Tonight, the Belize Territorial Dispute Referendum Bill has received the assent of the Governor General and is now an Act. It was approved by the House on Friday and the Senate yesterday. The opposition may still challenge it - but if they don't - then the way is paved for an ICJ referendum - possibly by the middle of May.
But, the opposition will quite likely draw a legal objection. In his address to the Senate yesterday, the PUP's Chief Legal advisor, Senator Eamon Courtenay pointed out elementary errors in the bill:...
Hon. Eamon Courtney- PUP Senator
"How can you come to this senate, present a bill that just has in it something that is false? It is false. It is wrong. Protocol to the special agreement means the protocol to the special agreement between Belize and Guatemala signed on May 25th 2015 and ratified by the senate on 30th November 2016. Mr. President you know, I know, all of s in here know that that is not true. This senate cannot ratify a treaty. This senate did not ratify a treaty. In truth and in fact it was in 2018 that instruments of ratification were exchange between Belize and Guatemala. This thing is saying that the senate ratified it. Ratification of a treaty is an executive act by the minister of foreign affairs, not the senate. We are looking like idiots to the international community. When you put in a law that a senate ratify a treaty, but it is worse than that. The international court of justice means the principal judicial organ of the United Nations established by the charter of United Nations on June 26th, 1945. The charter was signed on the 26th June, 1945, but it didn't come into force until the 24th October, 1945. So when the international community look at this they will say so Belize never knows when this court really came into force? It is embarrassing to us to be given a bill like this for consideration and I say we should correct it before approving it. Dont sent it to the governor general like this and ask him to ascent to it."
We are told what's called the "Committee of the Whole" met for some hours afterwards to address some of those oversights and errors. The government side has described it as minor corrections - but other sources tell us that the Senators debated for some time about when, and whether the Senate had actually ratified the Special Agreement.
In the end though, the bill was considered passed without amendment after those adjustments were made.
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