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Turning back now to politics, we asked the Deputy Prime Minister about the controversy surrounding his cabinet colleague, the Minister of Defence, John Saldivar.  Saldivar has been criticized for using Coast Guard vessels to transport his semi pro sports teams to and from San Pedro for games.  The Ministry and the Coast Guard have put out stamens saying that it amounts to support of pro-community sporting activities - and the Admiral said that Saldivar’s team paid for the gas.  But the US Embassy is none too pleased and so we asked Faber about the decision, generally, to use Coast Guard Resources to transport a minister’s team, and about the deeper diplomatic implications. First, to the issue of whether such use is permissible:…

Jules Vasquez
"Where do you come down on this issue?"

Hon. Patrick Faber - Deputy Prime Minister
"Well it depends on what agreements were made. I know that indeed for instance in my own constituency we had a summer camp and we took the young boys from Collet some years ago about 30 of them who would ever get to see the ocean and never ever get to snorkel and swim and there is a coast guard station I think around the area where the camp was being held out there in the cayes and the coast guard assisted with transportation of the young boys to the spot. Now if I understand Minister Saldivar correctly there is no crime in that and unless there was some specific in the agreement for the donation of the vessels to the government of Belize then I don't see any major wrong doing there, I don't see any wrong doing there I should say."

Reporter
"Mr. Faber those are two different situations. How do you reconcile him using the coast vessels to transport his privately owned team to San Pedro? Isn't there some conflict of interest there?"

Hon. Patrick Faber
"Listen I will say this, given the very ticklish predicament that I would be in, you know what Minister Saldivar and I aspired to the deputy leadership of this party and you know well the situation that exists. It is very difficult for to say anything other than I have said and I won't go any further."

Jules Vasquez
"Your former minister of state, junior minister Elodio Aragon has said-"

Hon. Patrick Faber
"So you are going to bury me for Aragon? (Laugh…)"

Jules Vasquez
"No sir but I am saying that he has said that as a minister with a similar type of resources at his disposal, it's not proper."

Hon. Patrick Faber
"If you want me to say if it were me, I would have done things differently, I probably would have."