$250M U.S. Grant to Belize Sparks Debate Over ‘Safe Third Country’ Deal

A massive quarter-billion-Belize dollar grant from the United States to the Briceno administration is making headlines tonight, and not just for its size. The money, coming through the Millennium Challenge Corporation, is supposed to boost development, but the details of the deal raise serious questions regarding the designation of Belize as a third safe country. The Opposition says Belizeans deserve to know exactly what’s on the table and what strings might be attached. So, what’s in this agreement, and why is it stirring so much debate? Senator Patrick Faber weighed in earlier today.

 

Patrick Faber, UDP Senator

“In this country, we value energy conservation and what we have discovered is that in the details of that MCC contract, Belize has agreed now to return, to regress, to fossil fuel. They borrow hundreds of millions of dollars to try to find more alternative energy sources. Millions on solar that supposed to be on the UB Campus in Belmopan. Hydroelectricity; we have gone through a whole lot to demonstrate that we are… but because they now offer us back our two hundred and fifty million dollars, we will behave like we don’t know what our agenda is that is important to the Belizean people. This, my friend, is sad. We must stand up for what we believe. So I call on the government this afternoon to make it very clear what the details are in terms of the MCC agreement because there had to be some kind of renegotiating, there had to be some kind of sitting down at the table and sweetening the pot.”