Retired Public Officer Protest during Budget Debate, Again

A group of approximately one hundred retired public officers and beneficiaries of the Public Workers Trust Fund protested today in front of the Assembly Building. Parliamentarians were inside the chambers of the National Assembly for the 2024/202 budget debate while protestors stood outside with placards and horns that echoed through the chambers. Over the past four years, the association has been calling for the dissolution of the nine-million-dollar trust fund and the disbursement of the funds to its beneficiaries. Notably, they held a similar protest in 2023 around the same time, at the exact location where Prime Minister John Briceño committed that he would assist them in realizing their demand. But a year has passed without any resolution and so these retired public officers were back out once more. And again, they left with assurance from the prime minister that he supports their cause and that he will assist them. News Five’s Paul Lopez was there. He filed the following report.

 

Retired Public Officer

“Sixteen dollars and sixty six cents they are giving us. It is not good enough.”

 

Reporter

“As the grocery bag project.”

 

Retired Public Officer

“As the grocery bag. We nuh get paid in grocery bag, we nuh suppose to get paid in grocery bag. We want we money, we nuh want no grocery bag. We want we money now.”

 

Paul Lopez, Reporting

Protestors who stood in front of the National Assembly Building this morning echoed the same cry. These are retired public officers who are beneficiaries of a nine-million-dollar trust fund established as compensation following a wage freeze between 1995 and 1997. The trust controls shares in Belize Telecommunications Limited and other secure investments. In 2023, Prime Minister Briceno committed to assisting these beneficiaries in dissolving the trust and disbursing the funds, at their demand. But a year has passed with no results, a cause to protest for these retired public workers.

 

Hubert Enriquez, Former Public Officer

“We want to impress upon the prime minister that the government as settler, they have the authority to reconstitute the board of trustees, have an interim board, so that it would lead towards the dissolution of the trust. What we want to see is the trust dissolved, the liquidation of the funds and they can pay the beneficiaries who are owed these funds for twenty seven years, we are asking for nothing unreasonable.”

 

According to Enriquez that is the promise Prime Minister John Briceno made last year and did not fulfill.  Lisbeth Castillo, also a former public officer, held up a placard saying that they have been waiting for three decades to receive their benefits, to no avail.

 

Lisbeth Castillo, Former Public Officer

“Look at what the sign says, almost three years and still waiting, really tough, cause those monies are ours. We should not have to be out here fighting for this money. We don’t mind being out here representing the other beneficiaries but at least the government can come and if they promised something they ought to keep their side of the promise. We gave many years of good service to this country and the people of Belize and we except nothing better and nothing less in return.”

 

Prime Minister John Briceño left the National Assembly chamber where the budget debate was being held to meet and dialogue with protestors. Flocked by as many as six security guards, like he did exactly one year ago, he informed the retired public officers that he supports their position.

 

Prime Minister John Briceño

“We support the winding down or shutting down of this trust. The problem we have right now is that it is in the court. So the people that are suing right now if they could withdraw the case then, if whoseever it is, if these people could withdraw the case then we could wind it down and at the same time I believe we could do whatvere investigation to see if any money was spent. I agree with unu, especially some of unu, I know some of you need the money now, unu the get of age, unu the get sickly. We want to wind it up so that unu could get the money. But it is in court.”

 

Hubert Enriquez

“There have been two court cases previously, two court cases. And, that part is being appealed. The appellants want the same thing we want. They want the trust to be terminated and the want the funds to be beneficiaries. In that sense we have a common cause. So what we are saying is with the assistance of government that case can be withdrawn. What they want is also what we want. But they also want us to pay the cost of the legal services and we are prepared to do that.”

 

Enriquez and other beneficiaries are concerned that as the winding up of the trust fund is slow in coming, monies are still being used from the funds to invest in projects that they object to. He contends that close two million dollars have already been invested, much to their dismay.

 

Retired Public Officer

“Since this is in court, can there be an injunction to stop the spending?”

 

Prime Minister John Briceño

“And injunction for what?”

 

Retired Public Officer

“To stop to spend the money.”

 

Prime Minister John Briceño

“But still even if you do that, we still can’t wind up the turst and give unu the money. We need to take it out of the court system and then unu do what unu want. That is why what I need if unu could point a three or four to meet with the attorney general and he could take his time and explain the steps to do that. You have our support.”

 

Retired Public Officer

“PM, respectfully, you asked us to do that last year. We did, you know how many meeting we had, one with the minister usher, one with the Deputy AG. We keep asking and these people don’t want to meet with us. We can’t be reinventing the wheel and getting everyone together, cause right now we are wasting time.”

 

Prime Minister John Briceño

“I will commit to you, after the Easter break, I am saying I will be in that meeting, I will call the attorney general, I will call minister usher, unu bring a three ah unu and mek we work it out together to get what unu want.”

 

Reporting for News Five, I am Paul Lopez.