John B. Knocks the Caye Caulker ‘Hustle’

In Friday’s House meeting, Prime Minister Dean Barrow said that the amount being asked for was four million dollars and that the Board had yet to consider it. Meanwhile, Tourism Minister Manuel Heredia told reporters days before that winning contractor Imer Hernandez has already been advanced funds; though he did not say from where. In any case, work is already underway at the Caye Caulker Airstrip.  But as has been made clear by the airlines using it, it is the runway that needs most attention, and P.U.P. Leader John Briceño said that with the proper justification, a much smaller loan could be considered. He was clear that even with the scope of the project contemplated seven million is too much for a source as unreliable as the authority is shown to be by the report. The fear is that ‘hustling’ may be going on.

John Briceño

John Briceño, P.U.P. Leader

“What needs to be fixed first and foremost is the runway, and we don’t need seven million; we don’t need four million to fix the runway. But what is happening is they are taking advantage of fixing the runway for the hustle to happen. So they now expand and put all kinds of bells and whistles, when what we really need to address right now is the runway, and if the Government could stop thinking about the hustling, then I am sure that we could find the million or two million dollars to be able to address that issue, but it is all a hustle. Now, the Investment [Services Unit] has said you can’t make seven million, that even four million they’re saying is going to be a problem. So I am putting on record that I am saying that the Social Security Board should not lend them, not seven million, not four million; it shouldn’t give them any more money because then they are going to be over-exposed.”

Briceño added that a future P.U.P. Government would give up a majority on the Board in the interest of transparency.