And the UDP also does not support the proposed 13th amendment. The area rep for Queen Square said it is criminalizing poverty:
Godwin Haylock, UDP Area Rep., Queen's Square
"From attending the public consultation, I can say that one statistics is glaring. There is only 425 active gang members in Belize and that statistics came from the police department itself. That represents one percent of this nation population of around 400,000 people."
"Now for one percent of this nation, we are willing to change the entire constitution. I say no to that. I say no to the 13th amendment and this entire nation should join me in saying no to it. It's really just a constitutional band-aid."
"You see when there's bloody weekends in Belize City, the government will jump out and declare a state of emergency to cover the entire blood by putting people in prison. It will never solve the murders."
"The murders happen before the state of emergency. We need to deal with the root cause. I say this is not justice. This is criminalizing poverty."
Reports tell us that the 13th amendment also has some influential ministers in Cabinet who opposed it when it was tabled there yesterday.
