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The Prime Minister is expected to depart the country on Monday. He travels to Los Angeles for back surgery on Wednesday. As we've reported, the PM suffers from acute, chronic back pain. And today, there was rare bi-partisan civility displayed in the House when both the government side and the opposition wished him a successful surgery and a quick recovery:...

Hon. Patrick Faber, Minister of Education
"We know the Prime Minister has been ailing and so I am confident that I am able to stand Mr. Speaker on the behalf of my colleagues on this side, so the wider government and people of Belize. I hope that I can also invite the Opposition members as well to wish him well as he goes off on this surgery. We certainly give our prayers and our best wishes. He is a very invaluable member of this government of course the leader of the government and so I would want to see him get a very speedy recovery."

Hon. Francis Fonseca
"We and on the behalf of all the members of this side want to wish the Prime Minister well. There is no place for hatred and ill-well in politics. We are political opponents but we all stand together, I believe in wishing the Hon. Prime Minister well. We want him to recover and come back to Belize."

Dean Barrow, Prime Minister
"I know that he is very genuine and I appreciate the clear indication of his humanity, I am extremely grateful. I just want to make clear that the surgery is supposed to be next Wednesday and the doctor thinks that I will be fit enough to fly back home by the 14th of November. If I can make it a day or two before I certainly would. If I have to wait a day or two longer I will do that too but it means perhaps two working weeks away from home if the surgery goes well."

Dean Barrow, Prime Minister
"After I come he says that it should require more than a week for me to be out of office. I'll be on my back just walking around the house trying to prevent scar tissue and that sort of thing but it should be no more than a week before I can start going into office."

"He says in that first week that I return to the office I should perhaps only do two or three hours a day and I should try to avoid the long drive to Belmopan, so maybe I'll work out of Belize city or if I come to Belmopan I will lie flat on the back seat of the vehicle but after that second week it is his view that I should be pretty much back to normal at least in terms of the work schedule and thereafter if all goes well I'll be able to say hallelujah and start a proper exercise regimen and hopefully get he believes something like 80% pain relief in consequence of the surgery and the recovery period."