Tourism Minister Anthony Mahler Responds to UDP Area Rep.

And as we thought, Panton’s budget debate contribution attracted stinging responses from members on the government side. The first to respond was Pickstock Area Representative and the Minister of Tourism and Diaspora Relations, Anthony Mahler.

Anthony Mahler, Minister of Tourism and Diaspora Relations: “If you listen to the member from Albert you would think that our administration isn’t doing anything for the south side of Belize, that we have totally forgotten the south side of Belize. Remember Madam Speaker for thirteen long years the most powerful ministers in Cabinet and on that side of the isle represented the people of the south side and no time during that thirteen years did they have free education on the south side. I don’t even want to mention them. Never in that thirteen years did they have the community development fund and worse to the PUP. In fact Madam Speaker the member for Mesop said yesterday that my good friend Honorable Cordel Hyde was doing a wonderful job in the Ministry of Lands and the member from Albert knows well that there is little land in Belize City, especially in Belize City. Albert no land, Pickstock no land. Madam Speaker no time in that thirteen years was there a serious raise in the minimum wage that is why the wage bill has gone up. Madam Speaker this budget and this government have twenty five programs to fight against poverty. We have programs in health, programs in education, programs for rural development, programs for human development and the list goes on. Madam Speaker there is a book that I often refer to called Why Nations Fail and nations fail far too often because of broken institutions. This the past UDP administration left all our institutions broken and in tatters.”