Minister Musa Claps Back at Opposition Leader Over State of Emergency Criticism

The Minister of Home Affairs, Kareem Musa, is rejecting the Leader of the Opposition’s statements on the current State of Emergency. This week, Barrow stated that the SoE measure was a quick-fix solution to crime, pointing to 33-year-old Michael Usher. On Monday night, Usher was murdered within an SOE zone; a stone’s throw away from the Mahogany Street Police Station. Barrow questioned the efficacy of the SOE and reminded the government of its criticism when in opposition. Musa clapped back at Barrow today and stated that while murders have increased, the police’s work is not to blame. 

Kareem Musa, Minister of Home Affairs: “I think the media, because of the accessibility of the Minister and the Commissioner of Police have now resorted to tracking murders by the day and by the week which is totally fine I have no problem with that because it keeps us as the policy makers extremely vigilant but if you recall under the thirteen years of their failed leadership you could not access their Minister of Home Affairs, their Minister of National Security and so they had thirteen years within which they could have provided some solution to the crime problem but instead if only grew and so the track records I think speak for themselves and I certainly cannot listen to anything that the Leader of the Opposition has to say. That is classic noise in the market. We have actual real work to do. Last year like I said a record in terms of the number of homicides we have not seen that since the year 2000, 87 murders. Under the United Democratic Government it was at 148 and so I could listen to everybody but I refuse to listen to the failed leadership of the United Democratic Party. This is a partnership with the department, the citizens of this country, the law abiding citizens of this country. We want a better and a safer Belize but it’s not the UDP, that’s not who I’m going to be listening to.”

The country has recorded 38 murders so far this year.