The Senate met on December 16th to debate a $69 million loan motion from the Caribbean Development Bank to rehabilitate the George Price Highway from Belize City to Hattieville. The debate prompted several senators to request additional information on the motion, with particular concern about the loan’s total amount, which many described as significant. Despite a lengthy, at times heated, discussion that led to a brief suspension of the sitting, the loan motion was ultimately approved by the Senate.
Among the concerns raised during the debate was the estimated cost per mile, calculated at roughly $4.5 million. While the government acknowledged the high expense, it argued that the 15-mile stretch of roadway presents unique engineering and terrain challenges that must be properly addressed. Several senators, however, continued to point out the lack of detailed information on the project’s scope and execution.
United Democratic Party Senator Patrick Faber said the Senate was being asked to approve the loan without sufficient details. “It’s just the loan agreement. We still don’t know the details. We have to rely on what colleagues are saying,” Faber stated. “If you do not give the information, then you subject yourself to the scrutiny of the people, and we are the voices of the people in here.”
Business Senator Kevin Herrera echoed similar concerns. “I was quite frankly similar to Senator Faber, expecting more information with respect to this motion,” he said. “If you look at the loan motion, we are talking about $69 million. This is not a small sum, and so I believe that for the administration, for the government, to ask for support for a loan motion such as this, that you would expect that more information would have been provided.”
Non-Government Organization Senator Janelle Chanona acknowledged the projected benefits but expressed disappointment that another loan motion had come before the Senate. “If there was the benefit of these numbers, we could even be sitting here saying this is not even enough and then not be surprised, but certainly disappointed that there’s another supplemental,” she said.
UDP Senator Gabriel Zetina of San Pedro Town, Ambergris Caye, also criticized the loan size and raised concerns about recurring borrowing. “On every Senate meeting, there seems to be a loan motion on the table,” Zetina said. “Where are the taxpayers’ dollars going then? Because with this amount of borrowing, you guys should be ashamed. But the real issue is that we do not have all the facts of this loan motion. If they do not want to give it to us, give it to the Belizean people, because it is their money being spent.” Zetina called for greater accountability and transparency.
Leader of Government Business in the Senate, Eamon Courtenay, requested a suspension of the sitting to allow the Chief Engineer at the Ministry of Infrastructure Development, Evondale Moody, to address concerns raised by senators. After the suspension, Courtenay explained that the issue was related to the difficult terrain between Belize City and Hattieville. According to him, the stretch of roadway poses significant engineering challenges.
“Moody was able, at least to my satisfaction, to satisfy senators that the technical work has been done, and that is required for the very difficult and challenging rehabilitation to be undertaken,” Courtenay said. He added that, based on the engineer’s professional assessment, although the loan amount is substantial, the country is expected to receive value for money.
Under the loan agreement, repayment is scheduled to begin five years after signing, with quarterly installments over 68 periods. The loan is expected to be fully disbursed by December 31, 2027.
