Just before our commercial break, you heard National Kriol Council's outrage that the Briceno Government has not invited them to have representation on the People's Constitution Commission. They are demanding that government immediately rectify the situation and allow them to participate in this essential process that will shape significant reforms to the Constitution of Belize.
A few weeks ago, the independent press also had that same fight with the Prime Minister. After those concerns were first voiced on this station, media houses were invited to choose a representative to sit on the Commission during the year-long research process. Through an electoral process carried out yesterday and this morning, 11 of the independent media houses countrywide voted for Plus TV's Louis Wade to represent the independent press.
Shortly after midday, Wade spoke to the media and here's what he had to say about the media's message to the People's Constitution Commission:
Louis Wade Jr. - Press Representative, PCC
"Well, I was surprised, and my heart was very warmed. I want to start off by saying thank you to the media for putting their confidence in me. I will not disappoint them. I believe that over the years, the issues, as it relates to free speech, as it relates to so many other issues with the media being, in my opinion, the guardian of the democracy, of the people and informants of the democracy, we need to ensure that those principles are firmly rooted in
the Constitution. I am also a person who believes in a team. I never work alone, so I'm going to look forward to hearing from my media colleagues what their thoughts are. Media, you're in the street every day. You talk to every layer of the society, and so the media has a very good grasp of what's right in this country and what's wrong in this country. So, I look forward to hearing from the media and representing them to the people and also representing the people to them. The Constitution is for everyone in Belize, and we need as much inclusion as possible of people. That constitution is for every Belizean, but it's also for those who will visit us and those who will be born later, and those who will come to our country later. So, we need to also look around to see what peoples are not so far included in the discourse and to ensure that they are around on the table. I think, later on, we will be discussing what in and worked out and what we want, and so on. But as it relates to the WHO, we need to make sure that all the reasons are equally represented."
The independent press also voted on an alternate for Wade when he can't attend. Our very own Daniel Ortiz was nominated, and he received support from 8 out of the 11 participating media houses as the alternate.
This afternoon, he spoke briefly to the press about that statement of confidence from our fellow media colleagues, who often fiercely compete for viewers and advertiser dollars. Here are those comments:
Daniel Ortiz - Press Rep. Alternate, PCC
"I just like to start first by saying thanks to all my colleagues who showed me support. I've been in the media for 12 years. Obviously, they've taken note of the work that I do, and they find that they can respect it. So, thanks very much for that show of confidence, and I will definitely try my best to acquit myself, to do the best job I can as the alternate."
Alindy Marisol Amaya - News Director, KREM News
"Talk to us about the importance, as you perceive it, of the media being a part of such a commission."
Daniel Ortiz
"I mean, well, who better than the press to keep an eye on these types of processes? I see it as a patriotic duty. The leaders of our country have said that they want to modernize the Constitution, and they want to remove the relics of colonialism from it. Well, I'm happy to participate in that process, and I'm glad that the government of the day heard us as the press and decided to include us as stakeholders."
