‘I am Ready to Debate the Whistleblower’s Bill’ Says Union Senator
Union Senator Glenfield Dennison is pressuring the Briceño administration to stop stalling on the Protected Disclosure Bill.
The bill, also known as the Whistleblower Bill, was drafted in 2021 following years of calls for formal whistleblower protections, but it has yet to become law after five years.
“There’s a piece of legislation that is meant to protect people who are doing exactly what we need more of in Belize, blowing the whistle for corruption,” he said at Tuesday’s National Trade Union Congress of Belize press conference.”Whistleblowers legislation is languishing in the House of Representatives… Why is that piece of legislation languishing?”
The bill’s stagnation raises concerns at time when Ministry of Defence continues under public scrutiny over leaked documents showing multiple contracts processed for payments under the $10,000 threshold. “You see how they dih victimize or want victimize the people them who dih leak the screenshots on the Mira Millions? That is what that is there to protect,” Dennison said.
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During a People’s United Party (PUP) National Party Council meeting in Dangriga on July 6th, Prime Minister John Briceño addressed the Mira Millions scandal. He assured the public, saying, “When we see these mistakes, we don’t hide it. We don’t put it under the rug. We fix it. Because you put us to work for you. You are our bosses”
However, President of the Belize National Teachers Union Nadia Caliz said during the same NTUCB conference that unions were recently told that the proposal was “on pause”. She said, “Yesterday after we attended the house committee meeting, out of our 19 proposals that we took, we were told that one is on, not really rejected, but ‘on pause’.It’s connected to the whistleblower’s act legislation.”
At the same time, Senator Dennison challenged the Briceño administration to move the bill within 90 days.
“Let us get that out in the next 90 days. I am ready to debate that in the Senate. Senator Channona, are you ready to debate that in the Senate? I am ready.”
The Protected Disclosures Bill has been in limbo since it was first drafted in 2021, five years after unions first raised the demand under the Barrow administration in 2012. A legal review earlier this year found the current draft falls short of international standards, flagging gaps including no financial rewards for whistleblowers, no physical safety protections, and no independent agency to receive and act on reports.