The PUP's Ivan Ramos is in trouble with his party tonight - that's because the Dangriga Representative broke the party line and accepted Petrocaribe monies.
7News has obtained a signed letter from Ramos to the Prime Minister dated Wednesday May 27th in which he expresses his support for, quote, "the Petrocaribe arrangements and the benefits the nation is deriving therefrom" end quote. Ramos then goes unto ask for the $25,000 dollars that the Prime Minister offered to opposition representatives in April. Here's what the PM said at the conference on the 29th:..
Hon. Dean Barrow - Prime Minister of Belize
"May I tell you that I've been approached by a PUP representative asking for a share of the Mother's Day Christmas Cheer?"
Crowd
"Which one?"
Hon. Dean Barrow
"I'm not calling any names. I'm not calling the man's name. I told him, I can give you, but I have to make it public. Let me offer to all of them $25,000 each, as part of - Man, even though they are quarrelling with us, everybody must enjoy Petrocaribe, and their constituents, they have mothers too. They can get $25,000 for each representative, but they need to work that out with Francis and Julius."
Well, it seems Ramos was listening - and even though mother's day is long gone, Ramos writes that he is having a joint father's and mother's day event on June 7th. and attached a budget. Well, it seems, he didn't have to push too hard at an open door. Government sent out a release today saying, quote, " The Ministry of Finance announces that it has approved the request" and it goes unto the dangle some more cheese, saying, quote,
"The Ministry (Of Finance) reiterates that, until June 12, 2015, all elected Representatives are eligible for funding from this year's Mothers'/Fathers' Day Program."
The breaking of rank is a body blow for the PUP which took a party position that it will no longer part-take in Petrocaribe programmes - because it maintains that the spending is not transparent. The party will likely throw it back on Ramos who is stepping down as standard bearer - and will not run again. We tried to reach Leader Francis Fonseca and Deputy Julius Espat for comment via text message, but none of them responded.
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