Last week, Belize Rural South area rep Andre Perez huffed and puffed when he defended his niece's business, Abi's Grocery.
That is one of the exclusive stores where government coupons for government grocery bags can be redeemed. Seems like a conflict of interest-but Perez stoutly defended the arrangement-even when the hundred-dollar coupons are emblazoned with his face and say that they can be redeemed only at Aby's Grocery:
Andre Perez, Minister of the Blue Economy
"Transparency is the name of the game, and I can be criticized, I can be attacked-no problem. But when you engage in malicious accusations, allegations, and you involve family members who are really innocent, it is really unfair."
"First of all, it is more than a store. We have several stores where we provide the pantry program, and that is a store that gets the smaller part of it. And that has been done for the past 5 months. That grocery bag program provides to the needy, to the single mother, to somebody that is medically in need, someone who is unemployed, have children. And it is unfair, but that is a store that is at the heart of the town and provides the basics and strict rules and regulations-that is all just food."
