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The PUP says it was 250 strong but police say it was more like 130 persons who marched in front of the Belize Agricultural and Health Authority’s office in Belmopan this morning. They were protesting the recent firings of four persons from BAHA – for which both the Public Service Union and the PUP have taken government to task. Today PUP leader Johnny Briceno and his deputies Cordel Hyde and Dan Silva took their protest to BAHA’s front door. We are not sure if anyone heard but Opposition Leader Briceno says the protest was symbolic.

Hon. Johnny Briceno, PUP Leader
“Well we were here in solidarity with the BAHA workers that are being victimized by the Minister of Agriculture Mr. Montero. But apart from that it is a symbolic gathering that as a party we are also representing the almost 500 plus people that have been fired by this government.”

Carolyn Trench-Sandiford, PUP Chairman
“We believe that the process should be according to the rules and regulations of the Public Service. We believe that due process must be served and at the end of the day, if they start with these employees without giving due process then that means that everybody else will be subject to the same and that cannot continue to happen.”

PUP Supporter #1,
“We come here today to support and send a message to Mr. Dean Barrow who is doing wrong things, putting up more of the things that now we cannot eat well because the food is too expensive and that is why I came here today to support my party, Mr. Johnny Briceno.”

PUP Supporter #2,
“I decided to participate because this government is doing too much unjust. Under the time of the PUP the offices of government or any office used to have PUP and UDP, the majority of the workers were mainly UDP. But the PUP disqualified nobody and now just in a short time, plenty workers have gone already.”

Hon. Cordel Hyde, PUP Deputy Leader
“Unu know this is not a rent a crowd. Mek they know this is not a rent a crowd. We didn’t have to spend a dollar to get our supporters out here to send a message to the Minister, the Monsta that is Montero. To send a message to the Prime Minister that we will not tolerate this no more because it is not just four workers from BAHA who got fired, it is hundreds of Belizean workers who’ve gotten fired since February 7th.”

Hon. Johnny Briceno,
“This was not a mass or a countrywide demonstration. Many of the people victimized weren’t even aware there was going to be a demonstration out here. So we need to make that very clear. But also very importantly is that arrangements had already been made with the Novelo’s buses and unfortunately at about 8:30 last night after they had agreed to bring in the people, they called Dan Silva and said that the buses would no longer be available. So a few hundred people were left behind because we just couldn’t get the buses quickly between 8:30 last night and this morning to bring the rest of the people that should be here but this is a good beginning.”

As we mentioned, the Public Service Union continues its public fight with government over the firings. This evening they fired off another press release, reiterating that the firings were without due process and once again called on government to “reconsider the situation.”