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So, the town council will see the benefits in new streets and a few of the jobs, but they won't get to handle the funds or hand out contracts. Today, they held a press conference with their party leader to say it's not fair and it's not right:...

Hon. Francis Fonseca, Leader of the Opposition
"The proper thing would have been to have those monies made available to the town council, they are the duly elected town council, pass the monies to them, they then determine how those monies are spent, they employ the contractors - but that is not the case."

Gilbert Swaso, Mayor, Dangriga Town
"He also stated that he will select an executive outside of the town council (his man) as he said to oversee the works and to employ his people indicating, in my humble view, UDP members and associates to be the workforce."

"We are witnessing a leader who spent too much time and effort focusing on the next election and not on the next generation."

Anthony Fuentes, Mayor, Punta Gorda Town
"Again, the Prime Minister also mentioned that the town council will only get ten percent to employ ten person of the total and his person from the other party namely, Mr. Martinez will be the one to get the rest of the employees, That means that the Punta Gorda Town Council like the Dangriga Town Council has been disrespected as the duly elected body in Punta Gorda Town, because if they get 50 individuals to work, the town council will only employ 5 persons and the unelected person will get to name 45 employees. Its politicking, it's wrong for Belize."

Kevin Bernard, Mayor, Orange Walk Town
"We ask the Prime Minister to commission through assessment of required infrastructural work, not one done through the so-called care takers where political agenda will hold sway. For there to be any meaning development, political game playing must be pushed aside."

Hon. Francis Fonseca, Leader of the Opposition
"Why is there a need for this layer of UDP to be put on top of these elected leaders to determine they have to agree on what works will be done? They have to agree on who will get the contract. They have to agree on who will actually be employed. Why is that necessary?"

The Orange Walk mayor - who you saw in there as well did not get a call from the Prime Minister and will not benefit from the programme. The Prime Minister today told us that's because in Orange Walk the Ministry of Works will invite bids for the section of the Philip Goldson Highway that runs through the Town, and will also do the section of the San Antonio Rd that runs through the Town.

Those contracts will amount to almost three million dollars and have to be put out to tender, so the same hometown rules for the smaller contracts cannot be applied.

The PM says that he makes no apologies for the job disbursement formula: when GOB pays for works, GOB reserves the right to recommend people for employment to the contractor. He adds that the Dangriga Mayor pronounced himself entirely happy with, and grateful for, the arrangements.

And the PM also has no apologies for the Christmas Cheer programme. Under that programme, 17 UDP elected representatives will be assigned 90 thousand dollars each to share with their constituents for a total of 1.53 million dollars.

14 elected PUP REPRESENTATIVES WILL be assigned twenty five thousand dollars each to do the same, and the 14 UDP political officers in those PUP divisions will also be assigned 25 thousand dollars each to share among their supporters.

Now we stress none of these elected and unelected persons will handle money; it will be disbursed through the Ministry of Human Development to commercial outlets that the politicians choose and they will then send their voters to those stores.

The PUP didn't Scrooge out the play, but they say there shouldn't be a 65 thousand dollar disparity between elected officials, and un elected persons should not be able to decide on the disbursement of government funds:...

Hon. Francis Fonseca, Leader of the Opposition
"Here we find the inequity to be completely disrespectful and unacceptable. People obviously in all areas need help and we understand the Christmas Cheer program, but again, there must be equity among elected representatives and once again we have to decry in the strongest possible terms and denounced in the strongest possible terms this Prime Minister's use of government funds for his political party because that is what is happening."

"What is the basis? What is the justification for him saying that he will allocate $25,000 to 14 unelected persons who are care takers for his political party - allocating $350,000 to them. I don't believe that care takers of a political party should participate in that program. I again, say that there should not be any inequity. Why is it that the people in Mesopotamia or the people in Collet should get $90,000 worth of cheer and the people in Freetown - we get less cheer. We don't object to the program and the philosophy behind the program because people are in dire straits in this country."

"There is grave inequity, its being manipulated for political purposes. We have to maintain a line between the funds of the government and the political parties and I think that a very dangerous line to walk. This Prime Minister's use of government funds for his political party because that is what is happening. What is the basis? What is the justification for him saying that he will allocate $25,000 to 14 unelected persons who are care takers for his political party - allocating $350,000 to them. We denounce that in the strongest possible terms. Just as we denounce, as the mayors have pointed out this attempt to impose his UDP care takers on the work of the town councils - that they, the monies must go through them and they must make decisions about what is done in these municipalities and they must determine who will work in these municipalities - those days are over. We really need collectively as a people to take a firm stand against this practice."

"This Prime Minister Barrow has (to the victor, the spoils) taken that to an unprecedented new level in this country which now in my view threatens our democratic way of life."