P.U.P. Turns Back on Petrocaribe Monies

Francis Fonseca

With that, Fonseca emphasized that they cannot approve a Bill which seeks to bypass and do away with National Assembly authorization. And to show that he’s dead serious, Fonseca made the emphatic gesture of refusing any future Petrocaribe handouts because, he says, neither he nor the P.U.P. will be a party to something that is illegal. 

Francis Fonseca, Leader of the Opposition

“We cannot and will not be a part of such criminality. In fact, Mr. Speaker, we go on record today to say that as of today, we will not be accepting a single dollar form the Petrocaribe funds…whether for Mother’s Day Cheer or Christmas Cheer or any other cheer from those on the other side Mr. Speaker. We cannot and will not be a party to any such criminality. Even at this late stage we demand that this Bill be withdrawn Mr. Speaker. And you know Mr. Speaker it is my expectation, because I have heard some rumblings in the days since this Bill was introduced and it is my expectation, we will wait and see…it is my expectation in the days ahead that we will be informed of resignations of certain people, like the Senator/Minister Godwin Hulse, Ambassador Mark Espat, the Tracy Taegar-Panton they’ve just endorsed at my friend’s peril. Dr. Carla Barnett, all these people surely…surely they cannot in good faith be in support of such a Bill after all they had to say about the importance and need of the Finance and Audit Act. Surely they cannot be in support of such a Bill.”