And so, Jules, while we will wait and watch to see what comes next, the PM still. Had a lot more to answer today - like about his northern caucus endorsing the acquisition.
You've heard Minister Julius Espat express his disappointment, saying that Cabinet agreed to keep their position private until consultations were done. So, does the Northern Caucus's statement mean that the PM is endorsing the deal?
Well, he says there's a difference between the Cabinet and the Caucus. Here's how he explained it.
Courtney Menzies:
"Should the northern caucus have issued a statement in support of the acquisition considering Cabinet had decided not to make their position known so as to not influence the discussions?"
John Briceno, Prime Minister
"Well you see there are two things, one is the Cabinet and one is the party. The Cabinet, when they made the presentation to us and as I said, all the questions were answered to our satisfaction. But we felt we wanted the process to play out."
"But we had an executive meeting, a party executive meeting and there, the national executive felt strongly that we're taking a beating politically and we're not speaking out. The UDP has been speaking out, they made a presentation to the UDP and they have not made a presentation to the PUP so they felt that it's best then that the caucuses ask for this presentation. We asked for the presentation and the northern caucus when it was done, the northern caucus felt they need to make their position known."
Reporter:
"So then do you then separate your role as party leader and a leader in the north from your role as prime minister and is it that you as a leader in the north supports it but you as the prime minister are indecisive?"
John Briceno, Prime Minister
"How long did it take you to come up with that question? I am the leader of the PUP, I am a member of the northern caucus, I am not the leader of the northern caucus, and I am also the prime minister. I have to kind of separate my roles. The Cabinet, I don't know where you came with the idea that the Cabinet was indecisive, the Cabinet said we will wait, let the process goes through, we feel we know where we want to go but let's allow for there to be public consultation. Now the northern caucus, when they met, they decided they wanted to take out a press release and so that's what they did, that was a political issue, Cabinet is the government so it's separate."
Courtney Menzies:
"So but then do you separate yourself from the statement by the northern caucus or does that statement mean you publicly endorse the acquisition?"
John Briceno, Prime Minister
"I am a member of the northern caucus and I'll leave it at that."
