Dean Barrow Responds to Criticism Over Panton Ashcroft Yacht Meeting

Former Prime Minister and former leader of the United Democratic Party, Dean Barrow, has weighed in on the public criticism directed at UDP Chairman Tracy Panton following her meeting with Lord Michael Ashcroft aboard his yacht.  Speaking with Love News, Barrow was asked whether the optics of holding the meeting on a yacht were poor and whether the engagement was even necessary, given the sensitivities surrounding Lord Ashcroft’s long-standing and often controversial role in Belizean politics.  In response, Barrow addressed both the perception issue and the broader question of political engagement, offering his perspective on the circumstances surrounding the meeting and the scrutiny that followed.

RT. Hon. Dean Barrow, Former Prime Minister: “First of all, in defense of Tracy, I don’t know that she needs me to defend her, but I think she made a point. Forget the optics for a minute, and I would not defend the optics. But she said, forget the optics of the fact that I met with Ashcroft. No man, concentrate on what I said to him. And according to her, she made it plain that as things then stood, she could not support the deal. And she’s now, in fact, made good on that position by, as I understand it, having the protest this morning.”

As it relates to the Lord Michael Ashcroft being the ‘boogie man’ for Belize, the former prime minister surmised that the history has not been too nice when it comes to Ashcroft, past administrations and the Belizean people.

RT. Hon. Dean Barrow, Former Prime Minister: “But coming back to Michael Ashcroft himself, well, I’m not going to get into past history. The fact is though that while Michael himself would tell you that he did all sorts of good things for Belize, and I’m not going to argue with him. All I will say is it is obvious that in the main, the Belizean public doesn’t think so. And so again, once he is in the mix, that immediately queers the project. That immediately introduces a huge degree of suspicion where the public, the Belizean public is concerned.”

Barrow’s comments come amid continued debate within political and public circles over leadership decisions, political optics, and the standards to which party officials are held when engaging with influential figures.