Monday, August 10, 2015. Aaron Humes Reporting: Prime Minister Dean Barrow spent the weekend in Miami, Florida, but it was for business and not pleasure.
Specifically, he was asked to meet with certain business investors interested in investing in Belize. Sounds good, but on his return he did not have much to say either way.
He indicated that the content of his discussion would, for now, remain confidential.
And while it is “wait and see” on what type of investment may be coming here, we do note that the Prime Minister has become a key decision maker in the realm of investment in various sectors. Whether he can pull this one off remains to be seen.
The Prime Minister also addressed other national issues, as outlined below.
Carnival Cruises threatening pull out over port?
On the heels of news of a slight downturn in overnight tourist arrivals over the first four months of 2015, there is potentially earth-shaking news in the cruise tourism sector. Carnival Cruise Lines has written the Belize Tourism Board (BTB) announcing 14 cancellations of cruises in the upcoming high season. The company’s representatives, speaking by email with the Belize Tourism Board (BTB), say they are “unhappy and dissatisfied with their experience in Belize,” adding that the tendering process is unfavorable.
While Carnival is reported to also have issues with their service from the Fort Street Tourism Village (FSTV), which is partially owned by a rival, Royal Caribbean Line, the continued lack of a cruise port is a primary issue.
Prime Minister Dean Barrow was asked about it on Sunday. He had met with Carnival earlier this year and says he doesn’t know that anything has changed from that time. He deferred further comment until he had been briefed about the contents of the letter.
But Citizens Organized for Liberty through Action (COLA) is not waiting – they have renewed their call for a cruise port to be built.
The organization wrote a press release today which says in part: quote, “In his New Year’s message, P.M. Barrow had assured Belizeans that his administration, this year, will move forward with a cruise port – a promise welcomed by many Belizeans including COLA.
We appreciate that the matter remains bogged down in court despite the best efforts of the Prime Minister personally to negotiate with all parties, but it remains urgent. COLA once again calls on the government to move forward with the approval for a port facility. Such a port facility will solve most of the issues Carnival has outlined increasing the number of visitors whom our people interact with.
The Board must also come up with a comprehensive plan and strategy for the cruise tourism sector and tourism generally and implement this to the benefit of all stake holders. With the coming of larger Oasis-class ships to our shores in 2016, tendering will no longer be a viable transport option, and we thus must act now to save our industry.” End quote.
Domestic banks still safe from de-risking
The Belize Bank lost its correspondent relationship with Bank of America in the United States at the end of April.
While few services were affected there were ripples in the financial sector as Belize came to grips with the reality of larger countries’ insisting that we shut down our domestic offshore banking sector, while dropping countries’ banking relationships. Now Atlantic International Bank Limited has lost its relationship with Bank of America, but there is a difference according to Minister of Finance and Economic Development Prime Minister Dean Barrow – it is not a domestic bank, and no other domestic banks have lost their relationships.
He hopes to “contain” the damage while noting that there is not much they can do about the offshore sector.
There has been no word from U.S. President Barack Obama, winding down his second and final term, on plans to address the issue with regional leaders following the Summit of the Americas.
Farewell, First Caribbean; most workers’ jobs safe
First Caribbean International Bank is selling its local operations to Heritage Bank after more than 60 years of operation dating back to the days of Barclays Bank. The primary concern remained ensuring the safety of 60 workers’ jobs.
However, Prime Minister Dean Barrow reports that most, though not all, of those jobs are in fact safe, following a meeting with the two sides’ management.
While the exit is mostly a business decision, should there be concern over it? Prime Minister Barrow says no, and also denied suggestions that Government is bankrolling the Heritage takeover.
The sale will take another three to four months to complete.
Guat Foreign Minister “misspoke” over bases
Just about everyone involved in the apparatuses of Foreign Affairs and National Security has weighed in in recent days concerning the remarks of Guatemalan Foreign Minister Carlos Morales concerning their rationale for initially rejecting plans to build a forward operating base at the Sarstoon River.
On Sunday it was Prime Minister Dean Barrow’s turn and he began by acknowledging that the statement was made in error.
But what was apparently more important to him was that Guatemala had acquiesced to the construction. The priority remains having presence in the area to tackle illegal activities.
The Prime Minister expects that one more major hurdle must be cleared before construction can begin – a setting up of the cooperation between the two countries on patrols.
And regarding activity in the area generally, the P.M. says nobody can tell Belize what to do, not even Guatemala.
It appears this puts the matter to rest for now.