One silver tongue politician from Southern Belize is famous for the quote; “If you thief the money there is none to work and if you work the money there is none to thief.” The People’s United Party generals are always quick to point out that under their 98 to 2008 administration the economy doubled in size but they never say how. The truth is, under that administration, the economy grew as a balloon among tainted needles inflated by a whirlwind from external commercial banks. Yes the economy doubled in size but the public debt more than quadrupled during the same period.
Independent auditors have found and former deputy Prime Minister Johnny Briceño has confirmed that “Millions and millions and millions and millions and millions of dollars” were stolen during the Musa/Fonseca administration. This is why the national infrastructure was in such deplorable condition when the United Democratic Party got into office in 2008. “I’m not talking about a little bit of money…millions, tens of millions of dollars they stole,” says Johnny Briceno. That is why there was no money to work.
In contrast, Hon. Prime Minister Barrow over the last two years plus has spent millions and millions of dollars on infrastructural transformation. Rehabilitative work has been done on each of the country’s major highways; new streets have been built in every municipality and more modern bridges are being constructed at strategic locations across the length and breadth of Belize. “If you work the money…”
In the financial year 2015-2016, Prime Minister Barrow will inject the development beast with steroids. In his Budget speech entitled “Continuing the Transformation”, Prime Minister Barrow said, “My Government is proposing to allocate some $195 million to its capital program in the upcoming fiscal year.” He says this $195 million include “some $98 million in locally funded Capital II expenditure and some $94 million in the externally funded Capital III expenditure”.
According to PM Barrow, “The continuing priority and the bulk of our capital program will be allocated towards the upgrade of highways, roads, streets and drains across the country.”
Improvements in the North
Major Projects to be completed first, going from North to South, includes the completion of the new facilities at the Santa Elena border. This includes the provision for proper parking for commercial and private vehicles and enhancements to improve traffic flow and drainage in the area. More work will be done on the sugar roads and additional rehabilitative work on the Belize-Corozal road. The Phillip Goldson Highway will be completely rehabilitated from Belize City to Sandhill Village.
Improvements to Central Belize
In Belize City work will continue on the Northside Flood Mitigation Project which is an extensive rehabilitative operation to improve drainage in primarily the northside but for the entire city. Phase three of the Southside Poverty Alleviation Project will be rolled out with financing for city streets, home improvements and social assistance. Work will continue on the George Price Highway from Belize City to Belmopan. Belizeans have shared extremely high praises for the work that has already been done on the highway with the lining and installation of reflectors and they will be pleased to know that more will be done to improve road safety. Further west, work will commence on the rehabilitation of the George Price Highway from Belmopan to Benque Viejo Town so that motorists can have equal joy traveling on that stretch of road. Also in Western Belize, the design and revised estimates for the New Macal River crossing have now been completed; therefore, the actual construction will commence in the next few weeks.
Improvements to Southern Belize
Contracts have recently been signed for the rehabilitation of the Hummingbird Highway from Belmopan to Dangriga. This includes the upgrade of the road and addition of safety features such as reflectors and guard rails. Further South, there will be a lot of work on the feeder roads in Stann Creek under a program with the European Union. Furthest South, work is due to commence shortly on the last remaining segment of the Southern Highway which leads up to the Belize/Guatemala border. All this is in addition to an infusion of capital that is expected from Central Government to the municipalities of Dangriga and Punta Gorda.
Let BIL Build
Projects to be executed by the Belize Infrastructure Limited will be in full swing over the next few months. These include signature upgrades of sporting complex in Corozal Town, Orange Walk Town, Belize City, Belmopan City, Santa Elena, Benque Viejo, Dangriga and Punta Gorda Towns. Every Municipality will receive as much as $5 million for facility upgrades.
The features of this Budget cause one to remember the words of PM Barrow from last Budget speech:
“In this refulgent dawn those that can’t see the many good things around us must be blinded by the light.”
