Panton Turns Her Fire on Briceño, Calls PM “Unhinged”

Opposition Leader Tracy Panton placed politics aside over the weekend to join the Briceño administration in condemning Guatemala’s military. Today, she turned her fire on the Prime Minister. John Briceño. 

During the United Democratic Party’s latest press conference, Panton called Briceño “unhinged” for using obscene language when answering a reporter’s question on Monday. 

She said despite Guatemala’s actions last week being a show of “aggression and intimidation” during Belize’s most celebrated month, it is “no laughing matter.”

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“It is unfortunate that the prime minister is unraveling in the public domain,” Panton said. “He can’t obviously manage the stress that he is obviously under… It is wholly unacceptable for the prime minister to answer any member of the media the way he did yesterday.” 

Panton also questioned the Government’s response to repeated incidents, saying Belize must be clear and consistent in its diplomacy. “The truth of the matter is, Belize does not have the military fire power that our neighbor in Guatemala has. So, we have to use diplomacy,” she said. 

Since the incident last Thursday, Briceño announced the recalling of Belize’s ambassador to Guatemala for consultations.