Minister Musa Denies Involvement in Cabinet Paper Leak, Prime Minister Expresses Displeasure

As it relates to the leak of the Cabinet Paper, Musa has denied any involvement in the exposure. He noted that the Prime Minister was upset over the situation, and had given the Cabinet a scolding.

Kareem Musa, Minister of Home Affairs:  “First of all I heard the Leader of the Opposition tried to suggest – he didn’t say my name but he was trying to suggest that I had involvement in leaking, absolutely not. He actually called me last night to apologize to me because he says he knows for a fact it was not me. But certainly things that go to cabinet are for cabinet consumption . Now when it is that you arrive at an agreement for something and you set that as the way forward then that is when it becomes public because imagine now if we were to divulge everything that happens in cabinet. Many cabinets you have dissenting views, many cabinets certain papers are not accepted and so those are not the positions of government. Why would you then put out positions of the government that we do not accept? Makes no sense whatsoever and of course like I said it has legal ramifications for us to be putting out these positions and so that is why it has to be kept confidential until it is that government says this is our position and we are going with it. That has not happened. The cabinet actually reviewed this agreement and said we do not accept this, this has to be revised.” 

Reporter: Are you leading a revolt? 

Kareem Musa, Minister of Home Affairs:  “Absolutely not nothing of the sort is happening and that again gives you sort of an insight because if you hear who is saying this it is the Leader of the Opposition it gives you an insight into the type of leader that he expects to be because like I said in cabinet you have dissenting opinions all the time how do you then say that that amounts to a revolt? What good is a democracy if we cannot sit around a table and discuss our own views and our own perspective? So is he saying that if he were to ever, God forbid, become the Prime Minister of this country he will expect that whatever cabinet paper he takes has to be accepted with no dissenting views? What exactly are we to expect from him? I mean we have seen him flip flop on many issues time and time again and now he is saying that basically whatever he says must go. That is ridiculous.” 

Musa spoke with the media this morning during an event at the Belmopan Training Academy.