… And Member for Bze Rural North has show and tell
Briceño, having said his piece, paved the way for the remaining area representatives to rise in support or critique… and while most ministers stuck to words, the member for Belize Rural North did show and tell. Here’s a look at the words and the props.
John Saldivar, Area Rep., Belmopan
“The United Democratic Party received an A+. We received an A+ for our first year in government for the fiscal year now ending under the leadership of Honourable Dean Oliver Barrow. And the circumstances, Mr. Speaker, the circumstances under which we have gotten this A+ were most the challenging in recent times. Our government, Mr. Speaker, does not seek to use the financial crisis as an excuse, we do not seek to use the high price of oil in the last few months as an excuse, we do not seek to use the worldwide recession as an excuse, the high price of commodities as an excuse. What we do seek, Mr. Speaker, is to emphasize that in spite of all of these obstacles, in spite of the world financial crisis, in spite of the high price of oil, in spite of the floods, in spite of the price of basic commodities, we have been able to serve the Belizean people.”
“I hope he has thanked for former government of Central Bank who wrote his speech along with a certain former ambassador and I can say that, Mr. Speaker, because I do have a copy verbatim of your speech, intercepted through the email. So I know that it was not written by the leader of the opposition and the least he can do, Mr. Speaker, if he wants to become the leader of this country is to learn to write his own ideas. When you look at his recommendations, you wonder where the member has been. At least—just now I said for the last ten years—but at least for the last session of the House of Representatives where he is a member. When we introduced various bills to cover most of what he is recommending, but I noh think he get wah chance to read over his speech you know because if he had gotten a chance to read over the speech before he came here this morning he—Ralph had last minute changes to mek so ih neva get fi see it because he would have seen that a lot of what he put in his speech are things that that this United Democratic Party is already doing.”
Francis Fonseca, Area Rep., Freetown
“He gave the U.D.P. an A+. I’m sure the minister of education can tell him that an A+ is the highest grade you can get. So that means you have nowhere to go from here but down. So that was a mistake on his part to say that you have gotten an A+. I hope you point that out to him later on that one. He seemed to be proud of that fact he, Mr. Speaker, that somehow he had intercepted an email belonging to the leader of the opposition. He seemed to be very proud of that fact and I don’t think the people of Belize will be very proud of him to announce and make this public announcement that he is so proud of that he has intercepted personal and private email of the leader of the opposition. That is a very serious matter. If they can do that to us members of the National Assembly, imagine what they can do to the people of Belize out there, the ordinary man and woman. It’s a very serious matter. We on this side, unlike the U.D.P. when they were in oppositions, we do not want to see the U.D.P. government fail. We don’t spend our time hoping and praying that things will go bad for Belize, that the global economic crisis will severely impact Belize’s economic growth and development. No, we want to see positive economic growth. We want to see a Belize that is on a path to sustainable development. So we wish the government well.”
Florencio Marin Jr., Area Rep., Corozal Southeast
“In the previous year’s budget the government had failed to show any new programs or initiatives to alleviate our nations whilst we faced the onslaught of this global economic slow down. In this year’s budget again, it seems that they are not even aware of the world crisis Belize ahs to face as the budget has no new initiatives to relieve the suffering many believe will come in the current year. As we are facing this spiraling inflation of goods and services and also the constant loss of jobs countrywide—both politically made and economically made—the budget seems oblivious to that fact and does not address those basic issues.”
Edmund Castro, Area Rep., Belize Rural North
“I can remember a year ago in this Honourable House when our Prime Minister pledged his support for the tilapia pilot project in Belize Rural North… it was not in vain. As the Leader of the Opposition was wondering about imported corned beef and tulip canned food, we have the proof in the House today. I would like to ask permission, Mr. Speaker, to exhibit tilapia. We were able to raise vegetable around the ponds so the vegetables you will see here today are organically grown. So exhibit two, cabbage. Great things are happening in Belize rural north. Tomatoes, exhibit T for tomatoes grown in Belize Rural North. I can invite the entire House of Representative members to go and see that these products came from the seeds we delivered and we had received partners with the Ministry of Agriculture that the stimulus package is working and we are making sure we have the evidence in the House of Representatives today.”
With the debate exhausted, the budget will now go for ratification to meet the beginning of the financial year April first.
