Tug of War Continues Over Land in Belama Phase 5
Sparks flew during the House Meeting over additional funds required for land acquisition by the past administration. It happened when Prime Minister John Briceño rose to announce that a further appropriation supplemental of two point five million dollars payable will be necessary to cover for land. Also at issue was a portion of land in the Belama phase five area that was sold just twelve days before the General Elections in 2020 and for which the Government claims there was hanky-panky involved. The land had a previous owner, but it was subdivided into house lots. But then another citizen, a man who works with the Collet Area Representative, also acquired a portion of the land. Today, Area Representative Faber, Freetown Area Representative, Minister Francis Fonseca and Prime Minister Briceño spoke about the issue.
Prime Minister John Briceño
“How much did they pay for the land in Belama Phase five? Six and a half million dollars! And da who dehn give all the land to? Some Blades. We di pay six and a half million dollars you know. We supposedly sell it for (looking for answers) how much? Fifty thousand dollars! Leader of the Opposition, that’s shameful! He da your man! You shameful! He da your man! You should tell ah bring back the lands so we could give it to the people. Give it to the people! We di pay six point five million dollars – the taxpayers, including you, and the Member from Corozal and Albert and Queen’s Square and Mesopotamia, all of your people pay six point five million dollars to the land owner just so within weeks or months they give it to the right hand man of the Leader of the Opposition. For fifty odd thousand dollars. They’re supposed to bring back that land so that we can give it to the rightful owner which is the people of Belize, Mister Speaker.”
Patrick Faber, Leader of the Opposition
“First of all, Mister Speaker….”
Prime Minister John Briceño
“What is your point of order?”
Patrick Faber
“You are completely wrong.”
Prime Minister John Briceño
“What is your point of order?”
Patrick Faber
“You’re completely wrong, sir.”
Prime Minister John Briceño
“When you get up to debate then you could clear it up. I am not yielding, Mister Speaker, unless if he makes a Point of Order, I am not yielding. He can speak when his turn comes.”
Marconi Leal, Acting Speaker
“Honourable Leader of the Opposition.”
Patrick Faber
“On a point of order, my point of order is that the Prime Minister has gone off the topic. He’s speaking about acquisition. The Supplementary speaks about acquisition. The portion of land which the Prime Minister speaks about is not acquisition, you know.”
Prime Minister John Briceño
“It is acquisition. First of all, that’s not a point of order. Mister Speaker, here we are now, having to come to this House, (talking to Patrick Faber) – if you were to sit for me to explain.”
Patrick Faber
“The line item is acquisition and you’re talking about acquisition and you’re using an example that has nothing to do with acquisition.”
Prime Minister John Briceño
“Yes, it does. Mister Speaker, the problem we’re having right now that this government (turning for clarification) for this year how much we have to pay? Twenty-four million? This year we have to pay twenty-four million dollars in acquisition.”
Patrick Faber
“The Prime Minister came like he’s dropping a bombshell today. The Member for Lake-I did that already. And the Member for Lake-I knows fully well – he’s trying – once he got up in this Honourable House to say that that land will not go where it has gone over his dead body and he will take it back and blah-blah-blah. Well then do that then. But he can’t do that because the Member for Lake-I is not above the law. And I am saying it again, any such land is not for any individual. It belongs to the people of Collet.”
Francis Fonseca, Area Representative, Freetown
“Twelve days before the elections, when everybody knew you were going to lose, you cook up some scheme with Blades and even – it’s a shame – that the representative of the UDP in Freetown was a part of this scheme to give away land that should go to the people of Freetown. So you know it’s a big scheme and a hustle that they were perpetuating. So I want to, again, place it on the record, that is a bogus scheme. It is a fraud that they tried to perpetuate on the people of this country. We will not stand for it. They could go to court and do whatever they want. We will not stand for it. They will not get their greasy hands on that land in Belama.”
