Cordel Hyde wants to know why there is less money to battle crime

cordel hyde

When the other PUP Deputy Party Leader Cordel Hyde made his contribution to the budget debate, he was impassioned and unimpressed with what he said was in store for Belizeans. Hyde was highly critical in particular of the cuts to the budget of National Security. Every department including the B.D.F. and even the administration for the police in murder capital Belize City has been cut said Hyde, all except one.

Cordel Hyde, Deputy Party Leader, PUP

“With all the crime that is happening in this country and with the prime minister and National Security Minister on record saying that they are declaring war on crime you would think the budget for national security would have gone up… you would think. But the budget of national security has gone down. So if you weren’t solving crime with the money you were getting last year, how will you solve it this year with less. I want figure dat out. Now dah no one or two units of departments get cut inna di ministry ah national security; dah noh one or two, dah all ah dehn. national forensic service will get cut, forensic medicine unit will get cut, anti-narcotic unit will get cut, scenes of crime unit will get cut, crime intelligence unit will get cut. You think I done? Cause I noh done; dah more. Prosecutions branch will get cut, traffic branch get cut, CYDP get cut, gang unit get cut, national coast guard get cut, police training school; dehn noh get cut bredda, dehn get hack. One point four million dollars from di recurring budget from police training school gone. Listen dah noh weh dehn seh yoh know, dah weh inna dis book because weh dehn seh and weh deh inna di book dah two different thing all di time. Di good book, police admin for Belize City, dehn noh get cut neither dehn get hack, half a million dollars. Belize City yoh know, weh part most ah di murders di tek place, weh part di crim situation out ah control and dehn di cut di budget dah Belize City by half a million dollars. Police admin Belmopan get cut by four hundred and seventy-eight thousand dallas. Everything get cut. Me noh di mek it up yoh know and me noh wear no glasses so yoh cant she dat me di si wrong. Me di si exactly. All these cuts under Ministry of National Security so yoh could she mein things really hard inna dis ministry. But yoh know which unit or department inna di Ministry ah National Security noh get cut? Di prisons; di prison noh get cut, dehn get wah raise. Dehn get wah raise. Dah deh dehn want di people dehn go. Dehn prefer fi spend five thousand dollars fi feed and shelter each prisoner every year rather dan keep dehn out ah prison inna di first place.  Seven point two million dollars fi prison. Dehn noh ask no question, just transfer dah money to Kolbe and den dehn do weh dehn want wid it. Dah just like dat inna di budget. Unnu fi fix it bredda. Unnu had all di ansas before election. Unnu fi fix it. No come tell me bout weh happen long time; unnu da di government. Unnu had all di answers before elections. Unnu had a monopoly pan brains before di elections and after di elections unnu have wah whole bunch ah excuse.”

The debate in the House of Representatives  winded down at about six this evening and will continue tomorrow. Given the super majority in the house on the government side it is expected that the budget will be passed. We’ll have more on tomorrow’s newscast.