7 News Belize

Darrell Being Darrell
posted (September 9, 2016)
Indeed Bradley's interview with 7News on Wednesday made the biggest headlines this week, and today the rest of the media caught up with him to ask if he stands by his endorsement of a Senate Special Select Committee, or if he is waffling in the face of strong blowback from his party. And in a case of Darrell just being Darrell, he enthusiastically embraced both sides of that argument with equal zeal:

Darrell Bradley, Mayor - Belize City
"Something's in there are very troubling as a Belizean. I'm a UDP. I love my country. Tomorrow morning i will be giving a speech in relation to the National Day - we're raising flags we're talking about patriotism we're speaking about honoring Belizean patrimony and I think that a, a way that we must show that we are honoring that heritage, those who have gone before us, George price, Phillip Goldson, those who have gave their lives in the struggle for Belizean sovereignty is that we must ensure that government works for the people."

"I think that as a basic point you would want the audit report to be investigated as thoroughly as necessary, you would want there to be a mechanism in place that is transparent that satisfies that public desire for inquiry that affords social partners an opportunity to give their comment that ensures that even the appearance of the inquiry is something that is above reproach and my simple opinion is that I believe that that mechanism is the senate."

"And as a mayor I'm trying to get certain reforms done but I can't because the national attention is absorbed by this and I think that we need to have an inquiry that is the impregnable to any type of criticism so that as a nation, the public can feel vindicated that those who must be called to account are called to account that whatever questions need to be asked are asked and that we can move on to get on to the things which I think are really important to moving ahead the national development agenda of this nation."

Marisol Amaya, KREM TV
"Sir, your party needs to do the right thing then. Because they are proposing a bi cameral inquiry, and you're saying the appropriate body should be the senate, a senate inquiry."

Darrell Bradley, Mayor - Belize City
"I think that we in the media and in the public are caught up by the form - I am not telling you any form I am not telling you joint committee, I am not telling you senate select committee, i am telling you that appreciate it from a very simple and basic point we don't want corruption in public life, and we want an inquiry that is the most thorough that will afford stakeholders and social partners an opportunity to vent, that is something that even in the public is seen to be objective and transparent."

Dwayne Moody, Channel 5
"Sir after your comments on Wednesday you've been blasted on the airwaves saying that the position you've taken should have been done internally as opposed to going out there on the media."

Darrell Bradley, Mayor - Belize City
"Well I haven't heard that. I have looked at the issue. I'm a UDP supporter, I support my party and I know the reasons why I got involved in politics and public life and I know myself from I was a young person and people who know me, know the stances that I've taken in my life growing up. And even if I do face any backlash the thing that that I am saying is that I have an opinion, I mean I'm a lawyer, I'm a teacher - what can you do to me ? I mean, not to say anything, but I'm elected as the mayor of Belize City. There's certain things that come within my ambit."

"I listened to the senate debate I listened to it from the point of view of the fact that I'm a UDP but I have to say that some of the things that were raised in there were troubling to me and I think that a good Belizean raising their flag on the Tenth day, going out there to parade, when you're a good Belizean it doesn't just mean singing the party song, and sing oh "tenth day of September..." It means that you do things within your power to defend the national interest, and I don't see how what I said would cause controversy, like I just don't see that."

"You're telling me there are issues or concerns. I actually in my mind don't see it. i don't see. The statements that I made is that every single person should stand against corruption including every elected person, and if there is an issue that has been raised like the audit report, it needs to be inquired into, the public needs to be satisfied, and I think that that has to be in a forum I'm not saying in relation, that the forum is important, we're talking about the forum but that's not the important point, the important point is that we want a public administration section that is impregnable to corruption."

And Mayor Bradley says he fears that ugly word corruption is what will be on the minds of well wishers when they greet him in tomorrow's tenth parade:...

Darrell Bradley, Mayor
"I am a supporter of the United Democratic Party, but I would think, and so I would say as I think. I have outlined quite clearly that there must be a firm stance - and the party has articulated - a firm stance against corruption."

Marisol Amaya KREM TV
"Would you say that what you are seeing or observing now is an increasing sense among the Belizean public that this administration now is rife with corruption?"

Darrell Bradley, Mayor
"Well I would not say that. I would say what is clear is that people are dissatisfied with things which have happened in government and continues to happen in government which they are not satisfied with."

Darrell Bradley, Mayor
"Tomorrow I will have to march through the streets of Belize city and in the past I have been met with a great degree of affection, people coming in from abroad, they want to take pictures with you, they want to embrace you. What I'm saying is that good politicians, and I won't put myself in that point, but people who actually want to see the country going forward, it makes it difficult, because you have a public perception out there you know what, "all ah unu thief." So when I go and I try to engage the social partners, when I try to engage the Chamber of Commerce, when we're trying to talk about an economic development, trade license reform, building new projects this or that or...it become increasingly more frustrating for me because people gwen seh man da weh u di do? So what I am saying is that the idea of the discussion is a serious discussion that we need to discuss integrity in public life, and we need to put things in place that let's this not be."

Tradition dictates that the Mayor gives the keynote address on the tenth as does the chair of the September Celebrations Committee, usually the minister of tourism, who is in a fair amount of hot water for his immigration dealings with the Harmouche family.

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