_{Photo: Hon. Dr. Osmond Martinez sworn in to office}

Former CEO of the Ministry of Finance, Dr. Osmond Martinez, has officially been sworn in as Minister of State in the Ministry of Foreign Trade.

by Charles Gladden

BELMOPAN, Wed. Aug. 14, 2024

After a dominating win in the Toledo East by-election on July 17th of this year, former CEO of the Ministry of Finance, Dr. Osmond Martinez has officially been sworn in as Minister of State in the Ministry of Foreign Trade.

The by-election was triggered by the death of the former six-time Toledo East representative, Hon. Mike Espat, in April of this year, which left the seat vacant. Espat, 75, had suffered a severe heart attack.

Dr. Martinez garnered 3,269 votes, estimated to be 70% of the voter turnout—defeating his opponents, the United Democratic Party (UDP)’s Dennis “Deesho” Williams and the People’s National Party (PNP)’s Wil Maheia.

“We had our meeting, and at that meeting, it was shown that there is a lot of connectivity within the Ministry of Economic Development, and [for] us to accomplish the pending items on Plan Belize, there are a lot of things that need to be done from the Ministry of Foreign Trade …

I welcome the challenge, based on the experience I have gained at the Ministry of Economic Development, but I think that I’m well equipped. It’s not only about me, it’s about a team; and I do believe that presently the Ministry of Foreign Trade, under the leadership of Francis Fonseca has been doing a fantastic job, plus he has a team. So, it’s just about guiding the team and continuing to do the work that they have been doing,” said Hon. Dr. Martinez.

It might have been expected that Hon. Dr. Martinez would be serving as Minister of State in the Finance Ministry under Prime Minister John Briceño, since he served previously as CEO in that ministry, but he has received a new portfolio and says it was PM Briceño’s decision.

“Once we are elected, we serve at the pleasure of the Prime Minister, and he is the one that decides where each individual is more fit to serve; and, in this case, he believed I am more fit to serve in the Ministry of Foreign Trade and I will do it. I think the Ministry of Foreign Trade and the Ministry of Finance complement each other, and the Ministry of Economic Development. When you look at Economic Development, it’s not only about grants; that is one of the things that we champion, but it’s also about planning, it’s about coordination, it’s about dictating the pace of economic growth and development; it’s about data analysis. In this case, we’ll be executing what we were doing; and all the planning and coordination that was being done at the Ministry of Economic Development, now the Ministry of Foreign Trade will be able to implement it,” he said.

The swearing in was done on Tuesday, August 13, at the Governor General’s House in Belmopan, making the move quite unusual, as it was expected to be done at the next sitting of the House of Representatives.

When reporters asked Hon. Dr. Martinez about the change, he referred the question to the Prime Minister, and he explained that the next House of Representatives meeting will be in September.

“We need to get things done, and the only thing that we know what to do is to work hard, so we need to get on the ground and work,” said PM Briceño.

Hon. Dr. Martinez will hold the position until the 2025 general elections.