The government has delivered its assessment of the nation, and now Belizeans are weighing in. Prime Minister John Briceño used Tuesday’s address to highlight a growing economy and outline plans to provide relief to families. But for residents facing high living costs and other daily challenges, the true state of the nation may look very different. News Five hit the streets of Belize City to ask whether people believe Belize is moving forward and what government must do next. Britney Gordon reports.
Britney Gordon, Reporting
The Prime Minister says Belize is moving forward, pointing to five-point-one percent economic growth and a ninety percent employment rate. Those figures paint a promising picture, but do they reflect what Belizeans experience when they buy groceries, pay bills or search for better-paying jobs?
Belize City Resident 1
Belize City Resident 1
“Everything is so high, you cannot even live. As you get the lee bit of money, the money goes. It’s really ridiculous. He’s having speech and talking about twenty million cost of bus. No, cost of living is so high. We cannot even live.”
Britney Gordon
“Have you personally seen a growth or felt the benefit of a growth in the economy?”
Belize City Resident 2
Belize City Resident 2
“Yes, I do. I think it will help. Every little helps.”
Minimum-wage earners could soon see more money in their pockets. The Prime Minister says government plans to increase the hourly rate from five dollars to six dollars, although he did not provide a timeline. We asked citizens whether they Belize this will make a meaningful change or not.
Belize City Resident 3
Belize City Resident 3
“No, that no enough. That da like twelve dollars more and gas done what? Fifteen sixteen dollars? So no.”
Belize City Resident 4
“I don’t see it at all.”
Britney Gordon
“Minimum wage is supposed to increase from five dollars to six dollars an hour. Do you think this will make a meaningful change?”
Belize City Resident 4
“Well they should try to do something, because everything is going up so high and we are all poor people.”
Voice of: Belize City Resident 5
Voice of: Belize City Resident 5
“If minimum wage go up, everything still gwen up so to me it’s a waste of time.”
Briceño says global prices are driving up Belize’s cost of living, while government is offering relief on electricity and public transportation. But is that help reaching struggling households? We asked Belizeans about their biggest financial burden.
Belize City Resident 1
“Everything is high so no care what he does, the bill stake back the money, especially in the light and the water. Everything is high.”
Belize City Resident 6
Belize City Resident 6
“When the customer come it’s even harder to sell because the price has to go up as well if we want to see something. And the hard work from four da morning to four in the evening because we have to pack up and leave by five. So the way we see it, it is hard because the customer is complaining about the price for the product but like how we tell them we don’t have any control over the price of the product. All we do is provide service for you so that you don’t have to go no where else but we are seeing struggle with the customers.”
Belize City Resident 3
“We have to go and get fi we stuff and like how the gas high we have to ker up we vegetables lee higher because of the gas.”
Briceño pointed to more than two hundred twenty-five million dollars in approved investments tied to over nine hundred jobs, with nearly one billion dollars in projects awaiting approval. But residents say rising food, utility and household costs leave them wondering whether that growth is reaching ordinary Belizeans. Britney Gordon for News Five.
Attention readers: This online newscast is a direct transcript of our evening television broadcast. When speakers use Kriol, we have carefully rendered their words using a standard spelling system.
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