7 News Belize

Chamber Tells GOB It Must Honor the Debt
posted (November 29, 2017)
And while the PM SAYS he is ready to go to Hattieville with his bad back and all, we'll take that with a grain of salt. But the Chamber of Commerce says that what cannot be taken with a grain - or a sack of salt - is government running away from a debt that the highest court in the land has upheld.

The Chamber issued a statement today saying it, quote, "condemns in the strongest possible terms both the previous People's United Party (PUP) administration and the incumbent United Democratic Party (UDP) government for their respective roles in burdening taxpayers with a debt which the government has allowed to snowball to $90 million."

The statement adds, quote, "the CCJ has ruled that we must pay, and Rule of Law is mandatory for proper function of any strong and healthy democracy. Therefore, no respectable organization can countenance deliberate defiance of the country's highest court. This is a fact that the government itself apparently acknowledges, given its apparent intent to comply with the order to present the matter to Parliament. However, a 'no' vote may score political points, but will not erase the liability brought upon Belize by two governments."

Today the Prime Minister responded to that saying that in principle he does not see how they can pay:...

Rt. Hon. Dean Barrow
"I don't agree that that merely amounts to kicking the can further down the road. I am saying that, if my legal advice is correct, that judgment debt will never be paid for as long as parliament, reflecting no doubt the will of the country, decides that it will refuse to vote the money to pay the debt. Monies now being asked to be paid and the Belizean people get nothing. Not a share in UHS, not the tiniest bit of a stake, absolutely nothing. So, this stands on its own and I am saying that in all the circumstances if parliament were to vote not to pay I don't know that there is a single right-minded soul who can quarrel with that sir."

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