7 News Belize

New Senator - Ministers Speak
posted (March 13, 2012)
And the first National Party Council meeting will be on this Saturday. That's when Senators Godwin Hulse, Lisel Alamilla, Joy Grant and David Gibson - who have never been directly painted as UDP die-hards - will have to go to the UDP Headquarters and meet with the politicians who are now their colleagues.

It's particularly interesting for Godwin Hulse - the former Senator for the business sector. Well, he's now a UDP Senator - and he told us why he could not turn down the Prime Minister's offer:..

Jules Vasquez
"Mr. Hulse, why did you say yes?"

Hon. Godwin Hulse
"I couldn't say no. I really couldn't say no. When the Prime Minister asks me, it took me totally by surprise and by shock. I ask him to give me a little while so that I can consult with my family and my close people; sit down with my wife and my people. I am involved in a lot of things. Most of the people I am associated with say "you have always been championing the opportunity to get into that cabinet to do good, you have said the Prime Minister should bring people from outside that cabinet and leave his elected representatives to run their constituencies. Now he ask you and you say no. That the end of you." I really couldn't say no."

Jules Vasquez
"How do you reconcile the natural tension between political expediency and doing the right thing in government?"

Hon. Godwin Hulse
"Jules, thanks for the question, but as I have always said and you've heard the Prime Minister repeat, that was my first thing to him when he ask me and as I said I was totally shock because I didn't expect to be ask. But I firmly believe and have always believed that they are not mutually exclusive, that you can do the right thing, that you can be transparent, that you can be non-corrupt, you can be aggressive and you can achieve your political aims all at the same time."

"The structure is clear. I've mention over and over, that is why you have an auditor general, that's why you have an ombudsman, that why you have a contractor general, that's why you have all these reports. Work the reports. That's why you have CEOs and accounting officers; work them and work them properly."

"Remember the mantra; "that if you want to build this edifice to the glory of your concubine then bring that bill to the house of parliament and if it is passed, so be it. That is the solution.""

"As you heard the Prime Minister say; giving out monies for poverty alleviation. If that is a government policy, fair and fine. Bring it to parliament, it is passed, its clean and clear. That is the kind of thing I hope we do."

Jules Vasquez
"Now we know that you have a rugged independence, you have a history of being ruggedly independent and critical of those things which you feel are not pursuing the highest ideal in nationalism governance etc."

"How will you reconcile that with being a party Senator, UDP Senator?"

Hon. Godwin Hulse
"Again, I think that it hopefully going to lift the party and lift the government to that level rather than the other way round. I've been very clear with the Prime Minister. I will continue to be clear and speak openly. Clearly I am not going to be associated with anything that's considered wrong doing."

"When I was asked to do this job, I understood clearly the Prime Minister's position that he wants to lift the nation. He wants to have the greatest and cleanest government. I would like to see Belize on the transparency index at number one. That's the goal for me."

The other interesting case is for Lisel Alamilla. She has been working in conservation for almost two decades and up until today, was the Executive Director of the Ya'axche conservation trusts.

She has been one of the most consistent and an outspoken critic of the Rosewood trade - and is now suddenly the Minister with responsibility for the Forestry Department - the same departments that she has publicly criticized for letting Rosewood traders run roughshod.

So what's she going to do now? That, among other things, is what we asked her today:..

Jules Vasquez
"Why did you say yes?"

Hon. Lisel Alamilla
"Jules, what better way to serve this country, really. I have 17 years of doing this work; advocacy. Doing it from outside of the system and I think it's an opportunity to get inside to sit at cabinet and to try to influence the decisions. I just could not say no. It was not an option."

Jules Vasquez
"How important is this for the conservation community? You've been in this along with Ms. Grant for two decades almost."

Hon. Lisel Alamilla
"Well I hope they see it as a great bold move from the Prime Minister that someone who know what's going on the ground. Know what the needs are of the NGOs, the conservation NGOs in particular because that's where my expertise comes from. I think that they will be supportive. I think that we will find win win situations. There is politics to be played. That is part of the game. I am not naive in thinking that I will waltz in and get everything that I want but I do believe that I will be able to convince them to get a lot of what we want because what we want makes sense for Belize."

Jules Vasquez
"Some who view your ascension from a cynical perspective will say that, well this is payback for publicly opposing the coalition and OCEANA's referendum, the referendum trigger I think."

Hon. Lisel Alamilla
"I wish I could have dream of that, that this could even be possible. This offer is not something that even in my wildest dream thought possible. I was never bought; no one had even talk to me about this. It was a decision I made when I spoke out against the referendum because I felt that it was not a right decision. Lots of people in the NGO community felt equal, had the same thinking but they were afraid to speak up and I was bold enough to speak up and I will continue to speak up even when it's not the popular thing to say."

Jules Vasquez
"Your conservation group that you formerly led is based in PG and in the southern Toledo District. What will happen to rosewood? You will soon be minister of forestry."

Hon. Lisel Alamilla
"Right after I finish with you, I am going over to the forestry department to talk about how we are going to move forward on rosewood because that has been at the center of my work for the last few months. It's something that has been bothering me. It's something that has been concerning. The Prime Minister is supportive that we take bold actions and so that is what we are going to do."

"I don't know how we are going about doing it but I think a moratorium is going to happen real soon."

And a correction to our earlier story, the Minister of Public Service and Elections and Boundaries is Charles Gibson, not David. Later on, we'll tell you who are the CEO's assigned to run those new ministries and tell you who are the winners and losers in the newly realigned cabinet.

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