Government to scale back on international travel due to cutbacks 

Government Minister Kareem Musa says the Briceño administration is continuing to tighten spending as part of broader austerity measures, with cuts now expected to impact ministerial travel and official engagements.  Musa’s comments come less than a month after Government announced a one-year halt on transfers within the public service, a move the Public Service Union publicly supported. At the time, Government indicated the measure formed part of a wider cost-saving strategy amid concerns over rising global fuel prices and the potential financial burden of maintaining local fuel subsidies.  Today, Musa acknowledged that ministers themselves will also have to scale back on travel and other expenditures as Government looks to reduce operational costs across the board.

Kareem Musa, Minister of Immigration, Governance and Labour: “Obviously there is going to be a cut in terms of moving forward for foreign travel. I know that we have one coming up in Florida in July. I don’t intend to be on that one but certainly there are occasions where the minister might be required to be present. Like I said, time and time again, these are revenue positive events, meaning that when we go on a trip like to Houston we are actually generating income. We’re not losing money. And so you might say to it, well the minister doesn’t have to be there well, then that argument could be made for any single ministerial travel ever. But because it’s me, you know, you’re always picking on me but that’s fine. I don’t have a problem with that. But at the same time, like I said, that particular one, it’s the first that we were doing. I don’t expect to be on all of them if that comforts you. I’m a very hands-on minister. You might have seen that when I was the Minister of Home Affairs, I think it displays a level of interest showing interest on my part whether it’s traveling to a rural area of Belize in the villages to deal with migration matters, whether it’s traveling to Houston to visit with our diaspora and to make sure that our processes are running smoothly.”

The Government has not yet outlined the full scope of additional austerity measures under consideration, but officials have repeatedly stressed the need for prudent spending as Belize navigates global economic pressures and rising operational costs.