Prime Minister Claims Opposition’s Debate is Full of Untruths and Half-Truths

Dean Barrow

And then to the budget for the fiscal year 2016/2017! Starting with the leader of the Opposition, members on that side of the gallery claimed that based on all relevant statistics, the economy was in a recession, and the so-called stability budget was only a rhetorical farce. Prime Minister Barrow lashed back, accusing the Opposition leader and his team of presentations riddled with half-truths, untruths, falsifications and misrepresentations.

Prime Minister Dean Barrow

“He talked about what the average earnings in this country is, but he offered no source or authority for the figure he gave. Likewise he said he had embarked on some sort of tax per dollar calculation for the people’s earnings, but in coming up with the number, and in telling us how he did so he used such outrageous sleight of hand that it required a scolding from the Minister of National Security who is the only true economist in this House. It was not surprising then Mr. Speaker that when it came to our Statistical Institute of Belize the leader of the Opposition cited them and their data with approval when it suited him. For example the GDP growth last two quarters…he was quick to say this is what the SIB said and they obviously are right. He used that to determine, fine economist that he is, that we are in a recession. But when it came to the unemployment figure similarly given and documented by the Statistical Institute of Belize – and they’ve been doing this every time they put out their bulletins – when it came to the fact that they confirmed that unemployment now is the lowest it has been in a decade, that doesn’t suit the leader of the Opposition so he quarrels with it.”