This morning, during a sitting of the House of Representatives that succeeded a landslide victory at the polls in the recent municipal elections, the Briceño administration presented the 2024 budget. It’s another billion dollar financial plan that is expected to be implemented as of April first, the start of the new fiscal year. Prime Minister John Briceño broke down the budget into recurrent expenditures, including government’s massive wage bill, goods and service, as well as debt servicing.
Prime Minister John Briceño
Prime Minister John Briceño
“A total of $1.604 billion is proposed. Of this sum, approximately $1.1 billion will be recurrent spending covering wages, pensions, goods and services and transfers and debt service interest costs. In addition to recurrent costs, $430.7 million is programmed for capital investments during the new fiscal year of which some one hundred and forty-six million dollars or so-called Capital 3 funding drawn down from the various loans and grants already approved. One hundred and thirty million dollars is the amount projected for amortization payments. That is the repayment of principals on loans already contracted. The primary surplus is projected at $30.6 or 0.46% of GDP, while the overall deficit is projected at $85.842 million or 1.3% of GDP. Let me put this into perspective for all of us to understand the purpose of each dollar government spends. Thirty cents of every dollar will be for the wages of public officers. Seven cents of every dollar for public officers’ pensions. Eighteen cents of every dollar for operational costs to government, such as utilities and transportation. Seven cents for interest on loans and the remaining twenty-seven cents for capital expenditures which includes the funding of all projects and programs undertaken by government.”
PM Briceño then proceeded to emphasize that of every dollar government earns, only twenty-three cents is invested in social programs and infrastructure projects. He also spoke on public investment programs, including the expansion of National Health Insurance.
Prime Minister John Briceño
“In effect, seventy-three cents of every dollar simply keeps the machinery of governance running, leaving twenty-seven cents of every dollar for programs and projects. Now when we took office in 2020, the percentage of total spending available for programs and projects was at twenty-three cents on the dollar spent. In just three years then, we have managed to shrink government’s operating cost by more than five percent, allowing more money to finance programs and projects that will benefit the people. To a sampling of the principal capital projects that will be included in this year’s public investment programs. Of course, these all line up with Belize’s medium term development strategy, as well as the overarching goals of Plan Belize. Thirty-five million dollars to fund the continued expansion of NHI. Three point five million dollars for hemo-dialysis support programs. Twenty-one million to help fund the growing payables related to UDP land acquisitions. Ten million dollars for the repair and maintenance of major highways. Seven point five million dollars to support the ongoing expansion of solid waste transfer stations. Six million dollars for low-income homes and housing repairs. Five point seven million dollars for another phase of the PSW Goldson Highway rehabilitation, four million dollars for the upgrading of the Guinea Grass Road. The paving of the road, Abi Mai, yes.”
The prime minister only focused on two primary areas, including health, during this morning’s budget presentation. PM Briceño also spoke about the recent breaking of ground for the construction of the San Pedro General Hospital. He also spoke about CABEI’s involvement in funding assessments of existing health facilities across the country.
Prime Minister John Briceño
“Now turning to my favorite minister, the Minister of Health. Turning now to health and wellness, among the highest core priorities of this administration is the provision of health and wellness care and services. Based on this conviction, so many massive investments are being made across the public healthcare system. These investments include, for example, CABEI’s funding of a modernization assessment of hospitals in Punta Gorda, Orange Walk Town and Belize City. This needs assessment will be followed by project financing to implement the modernization projects. Only last week, accompanied by the area representative and our mayor of San Pedro, we broke ground for the new hospital in San Pedro, Ambergris Caye. How many times we mi vote da money in the National Assembly? The former Deputy Prime Minister could remind me. We bring dis bout three times eena di budget, that we were going to build, but it was never built. But this government, through the cooperative bill with Taiwan, government will invest thirty-three point four million dollars in a first-class, fully equipped hospital. As the saying goes, dehn talk, we work. Dehn promise, we deliver.”
Tonight, Prime Minister John Briceño is celebrating victory in eight municipalities, following Wednesday’s municipal elections. He says that the results at the polls indicate that Belizeans continue to support Plan Belize. PM Briceño thanked voters for coming out to exercise their democratic right. So, will Prime Minister Briceño call the general elections early? Here is what he told us.
Prime Minister John Briceño
Prime Minister John Briceño
“Certainly I think I need to start by that I am humbled by the results. I was quite optimistic. I was out campaigning across the country and I was feeling, you have a sixth sense after a while, and I felt that we were going to win and that we were going to do well. What I didn’t not expect was to do so well. The margin increase is almost unprecedented, to hear that after four years in government that your approval ratings usually ninety nine out of a hundred you are starting to go down. IN this case we improved the approval ratings by the people because we won by an even bigger margin than what we did in 2020 and 2021, so I am humbled by that, but at the same time it comes at a great responsibility because it means that the people are going to expect even more work from us. And it is something we take seriously and we expect to continue to work very hard to be able to deliver to the Belizean people.”
Reporter
“With the success of municipals elections, will this prompt you to call early elections.”
Prime Minister John Briceño
“No, we are not going to call elections. Elections is slated for 2025 and so no there is going to be no elections in 2024.”
The data from polling stations across the country from Wednesday reveals that voter turnout among the youth demographic was significantly low. Prime Minister Briceño was asked if the figures are a sign that youths are disenchanted with both major political parties and are not buying into their ideals. He responded by saying that the voter turnout among youths has consistently been low.
Prime Minister John Briceño
“Let me put it this way that has always been the case. All the time, because young people in many instances they are not thinking about a mortgage or what we are doing. They are concentrated in school work, their social life or concentrated in getting settled in their work. That has been not only in Belize but all over the world. It takes time for young people to really start to get engaged. Even my sons who live in apolitical family, they go to vote and support the PUP, of course they support me, but they would not be keen in discussing what government is doing unless there is something to say ok well hey dad is this true. That is normal everywhere, when you see the numbers start to go up, when you see they hit thirty and above you see people start to become more concerned about the government, because now they have a family, they have to make sure their children could go to school, make sure we have hospitals, they can get scholarships, that they could get a decent jobs, making sure the government is not wasting their money, increasing taxes, these are the things that happen as we become and adult and that is normal everywhere. Orange Walk Town had one of the highest; almost sixty four percent of people turnout, but the point is that our people came out to vote. It is the opposition; their supporters are disheartened they do not like what they are seeing in their party so they chose not to come out. If they do not want to come out that is not my problem, t hat is their problem. My challenge is to ensure that our people come out and vote and our people came out in record numbers to support the PUP government.”
The People’s United Party is also celebrating victory in Belmopan. This is the second consecutive municipal elections in the Capital City that the P.U.P. has secured. Only this time around, the results reveal that the United Democratic Party has made some gains in that municipality when compared to the March 2021 results. PM Briceño was asked if P.U.P. Area Representative Oscar Mira should be concerned about John Saldivar’s candidacy in Belmopan for the 2025 general elections, given the figures.
Prime Minister John Briceño
“Well if that is the case we also in Orange Walk we also lost some ground because the last time we won about eighty-five percent and this time we won by about eighty-three percent. I think that it is much ado about nothing. Belmopan we won convincingly and that is what was important. Also, to make the point that when it comes to Mr. Saldivar, I think that he was probably a part of the reason why the people rejected the UDP candidate here in Belmopan, because he made this a referendum on him. And, he got, now I think he knows exactly what the people of Belmopan think about him, that his days are over and he needs to try and find a job, because the people do not want his kind of leadership. I believe that Mr. Cawich will do an excellent job as mayor. He is not combative. He is humble, hard working and liked by everyone. He will be reaching out to everyone and he immediately demonstrated that when he reached out to the area representative because it was no secret that the area representative was inclined to support another candidate. They put that aside and decided to work, so we saw the results of that partnership.”
Earlier this week, the High Court handed down a judgment in the case of Belize Sugar Industries Limited and the Corozal Sugar Cane Producers Association against the Attorney General, the Sugar Industry Control Board, the Minister of Agriculture and the Controller of Supplies. This was in direct relation to a claim that the two entities had successfully presented after having filed for an injunction. That injunction was to have the amended Sugar Industry Import/Export Regulation, or a Statutory Instrument that was introduced in May of 2023 halted. Senior Counsel Godfrey Smith, on behalf of the claimant, held a press conference today to share the implications of the regulation had it been passed. Essentially, the court found that the regulation was unconstitutional, that it breached the claimants’ right to work, to privacy, to protection of law. News Five’s Marion Ali filed this report.
Godfrey Smith
Godfrey Smith, S.C., Attorney for A.S.R/B.S.I./C.S.C.P.A.
“The court struck down, in fact, it characterized portions of the regulations as obnoxious, saying that it did interfere with BSI’s right to information and privacy, that the regulations would interfere with BSI’s right to work, and it would interfere with its right to protection of the law, because it amounted to an overreach. The effect of the finding is that the government has used its legislative power in an invasive way, in a way that breach people’s, that the BSI’s right to its confidentiality and privacy of its commercial information.”
Marion Ali, Reporting
The Constitution of Belize allows the government to formulate regulations that interfere with a company’s rights, but it must be for the greater good of the people. And, even though the sugar industry is one of Belize’s income earners, the court found that the regulation was the equivalent of an abuse of power. Senior Counsel, Godfrey Smith explained the crux of the matter with one of the sections he argued against.
Godfrey Smith
“The Sugar Industry Act and the Supplies Control Act already regulated export of sugar in Belize. All of a sudden, in 2023, the Sugar Industry Control Board and the Minister of Agriculture promulgated, brought into law, a new set of regulations that had at its core two fundamental things. 01:5The first is a requirement that if BSI wished to get a license to export sugar or to manufacture sugar, it had to disclose all contracts – all – to the S.I.C.B, Mr. Osorio and his group with all of its clients internationally. It also had to do that each time it applies for a shipping permit. There’s a requirement that each time you want to export sugar for each batch you have to apply for a shipping permit and if you haven’t made those disclosures you will not get a permit or you will not get your license or your export license can be revoked.”
Smith explained that the regulation also sought to impose on BSI a requirement to collect from Tate and Lyle in London any Fair Trade premium for sugar due and paid to associations. This is a matter that the claimants argued had nothing to do with them. The basis on which the claimants put forth their case was that the regulation was crafted so as to delve into B.S.I’s private commercial affairs and to force B.S.I to do the impossible – to pay Fair Trade premiums, which are not paid by them, but by the London-based company Tate and Lyle. Smith shared his candid view that the government abused its authority when it formulated the regulation.
Godfrey Smith
“That piece of regulation was a clear, naked attempt by S.I.C.B – Sugar Industry Control Board and the Ministry of Agriculture to strong-arm BSI and force them to do what the law doesn’t allow. So, because the disputes have been ongoing and the government obviously must favor the cane farmers because they represent thousands of voters in the industry, it will never be a case where any government, red or blue, will ever side with a commercial entity, a multinational B.S.I./A.S.R, because they know where the votes are. And for that reason, they were prepared to use their sovereign legislative power in a heavy-handed, hand-fisted way to compel something like that. They were not entitled to compel. It was an abuse of authority. Nobody says you can’t regulate to assist here and there if you believe there is unfairness. But that is why there is a Constitution, which is the yardstick against which you gauge whether a particular piece of regulation or law has gone overboard. So you can’t use force.”
Smith pointed to the fact that a cane farmers association would join A.S.R./B.S.I on the claim is in itself an indication that the association did not trust the intention with which the regulation was drafted.
Godfrey Smith
“One of the cane farmers associations themselves – the Corozal Sugarcane Producers Association – I miss that, I overlooked that point. It’s an important point because they felt the actions of the government with this heavy-handed piece of legislation could mash up the industry and they would be at a loss if whatever draconian penalty is imposed on BSI for failure to comply with these excessive regulations – could mash up the industry – could hurt BSI, but if BSI is hurt, down would go the other associations. So that’s why they joined in that claim.”
The regulation can still be passed, but without the sections that the court found to be unduly unreasonable, which would make the regulation ineffective in what it seeks to do. The defendants have twenty-one days within which to file an appeal of the ruling. Marion Ali for News Five.
In March 2023, the Government of Belize announced its decision to launch a Commission of Inquiry with the explanation that it was to modernize the sugar industry. The decision came after the Belize Sugar Cane Farmers Association and A.S.R/B.S.I made presentations to the government. While the B.S.C.F.A has welcomed the idea of the inquiry, the other party hasn’t. Today, the attorney for A.S.R/B.S.I., Senior Counsel Godfrey Smith, told reporters that he views the Commission of Inquiry as having the same over-reaching purpose and intent as the amended Sugar Industry Import/Export Regulation.
Godfrey Smith, S.C., Attorney for B.S.I
“I view this intended Commission of Inquiry in almost the same vein as the just struck down regulation. The regulations claim to be innocuous, simple regulations for regulating industry. In reality, it was a disguise to cover an attempt for digging to be a size business, we say. Similarly, it has my beliefs, and I stand to be corrected when I see the final truth. of reference that the purpose of that commission of inquiry will be for the same thing to dig into BSI’s guts, get it to produce all its sensitive commercial information for one purpose and one purpose only, which is to aid the BSEFA in its commercial dispute with BSI. And that would be a wholly inappropriate, wrongheaded and improper use of the power to issue of a commission of inquiry. BSI is a private commercial entity and the cane farmers associations, each of them – this isn’t a public association. These are – it’s owned by the cane farmers. They work their plot of land, the money they get goes into their pockets. It doesn’t go into any consolidated revenue fund or any public fund that would require the government to say, look, this is a deeply-public problem, and therefore, a commission of inquiry is necessary. So it’s going to be, in my view, an attempt to get at what it can’t otherwise get at. And if that is the case, then certainly I would be advising BSI that it must challenge the issuance of that commission of inquiry immediately as it is issued.”{
The Belize Sugar Cane Farmers Association is demanding that the Briceño administration fast-track the work of the sugar industry’s commission of inquiry. The agreed deadline for the commission to be established and its investigation to commence has passed. Well, Prime Minister John Briceño says he has already explained the hold up to the B.S.C.F.A. Here is what he told us.
Prime Minister John Briceño
Prime Minister John Briceño
“I think the BSCFA if they and I have explained it to them, if they want to be fair, they would understand why it has not happened. It so happened that when the terms of the commission was presented, the minister in his haste to try to get this done quickly, there was not consultations with BSI and the three other associations. There were only consultations with the BSCFA. So the commission of inquiry is headed by the prime minister. It is my responsibility to ensure there are proper consultations by everyone. If you do not have proper consultations then you could have one of the associations or BSI not participate and if they do not participate then it is going to be a waste of time and money. We have contacted the two persons from Brazil that has done similar work in El Salvador and we are in the process of being able to sign a contract with them to be able to work with the other two person that are coming in. So we are working on that. It is of no use to call the commission of inquiry and nobody participates. It is a waste of time.”
We received a brief statement from the prime minister on the High Court’s ruling in relation to the Sugar Import/ Export Regulations. Prime Minister Briceño says he is not surprised by the ruling. He added that the government will adhere to the court’s decision.
Prime Minister John Briceño
“I have not gotten a chance to read the report, but to be honest with you I am not surprised. And that was some of the concerns we raised. And so, we will follow the law and if the law says it is unconstitutional then we will make the necessary amends.”
