Friday is Audrey Matura-Shepherd’s last day as Vice President of Oceana in Belize, and Matura-Shepherd, a trained attorney, told the media today that she will be moving into private practice but beyond that, into greater community activism—including a new “people-generated and powered movement” which, she said, would lobby for legislative changes to demand more transparency and accountability.
“I am excited! I am finally going into private practice! It’s interesting. Four years, four months ago that’s where I was planning to go,” she said today.
Matura-Shepherd, who has been with Oceana since 2009, has also not ruled out throwing her hat into the political arena. She said that a lot of people do think she will go into politics; but for now, she is not saying yes or no outright, but will go where her heart leads her.
Her main focus, now, will be law, Matura-Shepherd said. “I hope to be doing a lot of constitutional law cases, family law cases, and criminal cases. Those are the areas I really like, but litigation, definitely,” she stated.
Matura-Shepherd’s resignation came after comments she made in her Amandala column, “Right to the Point,” which raised the ire of the LBGT community. She told the press today that she will continue to speak out:
“I will not shy away from the LGBT issue. I think one of the reasons I opted to resign is because Oceana was asking me not to discuss that and I could not, on principle, give up the right to have a say on that issue,” she said.
Matura-Shepherd said that she wishes all the best to Oceana, and she will continue to support them in the litigation which Oceana had initiated, during her tenure there, to challenge the offshore petroleum contracts.
“You all will see me in court. I’m going to see that case through all the way to the Caribbean Court of Justice…” she asserted.
“I will remain very much involved in environmental issues; I will remain with the Coalition to Save Our Natural Heritage; I am one of the founding members there. Oceana remains a part of that organization and apart from that I will definitely remain a community activist in so many other topics apart from oil,” she added.
Matura-Shepherd said that if given the opportunity, she would also join the defense team for Maya land rights.
She said that a replacement VP for Oceana in Belize has not yet been picked, although applicants have been shortlisted. Oceana executives from Washington, DC, are due to arrive in Belize shortly to complete the selection process. Meanwhile, said Matura-Shepherd, Floyd Neal, Oceana in Belize’s administrative assistant, will hold over.
“There have been many applicants and they want to make sure they get the right person to continue the work,” Matura-Shepherd told the press.