Today was day two of the budget debate at the National Assembly Building in Belmopan. The leader of the opposition got the ball rolling on day one, and today his predecessor, the former PUP Leader Francis Fonseca took the lead. Fonseca, sporting a new look, took a familiar party line, saying the budget was a fraud. Here's some of the back and forth that followed:...
Hon. Francis Fonseca, PUP Freetown
"This 2017-2018 budget is a fraud, it is a budget built on sand, it is a budget stitched together with obvious glaring creative manipulations of the numbers to create a UDP reality that does not exist for the Belizean masses, speaking plainly madam speaker, it is a budget that seeks to take the Belizean people for fool. Who feels it knows it and the Belizean people today are feeling the hardship and pain the current economic crisis that has engulfed our nation."
"The productive sector is at increased risk as well as all of our major exports, our major export commodities continue to face perilous challenges."
Hon. Tracey Panton, UDP Albert
"The access to new markets and the emergence of other industries are on the rise Madam Speaker , dairy products such as ice cream was exported to CARICOM for the first time in 2016, and our legumes and beans are now being exported in significant quantities to markets around the world with 25 containers of black eyed peas shipped to the Egyptian market last year, both poultry and cattle industries have been working assiduously Madam Speaker to meet the requirements of the Caricom, Central American and the Mexican markets, these local commodities hold great promise and a resurgence of Belize's export performance this year."
Hon. Kareem Musa, Caribbean Shores
"This budget madam speaker is what you would call a hit and run budget, the PM has slammed our economy into a brick wall and now has all plans of abandoning this train wreck after he captained one of the most fiscally unsustainable spending sprees that has resulted in increased poverty throughout this country while at the same time unjustly enriching many of his family and close friends."
"This is a fanciful budget, it is all make believe or what in Creole we would call a force ripe Bukut, oh sorry I meant to say budget."
Hon. Francis Fonseca, PUP Freetown
"This budget offers more poverty, more poverty for the Belizean people, imagine that 9 years in government and you come to the Belizean people with a budget offering more poverty and higher cost of living."
Hon. Anthony Boots Martinez, UDP Port Loyola
"No matter how much our friends on the other side try to feed the Belizean people their version of things, that's why the UDP won 3 consecutive terms because the people believe in us, no matter how they try to paint a picture of doom and gloom a sanky they have been singing for the past 8 years but the Belizean people are not joining in their chorus, they are joining in the UDP Chorus."
Hon. Tracey Panton, UDP Albert
"In 2016 the Ministry along with Beltriade was able to champion the culmination of 4 major investment projects generating some 587 million dollars and 3,800 jobs spanning across all sectors of our economy, we also successfully concluded a record increase of re-investments totaling 114 million dollars translating into 1300 additional employment opportunities, a bold move if I can say so Madam speaker and a vote of confidence by our partners in the private sector."
"In addition there are currently 19 smaller projects being evaluated as we speak and are estimated to generate 1.5 million in investment and provide 2000 future jobs."
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