So, as we've showed you, the Government has backpedaled on its stance not to appeal the Section 53 judgment. The Barrow Administration has also backed off on its push to get a Joint Special Select Committee to investigate the Auditor General's reports. They've even agreed that Senator Godwin Hulse will not serve as a member of the Senate Select Committee to investigate the reports to eliminate any appearance of a conflict of interests.
So, is the Government prepared to go that final step and reduce its membership on that committee from 3 to 1? That's what the PUP and the BNTU want because it's the same formula that was used when the UDP was the opposition back in 2005. At the time the UDP's position was that any inquiry should be firewalled against influence from the then Musa Administration. Today, we asked the Prime Minister about that reversal now that a UDP government is being investigated. He told us that he has conceded quite a lot, but he cannot agree to fewer than 3 UDP Senators on this committee :
Rt., Hon. Dean Barrow - Prime Minister of Belize
"Ultimately what we want is the public invigilation exercise as it were and the senate select committee will do that. I thought the bicameral might have been, not more effective have given the impression of a larger sort of canvas. Ultimately it doesn't matter, once the public gets a fair and transparent exercise of ventilation of the report and questioning and probing, the public interest would have been served and so we are happy for that."
Daniel Ortiz, 7News
"Back in the 2005 era of the S.S.B. scandals, you and your party when you all were in opposition wanted to firewall these inquiries away from the influence of the government which was being scrutinized. That same issue is being brought up and you are being criticized…"
Rt., Hon. Dean Barrow - Prime Minister of Belize
"It didn't happened did it? There was no fire walling and remember, the difference with S.S.B. is that that was not anything that arose out of any audit by an official of the Government of Belize, such as the Auditor General. That was not anything that arose out of anything being laid on the table in the House. So that was not organically the purview of the National Assembly at all."
Daniel Ortiz, 7News
"Would you in your generosity of these past 8 days or so consider limiting the UDP...?
Rt., Hon. Dean Barrow - Prime Minister of Belize
"You insist that's its enforced generosity don't you, but we won't quarrel about that."
Daniel Ortiz, 7News
"Would you relinquish the membership to and limit it to one for the UDP or is that too far?"
Rt., Hon. Dean Barrow - Prime Minister of Belize
"Again, the standing orders make clear that any senate committee as is the case with any house committee should have membership that reflects the balance in the chamber. Lord, we are only seeking to in fact implement the standing orders, both the spirit and the letter of the standing orders."
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