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Hon. Francis Fonseca, Leader of the Opposition
"We have drafted a letter which we are sending to the Prime Minister of Belize. Which our objective is to have all of these partners, even if it's the third parties, if they want to join in - to be signatories to this letter, demanding that this PetroCaribe act be repealed and if is not repealed within 21 days of that letter, then we will have to mobilize and take to the streets and get the support of the Belizean people on this issue. Because we believe it is a fundamentally important issue, that goes to the heart of governance and goes to the heart of democracy."

Jules Vasquez
"This complicated by the fact that in 2005, the PUP signed the first PetroCaribe agreement. Two months after it had passed the Finance and Audit Act, which the former president of the PSU Mr. Dylan Reneau, wrote is in fact doing the same thing which the PUP now criticizes - undertaking a loan of infinite amount without the approval of national assembly."

Hon. Francis Fonseca, Leader of the Opposition
"It's not complicated by that at all. If it was wrong then, then it's wrong now and we have to fix it now. So, that is the objective, people are concern about this law passed by Mr. Barrow. It is Mr. Barrow's law. It is a law aimed at protecting him and insulating him from criminal penalties. That is the objective of the law."

Jules Vasquez
"But really it isn't as easy as that. If it was wrong then, you were a part of it. We know the unsolid behind you, claims that he wasn't a part of anything before 2008. In fact history for him begins at 2008. But, I am asking very specifically about your involvement at the time."

Hon. Francis Fonseca, Leader of the Opposition
"And your history for you, there is no UDP government - they have never been in government. That's for you. They have been in government sir since 2008 and you don't seem to understand or hold them accountable."

Jules Vasquez
"But answer the question sir."

Hon. Francis Fonseca, Leader of the Opposition
"No, I am saying..."

Jules Vasquez
"You were there in 2005."

Hon. Francis Fonseca, Leader of the Opposition
"We are dealing 2015."

Jules Vasquez
"I am saying moral authorities required if one is to take a moral stand and you have no moral authority, because you vacated that. If you are saying the principle stands, but then the principle stood in 2005. The principle cannot be....."

Hon. Francis Fonseca, Leader of the Opposition
"What law did we passed?"

Jules Vasquez
"Signed the agreement. You didn't passed any law. You didn't report on receipts. You didn't passed any law. You just signed...."

Hon. Francis Fonseca, Leader of the Opposition
"We passed the Finance and Audit Reform Act. That was an initiative of the PUP government."

Jules Vasquez
"Was the Finance and Audit Act violated in 2005 when John Briceno signed the agreement in August 2005 for undertaking borrowings of infinite amount from Venezuela through the PetroCaribe arrangement, whose revenues have never been reported. I don't know what they are."

Hon. Francis Fonseca, Leader of the Opposition
"Who says they have never been reported?"

Jules Vasquez
"Those are never brought to the House. The unions says it's 41 million. The financial secretary says it 21 million US. I am saying that those receipts from PetroCaribe under PUP - I don't know what they are. They have never been reported, because of the same problematic nature of this arrangement that is not a loan, it's a diplomatic arrangement."

Hon. Francis Fonseca, Leader of the Opposition
"No. It is a loan agreement. You want to choose to focus on 2005. I and the Belizean people want to focus on what is happening now 7 years after the UDP government has been elected. They want to focus on that."

Reporter
"Is the PUP prepared for a national demonstration in 21 days?"

Hon. Francis Fonseca, Leader of the Opposition
"Well, that's certainly our objective. We want to give an opportunity to the government, the Prime Minister, to do the right thing. I think if we can achieve consensus on this demand letter and all the parties signed on to this demand letter - I think the Prime Minister will understand that this is not just the Opposition or any one particular group, but that the entire country is opposed to this law and we hope that in the face of that, he will do the right thing and take it upon himself to repeal the law. If he does not, then certainly as I said, we have to move to the next step, which is to mobilize people and take to the streets."

Hon. Julius Espat, Deputy Leader - PUP
"It was about you Jules, I think you will go down in history as the person that sounded the alert which in the end will be the downfall of the United Democratic Party. Because you were the one that ask the question about the PetroCaribe. So, you have a lot of making up to do with this present government."

And while the opposition is saying this will bring down the Barrow administration, for the UDP they are saying, if Petrocaribe misspending was such a big deal for the voting public - they would not have won the recent municipal elections so convincingly. We asked the opposition leader about that:

Jules Vasquez
"They are saying that this matter of the PetroCaribe spending has been tested already in the municipal elections, because it was raised in November and they claim that they won on the strength actually of PetroCaribe spending. That is their position. Do you think they are eluding themselves or is the outcome of the election attributable to some other factor which is not apparent?"

Hon. Francis Fonseca, Leader of the Opposition
"Yes. They view the PetroCaribe funds as Holy Grail in a sense for political victories and that have been using the funds in that regard, so I don't know that it has been tested. I think there is a lot more. People have opened their eyes in recent weeks about this PetroCaribe program. There has been a lot more education, a lot more information available. So, I think that is the challenge. As we have said consistently also Jules, that we are not against the program. The program has noble objectives. The PUP are the ones who initiated Belize's involvement in the ALBA PetroCaribe program. We understand the objectives of the program and certainly we want people to benefit from the program. But we are against the manner in which it is being implemented and executed by this UDP government."