Panton: Constituency Funds Should Match “Greatest Need”, Not Voter Numbers

Opposition Leader Tracy Panton has criticised the way constituency development funds (CDF) are allocated, arguing that resources should be directed to areas with the greatest need rather than based on voter numbers.

Speaking on Open Your Eyes, Panton said she did not support the prime minister’s premise that CDF should be distributed according to the number of voters registered in a constituency. “I think that the justification should be where there’s the greatest need; you should provide the greatest number of resources,” she said.

A Freedom of Information Act request filed by Jerry Enriquez revealed that Panton receives $10,000 monthly for her Albert constituency. She explained that her allocation works out to about $3 per voter, which she called “crazy”.

Panton said the funds have been used for healthcare, education, housing repairs, funeral support, and community initiatives such as repairs at the Anglican Cathedral Church. “There’s full accounting for whatever resources we use and how we use it… we’re mandated to file every month with the Ministry of Finance,” she added.

The discussion pointed to disparities between constituencies. Stann Creek West, the largest by population, receives $20,000 monthly, which works out to about $1.82 per voter. Panton argued this shows the need for redistricting. “We’re quibbling over who get $1.82 and who get $3… when our people can’t access primary healthcare, when we’re investing $50 million in NHI, when we have babies dying at the KHMH,” she said.

Her frustration extended to wider government spending priorities. “It angers me because I have young mothers who can’t take their children to a clinic… The government has a duty and an obligation to ensure that services are rendered to the taxpayers of this country,” she said.

She called on Belizeans to fight for redistricting, arguing that “we are being underserved by a government that has zero regard, in my opinion, about the well-being of its citizens.”