Panton: RECONDEV Shuffle is a Game of Musical Chairs

Government promised change at RECONDEV after the Mira controversy. But the Opposition says the new board looks a lot like the old one. Brian Mira is out as chairman, Myrna Waight is now in charge, and several members who served during the period under scrutiny remain. With political names also added to the board, Opposition Leader Tracy Panton says the reshuffle does not go far enough and should not be sold as meaningful reform.

 

Shane Williams

“Recondev. We see that a restructure was promised.”

 

Tracy Panton, Leader of the Opposition

“Musical chairs. Restructure was promised. None will be given. What has happened there is a slap in the face to Belizeans, a slap in the face to accountability or any transparency or any serious attempt for meaningful reform. And it, what it signals for me as the Leader of the Opposition is that the government has no intention to put in place the kinds of reforms that are necessary to arrest the corruption. Corruption is naked and it’s on the national stage, and the government is operating as though it’s business as usual.”

 

Shane Williams

“Would you give a pass to Myrna Waight and others who were already on the RECONDAT board with Brian Mira?”

 

Tracy Panton

“Absolutely not. I thought that when the Prime Minister indicated that there would be a change, that it would have been a meaningful change. I think that everybody who sat on that board needs to leave and we need a fresh group of people of high integrity to be able to sit down there and to sort out what has happened. Because you will tell me that those players were on that board and had no idea what is going on. That is – would be a hard pill for me to swallow. So I think that it is a cosmetic change. And again, it is a betrayal of your very commitment.”

 

Attention readers: This online newscast is a direct transcript of our evening television broadcast. When speakers use Kriol, we have carefully rendered their words using a standard spelling system.

 

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