One man who loathes it for sure is Attorney Arthur Saldivar. He's been calling us since Friday night to express his grave reservations about the proposed ninth amendment.
Now we don't know that this PUP attorney likes anything that comes out of Belmopan but he says the right to seek judicial review of proposed amendments is an integral part of the democratic process and it must be preserved:
Arthur Saldivar, Attorney
"That amendment that he seeks to make to the section 2 of the constitution is certainly something to give every Belizean pause because what it does it basically puts the constitution as secondary to parliaments will. Seems to have its own way by putting its stamp on a legislation that really and truly seeks ro derogate the rights of the individual in Belize. In fact we can go from the ridiculous to the sublime in this situation. When you are talking about him having the ability to come back sometime there after by virtue of constitution amendment to extent the term of office for a particular government from 5 to 15 years if he wants to or going to the point of declaring himself 'Prime Minister for life'."
Jules Vasquez
"Only a despot, a dictator or a damn idiot would make such a......you wouldn't live - you would be lynched by the people."
Arthur Saldivar, Attorney
"Well certainly there is a saying 'The Gods make drunk with power those they intend to destroy" (laughing) so by all means I think this is a case that we may be having here in Belize. My thing is simple - we are a constitutional democracy. Our constitution is written. When we meddle with that constitution it's like a Christian person meddling with the bible, we cannot change the tenets, the basic tenets of the bible. It's God given."
Jules Vasquez
"Except in the bible there is no provision for amendment. In the constitution the framers put in provisions for amendments and once you perfectly comply with the provision for amendment - you are free to amend."
Arthur Saldivar, Attorney
"But procedural compliance alone is not the end of the story. The essence in spirit of the constitution - what it seeks to do, what it seeks to offer, what it seeks to protect is also an essential element and it must be indicative of improper motive when you seek to take away the ability of the court to interpret."
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