MR.

PRESIDENT, FELLOW SENATORS, and most warmly, our new colleagues one of whom is new as a more permanent addition, and the other who is factory new Guests in the Galleries, particularly those UB STUDENTS who have joined us, you are our brain trust and our future; Belizeans, ESPECIALLY THOSE listening here AND in the diaspora. I rise to speak on the General Revenue and Appropriations Bill for 2014-2015. I crave your indulgence, Mr. President, to be permitted to refer to my e -notes. If I may commence on a personal note, this year marks somewhat of a milestone for me. I was appointed a Senator in 2009, and again in 2012. This therefore is the FIFTH Budget debate in which I participate.

I want to begin my contribution, where I traditionally do, by thanking the many public officers and technical staff who have worked long and so hard, and in trying circumstances, for their arduous labor and diligent effort in preparing this voluminous draft estimates document. You justly and richly deserve our gratitude, those of us in the Senate, and from all Belizeans for the work you do.

Our praise is not any LARGESSE, but only your due portion. Please know that all criticisms which are levied, are directed not you, but to the dire lack

of vision, leadership and governance perpetrated on you and on all Belizeans by this UDP Government in the now third year of their second term in office. No fault is it of the public service that the Jewel must ingest this bloated, bilious billion-dollar BUDGET.
Every General Revenue and Appropriations Bill exercise has the same COMPONENTS. The Prime Minister introduced the Bill via a Budget Speech. The Bill is accompanied by a BIG BIG BIG BOOK of DRAFT ESTIMATES OF REVENUE AND EXPENDITURE FOR THE FISCAL YEAR. This is the vade mecum, the primer of every government department Financial Officer, and the Bible of the Ministry of Finance. This sets out what REVENUE they INTEND to collect, and how much EXPENDITURE they intend to incur and how - BUT it also shows last years projections and what the Government ACTUALLY spent. It is a treasure trove indeed, I dare to say that it is a veritable ALI-BABAS cave of fiscal, financial, economic, social and even political information. That is, if you know what you are looking AT, and what you are looking for. The PMs Budget Speech, which accompanies the introduction of the Bill, is supposed to lay out his vision statement and SHOULD do three things: 1. Say where we as a nation are in terms of the economy, fiscally, socially and development-wise; 2. Explain where and why weve been; AND 3. Project where his government proposes that the Jewel go. IT ALWAYS HAS A THEME and PM Barrows have been frothy confections of fiscal longing: IN 2010 -2011 : Recovery Today, Prosperity Tomorrow (Mos a wi still di wait fi di recovery, never mind the prosperity. No tomaro yet)

2011-2012 : Celebrating Growth, Sustaining Recovery ( A very few were celebrating, while, the rest of Belizeans were sustaining nuttn but licks) 2013-2013 : Exercising Discipline While Preserving Growth (Mos a wi get the discipline but nat the growth except some minsters)

2013 2014 : "Achieving debt sustainability, Stimulating economic expansion" (Well wi did achieve the debtttt - and some expansion took place but most of it had to do with certain wallets and waistlines getting fatter from feeding at public troughs) And this years beauty : Bettering People, Building Belize A Budget for All {NOTICE THEY GOT LONGER) OR as I call it : BUTTERING SOME PEOPLE, BATTERING BELIZEANS A BEATING FOR ALL (EXCEPT SOME) Why say that? Because it is a billion dollar budget, which when you analyze it, at core, is bloated and unrealistic and it will not get us, as a nation where we need to be, and it is certainly not a budget to better or to build Belize, even if it IS a budget that will be imposed on us ALL. The PM in his speech referred to this unwieldy vehicle as a train bound for glory and then goes on to boast and we have the will and the wherewithal to drive it straight on through. Will and wherewithal? Take GDP. The promised projection of the GOB this year is for 2 percent growth. This despite the fact that the projection last time was for glorious growth only for the PM to be forced to swallow his spit and concede that GDP growth decelerated from 4.0 percent in 2012 to ZERO POINT SEVEN (0.7) percent in 2013. This is the Jewels worst economic performance in more than 20 years. So if they project TWO, Lord knows what growth will actually be by the end of the year.

But dont look for that in the speech. The PM was worried that he would burden our and Belizeans attention span, so he stuck that figure in the Annex where the bad news was stuck and where the real economic and fiscal review is. The LOP called this a noodles budget and the ramen analogy has been boiled, cooked and masticated thoroughly in the House, but the fact is that this budget is much less about upliftment and much more about TIGHTENING your belt unless you are one of the favoured Belizeans of the right hue, those few who can access what the PM says on page 5 of his speech, are benefitted and are benefitting from UDP social justice; from UDP nationalism; from UDP jobs; and from UDP opportunities for the poor. Everybody else has to budget as best they can, either by eating some of the 960,000 packs of ramen per month (according to 7 news) {Not preposterous 3.2 ramen per month each} or by going on the dolla sausage diet (explain dolla sausage). There are workers, in Belize, who survive by buying a pound of tortilla and eating it every morning with long waata beans. And then there are those who get to participate in the pork the munificence (largesse) of UDP institutions like NiBBLe of whom the PM boasts at end February 2014 the National Bank of Belize had approved 74 housing loans totaling $5.5 million, and of this $2.2 million had already been disbursed. Some 40 percent and 38 percent of the loans were to Public Officers and Private Sector Individuals, respectively, and the remaining 22 percent was for Teachers. SOUNDS VERY laudable BUT they had better be sustainable and sound investments, and not end up like the 2 DFC write-offs we had to do , although

post- Mr. Marin and the remarks made my colleague Senator Grant and her CEO, Mr Young, maybe I have serious cause TO worry.

Who DOES NOT have to worry about ramen or hot dog sausage - are those worthies who according to the PM (Page 9) who added pressure of some 9 million for professional and legal services not just for debt re-structuring, but for on-going litigation on the nationalization of the two utilities. WORK, BTW, that your GOB OUTSOURCED when it should have this technical expertise available in-house. It must be conceded that it is virtually impossible, given the format that we currently employ, to make a forensic or even a thorough and serious examination of the draft estimates. The exercise where the PM presents, the rest reply in 2 weeks and the Senate gets its truncated say thereafter is a travesty compared to how it should be done via consultation with SPs and Opposition beginning in EARLY January use a JOINT COMMITTEE format for that, and have the line ministries attend, and the MOF present at all times to justify what is being proposed, but ALSO to question what estimates and actuals were for the previous year. Why was monies allotted and yet costs either overrun or sometimes worse, unspent? Why for instance, in respect of the Customs & Excise Dept., personal emoluments in 2013 were $8.813m for a total staff of 216 persons (average income per person $40,800) and $3.636m was spent in overtime (41% of total) WHEN IF YOU REALLY WANTED TO CREATE JOBS, PUT OFFICERS ON A SHIFT SYSTEM and hire 125 more young Belizeans and pay them around 30,000 to come in at entry level. Why not? Any study of the budget is devoid of relevance if you cannot make figures and facts relate to real life, if you cannot explain to Belizeans just HOW this BIG BOOK will impact lives. This determines how much your childs teacher in Xaibe is paid (or you, if a teacher), why there is not enough health professionals in San Pedro, despite the massive tax revenue produced by the island, and how come GOB says it has a BLOATED wage bill (54% of budget) of over half a billion dollars, but yet, the unions say they can only find enough personnel to justify spending of about 374 million a whopping $125 (1/8 of a billion) less. So is this wastage? PORK? A pro-poor UDP jobs program? An Indirect Campaign Financing scheme? What?

Over 1/8th of a billion unaccounted for in wages and yet there is no Human recourse audit as who works for GOB, HOW many actually show up to work, and WHAT exactly DO they do other than collect a paycheck and bulk up our budget. A BILLION being spent and yet there are still the same old troubles with monitoring. The Finance and Audit act is an instrument more sinned against than observed, and I will extract my THIRD annual price from the Leader of Govt Business by way of filling his now vacuum BY sounding the fiscal alarm already pressed by Senator Lizarraga on the lack of proper fiscal controls, and the ignoring of the ones that do exist. These are a dearth of oversight, a n emasculated and skewed PAC, an AUDITOR GENERAL who is virtually ignored, no Asset audit, no human resource audit, the removal from Finance and Audit Act controls by creating untethered and massive quasigovernment agencies (such as BIL and NiBBLe) , no transparent TENDER process the same 3-4 contractors including the INFAMOUS D-Mar get govvvvament wok and do it in some cases to a substandard level at inflated cost. After all , you cant create UDP stimulus by fixing streets and drains in a timely manner at more modest cost. How are your UDP friends then to MEK a MONEY? And of course, forget about the oversight and investigative/or even questioning powers of this chamber - NO SENATE INVESTIGATION. What happens when there are no effective controls is that a SPOILS system becomes entrenched UDP jobs, UDP largesse and munificence, collateral damage for the rest. Any body who has worked in Government can testify to the tons of STUFF broken and useless stuff that has to lie around because it has been counted and must be recounted before it is disposed of. BUT there is NO true figure for the Public Service, because there has been no human resource audit and THAT is why and HOW a wage bill can swell up like WAH MUTROOSE to 54% of a billion because this GOVERNMENT is unapologetically, triumphantly emblazoning a political patronage program. It should be PRO-PARTISAN, not PRO-POOR. This budget has to be about real people, real examples, real problems, real solutions. If in order to be able to expend the way this budget projects, since our revenue cannot produce enough for what it must do, we are to borrow 244 in new loans, of which 143 is PetroCaribe money all well and good you say, cheap money you say, 1.2% ( went up DOUBLE to 2.4)

One respected Caribbean political/development/economy pundit, Sir Ronald Sanders, a month ago wrote Caribbean governments that are members of the Petro Caribe Agreement with Venezuela would be prudent by beginning to adjust their budgets to take account of the loss of benefits now derived from the oil arrangement. ( I guess the PM noh di lissn so WE wah haffu FEEL down the road) He goes on This is especially important for the countries of the Eastern Caribbean that appear to have made little provision for the possibility that the arrangements with Venezuela could end abruptly. (INSERT BELIZE) [ we are depending on what we may not even get?) Saunders says Two events are playing-out in Venezuela to which vigilant officials in Ministries of Finance in Caribbean countries should be alert. The first is the problematic state of the Venezuelan governments finances Is Barrow vigilant? Alert? IS the MOF? In his Opinion piece which can be read at caribbean360.com, Saunders explains in detail the state of the Venezuelan economy Inflation is now at 56 per cent; the governments budget deficit is almost 50 per cent; the rating agencies, Moodys and Standard & Poors, have downgraded Venezuelan bonds to junk status; and the bolivar fuerte (the strong bolivar so re-named by Chvez) has weakened steeply against the U.S. dollar - on the black market its value dropped from roughly 8 to 1 a year ago to 87 to 1 now

Why am I using my time to say this? Because the party ( or out another way, our rich Goddies wealth who we di pen pan may be coming to an end) and chillingly, Saunders says that There are 17 beneficiary members of PetroCaribe of which 12 are Caribbean Community (CARICOM) countries including The Bahamas, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica and Suriname. But the most vulnerable are the smaller territories Antigua and Barbuda, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, St Lucia, St Kitts-Nevis, and St Vincent and the Grenadines. He makes the point that Sources within the Venezuelan government have lamented that in many Caribbean countries not only has provision not been made to repay the debt, but the loan component of the oil price has not been used for the social programmes for which Chvez intended it. It has been used in one case to pay the governments public

sector wage bill and in another to meet commercial obligations. Think about that carefully and then go where Saunders takes us : What would be worse for all of the beneficiary governments is either a sudden change in the Petro Caribe arrangements, forced by increasingly difficult economic circumstances in Venezuela, or a collapse of the arrangements altogether In other words, 1. This GOB may well be projecting on a what if 2. Which could cost us MORE and 3. If the lender demands repayment for whatever reason in the future, we cant repay. Dont believe ME? Listen to Sanders : The amount of the debt owed to Venezuela by many Caribbean countries is shrouded in secrecy because the process of dealing with Petro Caribe has not been transparent. A notable exception is Jamaica where, in January, the government publicly put its Petro Caribe debt at US$2.5 billion. For each of the other Caribbean countries, the debt would amount to hundreds of millions of dollars that, in their current situation of very high debt and large fiscal deficits, they would find almost impossible to repay. A REAL PROBLEM which will be faced by REAL people, all of us who pay taxes who actually now are if the national debt is shared out - owing (ask Mark) 26 K. And there is an utter lack of political will to detach and wean from the BORROWED BUBBY. If we are not careful if we stay on this TRAIN BOUND FOR GLORY, we will all become debt slaves. This is a debt slavery budget where the productive sector is increasingly yoked to producing more tax revenue and where instead of using that hard-pressed and JUICED not just squeezed TAX DOLLAR to stimulate economic growth instead it goes to consumption programs like BOOST, the CC TRANSFER and Food Pantry where SOME Belizeans are given just enough to keep the WOLF at bay. The jobs that ARE being created, while no doubt appreciated by those lucky enough to get them are, in a sense, calculated to CREATE WAGE SERFS. People who believe they have to eat ramen, fry chicken and dolla sausage to make needs meet. On a macro and on a micro level, this budget should really be themed Debt Slavery and Fiscal Dependence for All. The teachers and public officers? No real raise at all they are just NOW only going to be able to cover some of the deficit from being hit with inflation ( whatever illusory and

low figure Statistical Institute says it really is) [TELL STORY OF FENDER BENDER AND BELAMA POLICEWOMAN TRANSFERRED WHO STILL CANT GET TRANSFER OR TRAVELLING ALLOWANCE) Real People, real problems. (More than 80 K in transfer allowance outstanding.) Right NOW, there are extra duty payments reportedly outstanding for 500 police officers in Belize City and in the North. WORKING when we rest. WORKING when we holiday and CYAN GET PAY. And then the CEO tries in the media hide behind his F. O. Real people, real problems. In my beloved second childhood home _ ISLA BONITA, SAN PEDRO : It is true that a 60 million dollar water and sewerage project has been or will be approve for North AC BUT the poorest area on the north of the island is not even not included and expert sanitary engineers say that all that area needs is 500k to get connected. Forget San Mateo and DFC layout in the South who need it desperately too. In fact, there are quite a few questions that is of importance to the Ambergris Caye residents, tourism stakeholders and in the country; issues that can have serious consequences to the tourism industry thus to the nation. 1) Residents on Ambergris Caye as well as stakeholders in the Tourism Industry are concerned with the horrendous crime situation on the island, the countrys prime tourism destination. They have called incessantly on this government first to do something about it by ensuring that the police get adequate housing and other allowances for them to live decently and perform their duties efficiently and to properly equip the police department. The residents of Ambergris Caye and tourism stakeholders on the island are tired of usual knee jerk response by the area representative for Belize Rural South that he will take the issues to Cabinet. The Minister of Tourism, Culture and Civil Aviation should TELL us all what is being done to address the issues and inform the nation what is being done to TRY to ensure that countrys number one tourism destination, -the No 1 island in the world - and its residents are safe. Note: The police department does not have a police mobile/vehicle. The vehicles they are using are borrowed/ cast off-goods from residents and other tourism stakeholders who are concern about the crime issue affecting the island. In addition, the living condition of the police department on both Ambergris Caye and Caye Caulker is unacceptable. The plywood walls are falling apart and water leaks through the entire roof anytime it rains. In addition, the bungalow structure behind the

police station is so low, that every time it rains, the water from the entire neighborhood drains right through the living quarters of some of the officers. Currently the San Pedro Business Association has been trying hard to construct a new wooden barracks for the police. They approached the Mayor of San Pedro, Daniel Guerrero and the Minister of Tourism. They estimated that with donated materials, the labor and other amenities, it would cost some $90,000 dollars to the build the barracks that can accommodate some of the officers. The Minister of Tourism and the Mayor pledged $30,000 but nothing has become of the pledge. As for the Commissioners interest for his fellow officers and event after the Ministry of National Security, who was informed of the situation by the Minister of the Public Service while on his nationwide tour, nothing has become of it. Maybe he is TOO BUSY WORRYING ABOUT APPEALLING THE RULING OF THE CJ TO INVESTIGATE PENNER. REAL PEOPLE, REAL PROBLEMS. Secondly, it has been widely reported be the media, that the Belize Tourism Board, a quasi-government institution under the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Civil Aviation is in a serious financial deficit. Belizeans want to know what has lead to the countrys prime tourism marketing organization, which is in charged for collection of millions of dollars in tourism dollars, to be operating in a deficit? Furthermore, how at how much deficit has the organization run into? A Head rolled, but was it the WRONG head, or SHOULD it have been the Minister and his CEO? Note: The Minister himself told a gathering in San Pedro including bunch of UDP supporters, that much of the BTB monies were spent in marketing. Those marketing were done via international marketing firm, Olson. Some of the marketing material were produced and billed to BTB quarterly at exorbitant cost which is one of the contributing factors for the deficit. REAL PROBLEMS NEED REAL SOLUTIONS and hiring a high-powered Manager from another quasi Government Body/ or private sector will NOT fix the problem if there is no political will just ask JOE MARIN.

The third issue for La Isla Bonita has to do with delivery of adequate, timely and efficient primary medical service to visitors and the wider residents of Ambergris Caye. Ambergris Caye, contributes to more than 50% of tourism tax revenue but lacks one of the basic, primary and most important services a properly equipped and staffed 24hour public medical facility. This is a major concern for the over 25 thousands residents and the tens of thousands visitors to countrys prime tourism destination. We are hearing about the sad stories of unborn babies dying because they cannot access timely medical attention after-hours. In addition, the very unfortunate death of the son of Susana and Norman Eiley, Jeffery Eiley a family Ive known for most of my 50 years, highlighted the core problem the death certificate indicated that he died from excessive bleeding due to gunshot wounds to the hands and he MAY WELL have been saved if only there was a 24 hours medical facility. All he needed was to be taken to a medical facility within 15 minutes which was done but because his frantic family had to wait for the police to locate a doctor, he bleed to death right outside of the Polyclinic. The conditions are so terrible that if you have an emergency at midnight, and even if doctors respond to your aid and you need to be transported to Belize for further medical attention, there is absolutely no means for the medium and low income family. It costs over $4000 to coordinate a charter private plane off the island. For too long San Pedranos and visitors alike have neglected the islanders of this basic service. What is being done to address the issue? In the Poly-clinic is so understaffed and underresourced that the Head of the Polyclinic, Dr. Javier Zuniga has joined the islanders in raising this issue. In his address at a public rally just last week he said It has been more than 10 years now that the community of San Pedro has been lobbying for better health services, but this has come just as another tune that enters one ear and leaves the other as the melody of your favorite song. How many unborn children, children, mothers, fathers, sisters or brothers will have to die? Our public clinic has come a long way, and small strides have been

made to make it a better place to offer its limited services, but is this enough? I must agree with you that it is not enoughthere is no clinic on the island that offers 24-hour health services, and the polyclinic cannot offer that service with the limited human resources it currently have. We definitely do not have the appropriate transportation needed for emergency cases. Where is an island ambulance? Should we continue to inhumanely transport the sick and injured in the pan of a truck? Should the island have peace of mind that, in the event you or your family member needs to travel at the middle of the night to Belize City for further medical attention, that cant happen because we still do not have transportation readily available? Note that the Polyclinic should be open from 6 in the morning to 6 in the evening. Last year, it took the business community and the head of the local BTIA chapter to spearhead the building of an X-ray room with all the necessary equipment, which the Ministry of Health had refused to do. In addition, there is absolutely nowhere to decently store a deceased person on the island. I am reliably informed that when someone dies on the island, the body is stored behind the police station until a boat with fuel is being organized. If you are a deceased tourist or ex-pat, you may be lucky to get a body bag, or else your family either tries to keep your remains at home under AC, until you can be transported, or brings decent sheets to cover you up. It takes hours before this is done and sometimes people are left for almost 6 hours before being transported. I will not soon forget the sad duty and devastated face and fortitude of Pani Arceo, who personally transported his nephew Jeffrey to Belize City in his own boat, just before dawn, a couple hours after the death of this beloved youth. Not everyone has a Tio Pani. As to gravely injured or sick persons -the BATSUB helicopter used to transport sick people off the island but since they pulled out of Belize that is done. Tropic Air does private charters in case of emergency between 6PM and 6AM and takes about 3 hours to coordinate and at a cost of about $4000 which must be paid up front. Islanders have been told over and over about plans to build a hospital but such idea is far from being reality. All the island needs is a proper 24 hours medical facility fully equipped to deal with medical emergencies, not a fancy offshore medical facility for medical tourism.

REAL people, REAL SERIOUS PROBLEMS NO REAL solutions in sight. Use Venezuela Money for THIS! ALL Belizeans are distressed about spending on health care and want to know WHY NHI will extended only to Corozal Bay. Why? Is it all bout Pablo Marin? Shame. Shame - because only 1 million is budgeted. Do the math. There are 20,000 insured in Corozal Bay. Technical experts advise that roughly 10 dollars per month must be allocated for each insured. At that rate, there is only money for about 6 months worth of coverage. Pain, and not much comfort for those who are not from the Bay - such as all the good people of Altamira, and other areas in Corozal. I could, in point of fact go on and on, but the fact remains that these draft estimates in this General Appropriations Bill is fairly illusory. SON ILLUCIONES Y A VECES HASTA DECEPCIONES! LAST BUDGET CYCLE or the one before a NEW Oil find was trumpeted. This year, BY NO MERE COINCIDENCE, same thing. Real oil? NOT YET. We di count chickens before they even hatch. The PM is actually forced to say it at page 23 of his speech BUT THE HARD REALITY IS THAT WE DO NOT HAVE any new production. These estimates that we debate and discuss today, are a finely crafted fiction over which this SENATE, has no power or even influence, we cannot fix it, amend it, or even delay it. In that sense, OUR VOTE HERE, including the lame, tired ayes of the GOB appointed Senators and their fearless, vocal Leader, does not count, and all we have is our voice. So, today I am going to use MY voice to denounce this budget. You see, I am that child who stands up and proclaims this budget to be one of imperial pretension, which speaks of munificence, and largess, and benevolence; that says that this PM in THIS exercise chose, instead of articulating any real vision, to display his considerable vitriolic prowess and world-class vocabulary to deride the minority party in government and its critic in literary analogy and paint them as harlots with plastered brows. I declare that our chief executive is obsessed both with hurling pseudo-erudite and faux elegant imprecations and unabashed chest-thumping and self- glorification. WHY?

Why the need to debase all critics to trumpet and proclaim ones blazons? Ill tell you why. I will tell you why because I AM THAT CHILD. I AM THE ONE PROCLAIMING IN THIS HONOURABLE SENATE THAT THE EMPEROR HAS NO CLOTHES. I WILL SAY IN CLEAR TERMS -THAT THIS IS A NAKED, WRINKLED, SHAMBOLIC, ENDOMORPHIC UGLY CORPUS OF A BUDGET AND THE EMPEROR HAS NO CLOTHES. God bless Belize, God bless us, everyone.