her plant. And his response, I must say, what was very was very disheartening to me as the president of this union. If any minister should know that there ought not to be political interference in the public service, it should be the Minister of Public Service. And for him to use words such as the prime minister was providing a service is, again, really taking the relationship that we're building with his ministry for granted. And I would go as far as saying that he's trying to justify an action that cannot be justified. And he's on the brink of wanting to say to the Belizean people and Public Service Union, which stood up for that first officer, that we're a bunch of fools. The Minister of Public Service should know, that [neither] the Prime Minister, nor the Minister of Public Service have any business calling any public official, trying to influence, instruct, or direct them on how to do their work. The reality is that the public service is a mess. Do you know why it is in the mess? [It's] because of these same actions by the Prime Minister, and now, the Minister of Public Service that is trying to justify the Prime Minister's actions. That is why the public service is in a mess because you have the private sector and private citizens who believe they can do what they want."
