And, Briceno had no praise at all for the government's negotiators, even if they made it through a difficult negotiation without having to agree to an IMF standby arrangement. Briceno had a very different interpretation of the Government's hardline position that it would not make a deal with an IMF standby arrangement, even if it meant simply not paying the bond:
Jules Vasquez, 7News
"While the government is boasting that in fact it was able, so to speak, thread the needle through this negotiation without making a commitment to enter an IMF standby agreement. The Fin. Sec. will certify whether the targets were met. If no targets met, well then IMF comes in - it always comes in. So the government is sort of saying 'we get away easy' and that it is attributable to their skill in negotiation. How do you view the ability to stay away from an IMF standby agreement?"
Hon. John Briceno, Leader of the Opposition
"Are you saying that the government or the Prime Minister has deliberately lied to the IMF and deliberately lied to the Belizean nation? And that when a prime minister deliberately lies to these international organizations, that the negative effect that it can have on a country is in calculable. Because of the behavior of the thuggish behavior since he got into government in 2008, it has affected our economy in a negative way - that people are afraid to come and invest in Belize. Because they don't know what kind of government or what kind of prime minister they are going to be meeting. So if the Prime Minister is going to boasting that he 'pull a quick one' on the IMF, then I think that's a sad day for Belize."
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