We also asked Leader of the Opposition Barrow whether or not this concert is Minister Of Tourism Anthony Mahler's way of upstaging him.
Barrow feels it must be, but added that while the festival is a move straight out of the Shyne Po playbook, he never got even comparable funding from his government.
He also, very briefly, answers the PM's question about his old concert budgets.
Reporter
"Anthony Mahler has famously said that he doesn't care about P Diddy or Fat Joe and he said that it seems to undermine efforts that you have made abroad. Do you feel that this is yet another effort to undermine the things you did while you were music ambassador and what would you say if he ask you to see some of your old budgets?"
Hon. Shyne Barrow, Leader of the Opposition
"NICH has all of my budgets. I couldn't get money the government without submitting what it is that I spent and how I spent it with receipts, However, what this seems is him using the same strategy that I was using. Why else would you be spending $750,000 on foreign artists? Atleast my friends come to Belize at no cost to the tax payer, so as much as he says he is not into famous people, he's spending a whole lot of money on famous people. When Kanye came, it didn't cost the tax payer dollar. When any of my famous friends have come here, it didn't cost. When Buju came it didn't cost the tax payer. Instead, they spent money while they were here and they make attractive to come here when such big names come. I didn't ask the government to finance anything for Buju or Kanye or anyone else that has travelled here, so I find that he is mirroring, copying my playbook of using international brands to bring attention to Belize, but at what cost."
Barrow continues to advocate for G.O.B hiring every Belizean artist to play at the July 30th and July 31st festivals.
