He may be internationally scandalized and locally embattled, but John Saldivar is fiercely holding his ground and maintaining his innocence in a series of lengthy Facebook posts. But, hoping to prove that he has nothing to fear, Saldivar will tomorrow host an open press conference.
While we will surely be in the front row for that one - yesterday we were on the front line to ask his party leader Shyne Barrow if he now has to keep his distance from Saldivar now that the United States has deemed the former minister to be significantly corrupt. And, Barrow, some argue, cannot afford to offend the empire - because they are the ones that gave him that visa. Well, we asked him about that push and pull, and he was offended at the question. Here's the back and forth:
Jules Vasquez
"How much of your own self-interest factors in now that you have to say listen, I have to preserve my Visa, I have to preserve this Visa that I fought so hard to get and I can't be seen within 100 miles of John Saldivar, because the State Department has found him to be toxic."
Shyne Barrow, UDP Leader
"You know that's a very offensive, vile and disgusting assertion of the integrity of not just the United States of America, but myself. I'm the leader of the Opposition. I am the prime minister in waiting. I don't have to dance to anybody's tune in order to be able to travel to the States. I don't travel to the States as a tourist. You just spoke about my last visit to NYU to receive a leadership award and to spread the good name of Belize to visit diaspora in California and to meet with the mayor. Whatever decision I make along with my party members has what the Americans would do has no bearing on that and in that narrow instance I go and travel based on my status as a duly elected member of the house or representatives and as a duly elected leader of the opposition. I keep hearing you with this Visa narrative as if I am just someone who got a Visa because I hit the jackpot. No, I'm the leader of the opposition, sir. My position here has absolutely nothing to do with that and everything to do with what is all that we just discuss - how serious this is. The Americans that I know would never take such a ridiculous position that if you don't support our position on John Saldivar then you can't come to the States. That's absurd."
Tomorrow night, we'll have the full rundown of what came out of John Saldivar's press conference - is first in years.
