PM Briceno Dismisses UDP Protest, Says Opposition Must Win Back Public Trust

Prime Minister John Briceño is brushing aside the United Democratic Party’s latest protest action. He told News 5 that the opposition’s biggest challenge is not his administration but convincing Belizeans to support its message.

The UDP organised a demonstration on Friday, accusing the Briceño administration of failing to address allegations of corruption and promising that the protest was the first step in a wider campaign against the government. But while protesters gathered in the streets, Briceño said he spent the afternoon away from politics, enjoying time with his granddaughter.

The Prime Minister told News Five that family remains an important part of his life beyond his role as head of government. “I am also a grandfather. I am not only the prime minister. I am a husband and I am a father and grandfather,” Briceño said.

“For me to be able to spend the afternoon with her and take her to the park, it was raining, so we went to Moe’s because there is a playground there and spent an hour and a half with my granddaughter, and that is the joy of life.”

Asked whether he takes the UDP’s messaging and calls for action seriously, Briceño questioned whether the opposition is resonating with the wider public. “I think what they need to worry about is that the people are not taking them seriously,” he said.

Briceño pointed to the People’s United Party’s National Party Council meeting held the following day in Dangriga, saying the turnout surpassed the size of Friday’s protest despite the UDP organising transportation across the country. “We had more people in Dangriga for our meeting than what they managed to bring, and they had buses all over the country,” the prime minister said.

The UDP has maintained that Friday’s protest is only the beginning of a phased effort to pressure the government over what it describes as corruption concerns within the Briceño administration.