Cost of Living in Belize: “You Can’t Tell Me I Can’t Relate to Myself” 

Union Senator Glenfield Dennison is standing by his claim that government officials cannot relate to the increasing cost of living crisis facing ordinary Belizeans. Today, he rejected Prime Minister John Briceño’s pointed rebuke as an “emotional” reaction.

“The Prime Minister was very emotional in that response, and I don’t really want to address an emotional response of our leader,” Dennison told News 5. “But I really do disagree with his position that I can’t relate to the struggle of poor people.”

According to Dennison, PM Briceño missed the point entirely when he mentioned ‘poor people’. “It’s me who I am talking about,” Dennison said. “So I don’t think he can tell me that I can’t relate to myself.” 

“I firmly believe as a young professional who has invested in his education and has two jobs, that my reality is that things are hard in Belize,” Dennison added. He said salaries are failing to keep pace with expenses, and pointed to transportation as becoming a major cost against what Belizeans have in their pockets. 

On September 2nd, PM Briceño had suggested to Dennison to “walk and meet people” as much as he has before accusing politicians of not understanding Belizean’s current affordability struggles. Dennison reminded the PM that there is a difference between visiting struggling communities and actually living under those financial pressures. 

Dennison also warned PM Briceño and his ministers of losing grip in their constituencies. And although he dismissed the question over whether he would consider putting his name down on a ballot, Dennison said,  “It is not that the People’s United Party is unbeatable, it simply is a coalescence of the frustration of the people with the corruption of the United Democratic Party and their inability to have pulled it together before the last election.” 

 Dennison added that his observations have indicated that “there are several [PUP] candidates that are beatable.”