There was no call for troops in gaily colored shirts to report to battle stations for the quinquennial showdown for the control of the people’s money and other assets, as some had hoped, though both leaders expressed optimism for the moment when the bugle sounds to settle things. But there was plenty of drama otherwise, primarily in respect to issues pertinent to the future management of the St. Francis Xavier Credit Union (SFXCU), and also about the sale of a chunk of swamp on North San Pedro.
There was common ground, too. But before we get to that, here’s what’s been festering on the minds of Her Majesty’s Loyal Opposition these last few weeks, and some of the responses they got from Her Majesty’s Government.
The UDP representatives inquired about the status of the UHS sale, transactions pertaining to Deer Caye, if ZMT and BCH have signed the new PSAs (with new rates), details of the textbook program including names of publishing houses and how much money each received, when the tax on telephones will be taken off as promised, what will be done to address the serious health hazard presented by the sewer lagoon in Port Loyola, and the precise quantity of crude oil extracted from April 1, 2006 to March 31, 2007, how much GoB collected, and how much GoB owes oil producers.
On the UHS sale, the Prime Minister reported that GoB was “well advanced in its negotiation with a private sector group,” and that they hope to finalize that matter by the end of the year.
Honorable Natural Resources Minister Florencio Marin, responding to the query about transactions involving Deer Caye, said that there was no sale of land or such agreements involving the group of cayes in the range. But applications had been submitted for acquisition of land at Deer Caye, and the Lands and Surveys Department was in the process of determining the quantity of land available in the approximately 1,675 acres on the 3 islands that formed Deer Caye.
On the ZMT and BCH, Minister F. Marin said that he expects the companies to sign the new contracts next week. Minister F. Marin also responded to the query by Honorable Boots Martinez, about the sewer lagoon behind Port Loyola. He said that what Honorable Boots spoke of was properly called “sediment ponds,” that these ponds were constructed to “international standards,” and that they were safe and effective and properly monitored by the Department of the Environment. Honorable B. Martinez registered his complete dissatisfaction with the response on the “sediment ponds.”
Minister Godfrey Smith responded on behalf of Minister Francis Fonseca, on the query about the textbook program. A little over $6 million was spent for the purchase of books, with 3 foreign publishers – Harcourt, Nelson Thornes, and McMillan getting almost $5.4 million of the pie. Three local publishers – Cubola ($250,000), BRC ($120,00), and The Angelus Press ($106,000) got a little bite.
The Prime Minister reported that BNE had harvested 886,597 barrels of crude oil over the period April 1, 2006, to March 31, 2007, that Belize had received nearly $US10.5 million from the company, and that an audit was presently being done to determine if the BNE owes us any more money.
On the matter of removing taxes from the telephone, the PM referred to the PUP manifesto, which he said stated that a new PUP government “would further? reduce telephone rates.” To fulfill that manifesto promise, international telephone calls to the US and Europe, calls made from pre-paid cell phones, and calls more than 10 minutes long had been reduced.
A number of bills were presented to the House for consideration. Representation of the People (Amendment) Bill, 2007, extends the period for carrying out a complete re-registration (to clean up the voters lists) from 10 to 15 years.
A Social Security (Amendment) Bill, 2007, seeks to implement the recommendations of the Senate Select Committee. These include provisions for greater transparency of the business of the Social Security Board (SSB), for example, publication of the loans and investment portfolio of SSB; penalties for those who breach the SSB Act; an Audit Committee for the Board; and streamlining of the SSB’s business as it relates to the National Health Insurance Scheme.
A Prevention of Corruption Bill, 2007, designed to strengthen measures to combat corruption, was deferred for further consideration.
A fourth bill, the Domestic Violence Bill, 2007, to repeal the old Domestic Violence Act, provides for greater protection for victims of domestic violence. This comprehensive bill not only covers the regular fisticuffs and vicious attacks against women and children (primarily), it also covers disturbing the peace, “sikking” dogs at your enemies, threatening people through regular or electronic mail, promoting drug use, poisoning your spouse, cruelty to children, and marital rape (forcing sex on your wife).
A bill was introduced called the Civil Aviation Security Bill, 2007, which seeks to increase the safety of travelers, crew, and the general public. This bill is intended to bring Belize into compliance with the protocols and conventions in relation to international airport security. This bill was referred to the Public Utilities, Transport, and Communications Committee for further review.
One bill that brought a lot of heat on the government is the Credit Unions (Amendment) Bill, 2007, which was introduced and went through all three readings in one sitting of the House. This bill was carried 15-7, with an amendment to one section, which had called for compulsory membership for all credit unions in the Credit Union League. The bill’s primary aim is to provide for better administration of credit unions, strengthen the role of the Credit Union League in settling credit union disputes; clarify the role of the supervisory committee; and enable the Registrar to call special meetings in certain cases.
The Honorable Leader of the Opposition, Dean Barrow, strongly opposed this bill, describing it as a “wrong headed piece of legislation” designed to “putting paid (to)…Vicente Canul”, and to “take the right away from the general membership to expel any member.”
Honorable Gabriel Martinez, who represents Corozal Southwest, also opposed the bill. 8,000 citizens in his constituency are members of the St. Francis Xavier Credit Union (SFXCU), he told the nation. It is a “success story” which started out with 12 people and has grown to 20,000 strong. There is a big problem when “you disrespect the will of the people” he scolded. He closed his presentation saying that his people loved “the credit union” and that “they will do what they have to do” to protect their interest.
Speaking in favor of the bill, Honorable Vildo Marin, who represents Corozal Bay, said that he is a member of the SFXCU, and he had advised disgruntled members who wanted to leave, not to do so. The purpose of the bill, he told the nation, is to “explain clearly”… “define roles”… because the Supervisory Committee of the SFXCU misunderstands the laws about how to discipline the Board.
The Honorable Prime Minister described the situation in Corozal (re-the credit union) as “tragic”. He said the bill is not designed to attack anyone, but “designed to ensure that there is fairness.” It is a “thorny and difficult issue” he noted, but we have a “responsibility.”
The bill was passed with a 15-7 majority vote.
The other contentious matter of the day was a motion introduced by the Prime Minister to approve the sale of some 3,000 acres of land in North San Pedro, to a company called Caribbean Development Belize Limited. The PM told the nation that the land is for “tourism related projects”…the company had shown that it, and its partners had the “necessary resources and financial capability”, and its (the company) offer was the “most attractive and favorable (one) to Belize” that they had received.
Honorable Dean Barrow argued that the sale is wrong in this “climate of suspicion” where the Prime Minister and the Minister of Natural Resources and the Environment, Honorable Florencio Marin, “have been presiding over the wholesale giveaway of national land to cronies.” He questioned the “legitimacy” of a “lame duck administration”…”on your way out”…wanting to sell 3,000 acres of national patrimony.
The PM responded that the UDP had once described property acquired by the Social Security Board in this area as useless “swamp land”, and had questioned the purpose behind purchase of the parcel. The sale was approved by majority vote, 15-7.