7 News Belize

No Confidence Vote Soundly Defeated, Yields Marathon Debate
posted (March 6, 2020)
Last night we had extensive coverage of the Budget Presentation and the other business at yesterday's House Meeting. But what we couldn't wait around for was the marathon debate on the no-confidence motion. That went for just about 7 hours!

As we told you the PUP brought the motion - with very little prospect of success since they would need support form across the floor - and they had none.

So, it was kind of a stunt, but a very use one - because the PUP members got to expound at great, great length on all the reason why they felt the Barrow administration has to go. So, it was kind of like therapy for the opposition, and here are a few excerpts:..

Hon. Kareem Musa, PUP Caribbean Shores
"You have the man who got money by stacks and you have the man who like money in his socks. You have raccoon dropping through the roof, then you have rat going into the baby cubicle - all of those things are happening. It's the real world we are living, but it's as though they are not really living in this world."

Hon. Cordel Hyde, PUP Lake I
"Too many people for the last 12 years have been living in broken down houses. Mothers and fathers breaking under the strain of the economic hardship. Fathers can't find work, mothers have to do what they have to do to put bread on the table. Our families are falling apart for the last 12 years. We have people suffering mental issues because of the hardship of the last 12 years. We don't want to discuss these things, but these things are real. That's the job of a government to make sure that the people's aspirations are met, that the people are comfortable, that they dream and aspire for better and that they can see better, but what we've had is just a general malaise because it's only a handful of people getting everything and the vast majority have nothing. You guys failed the people of Belize. You failed the southside of Belize City. You were supposed to be different. That's what you promised, but you haven't delivered. Yes, you've won elections after elections, but success is not defined by election victories, its define by how much our people's lives are improved. The proud people who I represent they got enough of this, they feel like it's time for you all to go. They don't feel like they should have to wait 9 months for this. We should deal with it now. There has to be a new day. There has to be a new way."

Hon. John Briceno, Leader of the Opposition
"Whatever the outcome of this debate today, it is a historic day. It is a historic day because for the first time in this country we've had a debate of no confidence against a government. We had that because it is the worst government this country has ever seen. They were on this side and not one time they decide to have a vote of no confidence against us. If we were so bad why didn't they do it? We did it today and today we have stood up and I believe that we made the case today, a convincing case to the Belizean people that they have lost the confidence in this prime minister and this UDP government."

Rt. Hon. Said Musa, PUP Fort George
"The people have lost confidence in you Mr. Prime Minister. The people have lost confidence in your entire administration and in your entire cabinet, so have mercy on us, spare us the agony of knowing full well that you'll be gone by November anyway, so why don't you just call the election now."

Hon. Patrick Faber, UDP Collett
"Why is it that you are not talking about those many supplementary spending bills that you brought or that we brought. I remember one time we sat right there in this honorable house and we did about 7-8. In fact you're right Prime Minister, because it's says 2004- to wherever it stopped. So these were supplementary that you spent. You did not come in the proper manner to this honorable house to say that you were going to spend, but you're not concerned about that. What you are concerned about is what happened after 2010 because you want to say ah the prime minister is a criminal. If it is your intention is to expose spending outside of the finance and audit act which is coming without bringing it to the honorable house, then you ought to be concern about all of that and you sir Mr. member for Fort George are just as guilty as the honorable prime minister if that is your point, but the difference is that is your position."

Rt. Hon. Dean Barrow, Prime Minister
"They talked about the chief justice's ruling, but what they failed to tell people is that 6 of the supplementary that they challenge are supplementary brought by the UDP to subsequently approve spending that they had done without the prior authorization of parliament and as I said it was permissible for them to do that. What was not permissible was never to come back to the house to get the subsequent approval and you left office without coming back to the house. So when you left office you were guilty of unlawful and illegal spending. None of you can with any, not with the slightest justification accused me of violating the constitution. You can talk about the finance and audit act and as I said to the extent that I may be wrong in thinking that it was overruled when this house approved all those supplementary we will bring a validation bill. But don't tell me any foolishness about the constitution. When you want to talk about a violation of the constitution you look Mr. Member for Caribbean Shores to your father ho diverted monies that were under law impossible legally to send anywhere, but into the consolidated revenue fund of this country. that's what you are to deal with."

"You want to win the elections in November. Nobody over here is afraid of calling the elections you know. I don't call the elections because it's been a bit of a long goodbye, but I am saying goodbye. I am going and that should not be my responsibility. It should be the responsibility of my colleagues and whoever takes over as prime minister. But it's not there is any fear to call the elections. What is there in this motion that you all couldn't have debated on the adjournment? Every single aspect one of you could have taken up on the adjournment, instead you keep us here to almost 10pm in the night in what you always knew was a quixotic venture. You are Don Quixote tilting after windmills. You could never ever win such a motion, so why bring the motion? Perhaps because the Leader of the Opposition is unable to come grips with the fact that his court maneuver did not pin us to the wall, that as I am saying we do not need his votes for the legislation that we will bring. In other words, he is a hostage taker, but without any hostage. He makes demands for ransom, but his gun has no bullets."

And, as expected the motion was defeated 18 against, and 11 in favour. The meeting finished at 10:00 pm. And the longest time spent debating was Julius Espat who spoke for an hour - without ripping up any papers and throwing them on the floor.

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