And the Minister fired back at the UDP, saying that he wasn't in the US for fun, but for work and that he was fulfilling his obligations as head of the New Growth Industries Ministry. And while some may feel that the status updates by his CEO showing them meeting an NBA star and relaxing on a yacht are tone deaf considering the COVID and crime situation in Belize, he explained that he had worked hard during, so on his off day, he decided to play hard.
Hon Kareem Musa, Minister of Home Affairs and New Growth Industries
"Well, first of all, Courtney, I was invited by the Belize American Chamber of Commerce, along with members of the United Democratic Party. Actually, the Honorable Shyne Barrow, as well as Senator Darrell Bradley were also invited and they were there as well, along with a contingent of almost 40 Belizeans. And essentially, this event was a precursor to our November 10th and 11th Open for Business Forum, which will be held in San Pedro. As you know, I'm also the Minister of New Growth Industries. And so I was invited as the Minister of New Growth Industries in particular, to address any questions that the members of the diaspora and those interested in investing in Belize on the issue of cannabis, where we are with that, as well as a new project which was approved on the 5th of October 2021 at Cabinet, and that is a national Cohune industry."
"I went to the U.S. in my official capacity, along with my CEO. I worked on the Friday and the Saturday in the evening on Saturday. I actually had a business meeting with Kamal Hotchandani of Hot Living, and he happened to be with Scottie Pippen. And so that is how I managed to meet Scottie Pippen. And so it wasn't as though this was all fun and jolly as the UDP is trying to portray. It was actually a lot of work. And I'm sure that the other members of the United Democratic Party, the organizers of the event, can actually attest to the fact that it was all work. So on this Sunday, there was a birthday party I had no work on this Sunday, and I was invited to go boating with one of my friends because it was his birthday. So that is the extent of it. But other than that, it was work."
And he turned the tables on the UDP, accusing them of being the reason why crime has escalated to this point where - as the opposition put it - "gang related gun violence is now directly affecting the most innocent and vulnerable citizens." He also added that there is no way to compare 2020 with 2021 since we spent most of last year locked up.
Hon. Kareem Musa, Minister of Home Affairs and New Growth Industries
"But when it comes to the issue of crime, Courtney, it is no secret that we have had this pandemic long before Covid came. We're talking 140 murders a year since 2012. If you look back into the records, we've been averaging around one hundred and fifty. One hundred and forty murders per year. 2020 was the only anomaly. And that could primarily be chalked up to the fact that we had a long period of complete lockdown in the country where we were not allowed to move around at all when we had our first couple of cases of Covid. And that was followed shortly thereafter by a three month lockdown of gang members at the Kolbe Foundation. So 2020, I think, went a little above 100 murders. But prior to that, we were averaging about 140 murders per year. And so I'm not in the least bit surprised by the UDP press release. But quite frankly, if no shame had a face, it would be Patrick Faber and the UDP, because these seeds of abandonment, these seeds of neglect on the Southside of Belize, that they were actually planted by them. Patrick Farber being one of them. Shyne's uncle, Mr. Finnegan being another, and none other than Prime Minister Dean Barrow. These are all representatives. I think there were eight total powerful ministers in cabinet under the UDP for 13 years who actually presided over a period of no land for the poor, no housing for the poor, no education for the poor, no jobs for the poor. And so what we see today is actually those seeds bearing fruit. So we have no trees and plants of anarchy and upheaval in our country. And there are some in the UDP who acknowledge that this is a problem started long ago."
