Opposition Leader Criticizes Government’s Crime Strategy in Budget Debate

And going back to today’s debate, there were many areas that the area representatives touched on, ranging from employment to health, and from crime to education.  The Leader of the Opposition honed in on the issue of crime, saying that the Briceno Administration is setting up the Police Minister, Kareem Musa, to fail.

Moses “Shyne” Barrow, Leader of the Opposition: “It is difficult for me to say he’s incompetent or is being sabotaged by his own government and you see the type of in fighting that they have where the member from Corozal Bay is saying that people threaten her from her own party and if something happens to her then she knows put on record who do it Madam Speaker. That is how bad citizen security has become in our country Madam Speaker. But this budget does not reflect, Madam Speaker, the campaign for political power and the promises that were made in the 2020 general elections Madam Speaker when the Opposition Leader at the time and his police shadow minister the now Minister of Police had regular press conferences, always criticizing and they said that they had a common sense solution to arresting crime. We’re still waiting Madam Speaker, this budget does not present that Madam Speaker. The member from Caribbean Shores is still being sabotaged by his government Madam Speaker. They are not giving him the necessary tools to arrest crime Madam Speaker. In the last week alone Madam Speaker there has been eight murders in seven days as well as countless other attempted murders, robberies, shootings, targeting women and children. Citizen security and the morale of law enforcement has gone to an all time low Madam Speaker. This is extremely worrisome and this budget, Madam Speaker, does nothing to allay the fears and the concerns that the Belizean people have Madam Speaker.”