Government's decision to suspend relations with Channel 5 - for government it was a no brainer: they say the Ashcroft-allied station is just another PUP party organ, but a number of organizations have come out against it.
Not surprisingly, the PUP condemns the decision and calls it a "vicious attempt to stifle freedom of the press." The television station owned by the Briceno family in Orange Walk, CTV-3 issued a statement saying, quote: "the…decision…can only be viewed as dangerous, retrogressive and an attack on our independence."
And while those releases were more or less to be expected, what caught us slightly off guard was a statement from PUP Deputy Leader (by acclamation) Francis Fonseca. While notbaly omitting any reference to himself as a PUP Deputy Leader, he states that, quote, "I raise my voice on this issue, even as I too am unwelcomed at Channel 5 because of a perceived view of my less than full support for the Leader of the Opposition."
Fonseca goes on to call it a:
"misguided and dangerous precedent-setting decision"…. "a dangerous message and a perilous road for Belize to travel…"
He urges civic, business and religious leaders to let their voices be heard on the issue.
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