By: Omar Silva I Editor/Publisher

National Perspective Belize – Digital

www.nationalperspectivebz.com

Belize City: Thursday 30th April 2025

As the 2025-2026 fiscal year officially began on April 1st, Belize remains without a national budget, a functioning Parliament, or clarity on the future of a $125 million grant from the U.S. Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC). In a moment demanding urgency and strategic leadership, the Briceño Administration appears locked in paralysis.

Seven weeks have passed since the March 12th general elections, but neither the House of Representatives nor the Senate has been sworn in. No parliamentary sessions have been held. Yet during this time, the government found the political will to quietly approve massive salary increases for the Cabinet Secretary and Chief Executive Officers.

At a recent press conference, Leader of the Opposition Tracy Panton described the delay as “shocking, dismissive and disrespectful.” She reminded the public that in the past four election cycles, Parliament convened within two weeks of the polls. “While the budget remains missing,” she said, “they somehow found it quite urgent to push through raises for political elites at a time when Belizean families are struggling to survive.”

The failure to present a national budget has stalled government operations. Ministries remain uncertain about their allocations. Public officers are left without clarity on programs, investments, or salaries. Development planning is frozen. Public confidence is eroding.

Adding to the crisis is the apparent loss of the highly anticipated MCC mega-grant. The grant—valued at $125 million USD—was meant to fund transformational projects in education and energy. However, under new U.S. foreign policy direction, the program has reportedly been cancelled, with staffers placed on administrative leave.

Senator Patrick Faber of the United Democratic Party criticized the government's silence: “This is a quarter of a billion dollars with a B... Yet we have not heard anything official from the government.”

Foreign Minister Francis Fonseca confirmed that Belize has not received formal notice of cancellation. “Obviously, we were disappointed. Belize spent over two years preparing the compacts,” Fonseca said, describing the decision as abrupt and disheartening.

Meanwhile, serious concerns about the credibility of the recent elections also persist. Panton alleged widespread abuse of assisted voting, particularly in her constituency of Albert, where she claims able-bodied voters were fraudulently assisted in exchange for money.

Economists and observers warn that Belize's growing foreign debt—now estimated at US $1.5 billion—combined with dependency on aid and the absence of a national budget, constitutes a “perfect storm” of fiscal and political failure.

Despite the administration’s earlier commitments to “good governance, economic reform, and fiscal discipline,” analysts note that there has been little measurable progress. Belizeans now face rising food and fuel prices, threats of an energy crisis, and a political elite seemingly more focused on entrenching itself than solving national problems.

As Belize drifts further into uncharted territory, the calls for answers—and for action—are growing louder.