7 News Belize

King vs. Castro On Secret Recording: “Big Man Business”
posted (February 24, 2014)
3 weeks ago, 7News told you about the tension within the UDP Government after Lake Independence Area Representative Mark King secretly recorded a conversation with Belize Rural North's Edmond Castro. There are widely varying reports about what Castro did and did not say in that recording - but the most credible information we have been able to piece together says that he was complaining, quite bitterly, about Prime Minister Barrow leaving him under-resourced, and to fend for himself in his division. It was a Friday evening meeting with a UDP linked businessman, drinks were being served, and Castro's conversation we are told was loose and critical of the PM.

Shortly after the meeting, King forwarded the conversation to Prime Minister Dean Barrow, who has confirmed to the media that he did indeed receive it.

The full contents of that conversation are still unknown at this time, and when we tried to get it out of the Prime Minister, he deflected saying that he considers it an internal UDP matter. But in a climate where the Prime Minister has admitted that the scandals are threatening to destabilize his government, we wondered what King's intention was.

Well, on Friday, 7News caught up with Castro at the first ever Belize River Valley Expo, and we took the opportunity to ask him about it. Here's how he responded:

Hon. Edmund Castro
"I don't know anything about it. I never heard any tape, I don't know nothing about what Minister King was doing is doing and basically if you want any information I cannot share any information that I don't know with you. You would have to take that up with Minister King. I don't know."

Daniel Ortiz
"Sir, I know that the Prime Minister says that he considers it an internal UDP matter, but has this change your relationship with whatever was discussed between the Prime Minister and Mr. Mark King about this recording and the Prime Minister and yourself? Has that affected any interactions with him?"

Hon. Edmund Castro
"Not at all, we are one party, we are a united party. We may not like different views that each other would have to share sometime but the fact is that we all rally behind the Prime Minister."

Daniel Ortiz
"Can you tell us about the interactions that you will now be having with Mr. Mark King in terms of - will you be suspicious of his behavior whenever he is around?"

Hon. Edmund Castro
"I think all of us are big man, so I don't hold anything against brother Mark King; he is his own man and I am my own man. I have my own views, he has his own views, but we are big men."

Daniel Ortiz
"Our understanding is that it was done in an attempt to try to cause a rift between you and the Prime Minister Sir. That must cause you to be a bit suspicious?"

Hon. Edmund Castro
"Not at all, we are big people."

As you heard in our interview with Castro, he said in no uncertain terms that if we wanted to know what was in the recording, we had to go to Mark King. That's what we did this weekend, when he caught him at another event. No matter how hard we pressed, King gave no ground:

Hon. Mark King
"I will tell you what Castro told you that if you are not part of the UDP, join the UDP and all of us are big man, we look pass that."

Daniel Ortiz
"The situation is that from our understanding it was some sort of clandestine operation to cause like a rift between Mr. Castro and the Prime Minister, why would you do that at a critical moment in time."

Hon. Mark King
"It's like the Prime Minister told you that it is internal party business, you would have to join the UDP to know that."

Reporter
"However it was reported that Castro was sort of intoxicated and that would make him probably believe that you had some sort of malicious intent behind that recording."

Hon. Mark King
"Join the UDP, that's it."

Reporter
"That recording - that conversation you had with Castro that you recorded has to do with his scandals and allegation against him."

Hon. Mark King
"I don't know that Castro was ever in a scandal or allegation or whatever. That's more for the public justice to decide. I am telling you that at the end of the day these are internal party briefings and stuff and we don't air our people out like that."

Reporter
"However, UDP supporters believe that there might be an internal fight between you and Castro - something that you may have caused by recording."

Hon. Mark King
"There have been a lot of things that have said internal about the UDP, that's politics. But if want to hear the real story, join the UDP."

Daniel Ortiz
"Sir, we have to press because we have a climate right now where scandals are threatening to destabilize the UDP Government. So why would you make such a move when your government need all the representation to be united at this time?"

Hon. Mark King
"At the end of the day, it's like I said, it's a UDP internal party politics - you have to join the UDP. I have to press to. This is my party. I don't know what scandal is bringing down the UDP, the UDP is 17 strong and nobody drops."

Reporter
"So why did you record the conversation?"

Hon. Mark King
"Join the UDP and I will tell you."

Reporter
"You must have a reason. Why would you record that conversation while Castro was intoxicated? Why would you?"

Hon. Mark King
"We are big men like what Castro told you. That is internal party thing and we are not allowed to talk on that."

Reporter
"Is it something that you do on a regular basis? Do you record every conversation you have?"

Hon. Mark King
"You can stay here all day and you will not get it from me. You have to join the UDP."

King and the Prime Minister are the only ones known to have the recording.

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