Waterloo Port Expansion Project Consultations Should “Tek It Easy”, Says Minister

Andre Perez

The Waterloo Port Expansion Project is receiving backlash from all corners of the tourism and environmental communities. In fact, the Coalition to Save our Natural Heritage has come out against the multi-million dollar project proposal. The Belize Tourism Industry Association is also against the project, so is Oceana Belize which is one of nine NGOs that signed a letter sent to Prime Minister John Briceño in which several concerns are expressed. Briceño responded promptly saying that his government had not approved the project. A virtual consultation was held last week Thursday and the Minister of Blue Economy and Civil Aviation , Andre Perez says that the consultations should be put on pause. Minister Perez says that the consultations should be put on the backburner and the government should focus on issues of national importance like the countrywide effects of flooding and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Andre Perez, Minister of Blue Economy and Civil Aviation

“There is another factor coming out there right now. You all know about this famous port that is in consultation involved and that it is out there taking up all the space and time and it threatens to suck out the energy of this new government. They have made a consultation that we are not very much aware but I do know that when I made a check in the Department of Environment that it had been announced some weeks before the elections for the said day. For the record I want to make it extremely clear that the Ministry of the Blue Economy is completed unaware of it, as a new ministry. I am mandated to keep myself involved but it is of my opinion as you minister to say that at this point in time I will actively pursue the consultation, to please take a break. Take it easy. Yes I want to listen. Yes, we want to dialogue, listen to all parties involved but at this point in time the urgency of our nation. There are many other matters of national importance that require an immediate attention such as the flood that just occurred. We have damage in agriculture, livestock. Flooding all over the place. Here in San Pedro and Caye Caulker we have badly damaged roads here that are costing in the millions to repair. We have to reach out to this. The economy crisis, unemployment is rampant in particular here in Caye Caulker and San Pedro. All of these things that we must focus on and these require immediate short term solutions. And I will be asking respectfully to the consultations and everything that we must put it on hold. Although it is a long term project that may have some economic impact, whether positive or negative to this country, I believe that we must put it on hold to look at it. I do not want this to turn in to what you call like a new classroom where the new school year has started and you have a new teacher and then you have this massive elephant that sits in front of the classroom to block all the other students that are unable to see what is happening. That is how I see it right now. So with all due respect to what was happening right now, that is my take at this point in time as far as the consultations are concern. I believe for now it must take a back burner and allow us a new government to let our work do because we need to deal with the matters affecting our people of this country that we are hurting so much.”