BELMOPAN, Mon. Feb. 14, 2022– Three weeks after the Belize Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI) sent out a letter to the Government of Belize that urged it to “preserve rule of law” for the sake of investors and referenced the blockades staged by cañeros at ASR/BSI’s Towerhill compound and the recent industrial actions taken by the stevedores of the Christian Workers Union, the Office of the Prime Minister has issued a response.
“It is indeed unfortunate that your organization would pen a letter to my office with such false allegations,” stated the Prime Minister, who further noted, “The entire country knows that on both occasions, the government intervened, and the outcomes were negotiated in the best interest of all stakeholders.”
The Prime Minister went on to state in the letter that on both occasions referenced by the B.C.C.I., security forces were present to maintain peace and protect private property. Hon. Briceño then noted, however, that those security forces were not there to infringe on anyone’s constitutional rights or to harm any citizen, “as has been the case before”.
The B.C.C.I. letter referenced by the Prime Minister had reprimanded the Government of Belize, as well as Belizean law enforcement, for lack of action in deterring what the Chamber called civil disobedience that has, in their view, led to a decline in investor confidence.
“As you may already be aware, over time there have been certain actors who have infringed on private property by squatting or, worse yet, physically damaging said property or illegally blockading access to businesses through threat of violence,” stated the letter. Additionally, it made reference to the existence of a number of mechanisms for resolving conflict, and asserted that, due to the presence of such mechanisms, different points of view should not result in violence or illegal acts. The B.C.C.I. then urged the Government of Belize to “unequivocally communicate to local and foreign investors alike that Belize steadfastly upholds the rule of law and is a country that is serious about doing business.”
In the Prime Minister’s response, he reminded the Chamber of an instance when upholding rule of law, in the manner that the Chamber seemed to have desired, resulted in the death of a citizen. Atanacio Gutierrez was killed in Orange Walk in 2009 when law enforcement used excessive force in responding to a protest by cañeros near the Tower Hill sugar factory. And, while not mentioned in the letter, many recall the chilling moment in July 2020, when eleven stevedores were fired upon with rubber bullets and tear-gassed by GSU officers during a peaceful protest — which reportedly left one stevedore with physical limitations that make him unable to carry out his tasks at the Port of Belize without the assistance of fellow stevedores.
In reference to such instances of excessive, in fact brutal, use of force against unarmed workers, the Prime Minister made a poignant point in his letter to the Chamber: “We would hope and expect that such actions and deadly results are not the method of upholding the rule of law your organization contemplates, but rather, the civilized approach taken by this administration in the two instances you cited in your letter,”
In his letter, Prime Minister Hon. John Briceño also reminded the B.C.C.I. that while its responsibility lies only with the group of businesses and commercial interests that it represents, the government is responsible, both socially and economically, for all its citizens.
“We do not intend to abdicate this responsibility, and this government will always seek to intervene in the best interest of the country,” the Prime Minister’s letter stated at its conclusion.