And while the Stevedores were at the Port, their one time ally, FECTAB was having a press conference at the Belize Institute of Management.
And that is a reunited FECTAB: Yohny Rosado, David Almendarez and Tom Greenwood, back on the frontline, hand in hand. It was their first public appearance after a falling out some years ago.
And of course what brought the trio back together was that dirty dirty definitive agreement. Here's what they said about it:
David Almendarez, FECTAB
"We got so much talented people; Chris Coye, Eamon Courtenay, they are super lawyers, I cant afford them. Yet at the minister of finance office peruse that document. They saw it fit to try passed it to cabinet still. So I will ask the questions that everyone is afraid to ask, everyone is afraid to get sue to ask. I want to know who knew about the document? Did the prime minister read that document personally before he let that document left his office and gone to the cabinet? If the answer is no, you Mr. Prime Minister needs to resign. Because you are untalented. If the answer is yes, then you probably need to get charged for treason, because then you more than untalented."
"How in 2023, I called it a "dead raise" document. Stink and dirty. When I mean stink and dirty, when something is not good, when something is not legal - how would you build something honest and truthful on something that is not legal? something that is stink and dirty. Either you all don't have talent or you all don't have sense."
"Either the prime minister did not do his homework. It boils down to that, either you don't do your homework and check things that come out your office before it goes to cabinet, because this came out of your office. It never came out of tourism office. I came out of the prime minister office."
Yohny Rosado, Tour Operator
"I was on record supporting Magical Port, because of the mainland that we need the tourists to be on the mainland, but not because of the nastiness that was going on. So, I definitely retract myself and remove myself from support of Magical Port and Mr. Gegg have been my good friend, good business partner. But in no way or shape I will dirty my name like a regular minister. We are just making noise; we cannot do anything. When the country gets bad, even your $50 won't work, even your $100 won't work. It has happened already. When the people get tired don't blame us. We are just doing our job."
David Almendarez, FECTAB
"I am ashamed of Kareem Musa, maybe that's why they never wanted to put me on the media, because I use the word Kareem Musa. He use to sit down at this same table at the FECTAB meetings. When you become elected, you don't become our friend anymore. You forget us and you become the hammer that is hammering us."
And today, Portico, good corporate citizen that it proposes to be, sent out a press release welcoming the proposed Senate Special Select Committee to review the genesis and adoption of its definitive agreement. The statement says, quote, "Portico advises that it welcomes the lnquiry and that it intends to willingly and fully cooperate with the committee if and when convened.
Portico recognizes the benefits that the Port of Magical Belize is uniquely qualified to bring to the Economy and Stakeholders of Belize and remains steadfast in its resolve to see this project to fruition."
