Questions about government spending are taking a sharper turn, this time aimed squarely at the Social Investment Fund. Public Service Union President Dean Flowers isn’t holding back, alleging that the tendering process has been compromised and that contracts may not always go to the best, or fairest, bidder. Flowers is now putting officials on the spot, calling on SIF and the Ministry of Finance to open the books and release five years’ worth of procurement records. He says it’s the only way to clear the air and rebuild public trust in how taxpayer money is being handled. In his view, this is bigger than a single contract, it’s about whether the system itself can still be trusted.
Dean Flowers
Dean Flowers, President, Public Service Union
“If you want to come clean with the Belizean people, Mr. CEO in SIF, Ms. CEO in the Ministry of Finance, you hold a press conference and you present the tender documents for fast construction and you show the Belizean people whereby they have gotten those contract because they provide good work and, in most cases, that the, the, the, the, the, the bidding process was competitive. What I can say to you all, you have lied to the Belizean people with that press conference. You all know that the tendering process is corrupt. It is corrupt. And I can tell you that it is no secret you all at SIF are paying for cements that cost $70 a sack, and in some cases, 100. And if you don’t… And if you want to prove me wrong, then call one press conference and bring the tender documents to the public so that we could scrutinize it and look at it. Bring it out for the past five years. Stop taking the Belizean people for a bunch of fools. Stop it. We need to stop it, Belizeans. And Belizeans, you all are to blame because you all sit, you know the facts, and you do nothing about it.”
In a sharp statement Thursday, SIF dismissed claims of favoritism and outside influence, warning the allegations could erode public trust and shake confidence among its partners. The agency says its reputation is on the line and insists its systems are solid. SIF maintains that contracts, especially high-value ones, go through open, competitive bidding, with companies vetted on strict technical, financial, and legal standards.
