 And while domestic matters continue to press, if the PM seems less on edge,
less apt to snap at the press's probing, he should...after all he just spent
a week with mind power guru Tony Quinn. And while the PM has reported widely
on the Cabinet retreat at Caye Chapel, one thing he hasn't reported on is who
picked up the tab for the government getaway. That's what we asked him today.
Jules Vasquez,
So we've all heard about your retreat on Caye Chapel and all the good things
that came from it but who paid for it?
Rt. Hon. Said Musa,
"Let's put it this way Jules, it wasn't paid for by any of the taxpayers
of this country; friends of the party paid for it."
Jules Vasquez,
Sir but does it not debase or infect the spirit of renewal, the vision 2025,
which is undertaken if you come out of the retreat more beholden to special
interests such as perhaps BNE or Larry Addington or related persons?
Rt. Hon. Said Musa,
"Why are you assuming its special interests? I didn't say that. I said
friends of the party paid for it and I should tell you that even though you
have been attacking the whole project and saying all kinds of mockery things
about it, the retreat was a great success. It served to bring us together and
also to have the government focus on the real issues affecting the Belizean
people."
Jules Vasquez,
Sir but those must be special friends, it is US$800 for the beachfront villas.
Rt. Hon. Said Musa,
"I don't know that for a fact."
Jules Vasquez,
It's their published rates on the internet. The resort has published these rates.
Rt. Hon. Said Musa,
"Fine, I am saying the taxpayers didn't pay for it and we are not beholden
to any special interests."
Marion Ali, Love FM
Is there any truth to the fact that the friends that supported the trip were
anybody related to or the shareholders of the BNE?
Rt. Hon. Said Musa,
"I can't say that. I can't say that, no. What I can tell you is that
Mr. Tony Quinn offered his services for free."
For those wanting to see those Caye Chapel rates first hand, you can visit
Caye Chapel Resort
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