Last Friday we told you about the judgement from the high court which found that the Sugar Import/Export Regulations passed in May 2023 were unconstitutional. It required BSI/ASR to disclose their contracts to the sugar Industry Control Board every time they applied for a shipping permit. The judge decided that the law was too invasive. He also called it obnoxious.
The Prime Minister was quick to say that he wasn't surprised, and that government will make the necessary amendments to the law.
Well the BSCFA didn't like that easy concession one bit and is tonight calling out the government for not taking action following the judgement.
In a release they say they are "appalled" at the statements made by both Godfrey Smith, who represents ASR/BSI, and PM Briceno. BSCFA criticized Smith for painting the company as a target and the victim of the regulation. They also said they found the PrimeMinister's remarks unbelievable.
They ask, quote, "Has the Prime Minister replaced the principles of social justice with a heartless capitalism in the governance of Belize and a hunger for foreign investments?" End quote.
But that's not all, they also likened the PM to former Mexican dictator Porfirio Diaz. They ended their release by calling on the PM to "Stay Pan Track," before they had to remind him where that track is.
Today the PM said he wouldn't waste time getting into a back and forth with the BSCFA.
John Briceno, Prime Minister
"I will not waste my time in answering the BSCFA. I think and I am doing what is in the best interest of the industry and in the interest of Belize. We have three other associations that are working with the sugar mill, they're not the only ones, so let's start off with that. I have said to them that there has to be proper consultations. There were not proper consultations. The way the commission of inquiry, the terms of reference were set out, it was a terms of reference for the BSCFA. So I am meeting with the minister on Monday and on Monday we're going to finalize the terms and then we're going to proceed but if we were proceed the way they want us to proceed, we would be wasting our time because we will be taken to court and the court is going to rule against us. We are not going to appeal just because they asked us to appeal, we have to see if there is a case and it seems that there is not a case to appeal. I am not going to waste the people's monies. As long as I know in my conscience that what I am doing is the correct thing, I don't care what anybody says. It's important for us to work. The farmers in this country in the work know the work that we're doing, they gave us already an overwhelming mandate in Orange Walk Town and in Corozal Town. Several thousands of farmers living in Orange Walk Town and Corozal Town, they did not vote against us, they voted for us because they are seeing the work that we are doing."
