Opposition Leader “Shyne” Barrow Accuses PM of Allowing Gas Prices to Remain High

Leader of the Opposition Moses “Shyne” Barrow continues to condemn the high cost of fuel in Belize, and lays the blame on Prime Minister John Briceno. Appearing on The Morning Show this week, Barrow reminded the nation that when in opposition Briceno condemned the former administration for high gas prices. Barrow accused the Prime Minister of allowing the fuel prices to remain high because it benefits his business interests.

Moses “Shyne” Barrow, Leader of the Opposition: “When Brother Briceño was Leader of Opposition he had the answer to the highest fuel prices ever. And as I said, as prime minister, he has exploited what is happening or what has happened in the market because the prices have gone down yet our prices remain high. I’ve given the solution over and repeated again where the point of purchase right now they just give us an invoice. It doesn’t matter what is happening in the market and again we have to accept that the Prime Minister he always talks about a businessman that he is and what a phenomenal businessman he is and nobody knows business like him. Let him tell you what his business is. His business is energy. That’s one of his businesses. So it’s something that, I mean, you don’t have to as Michael Finnegan would have said you don’t have to go to technical to understand that if the Prime Minister’s business is energy then the highest cost of energy serves him perfectly fine. So I, again, the Prime Minister claims to have ways to grow the economy without the highest taxes ever and I believe that that is a possibility. But if your business is energy then why would you consider those possibilities?”

After assuming office in 2020 the Briceno administration discontinued the practice of announcing when the price of fuel would be adjusted. On September 21 the price per gallon of Regular fuel was thirteen dollars and thirty-eight cents, Premium fuel was fourteen dollars and forty-nine cents, and Diesel was for Diesel fuel remained at twelve dollars and ninety-one cents. Those prices have since changed with Regular going down by ten cents to thirteen dollars twenty-eight cents. Premium Fuel went down by sixty-eight cents to thirteen dollars and eighty-one cents, and Diesel went down by thirteen cents to twelve dollars and seventy-eight cents./