Dear Editor,

Your contributor, Paul Rodriguez, in the Ideas and Opinions column (Nov. 10), included the following paragraph: “This very heart and soul became subject to question last week when its highest public servant in the Department of Human Development, Ms. Judith Alpuche, appeared before the Universal Periodic Review, held in Geneva, Switzerland, to update the United Nations High Commission on Human Rights on the Belize question of decriminalizing same-sex intercourse.”

I have listened to the entire, approximately 30-minute, speech and was very interested to hear about progress and plans regarding health, education, poverty reduction and the protection of women and children. The advanced questions received by the Belize delegation from other countries regarding amongst other issues, the ongoing court case about section 53 of the criminal code, was answered by Ms. Alpuche by her stating that because the matter is still before the court, she could not comment.

For Paul Rodriguez to reduce the Belize delegation’s contribution of 30 minutes to one subject that he seems to have an obsession with, is misleading and to use one of his own favorite words, bogus.

Sincerely,
David Coombs