Courtenay and the government's position is that if the issue with Honduras is not addressed it will quote: "Cause a huge area of Belize's maritime and insular territory not to be resolved." End quote.
But, the opposition maintains that the voting public should decide that, not the senate. And today, amplifying the remarks he made in the Senate yesterday, he said he found yesterday's behaviour of the social partners in the Senate, quote, "shameful":
Michael Peyrefitte, Chairman, UDP
"When the leader of government business presented the reason why they were bringing the pact of Bogota to the senate, I even said to him that he is making a decent case as to why this should be done. My contention is this: that is not a decision for 13 people who nobody elected. Nobody elected the 13 of us to make a decision on something that affects the Belize/ Guatemala issue. That is unacceptable to me. I know the leader of government business is the defacto prime minister, but come on man, this is something that you must put to the people. Am not saying that the pact of Bogota maybe a good idea or not a good idea. I am saying let's flesh it out, lets discuss it, let's analysed it. Have the issues be explain to the people and have the people make a decision on it, because you do delay it in this way. You do set back the process a couple years which I think is also a plan on part of the PUP."
"I think they want this matter to be decided not before the next general elections and if all matters remain this way, then I think a decision will come in some time around 2024 given the historical record of the court in terms of them hearing cases and deciding on it. Yesterday morning, the leader of government business texted me and said they are bringing the pact of Bogota to the senate. So, I immediately texted the national party council for the UDP to inform them that this matter is coming up and the response were clear that their vision had not changed they would prefer for the people to have a say on the matter and so that was my instruction going into the senate. Clearly to me nobody could kill me for how I feel. The way the social partners responded in the senate, to me, one, was extremely shameful and two, they clearly knew that that matter was coming to the senate before 8:20 Monday morning. They clearly had a discussion and they knew that that matter was coming and they had time to prepare their responses that seem to be very similar to me."
We'll keep following this story.
