PM Briceño Weighs in on Gilroy Usher’s Actions

A land dispute in Port Loyola has moved beyond questions of ownership and into a heated confrontation involving Area Representative Gilroy Usher. Over the weekend, Usher tried to remove a fence bordering property claimed by one of his constituents, escalating an already contentious situation. News Five has been following the dispute, and today we took the matter directly to Prime Minister John Briceño. We asked what he makes of Usher’s actions and whether an elected official should personally intervene in a private land dispute.

 

Prime Minister John Briceño 

“The thing is that Minister Usher was over anxious probably frustrated in trying to fix a problem that is being created over land and felt that if he did not step in, people are being killed over land. Unfortunately, in Orange Walk my compadre in San Lazaro was chopped up because of an issue with land. And he felt that if he stepped in maybe he can help. Would I do it differently? Of course, I would do it differently and I called him and said, you should allow the law to take its process, allow the police to take its process and allow the Ministry of Natural Resources to come in and say these are your boundaries and he realized that. He has apologized. He made a public apology to people. I would not have done it that way, but at the same time you have to admire him, taking his role seriously as an area representative.”

 

Paul Lopez

“Do you think an apology alone would have cut it for an ordinary citizen that committed such an act?”

 

Prime Minister John Briceño

“I believe so, but if an ordinary citizen feels that aggrieve me and I apologize and you don’t accept it, then I have my right to go to court.”

 

That matter is now in the hands of the Ministry of Natural Resources.

 

Attention readers: This online newscast is a direct transcript of our evening television broadcast. When speakers use Kriol, we have carefully rendered their words using a standard spelling system.

 

Watch the full newscast here: