Joshua Perdomo - he's the Cabinet Secretary Carlos Perdomo's son - and also the beneficiary of a generous write-off of his forty thousand dollar government funded student loan.
The write off motion went to the house 11 days ago - and, today, it went to the Finance and Economic Development House Committee for approval - which it got.
This, despite the efforts of the PUP and members of the public to stop the motion.
PUP's Caribbean Shores Rep. Kareem Musa is the lone opposition member - and when the meeting was done he lamented to the media what a raw deal he feels the public got with this write off. He recounted it from the date of Joshua Perdomo's termination from the government service:...
Hon. Kareem Musa, PUP Member, Finance and Econ. Dev., House Cmte.
"His services were fully and finally terminated in the year 2014, according to the Fin. Sec. today in the house committee meeting and here we are today 2019 writing off his $40,000 bond. It's a very rear situation, because as you know students when you go abroad you have to honour your bond. I don't know of any scenario and neither the Fin. Sec., because that question was specifically out to him: Are you familiar with other situations like these where a bond was written off in the manner it was today and he said he could not recall of any off the top of his head and that he would need more time to research. One of the excuses that was given as to why Mr. Perdomo was being given this special treatment is because they are saying that he could not be found. Now I don't know what methods they employed in trying to reach Mr. Perdomo, but I see a lot of people have him on social media. I know that the Prime Minister has his father as the cabinet Secretary. He shouldn't be somebody that is hard to find, but in addition to that his sister Sylvia Perdomo is the co-signer for this bond and she actually lives in Belize City and so the question was put to the Fin. Sec. and other members what attempts were made to recover from the co-singer of this bond and again they didn't have much answers to those questions. It really leaves a very bad taste in the mouth of many Belizean people, because this is a time of the year back to school and we know how difficult it is for families to send their children to school. It's very unaffordable for families and then to see that special treatment - its nepotism at its best, special treatment is being afforded to Joshua Perdomo in this instance and so rightly so we had some concern Belizeans Mr. Dwight Neal, Miss Tanya Santos, I believe Miss Contreras - they all went and they shared their views, they expressed their views because they too were at one point in time students and they had bonds and they had to work off their bonds like every normal Belizean and so the question has to arise why is special treatment being afforded to this one individual? Is it because he is the son of the cabinet secretary why they are going through this special motion to write off this $40,000 loan?"
Reporter
"What authority does this committee have to repeal this motion or draw it back and reconsider this motion?"
Hon. Kareem Musa
"It has every authority to go back to the house to say that the committee has listened to the views of the public like I mentioned there were concern Belizeans there that were expressing their views and having considered their views, they are now going to recommend to this house that this be withdrawn as a motion and so that was never done. There was a vote of 4 to 1; four members of the government and my vote against it. So that is how it tallied off today that there was 4 for the motion to go ahead despite the fact that Belizeans had very serious views that they expressed today."
One of those members of the public is former PUP municipal candidate Tanya Santos. She has been twice bonded, and made a presentation to the committee on why breaking a bond funds brain drain:...
Tanya Santos, Concerned Citizen
"There are us that are out here in our community, in our country myself included. I was bonded twice with the government of Belize. I fulfilled both my bonds. That is not to say that I didn't have the option as Mr. Perdomo did to leave and to work somewhere else and to make three times the amount of money that I am earning here, but I went to pursue my studies because I know what my country needs. We have brain drain in this country where people go to study whether it's with a bond or not and never retur. They take their expertise elsewhere. we need our people here. So by passing such a motion, even considering such a motion, but furthermore passing it, you are enabling brain drain. Secondly, it is unfair for the rest of us who are still here toiling, struggling - many of us in these economic times to fulfilled our bonds, our commitments. Maybe we dont have bonds, but we have student loans. We are still here working, committing, when you the government who is supposed to looking out for our interest go and write off somebody else bond just like that."
The Committee is Chaired by John Saldivar, with membership from Hugo Patt, Elodio Aragon and Edmond Castro.
They voted the motion through - which Musa says goes against with Saldivar's leadership rival, Deputy Patrick Faber's position:...
Hon. Kareem Musa
"It is certainly a shock when you hear the deputy prime minister characterized this entire scenario as something that kinda took place in the dark, because he as the deputy prime minister and the minister of education - so if its anybody that should know about a bond for education being written off, it should be him, the deputy prime minister and so if he didn't have an opportunity to expressed his views at cabinet, then why is it even at the house? because clearly if you listen to Patrick Faber, he is saying that he is against it. He is saying that it is blatant nepotism. He is agreeing with me. So the fact that he shares those views, but then there is other in his cabinet who do not and who do not care about the views of the general public, but rather just want to write it off then clearly there is an issue."
Tanya Santos
"I have to admit surprised in spite of all the concerns that were presented here but also voiced in public opinion, that is just flicked away - we hear you, but so what we will just pass this motion anyway and it doesn't matter, he can just walk away and we are fine with that, we will write it off."
"It just shows to me that it was an irresponsible move in the first instance and it affirmed the irresponsibility of the government in passing this motion when they know in their hearts and in their minds that it is wrong."
And while the Committee passed the motion, this one certainly still has legs - and we'll keep following the story.
