The Christian Workers Union (CWU) denounces the Venezuela PetroCaribe Loans Act, 2015 as lacking in transparency and accountability and for its attempt to validate and legalize outright illegal actions that go against the laws of Belize.
Belize will recall that in 2010 there was an amendment to the Finance and Audit Act, aimed at increasing oversight of public finances governance. Despite these amendments and calls for better oversight of our monies, this recent PetroCaribe Loans Act flies in the face of measures to be more accountable and more transparent with the monies of the people. Once it takes effect, this Act:
(1) bypasses the National Assembly, where approval would have otherwise been obtained beforehand and the nation would have had an opportunity to be informed about public spending;
(2) frustrates Auditor General accounting of PetroCaribe funding as it will not be part of the Consolidated Revenue Fund to be tracked by the Auditor General;
(3) removes PetroCaribe spending from being subject to the Finance and Audit (Reform) Act 2010;
(4) bestows GOB with power to borrow ANY amounts to be used "without limitations"; and (5) also validates, legalizes and legitimizes previously illegal and unconstitutional Government conduct for the past two and a half years.
Despite the Finance Minister's justification why he does not wish to go back to the National Assembly each time to obtain approval for spending monies over $10Million, the truth is the Act was really designed to defeat the present case brought against it by the Opposition challenging Government's violation of the law thus it being made retrospective to September, 1, 2012.
Already some Bz $286,166,698.78 dollars has been spent from September 2012 to February 2015 by our Government without complying with the Finance and Audit Act, and \Vith no accountability to the National Assembly. The lame excuse of being unable to tell oil prices and thus the amounts available for loan to the Government flies in the face of good sense! It is not proper that our Government enters any agreement or contract that violates our laws or our Constitution, which requires monies to be placed in the Consolidated Revenue Fund.
Government's recent actions reveal the highhandedness with which it abuses the law and exercises its parliamentary power, not to create better governance but to sanction its illegal, unethical and immoral conduct when dealing with the people's affairs. CWU as a representative entity of the Workers in this country calls on the Government to repeal this Act and to apologize to this nation for the promotion and sanction of the breach of our laws. As Workers we must all be concerned because these loans, repayable over 25 year, become a burden on us and our children. Not only our working generation will pay the price but the
next generation of employees will be yoked with them as well.
CWU calls on other Unions to denounce this Act and to unite to demand the repeal of this law. CWU Members need to remain vigilant about this issue and to stand ready to participate in the discourse as the monies obtained by these loans will be repaid by us Workers. In the same vein, CWU place on the record that it distances itself from the decision of the Social Partners Senator Mr. Ray Davis, who represents the Unions, to abstain from the vote on this critical issues as it does not reflect the position of CWU, endorsing a Senate vote against the PetroCaribe Loans Bill.