The PUP took a number of issues to the street – and one of the most prominent ones was the call for a Senate Inquiry into irregularities in the Immigration Department. That caught the Belize City mayor’s ear. He’s a UDP mayor and a UDP Standard Bearer but he says he supports the protest and the call for a commission of inquiry – even if his party leader is pushing another plan:…
Darrell Bradley - Mayor Belize City
"I didn't have an opportunity to see the March. I don't support the politicizing in relation to an issue like this but I support the spirit of it that Belizeans would March against corruption and would March against things which ought not to go on within our society and I have watched the issue the discussions going across the floor in terms of the dialogue and I support a Senate inquiry. I think that the Senate has the constitutional mandate in relation to making inquiries of this nature I think that the Senate would be a more well positioned and objective body having representation from the social partners and a stronger voice from the opposition. I don't see how a joint committee where you have persons who are themselves named in the report itself who could give it the kind of credibility that an inquiry needs to be, so that if I would give my voice to this I would have to say that I support a senate inquiry."
Jules Vasquez
"Sir you're not towing the party line - the party leader the Prime Minister has put forth a position that...and the chamber supports it."
Darrell Bradley - Mayor Belize City
"It is very very important for us to in that's very very important for us to move beyond this issue for many many issues affecting us in terms of our national development one of the things I was deeply concerned with is yesterday there was another several incidents of shooting in Belize City, crime is something that continues to plague us in our nation."
"These are the issues that we need to be talking about as a nation but we cannot because there has been a major threat to public confidence in the administration of government and I think that it is very incumbent on all of us especially those who are UDP it is incumbent on all of us to do what is necessary to restore public confidence in the institution of government for a nation to move forward and I think that the best way to do that is for there to be an inquiry by the body that is constitutionally mandated to carry out such inquiries and by a body that was specially designed with social partners in its makeup to have a voice in relation to this and I do believe that the Senate is the institution best poised to carry out that inquiry. We need to ensure that the public is satisfied that an inquiry is carried out It is thorough whatever questions need to be asked Must Be asked whoever has to be brought before that inquiry must be brought before that inquiry, must be made to give an account and whatever actions thereafter should be recommended and should be taken because we need the public to be satisfied that this type of action is at an end."
The mayor says he is willing to sign the PUP petition calling for a Senate Inquiry. Bradley also called for his party to implement unjust enrichment legislation which he says was promised in its manifesto. He says he has seen the assets of elected officials increase while they are in office:
Darrell Bradley - Mayor Belize City
"I've heard of stories where ministers you can say in relation to the amount of assets that they had. One of the things that the government put in their manifesto many terms ago was legislation to hold them account. The unfair enrichment act that is something we have been talking about for some time but those things will never go in law if the public does not demand that those things are enacted in law and this issue. With protest I support protest that are on the issue of eliminated corruption but they have to be sustained and they have to be strategic in ways that actually get a result so that we have government officials in place who can really be there for the right reason because again everything that we do as a society is brought to nothing if the person in that high office is somebody we cannot trust."
Later on you’ll hear Mayor Bradley speak about how his former Deputy Mayor Eric Chang was also involved in the Immigration irregularities.
Email
Print