Last week, the Guardian Newspaper broke the story of a secret trip that the People’s United Party’s Caribbean Shores Area Representative made to mainland China. We say the trip was a secret one since no one knew about it until we published it. Kareem Musa was accompanied by Deputy Mayor of Belize City, Oscar Arnold; councilor, James ‘Chips’ Norales and attorney Kevin Arthurs.
Since our publication, we have learnt that another person who was along with the delegation was President of the Belize Chinese Association Johnston Ou.
Musa has since appeared on various media outlets claiming that there was nothing untoward. He claims that he was invited on the visit by the Belize Chinese Association on what he called a fact finding mission where he went on a listening and learning tour. He went on and on about some phone application that is able to trace the production of agricultural produce from the farm to the table. It seemed that impressed him very much. What is of note is that he was not specific as to who he met with and where his trip took him.
He claimed that the trip was an unofficial one and that he did not go there as a member of the PUP, rather he went as a private citizen. The questions however are many as to the real purpose of the visit and where all he went. Then, there is the question of how Arnold and Norales came to be a part of the delegation.
Well, since Musa said that the meeting was as a result of an invitation by the Belize Chinese Association, that organization has since come out openly stating that this was not the case. Through a press release published on the Association’s letter head and signed by the President of the association, Johnston Ou, the President claimed that Musa’s trip was not done through any invitation by the association. Ou stated that, “The invitation for him to visit China was not made by the Belize Chinese Association or myself. The invitation came directly from the China’s Zhi Gong Party and specifically requested the Hon. Kareem Musa who accepted and also chose the members of his delegation.” Ou added that he was only a part of the entourage as he would have been in China on other business and served as a translator. He added that there was another member of the association who accompanied him but that, “All other Association Board Members were not aware of this visit since this was not an official Association event.”
The release ends by stating that, “The Belize Chinese Association does not get involved in local nor international politics and our sole purpose is to improve betterments/relations between all Belizeans and the local Chinese community here in Belize.”
While there is now a disclaimer by the Chinese Association, there is still no clarity as to what exactly was the purpose of the PUP meeting in China. Musa himself however has said that during the visit he made calls on the chairman and vice chairman of the communist Zhi Gong Party and went further to speculate that it is likely that they financed his trip. Even so, Musa remained unrepentant of the decision he took to visit mainland China.
