‘Insensitive, inconsiderate, incoherent and incompetent,’ Opposition leader condemns Prime Minister’s passport comments

Published by BBNTEAM at April 18, 2023

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Posted: Tuesday, April 18, 2023. 9:32 pm CST.

By Breaking Belize News Staff: Leader of the Opposition Moses “Shyne” Barrow, has publicly condemned statements made by Prime Minister John Briceño in a recent media interview where he discussed the issue of passports.

Briceño in his comments, used cane farmers as an example for people who deserved a subsidy to be able to afford passports, following the new controversial price increase on passport fees implemented by his administration. While he spoke, Briceño said that there are many caneros, indigenous people and southside Belize City residents who do not need a passport.

“The only one foolish is John Briceño who continues to make a mockery of the office of the Prime Minister with his classist discriminatory statements to the media,” Barrow said. “Every Belizean should have a passport! Caneros have a right to an affordable passport, people who live on the Southside of Belize City have a right to an affordable passport!”

Barrow went on to say that Briceño’s remarks display a lack of vision for poverty alleviation in Belize and again stressed that there is no justification for a 400 percent increase to passport prices. Barrow also condemned rising cost of living in Belize, pointing to the high cost of fuel as the main driver for inflation.

On April 1, the Government of Belize rolled out the new prices for passports which saw child passport fees go up from $30 to $150 (an increase of 400 percent) and adult passport fees going up from $50 to $200 (an increase of 300 percent).

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