| Petro patronage… right now, the debate over the misuse of the Petrocaribe money - whether real or perceived - is focused on the Mother's Day Cheer Program… And, Collet Area Rep., Patrick Faber remains the point of the debate - or ridicule - depending on who you're talking to, simply because he decided to host a Mother's Day outing in the Corozal Bay.
It came up once again at yesterday's Senate Debate, and here's what the representatives from both sides of the floor had to say about it:
SO, that's the new term for it, Petro-tacos, and while she had the opportunity, PUP's Lead Senator took a jab at Godwin Hulse, the Senator in charge of Government Business. She was quite candid in her criticism of his recent positions as a member of the Barrow Administration:
That seems a bit unparliamentary, but, he kinda confirmed it when he was asked a few weeks ago about the Corozal Petro-tacos outing. Here's how that back and forth with the press on it:
Hon. Godwin Hulse
"One can criticize the use of funds, one can say it shouldn't be used for this, it shouldn't be used for that - but remember that use of funds is something that is determined by government and determined by budget that go to the national assembly. And we can criticize the use of funds in lots of ways. What we cannot criticize is that there's any non-transparency in the use and I wanted to make that difference."
Reporter
"You say one can criticize, do you criticize the use of that funds? If is consolidated fund, Petrocaribe funds be used for an outing, a one day outing in Corozal for a certain sector of a constituency?"
Hon. Godwin Hulse
"Why did I know that question will come? If I were outside the cabinet of Belize, you would have heard my view on it. I am inside the cabinet of Belize and cabinet works collectively. So any decision that is made by cabinet with respect to finance etc. I support."
Reporter
"I'm not asking you cabinet decisions sir, I'm asking your opinion."
Hon. Godwin Hulse
"You can't do that to me. How can I give you my decision when I am inside the team? When I was outside the team that's a different thing - I'm inside the team. So my view outside the team doesn't count. When I'm outside the team that's a different view. I'm inside the team and that's how it works collectively as ministers of government. Any time I disapprove of anything that is major in the government, I will walk away from the cabinet."
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