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As we told you earlier, those recent issues like the BTL GST tax assessment and crime seem to have brought the PUP out of a post-referendum shell.

By the account of many political pundits and observers, the opposition lost critical ground when it came out on the wrong side of the ICJ vote, and of history. The party told voters to say “NOâ€￾ and a large majority said “YESâ€￾.

We asked the opposition leader about the political consequence of this:

Jules Vasquez
"You all supported a position that the voting population did not support. Do you think this will have a consequential effect on the PUP's political fortunes." 

Hon. John Briceno- PUP Leader 
"Ironically it had the opposite effect, actually. First of all, as you know, the party still could not have come to a real consensus when it came to the ICJ referendum. There were a lot of leaders in the party that felt strongly that we should vote yes. Secondly, when you think about it, for a party to, in less than three months, come up with a position when the government has been working on a yes vote from 2012; I mean when you look back I say, you know, in hindsight, you would have known it was a preordained, what the result was going to be. So, that aside, what the referendum did was to energize the PUP and to realize that, you know what; we need to get down, to work hard, to get to our divisions and to be in touch with our people and get them organized because we know that this government can call an election at any time. The ICJ had no bearing on politics. It was a Belizean issue and people went out to vote, not along party lines but basically along what they believe is in the best interest of Belize."