National Security Bill Passes; Opposition Criticizes Government’s Crime Response

Faber’s comments come at the introduction of the National Security Bill which went through all its three readings in the House of Representatives today.  It is to be noted that the country has had a National Security Council since the 1990s, but it was not legislated.  It is a body that will be mandated to address current and future security issues by enhancing inter-agency cooperation.  The opposition did not object to the Bill but did have much criticism on how the current administration is handling the crime situation in the country.  One of the criticisms mentioned by the Leader of the Opposition was the lack of communication between government officials and the public.

Moses “Shyne” Barrow, Leader of the Opposition: “I do believe there has to be a level of interaction, communications, interactions with the public. The commissioner of police, there’s not a mic, there’s not a media house that he doesn’t love. He’s always talking and talking and talking, whether it makes sense that’s neither here nor there. But we would like to see from the National Security Council, I prefer the prime minister but we have not heard anything from the National Security Council in the last four years, almost four years of this administration Madam Speaker when all of the different internal threats that we have been having, Madam Speaker, I remember when the right honorable Dean Barrow was Prime Minister and we would have these crime surges where we had to have state of emergencies and the murders were increasing. The Right Honorable Prime Minister would call a press briefing with the National Security Council and face the nation, Madam Speaker. So we hope that the Prime Minister will not pass this off to the CabSec and to the Director General and not face the nation. You are elected to lead this country Honorable Prime Minister, we expect you to lead all the time.”

Rising to respond to the opposition leader was the Minister of Defence, Florencio Marin Junior who explained the value of silence when it comes to national security.

Florencio Marin Jr. Minister of National Defense: “The few times they called the meeting, there was an NSC meeting, John Saldivar was never in attendance. That is in the record. And you have not said it. You should have said that. You should have known that. But clearly, you did not know, and you commented something that was erroneous. And I’ll be honest with you from the ministry the portfolio the prime minister has entrusted me with I do operate from a position where the least heard from our ministry is the best heard. Not because we’re not reporting but because the soldiers and the Coast Guard they operate quietly, they operate professionally doing their job. When we got in and this is not the place to be putting out the litany of complaints, but I will just mention a few. When we got in, we met a whole series of administrative problems within our ministry for both the BDF and for the Coast Guard. I never hear them complaining about that. Madam Speaker, myself and a few others we knew a lot of national security issues that we could have used for political mileage but we never did, Madam Speaker, because national security is not a political football. And I’ll speak for the ministry of which I’m entrusted with. It will not be used in any way politically because national security is about the defense of this country. This country I deeply love and I can tell you when I’m working with the Prime Minister, when he chairs these meetings I have known no greater patriot than him right now when he is leading us and asking us how to tackle the big issues when it comes to our national security in this country.”

According to the NSC Bill, the council will be tasked to consider any matter affecting the internal or external security of Belize, and to develop strategies and policies to address any matter affecting the internal or external security of Belize.  The composition of the NSC calls for at least fourteen members including the Prime Minister as the Chairman.