P.U.P. Bashes Mortgage Cheer Program

Francis Fonseca

The Christmas Cheer monies have been disbursed, we hear, thanks to Petrocaribe. News Five understands that U.D.P. Area Representatives have gotten one hundred and ten thousand dollars…P.U.P. Area representatives have gotten thirty-five thousand dollars, and even U.D.P. caretakers have gotten in on the bounty. It’s a mass political handout with only the very faintest appearance of propriety. But what about the other program, the one where government has decided to pay all mortgages for the month of December? That’s a three million dollar giveaway, again thanks to Petrocaribe. The P.U.P. has given the thumbs up to the Christmas Cheer, so we asked the Prime Minister and P.U.P. Leader Francis Fonseca about the program.

Francis Fonseca, P.U.P. Leader

“No absolutely not…no! I noted that the conditions seem to be changing continuously. Now you have to go in and apply and meet certain specific conditions. So no I have not. I certainly don’t qualify under the program, and I sense that there is a lot of scepticism and cynicism about the program. It was of course heralded at the Independence celebrations and now the program seems to be changing. They seem to be walking back from what was originally promised. So we have to wait and see, but I know what is clear and my advice to people…and I think all the financial institutions have said it…make sure you pay your mortgage in December, because even the government has said that those monies will not be made available to the institutions in December. It’s likely to come after. So the institutions themselves are demanding and insisting that people make their payments in December, so the truth is that there will be no relief for people in December.”

Dean Barrow

Prime Minister Dean Barrow

“My goodness man, if you can’t even fill in an application form to get the benefit of the program I don’t know what else to do. I will make the point though that this is not like…because they compared it with the CXCs…there you had to have submitted the applications and been approved by a certain time because fees had to be paid. With the mortgage payment no man…if they want to…remember we’ve said to them – you pay the institution and we will simply give you back the money. So if they don’t get in their application in December and they want to get it in, in January or February we will simply – once it is authenticated that that’s how much you paid for your monthly repayment in December, and you do have a loan, we will give you back the money.”