This past weekend, Leader of the Opposition, Shyne Barrow, took a trip to Gales Point Manatee following the Cabinet's decision not to grant a mining license to Vulcan Materials Company. It's a saga that we've been reporting on for months and you've heard both the elected officials and the residents say no to Vulcan.
But for the Leader of the Opposition, it's not that clear cut. On Monday we told you that Barrow found that it's not all the residents that oppose the US company. According to him, he polled around 50-70 villagers out of Gales Point's almost 200 residents, and was surprised by the answers he got.
Today, during a small press briefing, he explained that he doesn't believe the government should have closed the door on Vulcan without first hearing them out. And he also doesn't believe the government's decision is based solely on what the people want.
Shyne Barrow, Leader of the Opposition
"In order for Belize to evolve and develop to a first world nation, we need investment, we need economic development, we cannot have a nation identified with any kind of contempt or resistance to multinationals. It can't be the case, totally contradicts the notion of Belize being open for business. Now, that does not mean that we are without standards, we are without boundaries. I just believe that it is the responsibility of those elected officials in government, in the opposition, to find solutions where no solution can be found, then we rest with clear consciences that we made the best efforts. In this particular instance, watching from afar, that is not the impression that I got. When I listened to different members of the Cabinet saying that they refused to have a meeting with Vulcan, refuse to even allow an EIA for Vulcan because we cannot assess the environmental impact that people are concerned about without an EIA."
"That's why I visited the community because if their decision is based on the community, I expected to go to Gales Point and from start to finish hear people say, no brother Shyne, we noh deh pan it for this reason, for that reason, but there were people that supported it, I was there, I've heard different people say, that nobody supported it, again if nobody supported it, I would have gladly come back and said, you know, I went there, it is unanimous, people in Gales Point don't want this project."
"There could be other special interest involved, you know that there's a lot of corruption historically in this country where if you are not prepared to play to pay, then you can't play, and that's how they use the Belizean people as pawns, oh well the people don't want it, but that's because maybe Vulcan as a multinational who has done business all around the world is not prepared to engage in any nefarious activities to bring something to the table that they believe will be beneficial to the country as well as to them so I don't buy that narrative that this is what the people of Gales Point want so that is why the Cabinet won't support it."
"To bias the process, to prejudice the process and not allow for a process is not good for investor confidence."
Barrow has also said he intends to reach out to VMC's representatives in Belize to hear their side.
