Prime Minister Briceno counters Shyne Barrow’s remarks on housing situation

Prime Minister Briceno did not hesitate to counter Shyne Barrow’s remarks, telling him he is lacking the moral authority to criticize.

Hon. John Briceño, Prime Minister of Belize: “Sometimes you want to be serious about the work that we’re doing but when you hear what the leader, the other one the member from Mesopotamia when he’s speaks in this national assembly and makes these outrageous remarks Madam Speaker I mean not only outlandish I mean we could find all kinds of adjectives to describe what he’s saying and we’re trying to be respectful but we cannot allow him to continue to say these things, these mistruths. These misstatements over and over and over so we know – when you were talking my brother I was listening to you I did not interrupt you – but we know now that so the Leader of the Opposition the member from Mesop needs to decide whether he’s giving misinformation or he does not know the facts and he needs to be able to get the facts so that he can come and speak truthfully and not continue to embarrass himself. Madam Speaker I do not yield Madam Speaker. I think that the Leader of the Opposition has no moral authority to criticize our government when it comes to housing. Absolutely no moral authority. How dare him ? When the UDP was voting every single year for thirteen years $8 million dollars for housing. $8 million that’s what over a hundred million dollars how many houses did they build ? And how many houses did you build in Mesopotamia Leader of the Opposition ? How many houses did we get, we that were in the opposition on the other side ? Absolutely none. You were there every single day – I did not hear you -”

Speaker of the House: “Member please. Leader of Opposition, please. Members. Whoa. Please sit. Thank you Prime Minister. I know that – members. If we’re gonna go that low today we’re not gonna have a good day. On both sides. Member for Cayo South and Leader of Opposition member for Mesopotamia. Let’s not get that low.”

Hon. John Briceño, Prime Minister of Belize: “I need to make the point, Madam Speaker he comes to criticize us yet his government for thirteen years voted over a hundred million dollars for housing and they built no house. They built some plycem houses that are breaking apart that you should be ashamed, you should come to this house and condemn that not condemn what we’re trying to do. We have built over three hundred homes for low cost, for single mothers, for poor people. That is what we said we were going to do. We are going to do our best to build low cost housing for poor people. And we said that then we are going to make and we said that we are going to make financing available, financing affordable so that the middle class can borrow and build their own homes. What can you not understand about that ? You either have a problem with understanding or you continue to repeat the mistruths and then you come here and you repeat it over and over and so maybe you’re already starting to believe it.”

Interestingly, at today’s house meeting all members of the opposition were present with the usual exception of Queen’s Square Representative, Denise ‘Sista B’ Barrow.