$22,000 rents? Time to end crony contracts and build for the people

Published by [email protected] at June 21, 2025

Posted: Saturday, June 21, 2025. 1:56 am CST.

By Horace Palacio: It’s time to say what too many in government won’t: Belize is bleeding public money into the pockets of a well-connected few while taxpayers struggle to afford food, fuel, and school fees. And we’re doing it month after month—through rent.

As exposed by Public Service Union President Dean Flowers in a recent press conference, the Government of Belize is spending millions every year to rent buildings it does not own, often from politically connected cronies. These are not modest, market-value leases for urgent space. These are obscene rental agreements—$22,000 a month for the Immigration Department. $18,000 for the Ministry of Health. $17,000 for Public Utilities. $15,800 for Finance and Home Affairs. Even the Ministry of Youth pays $14,000 monthly. And what do Belizeans get? Dilapidated offices, mystery landlords, and zero accountability.

This is madness. And worse—it’s theft. Theft of public wealth. Theft of opportunity. Theft of the future.

If the Government of Belize truly believes in good governance and financial sustainability, then it must stop renting and start owning. The solution is simple: Build government complexes—offices, departments, ministries—and make 100% public ownership mandatory.

But we’ve been here before. Buildings bought under one administration are quietly sold under another. Offices are leased from friends, families, or financiers behind closed doors. To fix this permanently, Belize needs to go one step further:

Make it law—better yet, enshrine it in the Constitution—that no government-owned building may ever be sold or transferred, under PUP, UDP, or any future political party.

That’s how we protect the people’s assets. That’s how we secure our independence from the revolving door of corruption.

Imagine this: Instead of paying $200,000+ every month in rent, the Government builds a high-rise public service complex in Belmopan or Belize City. Centralized offices. Owned by the people. No rent. No crony contracts. The money saved could cover salary adjustments for teachers, increase allowances for public officers, and fund medical supplies in rural clinics.

This isn’t utopia—it’s math.

A one-time investment in infrastructure pays off for decades. We would no longer have to wonder who’s profiting in the background or how much taxpayers are being drained just to keep the lights on in a rented building.

Dean Flowers said it plainly: the rental arrangement is “obscene.” But it’s more than that—it’s a systemic issue rooted in politics and patronage. Ministers shuffle departments into buildings owned by allies. Landlords benefit. The public pays.

What’s worse, these payments are made without transparency, without tenders, and without justification. Even the location of some of these buildings remains unclear. This is not governance—it’s a racket.

Until we demand a change in the system, the bleeding will continue. Governments will come and go, but the names on the rent checks will stay the same.

Protect Public Assets. Forever.

This isn’t just about saving money. It’s about sovereignty. It’s about integrity. It’s about ensuring that no political party—red, blue, or independent—can ever sell off what belongs to the people of Belize.

We must:

Pass legislation that mandates government offices must be housed in publicly owned buildings.
Enshrine in the Constitution that public buildings cannot be sold or transferred, regardless of which party holds power.
Audit all current rental agreements and publish them for public review.

If we don’t do this now, we will continue to sink deeper into a cycle of waste, corruption, and dependency.

Our teachers are still waiting for full salary restoration. Public officers still lack basic resources. Hospitals still face shortages. And yet, we have money for $20,000 monthly rents?

We don’t need more promises. We need priorities.

Government buildings should be built by Belizeans, owned by Belizeans, and protected for future generations. Not rented from cronies. Not auctioned off behind closed doors.

It’s time for Belize to own its government—and its future.

About the Author: Horace Palacio is a columnist and political analyst with Breaking Belize News, known for his bold takes on national issues and unapologetic defense of the Belizean people.

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