NTUCB Asks: ‘Did Everyone Get a Fair Shot at Government Contracts?’

Belize’s umbrella union says that for now it is watching the investigation at the Ministry of Defence closely and raising questions about how government contracts are awarded, it says.

President of the National Trade Union Congress of Belize (NTUCB), Ella Waight, said the union’s concern is not about family connections in government contracting. It is about whether the process was fair.

“What it seems to be is a lot of nepotism, yes. Contracts, many contracts given away to one family, when we are sure that there are other persons in this country who have the ability to provide the service or the products just as much. Was that opportunity given to them fairly? Did they know of such an opportunity? Was it advertised effectively?” Waight told News 5.

At the same time, she was careful not to paint family ties as evidence of wrongdoing. “As a realist, Belize is a very small country,” Waight added. “Many of us are related to each other, whether it’s cousins or second cousins or whatever it may be. And I don’t want it to come across that NTUCB is against any family member getting a contract in any aspect of government. That is not the case.”

Waight says the NTUCB is monitoring the growing allegations but will wait on the investigation to determine what comes next.