State Funeral Planned for Minister Michael Joseph Espat in Punta Gorda Town

Minister of State, Michael Joseph Espat, will be given a State Funeral in Punta Gorda Town.  Prime Minister John Briceno made the announcement during a 30-minute Parliamentary Service held inside the National Assembly this afternoon in honor and memory of the late minister.  Espat died of a heart attack last Monday at a time when he had the respect as the longest-serving Member of Parliament.  After the opening prayer, Prime Minister John Briceno delivered an address, recalling the tenacity and brutal honesty of Minister Espat.  According to the Prime Minister, theirs was a friendship that was shared over the past three decades.  

For the first time inside the National Assembly, the political weapons were placed at the door and a coming together was seen as the country leaders paid tribute to Espat.  Leader of the Opposition, Moses Shyne Barrow, spoke of the Mike Espat, he had come to know during his time in politics in Belize.

The third and final presentation was done by the Speaker of the House, Valerie Woods.  Woods acknowledged Espat’s contribution to Parliament since his first time in office in 1989.

The State Funeral for Minister Mike Espat will be held on Saturday, May 11.