Last week, we told you that NEAC had voted unanimously "no" to the Waterloo project, after two public consultations and various requests and deliberations. As we explained, reports were that the government members of NEAC were urged to reject the project on ethnical grounds from their higher ups in Belmopan, a move which can be interpreted as opening a war with the Ashcroft Alliance.
On Sunday, the media asked the Prime Minister if he's concerned that the Alliance will now initiate litigation against the government.
John Briceno, Prime Minister
"Michael Ashcroft like any Belizean has the right to access the court if they do not like the decisions of any department of government or any individual and the principals of Waterloo would want to take the NEAC of the DOE to court, that is their constitutional right."
"They have a responsibility, well first of all, they're not even the owners, they're just the receivers. The port is under receivership and that is something now that has to be addressed shortly. The receivership or the bank or whosoever has the receivership has to decide what they're going to do. The Port of Belize cannot stay in perpetuity on the receivership and it is more than- the time has way passed for them to start the development or to repair or modernize the port, that is a must for this country and the receivership or the people that are responsible for the port under the receivership will have to make up their mind if they either want to develop the port or get people who are prepared to develop the container port."
Reporter:
"Can Belize afford another costly legal war with Ashcroft?"
John Briceno, Prime Minister
"Nobody can afford any kind of war, we're not looking at any kind of war, we are looking after the- we as a government we were elected to represent and defend the interest of the people and this country and if it is the interest for us to get the port to be modernized then we will that it gets done."
