And while Saldivar said "God Help us" if there are no COVID solutions; that's what the Prime Minister said about the economic crisis that will face Belize after COVID. A crisis his successor will have to face.
Large parts of that crisis are the national debt, and the wage bill. Right now, emoluments amount to well over half a billion dollars annually. We asked Saldivar if he could contemplate retrenchment:
Jules Vasquez, reporter
"Prime Minister prayed for his successor because Belize's wage bill is out of hand. It is unsustainable for an economy of this size. I don't see anything in here, you mentioned it about modernizing etc., but if one modernizes and streamlines the public service, isn't retrenchment an inevitability and at this point a necessity?"
Hon. John Saldivar, Belmopan Area Rep.
"If you make the public service more efficient especially in terms of revenue collections, that's one aspect that can delay any retrenchment action. Retrenchment of the public service can be a double edge sword, because as you are saving revenues from salaries that are foregone, you are creating social problems on the otherside."
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