LIU Continues Despite Controversial Employment Program Pause

With mounting concerns around a paused employment program, Minister of Home Affairs Oscar Mira is urging patience. When we caught up with him in Belmopan on Wednesday, he defended the government’s approach, saying the focus is on making sure taxpayers’ money is properly spent. At the same time, he noted that despite the pause, key parts of the Leadership Intervention Unit remain up and running.

 

Oscar Mira, Minister of Home Affairs

“The LIU program has not stopped. There are many other segments fo the LIU program that is continuing and happening right now. One segment which was the work program, part of the work program, that was the one being looked after. We want to make sure we spend the tax payers’ money right. And we want to make sure that those monies we are investing that we get the proper results. That is all that has been happening and the program is still on. The intervention is still there. Many things of the LIU program is still happening right now as we speak.”

 

LIU Continues Work in Belize’s Vulnerable Communities

 

If the Leadership Intervention Unit is still running, what exactly is still active? That’s the question we put to Acting Director Andrew Dawson earlier this week. He says the work hasn’t stopped, far from it. Dawson is now working closely with the minister to realign the unit’s goals, stressing that there’s still a lot to be done in Belize’s most vulnerable communities.

 

Andrew Dawson, Acting Director, Leadership Intervention Unit

“Where we are, I must say that LIU continues its efforts. The beautification program was one component of the LIU. We still have our partnership with the vocational institutions. We still have our sports component. We have our community council component that has representatives from these communities who have several programs they run within their smaller pockets of their communities. So, we are at a restructuring phase. I am in discussion with the minister, the ministry looking at what their visions are and how we can get the vision infused into the LIU so that we can continue the work. There is a lot of work out there and we can slack, can’t stand down. We got to put the energy out there, push the effort and do this collectively.”

 

Weeks after the employment program was put on hold, there’s still no clear answer on if, or when, it will return.

 

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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