And while the PM "hopes" his DPM gives that seabed approval - pretty soon he'll have to tell it all to the Senate Special Select Committee investigating the genesis and evolution of the Portico agreements and approvals.
The Prime Minister may be called as a witness when this special committee is convened, which would put him in a unique position - and not in a good way.
It would also be notable to see the most senior parliamentarian dragged before the Senate. Today, we asked the PM - as he celebrated 30 uninterrupted years as the Orange Walk Central area rep - how this would square with him - as what Parliamentarians would call the "Father of the House" - which is a title given to the most senior member:
Jules Vasquez
"Sir, as we noted you're the father of the house, that's the British term."
John Briceno, Prime Minister
"Somehow, I feel you are making fun of me, but that's okay, it's not the first time (smiling)."
Jules Vasquez
"Sir, when you come here you are the father of the house and you get the authority that goes with that seniority, but are you dreading having to come here when you may have to testify before a senate special select committee?"
John Briceno, Prime Minister
"As long as I don't reach the grandfather, we're good, so we could keep it to the father. I think I could live with that."
"No, I'm not, because we haven't done anything wrong. I think the senate - I'll just say this: we have no problem with the senate wants to investigate this and I know you'll make a big deal, oh a first time, a first-time government... It has nothing to do - it's something that the UDP created, not us. We haven't done anything wrong."
"As I said when that went to cabinet, we immediately agree this is not going to fly."
Jules Vasquez
"Sir, you have drafted legislation."
John Briceno, Prime Minister
"Yes, we did, but that's our job. You see, I can't go to cabinet, one, the first thing on the first day in cabinet we said everything comes to cabinet for discussion. So we provided the legislation and everything, take it to the cabinet and say this is what we are and then immediately when you started to go into the nuts and bolts into the agreement which was led by the minister of tourism, I immediately said pull it back, this is not going to fly."
"We discussed that maybe 15 minutes. So, we will go there and say well we met this, we bring it to cabinet which is what you're supposed to do."
