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Belize Coalition to Save Our Natural Heritage To Hold a People's Referendum
Oceana gave it their all in order for a national referendum to ban off shore drilling to take place on March 7th, the same day that Municipal and General Elections will be held. Over twenty thousand signatures were collected and over eight thousand were rejected by the Elections and Boundaries Department! But according to the Coalition to Save our Natural Heritage the fight is not over and plan B has been set into motion. The Coalition, we understand, will be holding a People’s Referendum on February 24th in order to give registered voters and opportunity to express their view when it comes to offshore drilling.
Tanya William Coalition Coordinator.
“On the 24th of February, the Belize Coalition to Save Our Natural Heritage will be holding a national referendum which we are dubbing the people’s referendum, it is going to give all registered voters the opportunity to vote on one issue and that issue is whether or not we should have oil exploration or drilling in Belize offshore.”
Hipolito Novelo-Reporter
“Is this People’s Referendum not biding under the referendum act of Belize?”
Tanya William Coalition Coordinator.
“No, it is not been carried out in the referendum act, it is a referendum that is being carried out under the Belize Coalition to Save Our Natural Heritage and we are looking at the same external observers to the entire process but it is not being the entire referendum that is triggered under the referendum act.”
Holding a People’s Referendum, says Williams, is a great way to express that thousands of Belizeans are against offshore drilling. But most importantly it will send a strong signal to Government.
Tanya William Coalition Coordinator
“The Coalition believe that the majority of Belizeans not agree with allowing offshore oil exploration and through the referendum they believe it is something that it is going to be a strong way of showing that the majority of Belizeans do hold that position and so it is another tools for us to use in our advocacy to ensure that government changes it policy in terms of allowing, the issuance of contracts for the offshore.”
Hipolito Novelo-Reporter
“This of course will happen nationwide, have the venues been set out as yet?”
Tanya William Coalition Coordinator
“We are still in the process and we ask that all Belizeans stay tuned to local stations and we will be providing update as we go along, it is done nationally but we will not be doing at all the different stations but people could stay in tune and we will provide information to them.”
Anyone interested in assisting the Coalition can contact Williams at telephone number 223-7266 or email her at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
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