Shyne Barrow Challenges PM’s Economic Claims in State of the Nation Response

The Leader of the Opposition Moses “Shyne” Barrow held his State of the Nation response this morning at the United Democratic Party’s headquarters in Belize City. Barrow gave a forty-minute speech responding to the Prime Minister’s address yesterday in Belmopan. Barrow lambasted Briceno’s time in office and expressed that while he painted a pretty picture of the economy, the reality is grim. The LOO challenged various aspects of the PM’s address, disputing the relevance of the economic indicators he spoke about relating to crime, education, and health. Barrow also called on Belizeans to reflect on whether their lives have improved and whether they are satisfied with the Briceno Administration’s performance. 

Moses “Shyne” Barrow, Leader of the Opposition: “We have seen our dollar devalue every year and no IMF reconfiguration of statistical calculations can change that. The state of the nation is failing when regular Belizeans pay 25% income tax while special Belizeans pay 6% and million dollar corporations pay 3%. The state of the nation is failing when you failed to collect proper taxes from those making the most, especially those price-gouging leeches business people who exploit the vulnerable while evading tax compliance. The next UDP government will fix this. So Mr. Prime Minister, do not tell the nation that all is well. Do not tell the nation that you have created jobs when all you have done is benefit from the expansion of the BPO sector created under the great United Democratic Party government. In fact, this Briceño administration has taken away thousands of jobs by destroying Waterloo and Stake Bank. Investors are fleeing and confidence is at an all-time low due to the rampant corruption in the Briceño administration. This is the state of the nation. Do not tell Belizeans about a 3% unemployment rate when the poverty rate is 39%,  when 130,000 Belizeans remain unemployed or underemployed, that is the reality. That is a nation that is being failed by the state.”

Barrow says Briceno’s speech was not inspiring and believes the announcements made will not be as beneficial as the PM makes them out to be. He also weighed in on the comparison of spectators at both events. 

Moses “Shyne” Barrow, Leader of the Opposition: “I don’t see the impact that that will have. You’re talking about a nation of 400,000 people. You have 130,000 people that are unemployed/underemployed, then you have another 175,000 that are employed, so 2,000 people. We need legislation and policy that will impact everybody, that will bring the cost of living down, that will give access to all of these things that I spoke about, which is getting a mortgage, which is finishing your education, your tertiary education, which is being able to afford quality healthcare, which is being able to take your family on a summer vacation, even if not out of Belize, outside of wherever you live. We do not have that Belizean dream. We do not have that access overall. What we do have are the BPO corporations that UDP set up, that sector has expanded but nothing remarkable has occurred over the last four years, nothing extraordinary or groundbreaking that would have any major impact on our society was announced in that State of Nation speech.”

Barrow also claimed that the government has implemented laws to restrict freedom of the press.