Opposition Leader Calls Out PM’s ‘Hypocrisy’ on Pump Prices

Panton didn’t just challenge the Prime Minister’s numbers today, she also went after his record. She reminded Belizeans that John Briceño once led protests demanding a two‑dollar cut in fuel taxes when he sat in the opposition, a stance she says stands in sharp contrast to today’s soaring pump prices. She accused the Prime Minister of political grandstanding and flat‑out hypocrisy, arguing that fuel was far cheaper back then than it is now under his leadership. But the exchange took an unexpected turn when Panton called him out for apparently mocking the fact that she was seated during her presentation, a moment that shifted the debate from policy to decorum in the blink of an eye.

 

Tracy Panton, Leader of the Opposition

“Unu remember, you remember, when the leader from Orange Walk Central had all the solutions for the challenges we were facing under the previous barrow administration, due to no fault of our own. He mih have the solution for crime, the solution for national security, the solution for increases in the cost of living and definitely had the solution for inflated cost of petroleum at the pump. It was the current prime minister, who was then the leader of the opposition. I have some time to go, who led the public protest calling for government to lower the fuel tax by two dollars per gallon. Talk about political grand standing. Back then premium was ten dollars per gallon. Now, don’t make fun of my disability, you who say you are concerned about people with disability, do not make fun of my disability. Don’t worry I am standing tall. You should be ashamed of yourself, you wife who have dedicated her life to those with disability, you should be ashamed of yourself.”

 

Panton’s fiery criticism, and her tense clash with the Prime Minister, has turned the opening of the budget debate into a full‑blown political showdown

 

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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