Cabinet held a special session on Thursday – and it’s choc full of election promises. It announces that Cabinet has approved salary increases for teachers, nurses, policemen and other public officers. It does not say what those increases are, however Cabinet Secretary Bobby Leslie told us that the calculation is yet to be made – and will be done after the technicians at the Ministry of Finance take into account the government’s fiscal position. He said however that they are looking at somewhere between 5% to 10%. There’s also good pay news for BDF soldiers – their payscales and benefits will be brought in line with regular public officers, which will account for and increase of somewhere between 5% and 8%.
Of course, Musa’s Cabinet is writing checks it might not be around to have to cash, because according to the Cabinet brief, the salary increases will be included in the budget for the new fiscal year – which starts after the general election. The Director of Governance Myrtle Palacio also briefed the Cabinet on the readiness of the Elections and Boundaries Office for a general election and a referendum on the elected senate. And the election will also be monitored by the commonwealth secretariat. The Prime Minister has contacted the Secretary General Don McKinnon to send a team of election observers.
And, moving inexorably towards the election, on Monday the Prime Minister will host religious leaders at a prayer breakfast to discuss current affairs, and “pray for a safe and secure future for all Belizeans.” After that, the Prime Minister will host a political meeting with all 29 candidates, and is then expected to declare the date for the general election. And then at 3:30, he will hold a press conference which is when he is expected to announce the election date publicly – which our sources say will be Wednesday February 6, which is ash Wednesday.
