Minister Hulse Disagrees with U.S. Gov’t Cutting Aid to Belize
We also asked Minister Godwin Hulse about U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision not to provide non-humanitarian, nontrade-related assistance to the Government of Belize. The determination is based on Belize’s ranking on the U.S. 2018 Trafficking in Persons Report. At Tier Three, it means that the Government is doing little to nothing to address the trafficking of persons. This claim is rejected by Minister Hulse. He says, the government has done a tremendous amount of improvement in immigration but it is what it is.
Godwin Hulse
Godwin Hulse, Minister of Agriculture
“The United States is going through their trolls of changes with their president. We see that on the radio and television every day. Belize has done what it can do as a nation to try to stem this. I don’t know. It is their decision. It is their judgment. But from where I sit our forces have been vigilant. We have done a tremendous amount of improvement in immigration and so it is unfortunate but it is what it is. I mean I will not ring my horn and say ‘oh my goodness’. We try to do our best in this country. I want to say that it is all of our responsibility as a nation. I do not know that we deserve to be in that category but it is what it is.”
Andrea Polanco
“Do you think this will hurt Belize in any particular way?”
Godwin Hulse
“Any kind of marking down in any way or so always hurts a nation. But we depend primarily in this country in agriculture which is doing rather well. We depend on out tourism and I do not see any dip in that. Our relations with other countries are stable. Belize is a stable country and I think we will continue along those lines. Belize is outstanding in terms of our relationship with this kind of thing. Human Trafficking has to be understood in its depth, in its modern day slavery. I am still going to that that I don’t know that this is being promoted by any entity, organization, and agency. The other side is true; persons who would know that there are persons trafficking people have a responsibility to report it so we can deal with it at any level.”
The U.S. Embassy here in Belize issued a statement in which it says that President Trump also granted a partial waiver to Belize from U.S. foreign assistance restrictions. It says that the partial restrictions on Belize do not apply to fund by international financial institutions or to exchange programmes for government officials. The partial waiver is expected to facilitate the continuation of programming to enhance the ability of the government to combat trafficking in persons, interdict illicit narcotics moving through its national waters and crossing its borders. It also addresses other forms of drug trafficking and other transnational crimes, thereby reducing threats to the national security interests of the United States.
