Cabinet decided to formally withdraw the Belize Constitution 8th Amendment Bill and its preventive detention proposals.
Press Release – Government Press Office, Belmopan – July 26, 2011 – Cabinet met in regular session today, Tuesday, 26th July, 2011.
Cabinet decided that the first Public Consultation on the Belize Constitution 9th Amendment Bill is scheduled for Wednesday, 10th August, in Belize City.
Cabinet wishes to point out once again that the Belize Constitution 8th Amendment Bill, which contains the proposals for the introduction of preventive detention, is in no way linked with the 9th Amendment Bill. One has nothing to do with the other. And Cabinet had already announced, through the Hon. Prime Minister, its determination to keep the 8th Amendment Bill, for which consultations had not yet started, entirely separate from the 9th Amendment Bill.
Cabinet noted today, however, that the Opposition has already launched a public campaign against the 9th Constitution Amendment Bill. One basis for the campaign is that Government wishes to pass the 9th Amendment Bill as a way to guarantee and safeguard now the passage later of the 8th Amendment Bill with its preventive detention proposals.
In order to expose completely this false campaign, Cabinet as well decided today to formally withdraw the Belize Constitution 8th Amendment Bill and its preventive detention proposals. That Bill is therefore dead. The public consultations on the 9th Amendment Bill must now take place in a self-contained manner. That is, the process must examine only the provisions and objectives of the 9th Amendment Bill, designed to place beyond court challenge the proposed constitutional amendments to enshrine and safeguard the acquisition and state ownership of BEL, BTL, and BWSL.
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