Friday August 31 will be a historic day for Belize as the National Assembly will convene once again and at the top of the agenda will be the decision of whether or not government will have to pay a private debt.
Prime Minister, Rt. Hon. Dean Barrow has confirmed to the Guardian that the bill seeking to have government pay a debt owed to the Belize Bank for financing which was granted to the Universal Health Services Limited will be taken to the house for a second and third reading.
The move will in effect ask members of the National Assembly to vote on whether or not in excess of 95 million dollars should be paid to the Belize Bank. The transaction is one that dates back to the Musa administration when they guaranteed the UHS debt with public finances. When the principals of the hospital defaulted on the loan it was left for government to pay. This led to one of the largest public uprisings in the country’s history when Belizeans revolted against a move by Said Musa to do very much the same thing which will take place this Friday at the National Assembly. In effect what the area representatives will be asked will be whether the private debt should be paid using public money.
Prime Minister, Barrow told the Guardian that he will be asking for a division in the House. This means that rather than voting as a block, individuals will be called on one at a time for them to publicly vote on whether or not the debt is to be paid.
The matter is being taken to the House of Representatives after the Caribbean Court of Justice ruled that the debt is actually owed. It qualified its ruling however stating that the debt can only be settled after government seeks permission from the National Assembly.
This Friday then will prove to be a historic time as the individual representatives will be asked to vote in a situation where the interests of a single individual will be pitted against the interest of the entire nation.
