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Senate Split On Referendum
posted (January 19, 2017)
But all that back and forth happened yesterday - at the senate inquiry. Today was the regular senate to go over the business of Friday's House meeting. And at that Friday meeting the most robustly debated item was the referendum Amendment bill. It was the same at today's Senate Meeting. Here's the back and forth on that:...

Hon. Valerie Woods, PUP Senator
"There is an ongoing and pressing issue in the Sarstoon that has not been resolved. So why would we create a further tense atmosphere with our own people by amending a referendum act without addressing some real issues on the ground that we are having with Guatemala when we know that the referendum act cannot be viewed in isolation of those issues with Guatemala."

"One can understand why Belizeans are a bit nervous as to the rush on this referendum act. You see we would be viewed absolutely as removing this one main obstacle which is this threshold. But what is Guatemala doing to remove their obstacles? Why are we not making similar demands?"

Hon. Ashley Rocke, Church Senator
"The church is saying we are ready to move forward with this issue."

Hon. Eamon Courtenay, PUP Senator
"No one on the government side has explained to this senate why this amendment is being done now and we want to hear it. The truth be told, we are doing it because the Guatemalans want us to do it. And Mr. President I make no apology for saying it. What the Guatemalans want cannot and should not determine the legislative action of the national assembly of Belize."

"So Mr. President or Madam Vice President, to be very clear, it is not that we are saying that the threshold should not be moved to where it is being proposed to. We are saying that the referendum act should be looked at as a whole as well as the maritime areas act and the other legislation that needs to be looked at."

Hon. Michael Peyrefitte, UDP Senator
"There is a question as to why now. Well why not now? What difference does it make if it's now. We are not lead by Guatemala or forced by Guatemala to pass any legislation in this national assembly. What we have to do is to be proactive with what we need to do to ensure that we take the course that the people have elected this government to take. We have always been for going to the ICJ. The people knew that in 2012 and they voted for this government. The people knew that in 2015 and they voted for this government again. All we are saying in this amendment is let's make it easier for the people to decide."

Hon. Godwin Hulse, Leader of Government Business
"If there were 100 people voting and only 100 people voting. What the existing act says who can vote 60 must go to make it valid. And if 60 go and it's then valid, 31 decide yes or no. That's what it says. But it also says, it implies that if 59 go and all of 59 said yes or all 59 said no, it would not be valid. Therein lies the democratic contradiction, because in one case, 31% could make it valid or invalid, whatever the issue is and in the other case 59% could not. And if you're talking a democratic process, you would at least want the majority."

The referendum amendment was passed.

Later on we'll have highlites of the day's other big debate, and that happened when the NGO Amendment bill was presented.

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