KHMH Union: “The People Have a Right to Know”

The Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital Authority Workers Union (KHMHAWU) is adding its voice to growing public concern over government transparency. The Union is backing activist Jeremy Enriquez’s Freedom of Information (FOIA) appeal.

“The people of Belize have a right to know how their taxes are used, especially when such funds are spent on matters that directly impact our Constitution, our elections, and our democracy,” the KHMHAWU said in a statement.

It echoes Monday’s call for “accountability, transparency, and fairness in public administration” by the umbrella union, the National Trade Union Congress of Belize (NTUCB).

Enriquez’s appeal challenges the Attorney General’s Ministry’s refusal to release the names of attorneys and the amounts paid from public funds in redistricting and election-related cases.

The AG Ministry denied the request and cited exemptions under the FOI Act. KHMHAWU called this move “a position that raises serious concern about the continued erosion of public access to information.”

The union added that “public funds must always be subject to public scrutiny. The people of Belize have a right to know how their taxes are used.”

The union demanded “full disclosure, stronger oversight, and respect for the rule of law in all government dealings.“

Earlier this week, reporters asked Eamon Courtenay for his thoughts on his law firm’s fees billed to the government. Courtenay defended the Ministry’s stance, saying the AG provided him with “the reasons why not only does he think the interpretations by the Ombudsman are incorrect… I understand the concerns of the Attorney General.”