Get Your Education Letters, says P.U.P.

John Briceño

Minister of Education and Deputy Prime Minister Patrick Faber last week insisted that Government could not find any money to pay school fees and for vehicles because of the Financial Secretary’s memo warning C.E.O.’s and accounting officers that the treasury is frozen until and after the Budget is read. But the Opposition P.U.P. says its sources are telling it otherwise. John Briceño told reporters on Monday that Belizeans should seek out their area representatives if it is true, because it is their money that is being spent to buy their votes.

John Briceño, P.U.P. Leader

“We’re finding out now that the Ministers also have been trying to put their hands on the monies of the Government, to be able to play politics; to try to, in effect, buy votes. It seems that Petrocaribe no longer ‘di roll it,’ so there seems to be no money in the kitty. So they are just going through every single line item, and I am told the Cabinet has approved monies and they’re using it through the education budget. I have spoken to several principals; I spoke to one just yesterday in Dangriga, and the principal confirmed that parents are going to the schools, asking for letters so they can take it to their U.D.P. Ministers, so that the payments can be made from the Ministry directly to the school. I just want to alert families if they have not gotten their letter, go get your letter; because that is not the U.D.P. Ministers’ monies, it is taxpayers’ monies and everybody should be getting it. I need to point out that there must be fairness and equity in this; and certainly us in the Opposition, our twelve representatives who were duly elected just like them, we have no idea of what is going on. But monies are being used to be able to try to encourage people to vote for the Barrow/Faber U.D.P. government, in effect, they’re trying to bribe the voters.”