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11th amendment to block convicts from House

Headline11th amendment to block convicts from House

BELIZE CITY, Thurs. July 1, 2021– Reports are that the 11th amendment to the Belize Constitution will be tabled at a meeting of the House of Representatives that is scheduled to take place on Friday, July 2. This new amendment, if passed, would reportedly disqualify convicts and persons who have served time in prison from being elected as a member of the House. Any member of the National Assembly convicted for a crime related to abuse of public office or an election related offense will be disqualified from servings as a member. Also persons sentenced to more than 12 months imprisonment will be subject to disquaification.

The nature of such an amendment and its very timing would suggest that it is aimed at one area representative: Hon. Shyne Barrow, who now holds the position of Opposition Leader that was stripped from embattled UDP leader, Hon. Patrick Faber. Hon. Barrow, the area representative of the Mesopotamia constituency, was convicted of offenses in the US and served time in a US prison. However, it has been reported that the amendment will only be applicable to persons who were convicted and imprisoned in the Commonwealth.

As is well known, Hon. Moses Michael Levi Barrow, better known internationally by his stage name “Shyne”, was involved in a nightclub shooting in December 1999 and convicted in June 2001 while on the verge of releasing his debut recording album. He was subsequently sentenced to ten years in prison and served almost the entire sentence behind bars.

Two decades later, Shyne is a first-time elected member (UDP) of the House of Representatives in Belize who has orchestrated the ousting of the leader of his party, Patrick Faber, and has taken the reins of the party, which he has vowed to rebuild.

In a release issued by his office, Barrow decried the proposal of the 11th amendment calling it discriminatory, classist, and inhumane. He said that it is the PUP’s government’s attempt to criminalize the poor and disadvantaged. In his release he says,” Many of our youth get into trouble with the law however the only difference between them and the rich, powerful upper class, is they do not have the money and power to get away with their crimes.”

Hon. Shyne Barrow,
Leader of the Opposition

He adds,” This highlights the prevalent problem in our country. The Southside youths and other poor people are left to commit crimes and kill each other with no genuine attempt by the PUP government to rehabilitate them. Instead, the 11th Amendment is an attempt to criminalize the poor in perpetuity.”

We understand that other criteria for disqualification will also be included in the new constitutional amendment on Friday. We will have more on this story when the amendments are tabled.

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