As the ongoing Mira Millions controversy continues to escalate in Belize, the National Trade Union Congress of Belize (NTUCB) has announced it will hold off on formal public action until independent investigations uncover the full facts of the alleged improper government contracting.
NTUCB President Ella Waight has laid out the union’s clear stance on the unfolding scandal, acknowledging widespread public concerns over government contracts being disproportionately awarded to well-connected political families. In a careful framing of the union’s position, Waight emphasized that Belize’s small social fabric means familial connections are unavoidable across all sectors, and blood ties alone should not automatically disqualify any citizen from competing for public sector work. Instead, the core issue at the heart of the scandal is not family relationships themselves, but whether contracts were awarded through a fair, open, and properly regulated process.
“There are clear signs that nepotism has played a role here,” Waight stated. “A large number of contracts have been handed to a single family, when we know there are many other qualified Belizean businesses and individuals equally capable of delivering the required services and goods. The critical questions we need answered are: Were other qualified candidates given a fair shot at these contracts? Did they even know the opportunities were available? Were the contracts advertised properly to the public?”
Waight stressed that all these unanswered questions will be addressed through the ongoing official audit and investigation. Once the full findings are released, the NTUCB will determine what concrete action is needed in response to the results. The union is currently monitoring the investigation closely, waiting to move forward until all facts are on the table.
Waight went on to clarify that the union is not opposed to family members of public officials winning government contracts entirely. “We have to be realistic: Belize is an extremely small country. Most of us are related in one way or another, whether through close cousinhood or distant family ties,” she explained. “We don’t want to give the impression that the NTUCB opposes any family member of a public official holding a government contract under any circumstances. That’s not our position at all. What we oppose is limiting public contracting opportunities to only one family or connected group of individuals. That’s the key point we need the public to understand.”
She added that the stakes of the controversy are far higher than just procedural fairness, noting that unnecessary waste of public funds comes at a time when Belizean households are already grappling with sky-high cost of living. “We cannot afford to keep squandering public money right now,” Waight emphasized. “With living costs already pushing many families to the brink, every public dollar needs to be spent responsibly and openly.”