Opposition says Belize is being robbed of millions generated from oil industry
Mark Espat
News that another well was spewing oil in commercial quantities caused a firestorm recently. That’s because the find was reported in the foreign press in a less than complimentary article in an Irish newspaper on January twelfth and government had not yet made any pronouncements nor had it acknowledged the find. It also sparked outrage because after exporting oil for four years, the country’s economy has not had that highly anticipated boost while the company, Belize Natural Energy is said to be raking in revenues in the range of six hundred millions of dollars in profits from our natural resource. According to deputy leader of the opposition party, Mark Espat, the people of Belize are being robbed of millions of dollars generated by the oil industry that should benefit the citizens. When he joined William and me on Open Your Eyes this morning, he explained that we are getting nowhere near our fair share of funds from oil profits.
Mark Espat, Deputy Leader of the Opposition
“The Belizean people should get seventy cents of every dollar that is exported. That’s not a figure that I invented. When you look at other oil exporting countries, the vast majority of them get at least seventy cents. The very few that get fifty cents of every dollar, get hat share because the oil is difficult to extract, for example deep water wells, or it’s very dangerous to get oil in countries for example, the Nigerian Delta that requires a lot of security and infrastructure. Here in Belize you can literally walk up to the well or you can drive a golf cart up to the well in Spanish Lookout.”
Marleni Cuellar
“And currently we get how much per dollar?”
Mark Espat
“According to the figures I saw in the newspaper, to date we have only gotten a hundred and one million out of almost six hundred million. So it’s worst than I thought. Based on the figures that I have seen, I would say we were getting around twenty cents. So we’re getting eighteen cents right now, eighty-two cents are going elsewhere. We have been told repeatedly that we would get a much bigger share. So it is the scandal of all scandals. In my opinion it is so because the most common excuse that we hear about why our quality of life is not better, why we have to drive streets that are riddled with potholes and craters, why we have so large percentage of our population still living in poverty, why we can’t provide water systems for the clinics and school buildings. The reason why is always that we don’t have the money when we do.
If this is the case how much more millions are to be robbed from us Belizeans and how much was the former government in position had sign on to per barrel
I strongly believethat Mark should step up and lead the party and become the next prime minister of our country. MARK, IN THE INTEREST OF THE BELIZEAN PEOPLE, !!!!!PLEASE DO SO!!!!
I thoroughly agree with Mark Espat. Not only does Belize have the worst production sharing agreement that I have ever seen in 35 years of working in the oil business, but there is another downside.
When BNE recently advertised for senior positions for their new round of drilling operations, all the jobs went to foreigners such as Guatemalans and those from the USA. Belizeans who were called in for interview, even though they were amply qualified, were told that the senior jobs were already filled, and they were offered much lower paid menial jobs.
The whole round of advertising and interviewing for these jobs was a scam to get around work permit regulations. Immigration officials should take note and investigate. Those foreigners will not be paying their income tax to Belize you can be very sure……
We have oil, making a lot of money it’s time to invest that money so we could better off BELIZEAN living at home, with financial assistant too the extremely poor people.
Hello, I was browsing the net and I saw your blog. Keep up the great work.
special post , really good view on the subject and very well written, this certainly has put a spin on my day, numerous thanks from the USA and keep up the good work
If Mr. Barrow can raise the GST by 25%
which affects mostly the poorer people in
Belize why not raise the oil profits revenue
to the government the same, now tell me how
patriotic is that.
Who is Mr. Barrow working for, where there
us poverty there will always be crime, where
is the plan to eradicate poverty in this small
but wealthy land.