Opposition Leader Supports Call For Transparency in Companies Registry

Shyne Barrow

Leader of the Opposition Shyne Barrow says that he supports the call for transparency in the companies’ registry. Reporters spoke with Barrow at the adjournment of Monday’s House meeting. During his remarks, he asserted that the newly launched Online Business Registry System lacks transparency and is an example of bad governance. Barrow questioned the government’s rationale behind its new approach to the companies’ registry.

Shyne Barrow, Leader of the Opposition

“The party totally supports more transparency. And, here we have criticized the government. While in Opposition they say one thing about infrastructure, when they get into government they do another thing. While in opposition they say one thing about borrowing, remember the criticism is that we are saddling generations of Belizeans with unnecessary debt even though the U.D.P. administration was borrowing to deal with the COVID19 pandemic. Here we have an instance of lack of transparency and bad governance, to go from where we were to retrograde is unacceptable. What is the justification for not having greater transparency to be able to find out who owns the cooperation in foreign jurisdictions to say those people in foreign jurisdictions has to divest from all companies immediately if they cannot disclose who they are, even though the laws in these foreign jurisdiction allow them confidentiality. You can’t do business in Belize; you can’t own anything in Belize if you don’t disclose who you are. That is what I thought the P.U.P. would have done after that press conference that the former leader of the opposition had when he did his homework and he did his research. So, the laws worked for his benefit then. So, who are the laws working for now?”