Former Prime Minister takes apart the budget

In the first day of the budget debate on Thursday, members from sides of the House rose to have their say; whether it was to condemn the budget or to defend it. Former Prime Minister, Said Musa, focused much of his speech on the unfulfilled promises of Musa. Musa spoke on numerous topics from the state of the economy to employment and poverty, but he emphasized on what he calls mismanagement of the oil industry, the new and additional taxes and NHI.

Said Musa, Former Prime Minister

said musa

“Despite their promises to benefit the Belizean people from the oil industry, even to provide them with shares, they have totally so far mismanaged this natural resource that the Belizean people are not truly benefiting from the local oil industry. Belizeans are now paying almost ten dollars a gallon at the pump – another broken promise of this prime minister and the U.D.P. Last year the prime minister boasted we will bring the Belizean nation out of this global crisis with minimum discomfort. Well if this is minimum discomfort, I wouldn’t want to see what harsh discomfort is. After all, you know he said I am now Prometheus and bound. Well, Mr. Speaker, this same Prometheus and bound now comes before the House and is telling the Belizean people more sacrifices will have to be made. More sacrifices, but who is going to make these sacrifices? He and his government are unbound, free to spend lavishly on their pet projects but he people are shackled and will be even shackled more with more burdensome taxes and facing harder times. Mr. Speaker, where is the accountability when they promised to bring down the cost of living when they know that the cost of living has gone skyrocketed in this country. Where is the accountability and the keeping a promise when they said that they would reduce utility rates on water, electricity and telephone. Now they own the telephone company, but have the rates come down? Yes, tell us where? You promised to reduce the GST on telephones. Talking about telephones, incidentally where in the budget is the—is it eight million dollars that they declared in dividends for B.T.L., where is that in the budget? Perhaps when the prime minister replies he will tell us. You have not extended, Mr. Prime Minister, the things you said you would do, something that would really benefit the people of this country, especially the poor people. I’m talking about NHI, which you all said was a good thing when the People’s United Party implemented it. Yes, you keep budgeting a million here, a million there but NHI is not extended anywhere in the country except where the People’s United Party left it.”