May 14, 2013
Belize City, Belize

Dear Editor,

Allow me to address this letter as an open letter to the Mayor of Belize City, Mr. Darrell Bradley.
Honorable Mayor Bradley,

I have become concerned at the reports that you, the Mayor of the City, an attorney by profession and a Christian, are refusing to obey the ruling of the Supreme Court handed down in the Judicial Review claim brought by Coye’s Funeral Home against the City Council. I am addressing you openly on this matter because several times I have heard you make erroneous statements on the law and kept quiet, but on the issue of obeying a court order, that you consented to, I cannot sit by in silence.

Further, I think it would be wantonly irresponsible of me not to call you out on this one because there seems to be developing a critically bad trend of political leaders not wanting to obey orders of the court, and it is best for you be given an opportunity to heed the warning that you are going in a wayward direction.

Not because the Prime Minister has deemed it okay to be dismissive of court rulings against the Government should you follow that path, but in your case don’t forget you personally represented the City Council and stood before Justice Legall, consented to the order that the funeral home of David Coye had a right to “continue to provide at liberty…” his undertaking services, violation of which I deem even more offensive.

As attorneys, we both know it is important to be law-abiding in all we do, because we are to represent an honorable and noble profession and we are to be seen as a singular professional standard.

I believe you are a young and a promising person, and I feel that even in your public life you would have ensured that your Christian values prevail and that politics would not have changed you, but rather you would have changed politics. I understand you want to reform the procedure for undertakers, but in the interim, that is no reason for you to disobey an order of the court, for which you could now be brought up for contempt of an order.

As an attorney representing your client , Belize City Council, you know all too well the importance of not violating an order and to act within our Constitution, which says we recognize the “rule of law”… you are not above the law!

Mr. Coye should now seek the services of the police to enforce his right to enter and work at the cemetery, and his attorney, Andrew Marshalleck, should be moving diligently to bring contempt charges against a fellow attorney. I believe he has given you ample time, one month to be precise, since to the order… now it’s time to act against the Council and you, the titular head.

But as one colleague to another, (since you still practice as an attorney in your own private firm and remain on the roll, while Mayor) I must remind you of the provisions in the Legal Professional Act (LPA) as it cannot be that your conduct as Mayor conflicts with that of being a member of the Bar. Both offices expect from you nothing but the highest standard of integrity and respect for the law. LPA states at section 16. “An attorney owes a duty to the State to maintain its integrity, its constitution and its laws and not to aid, abet, counsel or assist anyone to act in any way contrary to those laws.”

I am saddened to see that one of my fellow brothers in Christ would not see anything wrong with disobeying an order of the court, because even though we know the laws of God should reign supreme in our life, while on earth we are ordered to obey the laws of our society. As a born-again Christian you must represent one singular-God ordained standard as well, and so it reminds me of when the disciples asked Jesus whether they should obey the laws of Caesar and pay taxes. At John 12: 16-17:

“They brought the coin, and He asked them, “Whose image is this? And whose inscription?” “Caesar’s,” they replied. And Jesus said to them, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” And they were amazed at Him.”

Give people like me hope that there are still a few good men who could lead this nation by example.

God be with you.

Respectfully,
Audrey Matura-Shepherd