Mrs. Bailey-Martinez has been viewed by many as having an axe to grind against the government. There are those who say she was a former public officer who was put in charge of the Immigration Department and made the head of that department under the UDP administration.

The DFC during the relevant period was the development bank of the government. The DFC has a duty to carry out the policy of the government. The government for example would negotiate a loan from the Caribbean Development Bank for some policy purpose and the DFC would be the instrument to implement that policy purpose. Some policy purposes of the Government were: to build thousands of homes for Belizeans, to make large amounts of affordable loans available for students to further their education at home and abroad, to fuel the tourism middle level entrepreneurs and to bolster small farmers and the agriculture industry. These the government did through the DFC to the tune of millions of dollars. This is how a government meets its obligations to improve the lives of its citizens and to develop the country. The Government of Belize has an impressive record of achievements in these areas. Indeed the government has an unparalleled and outstanding record of accomplishments.

There were no doubt, errors in the pursuit of these policy objectives at the DFC, particularly taking into account the scope and the magnitude of the development programmes and projects being undertaken.

The DFC was also asked by the Government to take over some policy projects essential to the development of the country. One such project was in the Transportation Industry. Previously, the buses that served the countrywide routes had deteriorated to the point where drivers were racing on the highways with passengers and with no regard to safety. In some cases drivers and conductors stopped their buses to engage in violence over routes and who should be at which bus stop first.

Into this situation stepped the DFC to carry out Government’s policy to establish a modern, comfortable, reliable and safe bus service nationwide. The Novelo family submitted proposals which would result in achieving this objective. A loan of thirty million dollars was approved to the Novelo family to effect this intention. Proper collateral was secured by the DFC for the loan. That the objective was not achieved is no fault or reflection on the DFC. Many loans at the private banks do not succeed in achieving their objectives.

The Opposition has used this type of situation to smear the DFC and attack the Government. Such is the nature of party politics.

Much will be written in the Merlene Bailey-Martinez Report about the Novelo loan. Much will be written about other projects such as Los Lagos, Mahogany Heights and UHS. Every effort will be made to smear these projects and to highlight everything negative in order to make the DFC and the Government look bad. The truth of the matter is there has been no corruption, no embezzlement and no theft of funds at the DFC. The fact that a project did not succeed is not a reflection of wrong doing at the DFC. Faults can be found with the decision making or with the manner of monitoring and executing a project. But Belize has benefited from the hard work of the DFC and nothing in the Bailey-Martinez Report can change those facts.