Now on the other side of that very political statement, we have a comment from the Deputy Prime Minister Patrick Faber. He says the six firings were clearly and squarely politically motivated.
Reporter
"In terms of that they say it is politically driven, your thoughts on that as the deputy?"
Hon. Patrick Faber, Minister of Education
"Well, I suspect that is the case indeed. There is victimization and we have to condemn that whole scale. The Peoples United Party when they won the election here in Belize City, I believe made it very clear that kind of practice would not happen. We are seeing where they started off with the idea very early and now it seems it is a full-scale operation. I am told that there are more people to come. We have to be very concerned. I always remember that when certainly Mayor Moya and Darrell Bradley took over this city hall that there were those in the party that thought after the long right of the PUP there were many employees in there who did not support the administration and so on. That was never an issue. They have employees who have been working at the city hall now for 20 to 35 years and those people have stayed their overtime so that is positive proof that the UDP did not engage in that kind of victimization."
We have made multiple requests for an interview with Mayor Bernard Wagner - but have gotten no reply.
But Wagner's PUP City Council doesn't have the monopoly on municipal firings. The UDP Town Council in Punta Gorda did the same when they fired 11 persons. But Faber said that was a genuine downsizing where UDP supporters were also fired:...
Reporter
"Sir I believe that the UDP town council fired eleven people last month would you still say the same about them?"
Hon. Patrick Faber, Minister of Education
"Well you also heard the complaints coming from some of the people fired who were UDP so clearly streamlining and bringing your house in order in terms of your spending is one thing and if it were as Ms. Polanco just suggested they terminated Ms. Miller because of a huge contract that is not the reason they gave in her termination letter. They did not say this contract is unfair and so we are terminating you. They gave grounds that had nothing to do with that and in the PG situation, it is not a change in administration or change in party. You have a new mayor but it is still a UDP council so there is no issue of political victimization there it is clearly just a matter of just streamlining their financing."
Later on you'll hear more of our interview with terminated City Administrator Candice Miller.
Email
Print