On Monday afternoon, the PUP went to picket the Queen Street office of Vital Statistics Unit on behalf of their constituents in the rural parts of the country. The PUP says that hundreds of Belizeans have come complaining to them that Vital Stats has unreasonably delayed in producing their important documents.
The Attorney General acknowledges the breakdowns that used to take place at Vital Stats, he asserts that there has been significant reforms since he took over, and that the PUP is downplaying the significance of all the positive changes. He also accused them of trying to use Vital Stats as a platform to further their anti-ICJ campaign.
As you saw earlier in the news, the press caught up with him at another event, and while he was available, he was asked about the public pressure that the PUP is trying to bring against this Unit which comes under his ministerial portfolio. Here's what he had to say about that:
Hon. Michael Peyrefitte - Attorney General
"There was no fire, you know. The PUP has no fire. The problem is that there is no longer any corruption at Vital Stats. Previously, agents of the PUP used to be all up in the office, in the vault, holding books, going through books that they were not authorized to do. All of that has stopped."
"When you try to register a child, that information goes into about 4 or 5 different books, and a computer system. If we don't find you in 1 book, because indeed the pages are missing, or the book is so old, you don't it, it's always in some other document. Wherever we find you in one of those 4 or 5 books, or in the system, we will issue you your birth paper. If you are nowhere to be found - several people come into that office to apply, with an agent for a birth paper. They don't speak English. They don't speak Spanish. Really, you were born in Belize? Really? And you have no presence in any of the records anywhere in Vital Stats, you want the office to just issue a birth paper to that person so that the public can make no comment about Vital Stats? I will prefer for it to come to a grinding halt, than for us to issue a birth paper to a person who is not a real Belizean. That's my position. Naturally, we have to improve the system. We want to computerize it. We want to make sure that it's not only computerized, but technically secure. It takes millions of dollars to do that. We're coming up with a budget. We're coming up with something to propose to the Cabinet and the Minister of Finance, and hopefully, we can hopefully get some grant funding or financial commitment to protect the integrity of our birth paper system. If you have a birth paper, you don't know to buy passport. You have everything. So, where you go to get your birth paper, it has to not an easy process. We have to make sure that you're a Belizean, and I make no apologies for that."
As you heard, AG Peyrefitte says that the Government is looking at ways to make the Vital Stats Unit more accessible to the Belizeans living in rural areas.
Email
Print