HOW MANY BELIZEANS DOES IT TAKE TO SCREW IN A LIGHTBULB?

UNCLAS BELIZE 000968 SIPDIS C O R R E C T E D C O P Y //REMOVED ALL NOFORN CAPTIONS// SENSITIVE SIPDIS DEPT FOR WHA/CEN (MACK) E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PREL BH SUBJECT: HOW MANY BELIZEANS DOES IT TAKE TO SCREW IN A LIGHTBULB? This cable is SBU. Please protect accordingly. ¶1. (SBU) In an effort to fulfill its 2003 election campaign promise to lower BelizeansQ electricity bills, Prime Minister Said Musa announced plans to replace traditional incandescent light bulbs with energy-efficient fluorescent ones in every home in the country. The Cuban government donated 300,000 fluorescent light bulbs to launch the Energy Saving Project in Belize. During a televised interview, GoB officials stated that they received Qenough bulbs for the entire countryQ and that the joint project was indicative of the Qvery mutually beneficial relationshipQ between Belize and Cuba. ¶2. (U) The bulbs, manufactured by Phillips, would cost roughly BZ $4.5 million (US $2.25 million) if purchased at retail. PM Musa touted the efficiency of the bulbs, noting that they consume less electricity, produce less heat, and last five to six times longer than a regular incandescent bulb. ¶3. (SBU) Comment. Based on recent press coverage of the Energy Saving Project, in Belize, light bulb installation requires between 5 and 8 people Q including a Cuban social worker and a soldier from the Belize Defence Force. On October 25, the projectQs launch date, PM Musa, Minister of Defence Cordel Hyde, and Cuban Ambassador to Belize Eugenio Martinez installed a few bulbs, too. The political opposition paper headlined its press coverage: QTake Their Light Bulbs But Not Their Screwing!Q End comment. DIETER