P.M.  Says He Does Not Understand Senate’s Logic

Today seemed like the perfect moment for Prime Minister John Briceño to call for a general election, and many thought he would. So, when the house meeting kicked off with a speech from PM Briceño that felt more like a state of the nation address or a campaign pitch, everyone expected him to announce an election date. But that didn’t happen. We’ll explain why later in the newscast. First, let’s talk about Belize still being without an auditor general, even though the government keeps running. On Monday, the Senate blocked a motion to appoint Deputy Auditor General Maria Rodriquez as the acting auditor general. She would have filled the role for four months while a permanent auditor general was found. However, neither the opposition nor the social partners backed the motion. They argued it didn’t make sense to appoint a temporary auditor general for such a short period. So, they voted it down. At today’s House of Representatives meeting, Prime Minister Briceño was asked about the Senate’s decision. He suggested we should ask the ‘geniuses that voted against it’.

 

Prime Minister John Briceño

“I think that is a question you need to ask those Senators that voted against it. I cannot understand their logic. It is a flawed logic. The point is that we don’t have an auditor general. We wanted to appoint a temporary one while we advertise and have people to come in and apply for that post. Looking at either in house or outside the service. We do recognize that it is a very specialized skill and looking at it we may need to pay them more than what the serious pays. I think you need to ask the geniuses that voted against that, because we were without an auditor general and the work of government continues. Senator Peyrefitte pointed out that was the same reason Ms. Bradley’s contract was extended and during that time you guys were unable to find a replacement. And What is the guarantee that after the four months one would have been found? There is only one way to find out. So what happens now, you try to put a rush on it? Absolutely not. We are going to go through the four month period and when we find an auditor general that is adequate then we proceed.”