And while government plans to put on hold what it probably should never have proposed in the first place, the Prime Minister has already moved onto Shyne and the UDP's demands for transparency on this Music and Food Fest.
He told us that the Leader of the Opposition needs to cough up the budgets for the concerts that his own government found questionable back when Shyne was music ambassador.
Reporter
"Wanted to ask you about the $750,000 that Minister Mahler has allocated to this international music and food festival for Belize. The leader of opposition is demanding the budget. What have you been told about how the money is spent and how it's going to guarantee some type of return for this slow season of the tourism industry?"
Hon. John Briceno, Prime Minister
"Well, it is already giving a return, because if you ask the people in San Pedro, they are already telling you that hotels are being booked. So that in itself we already have a return. I think the leader of the opposition should be able to give us an account of the monies that he collected when he was music ambassador for what 12-13 years. He was in jail first. I think when he got back in 2010? for about 10-11 years he needs to give an account as to what did he do with the money that he was collecting. I know there was some allegations of some monies that he got from Culture of where I think he was not giving proper accounting - his own government was saying that. I think he should start with that to give that accounting then he could have the moral authority to ask about anything, but again, we're not hiding anything. This has not come to cabinet, because BTB is a statutory board and what Minister Mahler is doing and you need to commend him for that, that most countries, like for instance St. Lucia has this jazz international festival, I think it goes on for a week and they bring in foreign artists to come and play, because then tourists would come to listen to them. All countries do that - Jamaica, everybody does that."
"So now, here we are BTB is setting aside $750.000 to bring in some of these artists and then at the same time to include them along with a whole plethora of local artists to give them that exposure. So, I think its something laudable and think you all should commend him for taking that initiative."
Reporter
"It's interesting that you say this is a decision that did not go to cabinet. These are public funds, are they not?"
Hon. John Briceno, Prime Minister
"No, they are not. Let's not argue over it. Let us make something very clear. When BTB spends their monies for advertising or programs and so forth, that does not come to cabinet, because BTB collects their own monies through the hotel tax and that goes directly to them and so they spend. It's like you would have said BTL have to come on every expansion they do and they have to come to cabinet. It does not come, because they have their own budget and they have their own source of funding, but then they do have to audit. They have their yearly audit, their finances are audited, so they still have to give account for the monies that they spent."
