SOUND BITES Special Sitting of the House of Representatives Budget 2023-24 Debate (Day 2 and 3)

March 23-24

Prime Minister Hon. John Briceño, Orange Walk Central, “We don't have to borrow to pay salaries - we solve problems; we stand up to the IMF. We saved the Belize dollar from devaluation and rescued the country from default. Many families, mostly single-mother families who were living in poor conditions, now own their own homes. In just two years in office, this administration has spent over 16.6 million dollars supporting the Low-income Housing Program. The fact is that no government since 2008 can boast of growing the economy by an average of 13 percent in two years other than this government. We, on this side, are proud of the fact that WE ARE DELIVERING ON PLAN BELIZE. Belize is Back, our people are back! We are a nation rising and, with the grace of God, we will continue moving forward. We will continue to be extra - we will continue to deliver on Plan Belize.”

Hon. Anthony Mahler Minister of Tourism and Diaspora Relations, Pickstock, "Belize’s [tourism] rebound is outpacing the rest of the Americas and the globe. The outlook for global tourism for 2023 is that arrivals are projected to increase by 30% worldwide, and Belize is ready to take advantage of this kind of growth. Just recently, we inaugurated a world-class music studio in Belize City, The Reef recording studio. We’re completing another one in Orange Walk, and, in this budget, we will build two more, another one in Dangriga and another one in San Ignacio."

Hon. Jose Mai, Minister of Agriculture Food Security & Enterprise, Orange Walk South, "From zero acres in the 1990s, we have now become a country that exports soybean. In 2022, farmers planted 36 thousand acres and harvested over 55 million pounds, allowing Belize, for the first time in history, to export soybean meal to the Caribbean countries and to Guatemala. Plans are well underway to upgrade 14 miles of road from San Carlos to San Felipe to paving standards.”

Hon. Kevin Bernard, Minister of Health and Wellness, Orange Walk East, “We have completed the nutrition policy, which will be launched next month, with a focus on reducing access to sugary, sweetened beverages to young people, as well as improving the management of chronic diseases. In two years, we have built three new, fully operational health centers – one in Crooked Tree, one in Belmopan, and another in Caye Caulker. In a matter of weeks, a health center in the community of Santa Martha will be completed. We are constructing a Polyclinic in Placencia as we speak. We have totally upgraded health centers in Ladyville, in Hattieville, in Valley of Peace, and in Georgeville."

Hon. Rodwell Ferguson Minister of Youth, Sports, and Transport, Stann Creek West, “1.7 million dollars was allotted to sports in 2021. In the budget of 2023/2024, 3.2 million dollars has been allocated over a period of three years. We recognized the importance of sports, so it has been increased by a whopping 53%. The commuters of this country are crying out for a change so, we have a commitment that by December of 2024, all those old buses on the road now will have to be parked ... We want to show our commuters that we want to provide the best transportation for them.”

Hon. Ramon Cervantes, Minister of State, Sustainable Development, Climate Change & Disaster Risk Management, Orange Walk North, “The National Fire Service renovated fire stations in [Cayo], Corozal, and Orange Walk with an investment of over $300,000. In the Cayo district fire stations, new bays were added for new ambulances. Additionally, together with our development partners, the ministry furnished several fire stations across the country with furniture and equipment worth over $400,000. New fire trucks were procured for Caye Caulker, Belmopan, and Benque Viejo del Carmen. Two additional ambulances will be added to the fleet very soon.”

Hon. Oscar Requeña, Minister of Labour, Local Government and Rural Development, Toledo West, “I would like to thank the beautiful people of Toledo West for the privilege and honor to represent them in this Honorable House. Over 42,965 workers have benefited from the minimum wage increase to $5. That is our achievement and accomplishment in less than 2 years. This is after the UDP spent billions on projects that failed, that did not benefit this country and that did not provide the opportunity to grow this economy.”

Hon. Jorge ‘Milin’ Espat, Cayo West, “ On this side, they on the other side forget that we are trying to amend all the damages that they did to our country and to our people in mismanagement. I fully endorse the words of the Hon. Prime Minister words during this budget speech ‘envisioning the day a woman leads this nation. The people of the Cayo West Constituency whom I proudly represent support this budget. They are experiencing development and progress in our area that has long eluded this constituency. We were able to provide education via school grants, and scholarships to students in High Schools.”

Hon. Dr. Hon. Louis Zabaneh, Minister of State of MoECST, Dangriga, “We have four STEAM programmes underway via grants from FIFA, CABEI, Code. org, and GLOBE-NASA. These are being implemented at many of our primary and secondary schools, impacting 12,200 students with plans to expand in the near future. We are now making the students the center of attention and our main goal is to enhance their ability to contribute positively to our country’s sustainable development. The revolutionized curriculum focuses on developing several critical competencies in our students, thereby evolving from just content memorization to the application of knowledge into pertinent skills.”

Hon. Oscar Mira, Minister of State Ministry of National Defence and Border Security, Belmopan, “I congratulate the Honorable Prime Minister and his team for presenting in this