P.U.P. Says It Has the Teachers’ Back

John Briceño

The People’s United Party was in Belmopan today on another mission which coincided with the teacher’s rally. While its rank and file generally stayed away, the parliamentarians did not miss the opportunity and proceeded to show solidarity with the thousands of educators that came out on Independence Hill.  According to the P.U.P., its executive met last Friday and the party took the position to support the teachers in their Stand Up for Belize campaign.

John Briceño, P.U.P. Leader

“I think they have every right to demand the raise that was rightfully promised to them. I don’t think they were even asking for it, but the Prime Minister in his quest to get a third term went overboard and made all kinds of promises and he made a promise to the teachers and now he is using an excuse about Hurricane Earl; that it has caused untold millions of dollars of damage. It is so ironic in this world—you know when they say yo spit up ina di air it falls on your face—that is exactly what is happening to the Prime Minister. Remember the P.U.P. had five storms and hurricanes and wherever we gave the extent of the damage, he was the first one saying that it was being inflated. Now in this case it was just a category one storm or hurricane, and now he is saying that we lost hundreds of millions of dollars yet people are not seeing any kind of benefits that he is getting from supposedly the efforts that he and his government has been doing. Now the teachers are saying we are prepared to sacrifice with you Mister Prime Minister, but you have to show what you are going to do…what is your sacrifice? He has appointed new minister with drivers, and vehicles and office and support staff. We have the Deputy Prime Minister whose vehicle somehow mysteriously was driven into the sea…I think they mistake it for a submarine. And the Prime Minister proudly announced in the House that he is going to buy another vehicle for the Deputy Prime Minister. So why should the teachers be asked for them to sacrifice the—I think it is around thirteen million dollars—if the government is showing no intentions of them tightening their belts and making also their sacrifice.”