And from free education, to publicly guaranteed private healthcare - Elrington's extended presentation ranged on to a thorny issue: the Universal Health Services debacle. Now, that doesn't have anything really o do with the budget - but the PUP side brought it into the conversation yesterday - and today Elrington struck back. He pounced on PUP Senator Eamon Courtenay - who is also the lead attorney for the Ashcroft Alliance - for playing and being paid on both sides of the fence:
Hon. Wilfred Elrington, Minister of Foreign Affairs
"This UHS guarantee never saw the light of any resolution, they fought tooth and nail against it."
"Madam Speaker this is perhaps one of the most important matter that will ever come out to the house in our lifetime. For the simple reason that if we are obliged to pay all these horrendous judgments that have been given against us in consequence of actions taken against by the Ashcroft Alliance with the assistance of one of our own senators who is being paid simultaneously by the Government of Belize as well as by Courtenay, I have never seen a most egregious case of conflict of interest this is going to destroy our society."
Speaker of the House
"Is this a point of order? Excuse me."
Hon John Briceno
"The point is that where…His Prime Minister is in the same position, his Prime Minster law firm continues to work for Belize Bank that is owned by Lord Ashcroft."
Hon. Wilfred Elrington
"That is not a point of order, Madam Speaker, I am simply telling the truth, I am not agreeing that my PM is in the same position, I am simply saying that I have not seen a more shameful and more egregious case of conflict of interest than to have a person being paid by the Government of Belize simultaneously being paid by Ashcroft and taking this country to court. All the debts will have to be paid by the poor people you know."
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