Sunday, April 3, 2011
THE BELIZE TIMES
Senate probes UDP’s wasteful spending City of Belmopan, March 29, 2011 By Carla Bradley Senator Eamon and Senator Hulse spearheaded a critical look at the revenue generation and wasteful spending under the Barrow Administration during the Senate meeting held on Tuesday, March 29, 2011. Senator Eamon pointed out that even though GST was increased from 10% to 12.5%, the revenue generation projected was still not met at the end of the fiscal year. The business sector has been hit pretty hard, with rapid declining of investment, which has forced businesses to either go into receivership or to completely close down, because there just isn’t enough money to keep the business up and running. The total foreign direct investment in 2009 was 139 million dollars and in 2010 it was less than 13 million dollars, a major difference of over 126 million dollars. Senator Hulse touched on the expenditures in the 2011/2012 budget. Hulse said the perceived over spending has raised red flags, and he questioned why so much money is being spent. He then compared the Budget presented in 2001-2002, under the PUP, to the current budget and made significant
comparisons in departments, where he believes spending is too much. Such expenses are as follows: TRAVEL EXPENSES PUP - 2001-2002 budget - 3.4 million UDP - Present budget – 8.5 million OFFICE SUPPLIES PUP - 2001-2002 budget – 15 million UDP - Present budget – 33 million OPERATION COSTS (FUEL AND MISC) PUP - 2001-2002 budget – 6.3 million UDP - Present budget - 34 million RENTS & LEASES PUP - 2001-2002 budget – $3.3m UDP - Present budget – $7.1m Senator Hulse then called on the government to answer the following
question: is Belize really getting the value of the money spent in each fiscal year? Hulse, who represents the business sector, also indicated his concern that members of the private sector were not consulted before the budget presentation. Senator Hulse said the public’s business must be discussed with the public. He then applauded the previous PUP government for their open negotiations and involvement of both the public and private sectors of Belize during their term in office. Before ending his speech, Senator Hulse challenged the Barrow Administration to convene an economic summit, where both the private and public sector can sit down and raise their concerns and opinions in regards to the budget.
Tuesday’s Senate meeting in session
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John Saldivar dying March 28, 2011 Yesterday, a well- known campaigner for John Saldivar, came all the way to Independence Hall. We at BELIZE TIMES cannot say we were surprised at what she told us. We could see the frustration on her face when she walked in. She reported that in the upcoming Belmopan constituency convention for the UDP, unless the process is rigged, John Saldivar would be challenged. She cited a list of reasons why his own people wanted him out of their party. She reminded us that the last time that the “pompously obese” Minister waddled into the House of Representatives UDP’s booed him. She left a bag of goodies on him here that we will share with you little by little as the weeks go by. But she swore that he would be gone and that no one in the Public Service, the UDP, or Belmopan liked the dude. We were reliably informed that there were serious efforts to convince the sitting Mayor to take out John Saldivar but he reportedly declined and disclosed his intentions to leave the pig sty of UDP politics. The current option is to prop up the Deputy Mayor of Belmopan to deliver Saldivar’s head. The woman was so resolved in her disdain for the Minister who looks like the HL’s Bunboy that she swears that he will reap what he has sown. We probed her to comment on the PUP contenders in Belmopan and with bright eyes, she said “I like the hope and excitement that they bring to the race!”