And while government is doing its best to roll out assistance through NEMO, as you heard, the government coffers are just about running on empty. That's why it struck a bad nerve when Belize's new Consul General to New York, the former UDP politician Herman Longsworth posted pictures of his new digs in New York. We haven't seen inside but from the view, we'd say he's moved into one of those "deluxe apartments in the sky." Yesterday the Prime Minister warned that he should enjoy it while he can:...
Reporter
"I saw a picture he posted of his new office. He's been sent out already and some people feel that in these times of economic - you'd understanding, to be sending..."
Rt. Hon. Dean Barrow - Prime Minister
"That was a decision made before the hurricane. I can tell you that we'd also thought of the opening of a consulate in Chicago. That's not going to happen. In other words what has not happened - no professional consulate will be open in Chicago. We don't have the money and in terms of New York, well as I said, they've been after us for a while to separate the consular premises from the permanent mission of Belize to the UN. That's UN accredited while the consular affairs are a matter for the embassy of Belize to the United States as opposed to permanent representation to the UN. But we've been getting away with hosting the consulate at the permanent mission for a while. So I supposed we could have continued for a while longer. We thought it was time to in fact move forward and in deed we did want to, we felt Mr. Longsworth could do the job and we did want to give him a position. All I will say is this: in the current climate when we look at things next year and cuts have to be made, what is now will not necessarily be. Again, if we don't have the money to continue to operate that office, it will just have to close and we go back to the status quo."
The Prime Minister says it was the US government who pressured them to move their consular office to a building separate from the UN Embassy.
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