PSU AGAIN CALLS FOR THE REMOVAL OF DIRECTOR OF IMMIGRATION

October 04, 2006

Following the disappearance of 100 passports from a vault at the Immigration Department in Belmopan last week, the Public Service Union is once again calling for the removal of Jose Carmen Zetina as Director of Immigration. Love News spoke with President of the PSU Dylan Reneau.  

Dylan Reneau:President of the Public Service Union

“The PSU’s position is that Mr. Zetina should be removed from his post as Director of Immigration and we have taken that public and we laid out four or five instances where Mr. Zetina, as the Director was deficient in fulfilling his obligations. We have the 200 passports that were stolen. We had an instance with some Chinese students, who were suppose to have been attending UB and who have simply vanished, nothing was really mentioned of it. And then we have the permanent resident’s issue that was raised by the leader of the opposition in the house and now we have the 100 passports. Now having put these to the public, we believe that Mr. Zetina has not been fulfilling his obligations as director and should be removed.” 

Reneau said they plan to achieve their goal this time around. Last year the P-S-U had also called for Zetina’s removal after 200 passports were stolen from the Immigration office.

Dylan Reneau: President of the Public Service Union

“At first it was because of the 200 passports and the fact that he made some allegations that the officers at the immigration department were corrupt and they were 90% malcontent but now the track record of his tutelage of the Immigration department brings in to shot, focuses his inability to lead the department because now we have even more incidences that have occurred and thus we believe that our call is even more justified now. And we are firm on our commitment to move steadfast in this thing before it gives Belize a black eye. And at the end of the day more public officers have to face public scrutiny and go through these distasteful displays of having to be arrested and questioned and all the rest of it when I’m certain that the Immigration director knows directly  who has taken those passports.” 

We asked Reneau what course of action will be taken if their request is not heeded. 

Dylan Reneau: President of the Public Service Union

“At that point we want to establish that the political directorate has not heeded the advice of the public service union and we’re going to take practical steps towards the eventual removal of Mr. Zetina if it means we will have to go all the way towards strike action to bring focus to this problem, we will because at the end of the day this is something that will affect the country of Belize adversely and could have an adverse effect on Belizeans traveling abroad.” 

Dylan Reneau President of the Public Service Union.

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