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VIP Not Content With Petrocaribe Changes
posted (May 20, 2015)

It's a good break for folks like Deon Williams, who is struggling to scrape together funding for his long-standing Third World Football camp. He told us he will be picking up his form tomorrow morning.

But, don't tell that to the VIP political party – properly known as Vision Inspired By The People. When it comes to Petrocaribe borrowing they say the Barrow administration is tending towards tyranny. That's because the VIP has been trying to gain some third party traction with their strident criticisms of the Petrocaribe Loan Bill. And at a press conference today, they added another cause to their crusade: the change to the special agreement between Belize and Guatemala.

We start with Petrocaribe; they say even though the Prime Minister has promised significant amendments to make the law less controversial, the party is unconvinced:

Patrick Rogers - VIP

"We're saying that the cosmetic changes that we have heard over the media coming from the prime minister doesn't do anything for what we want to address. And yeah at the end of it we will reach the street Mr. Barrow cause we not hearing anything significant is coming out of those amendments that you said in the media. We're left in a position where we're more resolved to reaching the streets because we know it's games you the play. You know I believe like it's every 10 years we might have to do this exercise to take to the streets so that the elected officials understand that they're leaders and not rulers. That now we have power for more than a few seconds when we exercise that right to vote on election day."

The also objected to the Amended Special Agreement which will be signed Monday in Guatemala.

Patrick Rogers - VIP

"They're going to amend this thing right now Monday you know but without consulting with us. They're going to amend to appease the Guatemalans - they're not serving our interest.

Paco Smith - VIP

"Straight froward, International Court of Justice, we are not on that. It's been our position from since day one. We're not changing our mouth, we're not saying anything different, we have not changed, our position is no."

Paul Morgan - VIP

"It may entail the loss of a few jobs and maybe even a few lives - but today the VIP calls on every single Belizean from the house wife to the homeless. From the preacher, to the prisoner to act now to preserve Belize. We ask you to summon in ourselves every bit of creative genius to resist, peacefully and lawfully the inclination of our leadership to compromise Belizean territory by way of this special agreement."

Absent today were VIP's Hubert Enriquez, PNP Leader Wil Maheia, and VIP Legal Advisor Audrey Matura Shepherd – who all had prior engagements or transport difficulties.

The press conference lasted 85 minutes.

This afternoon the VIP made a presentation to the BNTU Belize City exec

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