sunday, January 17, 2010
The
The Belize Times
1
Belize Times The Truth Shall Make You Free
SUNDAY JANUARY 17, 2010
Issue No. 4676
$1.00 www.belizetimes.bz
URBAN TERRORISM PUP Leader Calls for Immediate Action! PUP Party Leader Hon. John Briceno, in a statement issued early this week, called on the Prime Minister to take immediate and decisive action following the latest grenade attacks – two in the past two weeks – which have left residents of the city living in fear. “The continued violent behavior, the senseless killings and these weapons in the hands of members of the criminal element in Belize are serious threats to our safety and a form of urban terrorism,” stated the release. On Monday morning, at a few minutes after 5:00am, an explosion shook a neighbourhood in the south side of Belize City. Preliminary investigations by the authorities indicated that worst fears
Oil Bonanza in Belize…
But who’s benefitting?
ComPol Crispin Jeffries were realized – the explosion was another grenade attack, coming just two weeks after the detonation of a grenade caused the death of one 14 year old and injuries
Lt. Col. David Jones, BDF to two others. Fortunately, there were no fatalities from this latest detonation. And like the last grenade attack, (Continued on page 35)
WARNING GOB WILL Monitor Your Calls
Susan Morrice, BNE Early this week, PUP personality Vaughan Gill broke the news on the Vibes Radio morning show – news that Irish investors in BNE had gotten their first ‘significant and massive dividend’ and were ‘laughing all the way to the bank.’ The source was an article in the Irish based Belfast Telegraph, an article which claimed that some investors had received as much as US$750,000 as a return on their investment. The local media picked up the news, and as we go to press tonight, Belizeans are posing some very pertinent questions about this apparent ‘oil bonanza’ which has benefitted ‘hundreds’ of Irish investors but seems to have stopped far short of benefitting Belize and Belizeans. The article in the Telegraph tells a story of a rich ‘black gold’ find which is frankly quite surprising to Belizeans, who have yet to see much of a concrete benefit from BNE, which the article claims is ‘the number one revenue driver in the country.’ The article also claims that BNE has had a major impact on the ‘local community in terms of employment, revenue, funding and social development.’
BNE is claiming revenue in the area of US$112M in 2008, and the article boasts that ‘more than $100,000 has already been donated to local schools and flood relief schemes after the company and its Irish investors signed a deal which ensured monies from oil revenues were spent on improving health, education and the environment.’ In the last four years, BNE is said to have generated revenues in excess of $700million. But the reality is that Belizeans have seen very little reason to jump for joy, as that windfall seems to have been carried off to parts unknown. The previous administration had been in the process of passing legislation which would have greatly increased government’s take from the industry. In addition, the previous administration had also created a Petroleum Fund, through which revenues from oil would have been disbursed to specific areas including health, education and social projects instead of going into the consolidated fund. But since elections in 2008, nobody seems to know what the Barrow (Continued on page 35)
. . . r e h et g o T e m Co
As we go to press, the Belize Times has been able to confirm that there is a team of Israeli experts in Belize who have been brought in by GOB to ‘train and equip the Belize Police Department to eavesdrop on phone conversations and text messages for national security purposes.’ The paper has also been able to confirm that the software which will enable GOB to eavesdrop on private phone calls has already been installed at BTL and is ready for use. Sources tell the Belize Times that the group of ‘experts’ had also visited Smart headquarters and requested access to information about frequencies used by
that company, along with other technical information. We have been told that they were turned away and told to come back with the section of the law which allows them to make such a request. Since that time, they have not returned. The Belize Times has also received information that the vehicle in the picture on this page (parked at PUC headquarters) was brought in as part of the Israeli ‘package,’ and costs some $2.3 million with equipment seen here. We were unable to receive any official confirmation from the PUC or from the Police Department, but an unofficial source has told us that the vehicle in (Continued on page 35)
It's Time For The PUP!
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The Belize Times
“SIC TRANSIT GLORIA….” (THUS PASSES THE GLORY OF THE WORLD)
It was a constant part of the morning show on the UDP radio station - Joe Bradley mouthing off the words: “we no di feel di oil.” Not a day would go by when this would not be echoed by him and celebrated by his co-hosts. Indeed it appeared that he was so angry over the situation and the ownership of BNE that he even made popular the nicknames “Sally & Suzie.” Of course now that the UDP has taken over Government, renegotiated the terms with BNE and set their own policy in place, Joe is either wallowing in black gold or he simply lost his script, since little is being said in those quarters today. Two years into the Barrow administration the UDP talking heads remain so quiet that little if any has been mentioned in that quarter about the payout that was made to the Irish investors in “Sally & Suzie’s” BNE. In Tuesday’s edition of the Belfast Telegraph, an Irish newspaper it was declared that, “Irish investors are laughing all the way to the bank after striking black gold in Central America.” What a difference, in fact a complete contrast to what the Prime Minister said in his budget speech on our earning from oil. He said: “Collections from our much vaunted windfall surcharge never materialized, but sic transit Gloria….” So while Belizeans had to deal with the reality of little if any benefits from our non renewable natural resources, Susan Morrice was able to deliver to hundreds of people in Ireland. The Belfast Telegraph celebrated their windfall by stating: “at Christmas they got their first, significant and massive dividend." The paper further went on to state that what started out as a US$10 million dollar investment in 2008 alone hauled in gross revenues of US$112 million dollars, so much so that investors in Ireland were able to cash cheques of over Bz$1.5 million. So how much exactly did the government of Belize get? How much did our local shareholders haul in? How much did Belizeans benefit in share holdings? Perhaps this should show up in next week’s paper as a question to the minister. When the PUP was in office and oil was discovered in commercial quantities, Party Leader John Briceño, then Minister of Natural Resources, consulted far and wide. He spoke with exports in Texas, the Commonwealth, Trinidad, India and he spoke with any Belizean who would listen, including the then Opposition Leader Dean Barrow. His message was about ensuring that we do all possible to manage this non-renewable resource in a sustainable and equitable manner. He spoke about setting up a Petroleum Fund and about making sure that oil revenues were being used in a way that would directly benefit Belizeans today and in the future. Two years into their administration and after all the bawling about not feeling the oil, this administration has failed to make anything good from oil production, which went from 2000 barrels per day in 2007 to over 5000 barrels per day. They never bothered to look at the plans and revisit the research; they did not listen to the advice of PUP leaders on the setting the windfall too high or about anything, so this one is all on Barrow and his UDP government. And while BNE continues to suck our oil from the earth and their investors boast that it is like winning the lottery, Belizeans are getting poorer by the day. Recent unreleased statistics show that currently poverty in Belize stands at a new high of 43 percent, a full 10 percent above where it was in 2005. As if to add insult to injury, the Belfast Telegraph quoted Morrice as saying that what started out as a field with possible 6 million barrels of recoverable oil is actually a 20 million barrel field and that they also struck oil at another field. While Belizeans had vaguely heard about the second field, it was not public knowledge that the agreement signed by Government and BNE for a field with possible six million barrels but more than three times that amount. Susan Morris was quoted as saying that Belize is a very poor country, and that they are doing their part. Last year they spent $200,000 on charities. From gross revenues of $224 million, and handing out Christmas cheques of $1.4 million to Irish Investors, they share pride in a $200,000 donation. Of course Belizeans cannot hold “Sally & Suzie” responsible for any of this. We also cannot hold them responsible for the fact that for every penny we failed to collect in revenue from the sale of oil over the past four years our cumulative loss amounted to $7 million. We cannot hold Sally & Suzie responsible for the fact that the Belizean people got an economy in recession for Christmas while Irish Investors got a gift of $1.5 million from our oil. We must hold Barrow and his administration responsible for this and we must ask Joe and his crew: “are you feeling the oil yet?”
Out Spoken
sunday, January 17, 2010
Stand Up For Your Rights! Dear All, I really considered whether it was worthwhile writing this piece especially since we may still be in holiday mood and celebrating in peace and tranquility. However, what moved me to still write this piece is the simple fact that not many people had much to celebrate with and many also, did not really see Christmas as they have done in past years. In Cayo, the overall complaint this year is that things are BAD. Things are Rough. There is no money to spare to buy stuff for the home, the family and even the children. The business community has been complaining for quite some months now and it has exacerbated now at the end of the year when a large percent of the holiday items bought will remain in stock because the public did not come out to "big shop" as per usual. In many countries, both local and central governments control their citizenry by sponsoring large public events like musical concerts, subsidized cinematographic events etc. etc. In these times they would put out large Christmas trees and decorate with lights, musical instruments, depict the birth of Christ et. etc. The Public would bring out their children and the entire family to watch the public displays. In Cayo there was no such public display. The Town Council could not bother to entertain its taxpayers with a small treat for the solemn occasion. However, the Hon. Elvin Penner, known in San Ignacio as the "Impressionist", did live up to his name. His home was lit up from foundation to roof and in addition he has large, expensive decorations and displays on top of the roof. The Penners really went on a spending rampage with "Taxpayer's money" and of course the electrical costs are borne by the public purse. The entire street on which he lives has very few if any lights displayed on their verandas and elsewhere due to the hard conditions everyone is experiencing. It seems as a Slap in the face for the public, especially the citizens of Morathon in Cayo Northeast, for Penner to dress to Impress his house in this fashion. This is Extravagance at its Best! My friend and I were making some comments and we both agreed that Penner is NOT a smart politician. As a matter of fact he is not a Smart anything. You see, he lives immediately beside the Falcon Field which is a public park currently administered by BECOL on agreement with the Sport Council. A smart politician would have dressed up a Christmas Tree and use all those decorations to make it a public display instead of a Private display. Families could have taken their children to the park at night to view the Christmas tree with all its decorations, lights and other amenities. But No! Penner who probably doesn't even believe in Christmas had to impress as he usually does, when he calls the Radio station ever so frequently just to hear himself speak. A few residents complained because they claim Hon. Penner, this year, sent them a little bag with corn and two plantain suckers. Ninety nine % or more of town residents do not have farms, do not have space in their little backyards to plant the trees and cannot raise pigs in town due to public health legislation. So, what should they do with the corn, Mr. Penner? Extravagance for Elvin Penner however is not only left for Christmas. On August 28, he celbrated the 15 year party for his daughter at Cahal Pech Tavern where some 60 cases of Tecate, Sol and Corona beer were consumed. There was not one Belikin beer available. Were these beers brought in legally? If they were, were duties levied on the imported beer? there are pictures of the unloading of this stock, so don't fear that Mr. Penner can deny it or can threaten to sue on libel. So, is this the way our government officials support our local and now failing industries? Indeed we have some illiterate, self serving, carefree and vindictive monsters governing us today. It is only time that now awaits the tell-tale of their demise and loss of power at the next elections. Maybe one of the TV stations would like to video Penner's house so that the public can witness the exuberance of this man and the extravagance he has exhibited while others in the community hardly have anything to eat. Belizeans, Stand Up for Your Rights. Stand Up and Be Heard!
NOTICE
Printer's Devil, the wrong date has been placed on certain pages: being: 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27 & 28. Inserts A, B, C & D. The error has been rectified on pages: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 17, 18, 19, 20, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35 & 36. We apologize for any inconvenience caused.
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sunday, January 17, 2010
The Belize Times
If Da Noh Soh…
Christmas at the Barrows…
Damn but this was a dismal Christmas. Some say it’s the worst Christmas they’ve ever seen, with poor Belizeans struggling to put food on the table. All we can do is hope for better this year though all predictions are that things will get worse. This columnist may have been on a much needed break over the holidays, but I still managed to keep my ears on the ground to get the latest shush around town. In honour of the yuletide season, though, I’ll start with some shush from out of town, Miami to be exact. First Lady second wife Kim ‘mi bally’ Simplis apparently has
adjusted to the lap of luxury in royal style. Inadvertent eavesdroppers have reported that the cover girl was heard bragging to friends that she did all her Christmas shopping in Miami, and spent a little over US$100,000 for presents to keep the season oh so jolly. Ouch! That’s a slap in the face of us ‘common’ people who had to make do with the basics or less cause Kim’s hubby is an incompetent moron… but anyway, such is life. Methinks that the first lady second wife wouldn’t be bragging quite so smugly if she knew how much the first wife second lady spent on her Christmas shopping…If Da Noh Soh!
nation, or am I just imagining that? That damned Perdomo is a sick, sick man; or maybe he’s just soaked up too much of the beverage and it’s skewed his perspective. Word just in today is that Perdomo, in all
his ‘wisdom,’ has decided to cut the BDF’s budget by $6million dollars. Yup, that’s right - $6million dollars. Guess he believes his own useless rhetoric that crime is down, so we can afford to cut money in national security. Not only that, but aren’t we having a problem right now with incursions across our border? $6million dollars cut from the budget means fewer resources which translates to fewer patrols and fewer ‘just about everything else,’ at a time when we need to pay serious, serious attention to our national security and stability which are threatened on a daily basis…If Da Noh Soh! The Flippin’ Perks… The flippin’ Minister done flipped his lid and is way into the red zone on the ‘mada-fishin’ meter. Remember that this columnist broke the news that Melvin’s daughter getting a lucrative diplomatic posting in the UK, with salary and perks totaling nearly $300,000 a year? Well, that was plenty bad, but Melvin apparently wasn’t satisfied. Word just in is that longtime diplomat and honourary consul
in Houston Hugh McCain is going to be given his walking papers any moment now. Guess who’s going to take his place. Let me give you a clue – Melvin’s other daughter, that’s who. What do you think about that? McCain has years and years of diplomatic experience in Houston with successive governments, but Melvin doesn’t give a damn. He wants his daughter happy and if that means another lucrative diplomatic posting abroad, then that’s it. McCain is supposed to get sacked by the end of this month, when the ‘replacement’ takes over…If Da Noh Soh!
Word coming out of the Office of the Prime Minister is that Dean Oliver is royally pissed at the CEO in the Ministry of Tourism Mike Singh. I guess the Prime Minister was the last to find out that Mike and his brother Doug (Chairman of the UDP) bought dredging equipment
have written official letters to GOB asking when in hell they will pay for hijacking BTL. It’s an important and significant question not only because the entire world is looking on as the Barrow administration acts arbitrarily and dictatorially and then cools its heels without making good on its responsibility to compensate. Perhaps even more important is the fact that when Barrow does pay up (and pay up he will), be it $300M or $600M, that figure will be added to the national debt, changing the whole picture of the nation’s economy and outlook. So far, Barrow has played ostrich, sticking his head in the sand and ignoring the queries from the agencies, but word is they are becoming impatient with the antics of the bald-headed Mugabewannabe…If Da Noh Soh! Ceiba Realty…
sometime ago in anticipation of a big bonanza. Well that day is here and we understand that the dredge is being used for some major works in San Pedro as part of a tourism project which only Mike and Doug seem privy to. So Mike and Doug are raking in the big bucks and laughing all the way to the bank. Hell, the PM shouldn’t be
problem getting coherent thoughts from his brain to his mouth, but he sure as hell doesn’t have a problem getting his hand from the cookie jar to his pocket. Does the company Ceiba Realty sound familiar, Margarito? We’re sure it does. Word is that anybody interested in purchasing that choice portion of government land need only pay a visit to Ceiba Realty and it’s a done deal – with the judicious payment of the appropriate fees, of course. And of course, we’re not amazed at the bank accounts in which those fees end up, cause we know all about Gapi’s scurvy ways. There’s be days of interesting reading ahead…take that to the bank…If Da Noh Soh! Brokeback capital… This one is just too funny for words, and I sure as hell don’t want the image in my head for any length of time. Word just in is that two very well known ministers of government were taking a few drinks, or more than a few, in the capital city not so long ago. I’m not sure what happened during the discussion or when the spark turned into a flame, but our source tells us that those two ministers, overcome by the need for some ‘private discussions’ checked into a hotel which will remain unnamed. That’s it – the image is killing me. You’ll get no more on this from this column. Pssst…if you want a clue check out this week’s cartoon…If Da Noh Soh!
Questions to Ministers 1
Would the Prime Minister please say when he will pass the unjust enrichment act as promised in the UDP Manifesto two years ago, since he and all his Ministers seem to be acquiring wealth far exceeding their salaries?
2
Would the Minister of National Security please say what comfort he can offer citizens of Belize in the wake of the most violent year ever and as a wave of urban terrorism hits the nation? Would the Minister say if he agrees with widespread opinion that he is a failure and a joke and should step down immediately?
3
Would the Minister of National Security also inform the nation of the date of the last major drug bust, since it seems that under the UDP no major drugs have been taken off the streets and big drug dealers can operate with impunity?
4
Living in a good country… Did I imagine it, or did a grenade just explode in an intended attack just a couple days ago? Didn’t a 14 year old boy die just a couple weeks ago after a grenade was thrown in a crowded yard? Aren’t there like 17 more grenades unaccounted for which are being bandied about in an escalating gang war in our streets? Are we going through the worst period of violence in our
PM has bigger worries…
And speaking about worries, the PM will have a big, bulging basket full of worries when the documents I just took a look at start leaking out. We’ve been giving the intellectually challenged Gapi Vega a sort of free pass for a while now while
PM Pissed at Mike…
the quality of care they deserve, but the thing is that Stuart actually has her degree in social work and not anything related to public relations. That’s what she was doing at the Human Development office before she was brought to the KHMH to take up her lofty post as PR Consultant. But the UDP doesn’t care – they just extended the timeframe of her PR consultancy…If Da Noh Soh!
we got things in order, but what we’ve got is getting too hot to keep under wraps for much longer. See, Gapi might have a
But on the long list of Dean Oliver’s woes and worries, Mike Singh is probably coming in last. See, right now the Prime Minister has to figure out how much longer he can dodge the US State Department, the IMF and other multi-lateral agencies which
Highly paid PR Consultant… Who seh KHMH bruk? Apparently indications that the nation’s largest referral hospital is operating on a tight budget are all completely false. I guess the scarcity of basic medicines and lack of medical equipment, not to mention the dilapidated state of the equipment which is available, must be a figment of the imagination as well. See, word has reached this columnist that the recently hired PR Consultant, UDP supporter Brenda Stuart, is receiving a hefty $1,000 a week plus telephone allowance. It’s bad enough that the embattled KHMH is paying out so hefty a sum on a PR consultant when Belizeans cannot access
surprised – both Mike and Doug are well known for these types of shady financial wheeling and dealing…If Da Noh Soh!
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5
Would the Minister of State in the Ministry of Works please be so kind as to provide a list of the assets which he has ‘acquired’ since the UDP took office, since Belizeans are only now learning about a new company, Clear the Land Cable, which has recently been started? Would the Minister of Works be willing to provide a list of all the works done in Belize City as part of the Rejuvenation Project, since Belizeans cannot see where $5million was spent in the city?
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The Belize Times
From the Desk of the Party Leader
Happy Birthday Mr. Price
O n Ja n u a r y 1 5 t h t h e R i g h t Honorable George Price celebrates his 91st birthday. To celebrate this occasion I went to visit Mr. Price at his home. As always Mr. Price welcomed me to his humble home, always making a fuss over my being comfortable. As we visited together, I couldn’t help but have a flashback. The year was 1979 and the general election campaign was in full swing. In Orange Walk, a few hundred of us were waiting on the San Antonio road for our Party Leader, George Price. Mr. Price was campaigning in the rural villages of the Orange Walk District. It was already getting dark when we saw an old Land Rover drive up to the group of us waiting there. I recall at the time being very excited. This was the first election I was going to be a voter. As the Land Rover came to a halt, Mr. Price got out of his vehicle and waved at us. I felt my heart racing and then and there I realized that this man would lead us to independence. George Price has a way of having a lasting effect on people. All my life I heard about Mr. Price. We know that from a very young age he showed discipline and determination; he is a man who always knew what he wanted. Before politics he joined the Seminar y studying to become a priest, but it seems that God had a different plan for him. That plan was for George Price to serve the people of Belize. After the 1931 hurricane, Mr. Price returned to Belize, worked for Sydney T hur ton and shor tly afterwards became involved in the Nationalist movement and the march towards independence began. But while he is singularly recognized for attaining independence, he was the one that created this modern nation in Central America in the heart of the Caribbean called Belize. Of course to create a country requires that as Belizeans we must all accept our own identity while at the same time understanding we are one people. George Price was the first Belizean to consciously start the campaign that we are one people -- Creole, Garifuna, Mestizo, Maya , Chinese and all other ethnic groups. Fo r m a n y y e a r s, M r. P r i c e was harshly criticized for keeping foreign investors out of Belize. His rationale was simple; Belizeans needed the space to grow so that we could compete against these foreign
investors. Central America was riddled with so many examples where rich investors came in and took control of many of the important industries, turning their people into second-class citizens in their own country. He was not going to allow this to happen in Belize. He could have let in the big conglomerates and the big hotels, but the result of that would have been that Belizeans would end up as cooks and cleaners; he wanted us to also be the owners. With that in mind, he introduced legislation that limited foreign ownership of Belizean land. At the same time he started investing in education. Schools were built in all the major cities, towns and villages. High Schools and Sixth Forms were built. Scholarships were made available to our brightest Belizeans. In the development of our economy, Mr. Price came up with the concept of the mixed economy. He was convinced that as a young nation, the government must have an input in the development of its economy. That is why he encouraged industries in Belize that he felt were in the best interest of the nation. One of his biggest gambles and successes was the sugar industry. He convinced Tate & Lyle to invest in a modern sugar factory in Orange Walk, develop thousands of acres of cane land and after a period of time, sell the cane lands to the cane farmers in the North. He did the same in the South with the citrus and banana industries. In San Pedro he encouraged tourism and he brought the Mennonites to come to Belize and settle in the Cayo and Orange Walk districts and work the land. I recall as a boy in Standard 6 when Mr. Price came to our home for dinner, and took the time to speak to me about the importance of being bilingual in Belize. He said that in the future Belize would be trading closely with Central America and there would be many opportunities for Belizeans who spoke Spanish and English. It is for the historians to write and translate the legacy of George Price, but this I know; Belize is a much better nation because of the hard work and dedication of the Rt. Hon. George Price. And so on behalf of a grateful nation and of the People’s United Party, thank you Mr. Price, Happy Birthday and may God continue to shower you with peace, love and blessings.
sunday, January 17, 2010
sunday, January 17, 2010
The Belize Times
Happy Birthday
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A grateful nation remembers you always!
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The Belize Times
Sunday, January 17, 2010
sunday, January 17, 2010
The Belize Times
UDP Politics as usual $100,000…thanks a lot!
If it were not for the internet and the Agent from Vibes Radio who broke the news Belizeans would probably still be in the dark regarding the truth about ‘our’ oil being sucked out of ‘our’ jewel. According to an article in the Irish based Belfast Telegraph, hundreds of Irish investors got a most joyful Christmas gift when they received beaucoup bucks from BNE thanks to the oil bonanza in Belize. Some of them, claims the article, got as much as US$750,000 return on their investment, since the company is said to have generated revenues somewhere around US$112M for just 2008. Well, that’s all good for all those Irish investors (who the article claims are laughing all the way to the bank) and bully for them, but what happened to us? How did we benefit from this bounty right smack dab in the middle of our land? Oh, the article goes on about that too, stating that more than $100,000 has so far been contributed to schools and flood relief. WTF! This company is boasting that they pulled in revenues of $112M in 2008 and more than $700M in the past four years, and Belize has gotten $100,000. Whooppeee! That is messed up. Serious! Where is our government in all this? Where is the Petroleum Fund which had been set up by the previous administration to ensure that an equitable portion of money from the oil would be used in areas like health and education and on social projects? It is beyond belief that our economy is currently in recession and Belizeans are suffering while oil is being taken out of our country at a prodigious rate so Irish investors can ‘laugh all the way to the bank’ and we see absolutely nothing from it. Dean Barrow and his government need to answer some serious questions! How much money are we getting from the oil? And just where the hell is it going, since we sure aren’t benefitting from the bonanza?
Charge a toll…
Did we forget to mention that the Kendall Bridge is still down after two years, despite that crossing being used by the hundreds of oil trucks taking their bounty to the port to be shipped out? C’mon, how much will it take to build a bridge over the Kendall? A million or two or three? How much did BNE rake in for 2008 alone? US$112M! Again I have to ask – where the hell is our government in all this? Do something, for Pete’s sake! Charge a toll on trucks using the crossing – the way GOB is moving, we’d probably collect enough to put up a new bridge by the time the Ministry of Works gets around to it.
The City Hall Mafia…
The corrupt bunch in City Hall, led by the corrupt Mayor, is involved in yet another racket. Idiot Councilor Phillip Willoughby was on the news for yet another media op last night explaining in his own disjointed and semi-literate style that the City Council will threaten business residents of the city with the with-holding of their trade licenses if they cannot produce a receipt for the payment of the garbage tax or prove that they carried their trash to the dump. Hell! Who is the city council to be messing around like that when the city is the filthiest it has ever been. The businesses and the residents are putting out their garbage. It’s just not being picked up by the City Council. By the time they get around to it, dogs have already scattered the garbage far and wide and it is an unholy mess. But now Phillip and Zenaida and the rest of the motley crew want to blame the people of the city for the mess it is in. Typical UDP – just can’t take the blame for anything. And also in typical style, the UDP is trying to distract Belizeans with all this bogus talk about fixing up all the streets of the city. We’ve heard it all before from City Hall – in every form and fashion and dressed up in all the latest spins – remember the disappearing garbage magic act, when Phillip and the Mayor sprayed garbage with something out of a Febreze bottle, claiming that the garbage would disappear in a month. Wee, the month was up on December 23rd, and nobody’s heard a peep from the dumb duo Phillip and Zenaida. The bottom line is that the City Council is still broke – end of story. So forget about any large scale paving of streets. And as for the paying of the garbage tax so that Zenaida and Phillip can keep the city clean – that’s just a big joke. All that will serve is to give the sticky fingered ones more money to take home. Whatever happened to the more than quarter million dollars missing from Council coffers? The UDP seems to have pushed that one under the rug. Typical UDP politics for sure!
Hypocrite of the Week
Pablo again…
Fresh on the heels of the tragic report that yet another baby has died because of negligence in the public health system is the news that Minister of Health Pablo Marin has appointed his wife the new Administrator at the Corozal Hospital. This is serious business, way past blatant nepotism. The thing is that his wife didn’t even finish high school. Health is no laughing matter, because you’re dealing with people’s lives. But Pablo probably doesn’t give a damn, because the Medical Chief of Staff at the same hospital is his nephew Nelson, who still hasn’t gotten his medical degree and is not licensed to practice medicine in Belize. To add to that his cousin, who used to manage a gas station, was placed at the helm of the Northern Regional Hospital with no qualifications whatsoever. This is way past the mark. The call has gone out far and wide for the removal of Pablo Marin as Minister of Health. How much more can Belizeans take? How long will it be before somebody else dies because of the stupid decisions made by the stupid minister and somebody takes matters into their own hands. Like I said, health is no laughing matter.
Hurray…crime is down!
According to the Police High Command, things are all honky dory in Belize. Crime is way down and we’re living in a good country, a real paradise of peace and tranquility and stability. Yeah right! I’ve got to believe that somewhere down the line my good friend the Compol fell and hit his head. There’s no other explanation. But seriously, though. The last Police briefing was a joke, as have been the ones before. The nation has to sit by flabbergasted and listen to our law enforcement officials pat themselves on the back for a job well done even as the nation enters an era of urban terrorism. Even as grenades explode in our communities and murders, jacking, rape and home invasions have immobilized our citizens, we are told that all is well. The fact of the matter is that the community already has little trust in the Police, and listening to so much crap about crime going down while the reality slaps us in the face and slits our throats makes it just so much worse. The Leader of the Opposition has called for the removal of the Minister of National Security Carlos Perdomo. If you want to call that political, do so and be happy. But the entire nation is also calling for the removal of Carlos Perdomo. He is a joke. He is incompetent. He is impotent on crime. The US State Department has just issued another advisory cautioning visitors to our shores about the risks they take because of the crime infestation which plagues Belize. But our officials say that is not so. They say everything is okay. That is messed up.
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This week, the first of the New Year in which an issue of the Belize Times is being published, our selection paneled was compelled to bestow the dubious honour of Hypocrite of the Week to Dean Oliver Barrow, the man who has made the ‘Hypocritic’ Oath his personal mantra and rule to live by. We closed out 2009 by electing the PM to our Hall of Shame, that space reserved for only the most special and extraordinary species of hypocrite. By all indications, this year will be no different. Dean Barrow, in his precampaign and post-election posturing, proclaimed – nay, thundered out from the saintly pulpit, that he would stomp out even the faintest whiff of corruption. He gestured with the figurative rod of correction, and promised to wield it with all the might of rightness to smite down those in his government who dared to feed from the public trough for their own enrichment. He went on and on and on about how pure and virginal his UDP would be, restrained from fiscal imprudence by the chastity belt of Barrow’s scrutiny, fortitude and integrity. Well, that was all well and good then, but all hell done broke loose in the UDP camp and corruption is now the rule, rather than the
exception. Remember the 21 pledges made by Barrow and the UDP in their manifesto launched two years ago. Way back then, Barrow pledged to immediately pass an unjust enrichment act which would allow the prosecution of ministers who amassed wealth beyond the scope of their salaries and declared assets. Sounds like a great idea. But since the launch of the UDP manifesto more than two years ago, Barrow has said absolutely nothing about that act which would rein in the corruption of his ministers in government. Barrow need not look too far to see corruption right around him. His minister of state in the ministry of works can boast of a cable company, a boutique, a real estate company, a heavy equipment rental company and a bus company – all opened since he got into office. And that’s just one example. His minister of agriculture seems to have struck black gold in his backyard since February 2008, since he can boast fabulous wealth lately. His deputy prime minister is fabulously wealthy, much more so now than before elections in February. His minister of works is living the high life. And there’s more…much more. What has been St. Dean’s response to all this, you might ask? Has the rod of correction been smiting left, right and center – striking out at the corruption in the UDP? Well actually no, it hasn’t. Dean Oliver has apparently forgotten his commitment to stomp out even the faintest whiff of corruption. He has apparently put aside his pledge to run things the right way. The PM’s strategy to escape the stench is to play deaf, dumb and blind. His studied indifference to the corruption around him makes him a consummate hypocrite and our definite top pick for this issue’s hypocrite of the week.
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The Belize Times
sunday, January 17, 2010
AN ASSESSMENT OF BELIZE’'S ECONOMIC PERFORMANCE IN 2009 In November 2009 this columnist sought to examine and review Belize’s economic performance for the first half of the year, in the essay entitled, A Policy Response to Belize’s Recession. Now at the beginning of the New Year 2010 we have been provided with data to indicate the economic performance for 3rd quarter 2009, which covers the period July to September. This writer will provide a review and analysis of the data, but before proceeding will provide a background as to how the data is presented and interpreted, so that our readers can have a clear understanding why the explanations sometimes seem contrary to the economic realities being faced by our people. Gross Domestic Product or GDP, is the main measurement of economic activity within an economy. It measures the real value of output produced, by all economic activity carried out within a country regardless of ownership (domestic or foreign) and it is calculated without subtracting any allowances for capital formation, which is the addition of plant and equipment within firms. GDP is reported at both current and constant prices; constant prices are those that are adjusted for inflation using a reference year as a benchmark. For data produced by the Statistical Institute of Belize, nominal GDP is presented using 2000 prices as the base period. Nominal GDP is important for comparative purposes. Thus, GDP will consist of personal consumption expenditures, gross private domestic investment, government purchases and the difference between imports and exports. Therefore, GDP as an indicator is relatively accurate and useful for measuring how well an economy is performing; although it does have its shortcomings. A few areas not addressed in this measurement are, nonmarket transactions, such as services provided by homemakers and the value of transactions individuals would do for themselves; under-ground or illegal activity are not recorded; improvement in quality of output; the social cost of negative by-products and their effect on the environment and lastly GDP fails to measure any changes in wellbeing or standard of living. Due to those short comings other measurements are used to fill that gap. For comparative purposes and to determine changes in GDP, a review is undertaken of the value of output for the same period in year 1 and year 2. Therefore, for us to understand the performance or change in GDP for 3rd quarter 2009 it is compared to 3rd quarter 2008, with the change recorded as either positive or negative. Table 1
Source: SICB Bz$ million at constant 2000 prices; changes may vary due to rounding off.
Based on the performance for the first 6 months of 2009, the output for 3rd quarter was expected. As noted in the table 1, the economy contracted by 0.2% for the third consecutive quarter. The economy contracted by 2.2% in the first quarter and 1.9% in the second quarter. This situation is therefore identified as a recession – when real GDP falls for two consecutive quarters. Therefore, this supports the recession that we already knew existed. To understand the underlying factors behind the slowdown we must examine how the respective sectors performed as presented in table 2. Table 2
Source: SICB Bz$ million at constant 2000 prices; changes may vary due to rounding off.
The agriculture sector showed positive growth by 12.4% due in main to increased output from the banana industry. The fishing sector contracted by 8.5% due to exports fetching lower prices on the international market. The manufacturing sector grew by a modest 1.5% which was driven by increase oil production by some 25%. Electricity and water sector contracted by 1.2% and transportation and communication likewise by 1.3%, this is reflected by lower consumption driven by both nationals and reduced activity from the tourism sector. This is supported by the contraction in the hotel and restaurant sector which realized a reduction of 5.4%. Total tourist arrivals for the period under review were 180,609 in 2009 versus 193,320 in 2008. This represents a 7% decline in arrivals. The construction industry registered stunning growth of 11.4%, which can be attributed to some government spending in this sector. As private sector construction were limited to minor developments. The wholesale and retail sector realized a reduction of 7.6% as consumers demand reduced which was further evident by the reduction in total imports. January to October 2009 total imports were $1,104.09M while in 2008 for the same period total imports were $1,429.5M, a reduction of 22.7%. Other private services which include financial services and other business services grew by 2.5% and government services also expanded by 9.7%. Government’s continuous spending is reflected in this increase. But with consumer demand being low and wholesale and retail trade contracting, government collection of taxes also suffered by a reduction of 8.2%. Thus, as one reviews the performance of the various sectors the drivers of the economy in the 3rd quarter
were the agriculture and construction sectors. But nonetheless, the economy contracted by 0.2%. Table 3
Source: SICB Bz$ million
Belize’s trade balance showed less than stellar performance as noted in table 3. With imports reduced by 22.7% due to reduced consumption domestically and significantly so within the commercial free zone, this is a direct reflection of the recession constraining Mexican consumption as well. The value of our exports also reduced by 19.7% although oil production increased by 25%, prices fell and so were the returns from those exports. Therefore, government’s ability to meet its budget deficit was eroded with the imposition of the windfall tax at a price level of US$90 per barrel. The expected $100M were never realized. Inflation went from an all time high of 6.4% in 2008 to negative inflation in 2009. Inflation measures the persistent tendency for prices and wages to increase. However, with prices having been on a steady increase and wages stagnant, prices were forced to be reduced in order for product stocks to not accumulate, hence the nose-dive to a negative 1.1% inflation in 2009. Unemployment rate recorded as at September 2009 was 12.5% versus 13.1% in April 2009. This decrease was attributed to an increase in the labour force by 15% or 24,775 persons. As the data indicates that the unemployed population (those actively seeking employment) actually increased by 13%; while, persons not in the labour force (those no longer seeking employment) also increased by 15% or 12,223. Therefore, the reduced unemployment recorded is disguised in its presentation. For the ordinary Belizeans, work has been hard to come by as companies are not expanding their production but rather cutting back; and government projects being far and few in between
professional services, remain in low demand. In anticipation of the global slowdown government ought to have created an appropriate policy response mechanism to ensure sustained demand. However, there was no appropriate policy response put in place from early to mitigate against the negative effects. The $200M stimulus package presented by PM Barrow in January 2009 did not reflect any new financial initiatives undertaken by the newly elected UDP government, instead that was a manifestation of funding that were in the pipeline from 2008. Most of those funds remain approved and undisbursed to date, due the lacuna in government’s institutional capacity. None of the key areas driving the domestic economy has been adequately addressed, namely consumer spending, investments, government spending and Belize’s trade balance. The last being the most important. Due to the openness of the economy Belize’s trade policy is key to the medium term recovery efforts. However, as we enter into the 1st quarter of 2010 we can continue to expect that on all accounts economic growth will be sluggish and slow to recover as any sustained recovery is predicated on international trade flows. Consequently the government response has been “no response” just sit and ride out the storm. So our recovery will be driven by the performance of our major trading partners, namely the US and UK. As stated in my last column of 2009, the global recovery is expected to be uneven and conditions for sustainable growth fragile, consequently Belize’s position must be anchored in its economic and political commitment to regionalism. Therefore, Government is tasked with ensuring that policy formulation is concrete and congruent with Belize’s development objectives. Participating and reaping the benefits of this regionalism can only be realized if Government is driven by the productive sector. The productive sector is called upon to organize and be the driving force to lead Belize’s recovery efforts. Send comments to GwynethNah@gmail.com
sunday, January 17, 2010
The Belize Times
Guest
ditorial
A New Year Resolution
For far too many of us, 2009 ended on a sour note as the country struggled to chart its way through turbulent social, economic and political seas. For far too many of us, it was a struggle to find and hold on to sentiments of peace, love and joy which every Christmas Season should bring. On the heels of the year which 2009 was, then, the year 2010 for far too many of us was greeted with uncertainty and trepidation. For the People’s United Party, the past year was a difficult one of restructuring, rebuilding and a return to the philosophy which has made the Party into such a force of good for the Belizean people. It was also a year of internal conflicts and differences of opinion which made for some very tense and uncertain moments. But with all the internal conflicts and struggles and uncertainty, the People’s United Party ended the year united in purpose and ready to move forward in service of those who need us most. When all was said and done, the Party realized that our petty internal troubles were trivial in the face of the plight of our people. As a Party, we came to a conclusion as clichéd as it is true – united we stand, and divided we will fall. We can only do what we were formed to do – serve each and every Belizean man, woman and child – if we are united and true in word, deed and purpose. And just as that holds true for the PUP, so it holds true for each and every one of us. For a certain few at the pinnacles of power, these have been the very best of times. But for far too many of us, these have been the very worst of times. We must not let that divide us. Rather, we must seek ways to become stronger from adversity. We must look around us and realize that whatever affects any of us affects all of us. As we enter 2010, we must extend the hand of friendship and assistance to all around us. Some of us have fared far worse than others in 2009. In fact the end of 2009 found many of our brothers and sisters jobless and out of hope. While the past months have been difficult ones for all but a privileged few, many of us were still able to put the traditional ham and turkey on our tables for Christmas dinner. The sad reality, though, is that many of us couldn’t. Many of our people are at this very moment wondering what they will give their children to eat tonight. It is no simple thing to do, because it is so easy to get caught up in the ME, and worry little about THEM. But every great journey starts with a single step. Perhaps each of us could resolve, in 2010, to care more about those around us – seeking ways in which we can help to ease the suffering of our Belizean brothers and sisters who truly are living without hope. Perhaps each of us could resolve to at least try to be our brother’s keeper, and our sister’s keeper – to provide some small bit of hope to a child who knows what it is to go to bed hungry with only a candle to provide light. As we leave a troubled time and enter uncharted waters, perhaps each of us could resolve to try a little harder, do a little more and care just a little bit more about those around us who may not be as fortunate as we are. The Prime Minister has announced that the recession is easing, and he has quoted some statistics off the top of his head to support his theory. But the reality is that the Prime Minister’s economy, and the economies of a privileged few of his family and friends, was never in recession. In fact, those individual economies were robust and performing, even as the rest of us tightened our belts and prepared for the very worst of times. Even now, as the Prime Minister makes his announcement, his ‘reality’ seems surreal when we look around us and see the suffering of a nation and people. Twice shy after the vicious bite of this UDP Government, we must not depend on the promised prosperity which, like Barrow’s oil windfall and lowered cost of living, may never materialize. One hand at a time, one step at a time, we must do what we can for our brothers, sisters and nation. We owe it to them. We owe it to ourselves. Let that be our New Year’s resolution.
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10
The Belize Times
hard hitting
sunday, January 17, 2010
When the Good Guys Turn Bad…
By: Mike Rudon Jr. Here’s a question – when’s the last time you heard about a really big drug bust in Belize? Not the discovery of a couple pounds of marijuana during a house search and seizure or the confiscation of a ‘roach’ off a ‘youth man’ hanging on the block. Not that kind of drug bust, but the one which makes big news – the one where members of the media and the GOB press office are invited to some convenient furnace to watch over the destruction of hundreds and hundreds of pounds of cocaine neatly wrapped in 1 kilo bundles. It’s been quite a while, hasn’t it? In fact, the last such momentous occasion is outside the boundary of recent memory. So what exactly happened? Did big-time drug dealers go on holiday since the UDP got into office? Has Belize ceased to be a transshipment mecca between South America and the US? Are the narcotics cartels so afraid of Minister of National Security Carlos Perdomo that they decided to take up other hobbies? In the news the other night, just as the
Crime Minister Carlos Perdomo United States handed over a couple hundred thousand dollars worth of equipment to Belize for the fight against drugs, there were reports of a plane landing somewhere in the Orange Walk district. Our authorities are calling it an ‘unconfirmed rumor’ because they somehow haven’t been able to locate the plane. Credible reports are that the plane was a drug plane. Not that long ago, a drug plane landed on the Northern Highway near to Orange Walk, coincidentally just a day or so after UDP OW Area Representative
ComPol facing rocky road in fighting corruption within BPD Gaspar Vega was sworn in as Acting Prime Minister as the PM left the country. Despite a BDF base and heavy Police presence in OW, the ‘good guys’ somehow arrived after all the narcotics had left the scene. And there are many other stories – of the famed Anti-Drug Unit being deployed on operations in the far south while a shipment slips through the northern border; of riot drills involving all the special units of the Police being called, attendance mandatory, leaving a window open for serious drug
activity in other areas of the country; of officers receiving instructions to cease and desist their surveillance of suspected ‘large-scale’ dealers and areas of interest. The stories inside the Police Department are never-ending, and point to a network of corruption which practically defies belief. At the handing over of equipment last week, Minister of National Security Carlos Perdomo very nonchalantly made reference to the corruption within the Police Department, which indicates that he is either completely clueless as to how bad it really is, or completely on board – you take your pick. Writing about the Police Department in a negative light is generally bad business because it invites repercussions of a distasteful nature. And let’s face it – almost absolute authority added to bad intentions makes for much unpleasantness. But the corruption which has wrapped its slimy tentacles around the ‘good guys’ demands some sort of comment, at the very least. Our ‘good guys’ - and that moniker applies also to those at the highest levels of government who should be the good guys, have apparently gone very, very bad. One case which stands out is the recent execution of a young man who was driven to his death by a ‘friend.’ Even as the story was reported the holes in it were crater-sized and nothing seemed to add up. The ‘friend’ was briefly in Police custody then released. He left the country immediately. There was obvious Police involvement in the murder. Now there is a supposed internal investigation into the murder, more than likely because the family of the murdered youth is wellknown and influential and no doubt have put pressure on Perdomo. Not so long ago another youth was found murdered and his family pointed to Police involvement, but nobody recalls an investigation into that murder. And how about the assassination of a Chinese businessman in Orange Walk? The man who ordered the hit was allowed to leave the country, and fingers pointed to a massive greasing of palms within the Police Department and the DPP’s office. Now nobody seems to know what became of that case. There are high-ranking officers who are said to be on the payrolls of certain ‘businessmen’ in the city. The money which was seized in the million dollar MoneyGram case turned up short more than $150,000 when it finally reached to Court. Evidence in certain cases is routinely ‘lost’ somewhere in Police custody. Guns seized by the Police turn up back on the streets more often than not, back in the hands of criminals. And there is so much more. In fact, a majority of the equipment which was just handed over by the US to the Police Department – which included digital cameras, night vision glasses, bulletproof vests, laptop computers and GPS equipment will probably be on the streets sooner rather than later and in ‘private’ hands. That’s the reality of things in Belize right now. Our politicians lack the will to take a serious stance against crime. Our politicians lack the will, for one reason or the other, to fight against drugs in our country. There is credible word that more than one of our politicians is involved in the running of drugs. When our policy-makers choose not to fight organized crime, so to speak, the men and women in uniform will eventually follow suit. See, it’s like this – at the very top our policymakers are corrupt or negligent or both. That branches out into officers who either choose the ‘if you can’t beat them join them’ philosophy, or the officer who will choose the ‘why fight a battle you’re not supposed to win’ philosophy. Either way, it’s bad news for our very small nation. We’re already seeing the results of that.
sunday, January 17, 2010
The Belize Times
hard hitting
KANAN’S Story...
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Contributed by Dr. Roxanna Alvarez V.M.
On this cold Sunday morning, we buried my nephew. He did not have to die. His mother, my best friend, is a hard working woman who was excitedly awaiting the birth of her second son. She was surprised by his unexpected arrival on the 22nd December 2009, 2 months ahead of his due date. As a premature baby, one would expect that he would be kept in the hospital for a few days at the least. Twenty six hours later, he was released and they were told to go home. The doctor informed my sister that she would have to be a “Kangaroo mother”, which according to him, simply meant that she had to keep the baby warm and fed. According to them, he was fine. My brother-in-law, the baby’s dad was concerned about the baby’s health because of the bad reputation that hospitals in Belize have. Seeking reassurance, he once again asked if they were sure the baby was healthy enough to leave the San Ignacio hospital. They were told to take him home. As good parents, upon their departure from the hospital they tried to find a pediatrician to give Kanan a general check-up. After visiting several clinics, they found out that this was not possible since most doctors in Cayo were on holiday and not available to the public. On the 28th December, my sister noted that Kanan’s skin was changing color and that he was not feeding as he previously did. They returned to
the hospital only to be insulted by the attending doctor who told them that maybe the baby was sick because he didn’t have a name yet. At this time, a name hadn’t been chosen since each child’s name is chosen with great care and must be very significant. To make a long story short, Kanan was admitted to the KHMH on Monday, 28th December 2009 in a very critical condition. It was discovered that he had a blood infection. To many, sepsis is dangerous but to premature low-weight infants, sepsis is life threatening. In the days that followed, the jaundice eventually cleared up, a blood transfusion was performed, his lungs became infected and hemorrhaged, he had to be put on the ventilator, his stomach was in bad condition due to the infection and many of his other organs were affected. On Wednesday, 6th January 2010, I visited him at KHMH and came to the conclusion that my nephew was a fighter. He was lying quietly in the incubator when I arrived. I spoke to him and he lifted his right hand, as in salutation. This moment will forever stay with me. He had a great desire to live. He had an IV hooked up to his artery, was breathing with the help of a ventilator and had tubes coming out of different parts of his body. I knew then that he was even more special than we had originally thought. After fighting to survive for so long, on Friday, 8th January 2010, Kanan
passed away. Brain hemorrhaging caused by the infection was what finally caused his demise. To many, it is simple: THE BELIZEAN HEALTH CARE SYSTEM HAS FAILED AGAIN! To his mother and father, friends and family, it is more than just that. We know that he cannot come back but we feel that the public must be made aware of what happens to those that trust the system and its personnel. Kanan’s death could have been avoided. If he had been properly examined after he was born, the infection could have been detected and controlled at an early stage. As it was, by the time he was admitted to the KHMH, he was already in grave danger. Doctors and nurses at the KHMH worked unreservedly hard at trying to save him and must be commended for this. They tried everything within their power to give him a chance at life. Doctors at the San Ignacio hospital are another matter altogether. I hope that they don’t sleep at night thinking about what they have done. Their carelessness, negligence or simple ignorance has devastated a family, a community and even worse yet, a little boy who was expecting to be an older brother to Kanan. What happens now? How long will we continue to grieve and cry for our loss? How will we get to the point of accepting that our little angel, Kanan, was to some just another statistic? How do we recover from this?
Everyday we hear of murders, burglaries, robberies, rapes and other such heinous crimes. Isn’t negligence a crime also? Don’t our doctors know that when they decided to study medicine and to practice medicine, they relegated their lives to serving others? The Modern Version of the Hippocratic Oath (this is the oath that doctors take upon completion of their studies) states that “Into whatever patient setting I enter, I will go for the benefit of the sick and will abstain from every voluntary act of mischief or corruption…”. The final clause in the oath states that “WHILE I CONTINUE to keep this Oath inviolate may it be granted to me to enjoy life and the practice of the art and science of medicine with the blessing of the Almighty and respected by my peers and society, but should I trespass and violate this Oath, may the reverse be my lot.” Have our doctors forgotten this? Are our doctors so dumb that they do not know that a premature infant needs special attention and care? This cannot continue to happen! What must we do to stop it? Do we need to become violent to be heard? What happens to those that depend solely on public hospitals and clinics because they cannot afford to go to a private doctor or clinic? What happens to those that trust our system simply because they trust that our doctors will do their job properly? Who will answer these questions?
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The Belize Times
hard hitting
sunday, January 17, 2010
How Many More Must Die?
The time has come for Prime Minister Honorable Dean Barrow to fire Hon. Carlos Perdomo as the Minister of National Security. It is only right given the increasing calls for his sacking and the lasting perception that he has never been the right man for the job. In his almost two years as the nation’s top law enforcement official he has not come close to getting a grip on our out of control crime situation that has resulted in most of us living in fear and being terrified to leave the false security of our homes. Today we can no longer overlook the reality that Perdomo has failed to bring a clear strategic direction to policing and national security, has failed to present the nation with a clear outline of the government’s crime fighting policy that would restore some sense of security, or has failed to give us any reason to expect any improvement in his performance any time soon. Much too often, he has appeared overwhelmed by his responsibilities, and perhaps as a result has delegated them to his subordinates, particularly the Police. Meanwhile, the number of murders across the nation continues to break record highs, despite ‘bogus’ police statistics to the contrary. No one will argue that crime and violence have become our number one problem, and we are all aware that there is no quick fix. Although it appears to be becoming unstoppable, we distrust the Police so much that we are hesitant to endorse a heavy handed approach
that would give them carte blanche to bring all their force to bear on the criminals and make our society safer for all. We are afraid that they would abuse their new power and that that would lead us down the road of anarchy, especially when Commissioner Crispin Jefferies is of the opinion that the gang bangers are only out to fudge his statistics that ‘indicate’ that crime is down across the nation. And while we are all threatened by the high levels of lawlessness, we are also unwilling to help the Police, the very persons who are tasked to protect us, in their crime fighting efforts. The majority of us either has or knows someone who has had a bad encounter with the Police - be it a lack of proper responses to the reports of crime, lack of confidentiality, brutality, corruption, or their inability to uphold the law themselves. And to make matters worse, they treat all persons who live in crime hotspots the same regardless if they are upstanding citizens or criminals. At the same time we have become tired of being held hostage in our homes by a few brazen gang members who are shooting at each other in the streets in
the middle of the day on a daily basis. It has become so bad that we dread going outside lest we get caught in random cross fire and become a crime statistic. And if the flying bullets of the high caliber guns were not enough our new reality is that the warring factions now have offensive grenades in their possession and they do not have any compunction in using them to decimate their rivals. With this in mind, how can Jeffries face the nation and report that crime is down and our communities are safer? But while we can chuckle at Jeffries’ faux paux, we can no longer put up with the ineptitude of Perdomo who has failed to address the fear and terror we are feeling over the escalation in crime. In the end, he has the final say in the crime fighting efforts – be it successful or utter failures. Yet we have not heard a word from him regarding any new crime plan or any new initiative to tackle the crime situation. So far the silence has been disconcerting since we can surely recall that when the United Democratic Party was in opposition, Barrow clamored from his bully
pulpit that he had the key to stop the criminals. Yet since taking office, Barrow, Perdomo, and the Cabinet have demonstrated that they have no clear plan to deal with crime and their actions have been knee jerk responses to the worsening crime situation. This has led to frustration over their inability to respond effectively to the serious threats that crime and violence pose to our society. And we know that they are aware of the urgency of the situation. If they were not, Barrow would not have expended political mileage and personally met with the leaders of the warring factions to broker a truce that would put an end to the grenade explosions. Alas, Barrow has no clout with the gang bangers. Another grenade went off a couple days following the meeting. There seems to be a lack of government resolve to tackle the declining state of law and order just now. In other words, many of us strongly believe that Barrow and his Cabinet are not doing enough to protect us or to punish the perpetrators of crime. It is clear that since he took office, no serious progress has been made in the fight against crime. As a result, we strongly disapprove of the government’s handling of crime and violence, especially Barrow’s expressed confidence in Perdomo and the decision to hold on to him as the Minister of National Security.
Sunday, January 17, 2010
The Belize Times
Baroness of the Belize oil fields
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Reprinted from the Belfast Telegraph - Tuesday, January 12, 2010
By Lindsay Fergus Irish investors are laughing all the way to the bank after striking black gold in Central America. Hundreds of people from Northern Ireland and the Republic have just received their first payout after taking a gamble on a Belfast-born oil baroness. Feisty geologist Susan Morrice silenced her many critics after defying the odds to strike oil in Belize on her first wildcat operation. Ironically dozens of explorations had been carried out in the country over 50 years by oil giants including the likes of Shell and BP, but to no avail. It took Ms Morrice, sister of former MLA Jane Morrice, years to privately raise the capital needed to fund the exercise - just one drill costs several million. Josh Stewart, a former Belfast man and a director with Belize Natural Energy (BNE), said: "Investors who have never invested, have invested in this company on Susan's belief that there was oil there when everybody else said there wasn't... and at Christmas they got their first, significant and massive dividend." Although it has been four years since the first oil strike it was worth the wait as some investors, who shared a pot of $10m, received payouts of up to $750,000. And to cement Ms Morrice's belief that there was a rich source of oil in Belize, BNE declared its second oil field last month. BNE is Belize's only petroleum-
producing company and is pumping 5,000 barrels of oil per day from 10 wells at Spanish Outlook - with a gross revenue of $112m in 2008. Although in the great scheme of oil producers Belize is a small fish in a very big pond, some geologists claim the country as a whole could produce 50,000 barrels a day. But with the price of oil currently hovering around $83 a barrel, that still makes BNE pretty rich. Denver-based Ms Morrice explained: "What happened was absolutely unbelievable, we started to drill and we hit the best oil in the world, light sweet crude, beating all odds. The oil is like the icing on top of the cake. "At first we thought we had hit about six million barrels recoverable and with each independent engineering report instead of decreasing, it actually seems to be increasing and I think we are heading towards 20 million barrels of oil recoverable. "Now we have just discovered a second oilfield." The internationally renowned explorationist with decades of experience in oil exploration attributes her success to her 'entrepreneurial spirit' and 'can do attitude'. She said: "I have been working in Belize since 1984 and I knew almost instinctively as well as scientifically that there was oil there. It just had to be found. "I am not necessarily a better geologist than Shell or BP, it was a belief that I was right and no matter how many doubts - even from the biggest
oil companies - I kept that invincible vision and if you do that, then you do not get swayed by the doubt. "You have the odd moment where you think 'oh my God' but actually the dominant force is the way forward." And energy is a common thread in the family as Ms Morrice is married to Alex Cranberg, chairman of Denverbased energy company Aspect Holdings. Another company of the couple's CHx, a private investment firm, is the joint venture partner of BNE. In 2003, BNE negotiated a Product Sharing Agreement with the Government of Belize and that partnership has proved lucrative for both parties as BNE is now the number one revenue driver for the country. Mr Stewart, who attended Methodist College, said: "We have been selling our oil onto Costa Rica , but we actually have a new partnership starting the first quarter of this year with the US refineries. "We will be strengthening the Belize-US government to government ties so we are pumping all that oil into the US refineries which is a huge boost." However, not only has BNE proved a financial success, it has also had a major impact on the local community in terms of employment, revenue, funding and social development. More than $100,000 have already been donated to local schools and flood relief schemes after the company and its Irish investors signed a deal which ensured monies from oil revenues were
spent on improving health, education and the environment. And Ms Morrice is adamant that is why so many people from Northern Ireland and the Republic were prepared to back BNE. She said: "I find in Ireland that a lot of people really want to make a difference. I think what attracted them into our investment was not only a belief in our vision, but a desire to make a difference in the country of Belize, which is very poor." BNE's accomplishments have also provided employment for 400 people and created spin-off businesses. Ms Morrice said: "What has happened is BNE has gone to the number one revenue generator in the whole country in less than three years; it's phenomenal, it's another unheard of thing. "The entrepreneurial spirit is alive and well. Men who own their tank trucks come, fill up their tanks and take it down to the ships for export. Restaurants, grocery shops and little hotels are springing up." Another scheme the company is involved in is the BNE Dream Trust, which will provide microfinancing and seed capital to help Belizeans realise their business dreams. So the crude oil in Spanish Lookout has not only made Ms Morrice, a past recipient of the Distinguished Service Award from the American Association of Petroleum Geologists, a lot of money but it has allowed Belize to dream of energy independence and a better future for this poor nation.
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COURT NEWS Three Fined For Handling Stolen Jewelry
Mavin McFoy
Dwayne White
BELIZE CITY, Wed. Jan. 13, 2010 Three of four persons charged with handling stolen goods pled guilty to the charge when they appeared today in the #6 Magistrate’s Court. They are Marvin McFoy, 22, a resident of Lavender Street who works as a sideman on a boat; Dwayne White, 21, an office assistant at Sadie Vernon High School and White’s common-law wife, Julia Santos, 21, a teacher at a pre-school. Magistrate Sharon Fraser told them that her initial reaction was to send them to prison to set an example but she decided not to give them a custodial sentence because they have no previous conviction. She fined each of them $500 and gave them until February 15
Tour Guide Remanded to Prison for Unlicensed .25 Pistol
Julia Santos
to pay. If they default on payment they will serve 6 months. McFoy was found with a gold anklet on January 5. On January 11, the Police found White with one twisted gold bracelet. The following day, January 12, the police found Santos, the mother of a 10 month old baby, with one gold diver medal. The fourth person, Kurt Smith, 27, was allegedly found with one gold bracelet with 4 stones. Smith pleaded not guilty to handling stolen goods. He was released on a bail of $2,000 and his case was adjourned until March 3. The stolen items that were recovered by the Police were a small portion of the proceeds from a burglary that occurred
Andy Forbes
between 6:00 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. on December 30, 2009. Janine Morrison reported to the Police that her house at #174 Bradley’s Crescent in the Belama Area was burglarized while she was not at home. The items that were stolen apart from the jewelry included one black HP Laptop computer and one digital camera. The value of the stolen items amounted to $12,505.
BELIZE CITY, Wed. Jan. 13, 2010. Andy Forbes, 26, a tour guide of #156 Neal Pen Road, became an inmate of Kolbe Foundation Belize Central Prison after he appeared in the #6 Magistrate’s Court and was arraigned on a charge of kept firearm without a gun license. Forbes pled not guilty to the charge. Magistrate Sharon Fraser explained to him that the Court could not offer him bail because of the nature of the offence. She remanded him into custody until February 24. The incident occurred at 3:30 p.m. on Monday, January 11. According to reports, Forbes had a misunderstanding with another man and he was standing in front of his gate when a Police mobile patrol appeared and approached him. The Police reported that when Forbes saw the vehicle approaching he ran into his yard and threw an object into his neighbor’s yard. The Police pursued Forbes, caught and took him to where the object was thrown. They reported that when they retrieved the object it was an Ex-cam brand .25 pistol with serial number M68265. The pistol, which did not have any ammunition in its magazine, was shown to Forbes and was labeled as an exhibit. Forbes was taken into custody and charged.
Police Constable Interdicted On Bigamy Charge
Jaime Pena
BELIZE CITY, Wed. Jan. 13, 2010
Police Constable Jaime Pena, 34, attached to the Caribbean Shores substation, was charged with bigamy and making a false declaration for the purpose of marriage when he appeared in the #1 Magistrate’s Court on Monday, January 11. No plea was taken from him because the offences are indictable. He was released on bail of $5,000 and his case was adjourned until February 11. Pena allegedly committed bigamy on February 19, 2008 when he married Olga Guzman while still being married to Rubia Camara. The second offence was committed on February 18, 2008. Camara, a teacher residing in Corozal Town, reported to the Police that she and Pena were married on February 17, 1998 and she filed for legal separation from him and was granted it in March 2007 only to find that he had gotten married to another woman. It was the second time that Pena was charged with the offences. He was first charged in 2009 and the charges were withdrawn due to lack of evidence. In 2007 Pena was accused of domestic abuse by his first wife but he was acquitted of the charge.
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COURT NEWS Construction Worker Fined for Beating 4 Year Old Step-son BELIZE CITY, Wed. Jan. 13, 2010 A fine of $1,000 was imposed on Cornel Gomez, 21, on Monday, January 11, when he appeared in the #3 Magistrate’s Court and pled guilty to harm for beating his 4 year old step-son, Shamar Smith, with a belt on Thursday January 7. Magistrate Kathleen Lewis, who fined Gomez, gave him until March 31 to pay. If he defaults on payment he will serve 6 months. In passing sentence Magistrate Lewis said that the Court does not want to give the impression that parents should not discipline their children but they should not go over the limit and physically abuse them. It was Gomez’s common-law wife Sandy Smith, 25, the child’s mother, who took him to the Police Station and made the report. She told Police that her son, who has a habit of biting his lip, was biting his lip and Gomez told him to stop doing it. When the child continued to bite his lip
Woman Remanded For Stabbing Her Common-Law Husband
Marsha Gabourel Cornel Gomez
Gomez took a belt and lashed him on his buttocks and back. The child was examined by Dr. Egbert Grinage who found that there were bruises and lacerations on his back and buttocks. Dr. Grinage classified the injuries as harm. There were also scratches on the child’s face but there was no evidence that they were from the beating.
BELIZE CITY, Wed. Jan. 13, 2010
Marsha Gabourel, 23, a domestic worker of #14 Johnson Street who allegedly stabbed her common-law husband Elvis Hope, 26, was charged with grievous harm when she appeared today in the #4 Magistrate’s Court. Gabourel pled not guilty to the charge. She was denied bail and remanded into custody until Friday, January 15 because Hope’s condition could not be
ascertained. The incident occurred at around 7:30 p.m. on Sunday, January 10. Hope, who was admitted to ward at the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital in a critical condition, reported to the Police that he and Gabourel had an argument because she took too long to assist him with a clothesline. Hope said that he and Gabourel began to struggle and during the struggle Gabourel stabbed him in his left armpit and the left side of his buttocks. Gabourel is the mother of a 4 month old baby. According to reports Gabourel may have been the victim of domestic abuse.
Security Guard Remanded for Alleged Stabbing and Machete Attack
Desmond Thompson
BELIZE CITY, Wed. Jan. 13, 2010
Desmond Thompson, 65, a security guard at Bowen and Bowen who allegedly stabbed one man and attacked another with a machete, was charged with dangerous harm and aggravated assault when he appeared today in the #6 Magistrate’s Court. Thompson pled not guilty to dangerous harm but no plea was taken from him for aggravated assault because it is an indictable offence. Magistrate Sharon Fraser denied him bail and remanded him into custody. Thompson, who has been working with Bowen and Bowen for about 10 years, was in tears when he was told that he will be remanded to prison. He told Magistrate Fraser that he will lose his job. Thompson was denied bail because the condition of Kirk Craig, 46, the person he allegedly stabbed, has not been ascertained. The incident in connection with dangerous harm occurred on Saturday, January 9. Craig, who manages an apartment building on Nurse Seay Street, reported to the Police that between 11:00 a.m. and midday he had an argument with Thompson, one of the tenants, over rent money that was due. Craig said Thompson pulled a kitchen knife and stabbed him in the right side of his abdomen. On January 12, three days later, Thompson allegedly attacked Ervin Yorke, 58, the owner of the apartment building when Yorke asked about the stabbing incident and the rent money.
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sunday, January 17, 2010
The Belize Times
Sr. Primer Ministro
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Ya ayudaste a tu familia...
Nos puedes ayudar a nosotros ahora?
Ya nos cansamos de imaginar!
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sunday, January 17, 2010
Reclama tus Derechos! Estimados,
“SIC TRANSIT GLORIA….” (QUE RÁPIDO PASA LA GLORIA DEL MUNDO)
Era un constante oír a Joe Bradley en el show matutino del UDP expresando que el pueblo no se beneficiaba de los ingresos del petróleo. Esto era su canto de todos los días y siempre contaba con un coro compuesto por los otros dos conductores del show. En el tono que se expresaba este conductor pareciera que le molestaba la propiedad de la empresa petrolera BNE. Tanto así que hasta popularizo los apodos “Sally y Suzie”. Por supuesto, ahora que el UDP formo el gobierno y ha renegociado el contrato con BNE y ha puesto sus políticas ya no se oyen los canticos de Joe sobre el caso del petróleo. Pareciera que esta nadando en el viscoso oro negro o perdió el formato del show ya que no se oye a nadie hablar sobre este tema. Después de dos años de gobierno los charlatanes UDP mantienen silencio sobre este tema y ni siquiera se han dignado en reportar o discutir sobre lo que se le ha pagado a los inversionistas irlandeses por “Sally y Suzie” de la empresa BNE. En la edición del martes pasado el Belfast Telegraph, un periódico irlandés reporto que “inversionistas irlandeses están celebrando sus ganancias después de encontrar oro negro en Centro América”. Qué diferencia, o sea un contraste definitivo a lo que dijo el Primer Ministro sobre los ingresos del petróleo en su discurso cuando presento el presupuesto estatal el año pasado. En ese entonces el Primer Ministro dijo “que los ingresos adicionales que se esperaban por la alza en los precios del petróleo nunca se materializaron, pero sic transit Gloria…” Mientras los beliceños han tenido que lidiar con la realidad de muy pocos beneficios de nuestros recursos no renovables, Susan Morris ha podido pagarle a muchos irlandeses. El periódico Belfast Telegraph celebro este bono inesperado reportando “para navidad estos inversionistas por primera vez recibieron utilidades masivas y significantes de sus inversiones”. El periódico también reporto que lo que empezó con una pequeña inversión de US$10m en el año 2008 ahora había generado ingresos brutos de US$112 millones. Tanto así que algunos inversionistas irlandeses recibieron pagos de más de BZ $1.5 millones. La pregunta es entonces, ¿cuánto recibió el gobierno beliceño? ¿Cuántos dividendos se les pago a los accionistas beliceños? ¿Con cuanto se han beneficiado los accionistas beliceños? Esto podría ser una buena pregunta para el ministro en este periódico la próxima semana. Durante la administración PUP cuando se descubrió que había petróleo en cantidades comerciales el Líder del Partido, en aquel entonces el Ministro de Recursos Naturales, consulto ampliamente con diversos sectores nacionales e internacionales sobre este tema. El Líder discutió el tema de petróleo con expertos de Trinidad, Texas, la Mancomunidad, India y entablo conversación con muchos beliceños incluyendo al que entonces era el Líder de la Oposición Dean Barrow. Su lema y mensaje siempre fue que deberíamos hacer todo lo posible por administrar este recurso no renovable de una manera sostenible y con equidad. El presento el concepto de un Fondo de Petróleo y de asegurarnos de que los ingresos de este se utilizaran en beneficio de todo beliceño ahora y en el futuro. Después de dos años de estar en gobierno y de estar gritando sobre los beneficios del petróleo, este gobierno UDP nos ha fallado y no ha podido generar algo bueno de la producción de petróleo que se ha incrementado de 2000 barriles por día en 2007 a 5000 barriles por día. Este gobierno no se digno a ver los planes que existían para esta industria y no se han tomado el tiempo para revisar toda la investigación. Nunca escucharon los consejos de los líderes del PUP sobre cómo manejar el bono y otros temas. Así que este gran fiasco se le atribuye a Barrow y a su gobierno UDP. Y mientras el BNE sigue explotando el petróleo de nuestro suelo y los inversionistas celebran haberse ganado la lotería, los beliceños se siguen empobreciendo más cada día. Las últimas estadísticas nos reportan que el 43% de nuestra población ahora se categoriza como pobre representando un incremento del 10% en 2005. Y como echándole sal a la herida, el Belfast Telegraph reporta que Morris dice que lo que empezó como un campo de pozos de 6 millones de barriles ahora se ha verificado que es de 20 millones de barriles. También se dijo que han encontrado otros pozos de petróleo. Mientras que los beliceños habíamos hablado sobre este segundo campo de pozos, al pueblo beliceño le era desconocido de que el contrato de campos petroleros de 6 millones de barriles se había convertido en uno de 20 millones.. Se reporto que Susan Morris dijo que Belice era un país muy pobre y que le empresa petrolera estaba contribuyendo para aliviar esto. Se dijo que BNE había gastado Bz $200,000 el año pasado en proyectos de caridad. Se jacta la Morris de regalar estos Bz $200,000 de un ingreso bruto de US $224 millones y pagando utilidades a inversionistas de más de $1.5 millones. Por supuesto que no se le puede culpar a “Sally y Suzie” por todo esto. Tampoco les podemos culpar o hacerlas responsables por lo que no hemos cobrado en ingresos para el gobierno de la venta del petróleo. No les podemos echar la culpa que las pérdidas cumulativas han sido de $7 millones. Sally y Suzie no son las responsables de que los beliceños tuvimos recesión como regalo de navidad mientras los inversionistas irlandeses recibieron regalos hasta de $1.5 millones. Esto todo a costo de nuestro petróleo. A los que debemos de responsabilizar de todo esto es a Barrow y a su gobierno. También deberíamos preguntarle a Joe y a su equipo de coristas que si ya están sintiendo lo resbaloso del crudo.
Realmente considere si valía la pena escribir esta obra en particular ya que pueden estar todavía en el estado de ánimo de fiesta y celebración en paz y tranquilidad. Sin embargo, lo que me movió a escribir este artículo aún es el simple hecho de que para muchas personas no había mucho que celebrar, y con que muchos de ellos también, realmente no ven la Navidad como lo han hecho en los últimos años. En Cayo, la queja general de este año es que están mal las cosas. Las cosas son ásperas. No hay dinero de sobra para comprar cosas para el hogar, la familia e incluso a los niños. La comunidad empresarial ha estado quejándose desde hace bastantes meses y se ha agravado ahora al final del año, cuando un gran porcentaje de los artículos comprados para estas fiestas se mantendrá en stock, porque el público no salió a hacer sus "grandes compras", como de costumbre. En muchos países, los gobiernos locales y centrales controlan a sus ciudadanos mediante el patrocinio de grandes eventos públicos como conciertos musicales, eventos de subvenciones cinematográficas, etc. etc., en estos ponen grandes árboles de Navidad y decoran con luces, instrumentos musicales, representaciones del nacimiento de Cristo, etc. El público saca a sus hijos y toda la familia a ver las exhibiciones públicas. En Cayo no hubo semejantes actividades públicas. El Ayuntamiento no podía molestarse en entretener a sus contribuyentes con un regalito para la ocasión solemne. Sin embargo, el Excmo. Elvin Penner, conocido en San Ignacio como "exhibicionista", hizo honor a su nombre. Su casa estaba iluminada desde los cimientos hasta el techo y, además, tenia grandes adornos caros que se mostraban en la parte superior del techo. Los Penners realmente se alborotaron el gasto con el "dinero de los contribuyentes" y por supuesto los costos de electricidad están a cargo del erario público. Toda la calle en que vive tiene muy pocas o ninguna luz que aparece en sus balcones y en otros lugares debido a las duras condiciones de todo el mundo está experimentando. Es como una bofetada en la cara del público, especialmente a los ciudadanos de Morathon en Cayo Noreste, por Penner para vestir su casa para impresionar de esta manera! Esta es una extravaganza de lo peor! Mi amigo y yo estábamos haciendo algunas observaciones y ambos coincidimos en que Penner NO es un político inteligente. Como cuestión de hecho, no es nada inteligente. Usted ve, vive próximo al lado del campo Falcon que es un parque público, actualmente administrado por BECOL por el acuerdo con el Consejo del Deporte. Un político inteligente habría vestido un árbol de Navidad y hubiera usado todos los adornos para hacer una exhibición pública en lugar de una exhibición privada. Las familias podrían haber llevado a sus hijos al parque por la noche para ver el árbol de Navidad con todos sus adornos, luces y otros servicios. ¡Pero no! Penner, que probablemente ni siquiera cree en la Navidad tuvo que impresionar como suele hacer, como cuando llama a la estación de radio con tanta frecuencia sólo para oírse a sí mismo. Algunos residentes se quejaron porque dicen que el Excmo. Penner, este año, les envió una pequeña bolsa con maíz y dos retoños de plátano. Noventa y nueve% o más de residentes de la ciudad no tienen granjas, ni tienen espacio en sus patios traseros poco para plantar los árboles y no se puede criar cerdos en la ciudad debido a la legislación de salud pública. Así que, ¿qué deben hacer con el maíz Sr. Penner? La extravagancia de Elvin Penner sin embargo no fue solo para la Navidad. El 28 de agosto, se celebraron los 15 años de su hija en la taberna de Cahal Pech donde se consumieron alrededor de 60 cajas de Tecate, Sol y de cerveza Corona. No había una sola cerveza Belikin disponible. ¿Fueron estas cervezas traídas legalmente? ¿Se le perdonaron los impuestos que gravan la cerveza importada? Hay fotos de cuando eran descargadas en esta población, por lo que no temo que el señor Penner se puede negar o puede amenazar con demandar por difamación. Por lo tanto, ¿es esta la forma en que nuestros funcionarios de gobierno apoyar a nuestras y ahora caídas industrias locales? De hecho tenemos algunos analfabetos, que sirven solo a sus intereses propios, monstruos sin preocupaciones y vengativos que nos rigen hoy en día. Es sólo el tiempo que espera ahora a ser el testigo de su desaparición y la pérdida de poder en las próximas elecciones. Tal vez a uno de los canales de televisión le gustaría ir a la casa de Penner y tomar un vídeo para que el público pueda presenciar la exuberancia de este hombre y la extravagancia que ha exhibido, mientras que otros en la comunidad no tienen nada que comer. !Belice, reclama tus derechos. Parate y haste escuchar!
sunday, January 17, 2010
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Voces VALLE DE PAZ Elizabeth Pridgeon Hace treinta años El Salvador estaba en las garras de los principios de una guerra civil paralizante que se cocino durante años, y cientos de miles de salvadoreños estaban cada vez más desesperados para buscar refugio en cercanas '”tierras-seguras”. Tras el golpe de 1979, Belice se dio cuenta de la urgencia de ayudar a su regional "amigo", y se comprometió a ofrecer una solución a un puñado suertudos refugiados salvadoreños: Valle de la Paz (coloquialmente conocido como Valle de Paz). La primera oleada de refugiados salvadoreños llego al Valle de la Paz en 1980, constaba de cinco familias, cada una de las cuales se le dio una superficie considerable de tierra para establecer la producción agrícola, además de una parcela para construir una casa. Poco después, una "segunda oleada" de inmigrantes colonizó el pueblo, impulsando enormemente tanto la demografía y la producción agrícola de la zona. El acuerdo indocumentado fue que, a medida que más salvadoreños se asentaran en el pueblo, más tierras se pondrían a disposición de los beliceños, que igualmente buscaban un «nuevo comienzo» en un «pueblo nuevo». Sin embargo, los beliceños son de alguna manera menos exitosos en el sector agrícola local, y muchos se fueron del pueblo en un par de años de su llegada, hoy, Valle de la Paz es el hogar de sólo dos de las familias de origen beliceño que se establecieron en el pueblo a principios de los 1980. Aunque el concepto de Valle de la Paz parece idílico, el pueblo ha sufrido numerosos poco prácticos físico y conflictos sociales a lo largo de los años. El primer problema que se presentaría un empeoramiento social como lotes de diferentes tamaños fueron donados a familias diferentes: mientras que algunos de los primeros inmigrantes recibieron 50 hectáreas para establecer la producción agrícola, otros emigrantes de la "segunda oleada" recibieron menos de la mitad de esta superficie, que se consideró "injusto 'por muchos residentes. Otro problema que afectan a todos los residentes fue la aridez de la zona, y la falta de corrientes de agua cercanas, ríos, arroyos o embalses que agrava esta situación. Sólo hasta en la última década el agua entubada se ha puesto a disposición
de los residentes mediante el apoyo conjunto de las Naciones Unidas, Ayuda para el progreso y WASA, que estableció un tanque de agua el primer
y único del pueblo. Un tanque de agua puede parecer suficiente, según las estadísticas, pero Valle de la Paz es uno de los pueblos más grandes de acuerdo a la tierra en masa en el país, comparable a la distribución en expansión de los astilleros. Así, los residentes de Valle de la Paz pueden verse a varias millas de la vida de sus homólogos, y cientos de hectáreas de cultivo de separación. La ambición agrícola para el Valle de la Paz, sin embargo, demostró ser posible desde el principio, y con la orientación de los menonitas y residentes cercanos asistieron a los salvadoreños a establecer algunas de las mejores fincas de crecimiento de ensalada en la región. Pimientos dulces, Chile, tomate, el calabacín, pepino, repollo y zanahorias son algunos de los productos de mayor prevalencia, que se venden en el mercado cerca de Belmopán, y los excedentes son llevados a la ciudad de Belice para la venta. Pese a los asesores agrícolas se emplean para la zona en los primeros años a fomentar la diversificación y la no dependencia de un cultivo básico, muchos consejos no fueron tenidos en cuenta, que ha dado lugar a personas que compiten en los mismos productos, creación de excedentes inimaginable (lo que resulta en el vertido de, literalmente, toneladas de productos de vez en cuando). La infraestructura de la aldea también causa problemas en algunas ocasiones. En la década de 1980, se esperaba que cada granja mantendría su propios caminos de acceso mediante la concesión de becas de subsistencia, pero la propuesta nunca llegó a buen término y el pueblo que hoy sufre caminos en mal estado, sobre todo durante la temporada de lluvias, cuando las fuertes lluvias crea torrentes sobre las tierras en el entorno montañoso. Valle de la Paz,
sin embargo, disponen de los recursos naturales para la reparación de carreteras, como una cantera de caliza en los límites de la aldea produce tanto material como nunca podría ser requerido por un pueblo. El exceso de esta cantera, que hasta ahora siempre se ha considerado un activo comunal de la aldea, estimulo al Consejo actual del UDP a vender el producto en la piedra caliza a las empresas constructoras y proveedores externos de material, los aldeanos se quejan de que estos ingresos adicionales nunca ha beneficiado a los residentes, y sigue estando fuertemente controlada por la Presidenta y sus consejeros. Sin embargo, el apoyo externo en los últimos años (que continúa hoy en día) parece que va a ayudar al pueblo en el futuro mucho más que el actual gobierno está dispuesto. Un grupo de Scouts de Canadá muy activos han participado en las propuestas de desarrollo de la comunidad de Valle de la Paz para los últimos tres años, después de haber financiado y ayudado a construir el centro de huracanes de la comunidad, trabajó en la escuela, y este año, después de haber ayudado a financiar y construir la Clínica de Salud de la comunidad. Cinco líderes del grupo junto a doce jóvenes buscaron el apoyo del Fondo de
del Pueblo la Hermandad Scout, el Rotary Club y la Embajada de Canadá para proporcionar materiales de construcción, mano de obra que fue donada por numerosos aldeanos para ayudar al grupo. Las disposiciones de salud para el Valle de la Paz han sido especialmente desatendido en los últimos años, y se espera que el Ministerio de salud cumpla su promesa más reciente de proporcionar una enfermera y un médico cinco días a la semana para la comunidad se cumpla: seguramente se seguirán de cerca por parte de numerosas personas (el Belice Times incluido). Valle de la Paz, literalmente, representaba un refugio de seguridad para los campesinos angustiados obligados a huir de su patria salvadoreña en la década de 1980, y aún hoy en día un flujo constante de inmigrantes llegan a Valle de la paz que buscan una nueva oportunidad - una nueva esperanza. Existe la preocupación de que el agotamiento continuo de los recursos del pueblo para atender a estos recién llegados se deteriore la calidad de vida que los residentes han pasado tres décadas para establecer. Tal vez es hora de un nuevo valle "de la Paz" que se propondrá antes de éste pierde su homónimo en pacifico?
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The Belize Times
The
sunday, January 17, 2010
Belize Times ol
ñ a p s E n E
Guest
ditorial
UNA RESOLUCIÓN DE AÑO NUEVO
Para demasiados de nosotros, el 2009 terminó con una nota amarga, mientras que el país luchaba para trazar su camino a través de mares turbulentos sociales, económicos y políticos. Para demasiados de nosotros, fue una lucha para encontrar y conservar los sentimientos de paz, amor y alegría que cada temporada de que muchos recibimos con incertidumbre y temor. Para el Partido Unido del Pueblo, el año pasado fue un año difícil en la reestructuración, la reconstrucción y el retorno a la filosofía del partido que ha sido una fuerza de bien para el pueblo de Belice. También fue un año de conflictos internos y las diferencias de opinión que hicieron algunos momentos tensos e intensos. Pero con todos los conflictos, luchas internas y la incertidumbre, el Partido Unido del Pueblo terminó el año unido en el propósito y dispuestos a avanzar en el servicio de quienes más nos necesitan. Cuando todo estaba dicho y hecho, el Partido se dio cuenta de que nuestras miserias internas eran insignificantes frente a la difícil situación de nuestro pueblo. Como una de las Partes, llegamos a una conclusión como un cliché, ya que es cierto – Unidos nos mantenemos, y divididos caeremos. Nosotros sólo podemos hacer lo que fuimos formados para hacer - servir a todos y cada uno de Belice, mujer y niño - si estamos unidos y la verdad en palabra, obra y propósito. Y así como esa es una verdad para el PUP, es válido para todos y cada uno de nosotros. Para unos pocos en la cúspide del poder, estos han sido los mejores de los tiempos. Sin embargo, para demasiados de nosotros, estos han sido los peores de los tiempos. No debemos dejar que nos dividan. Más bien, debemos buscar la manera de ser más fuertes ante la adversidad. Tenemos que mirar a nuestro alrededor y darnos cuenta de que todo lo que afecta a uno de nosotros nos afecta a todos. Al entrar en el año 2010, debemos extender la mano de la amistad y la asistencia a todos los que nos rodean. Algunos de nosotros hemos salido mucho mejor parados que otros en el 2009. De hecho, a finales de 2009 encontramos a muchos de nuestros hermanos y hermanas sin trabajo sin esperanza. Si bien los últimos meses han sido difíciles para todos, pero para unos pocos privilegiados, muchos de nosotros fuimos capaces de poner el jamón y el pavo tradicional en nuestras mesas para la cena de Navidad. La triste realidad, sin embargo, es que muchos de nosotros no pudimos. Mucha de nuestra gente están en este momento, preguntándose lo que van a dar a sus hijos a comer esta noche. No es cosa fácil de hacer, porque es muy fácil entrar en el YO, y preocuparse poco de ELLOS. Pero todo gran viaje comienza con un solo paso. Tal vez cada uno de nosotros podemos hacer una resolución para el 2010, a preocuparnos más por los que nos rodean - la búsqueda de formas en que podemos ayudar a aliviar el sufrimiento de nuestros hermanos y hermanas de Belice, que realmente viven sin esperanza. Tal vez cada uno de nosotros pueda tener la resolución de por lo menos tratar de ser guardianes de nuestros hermanos, proporcionar un poco de esperanza a un niño que sabe lo que es ir a la cama con hambre, con sólo una vela para proporcionar la luz. A medida que dejamos un tiempo problemático y entramos en aguas desconocidas, tal vez cada uno de nosotros podemos resolver a probar un poco más difícil, hacer un poco más cuidadosos, un poco más acerca de quienes nos rodean, que pueden no ser tan afortunados como nosotros. El Primer Ministro ha anunciado que la recesión está cediendo, y ha citado algunas estadísticas de la parte superior de su cabeza para apoyar su teoría. Pero la ealidad es que la economía del Primer Ministro, y las economías de unos pocos privilegiados, de su familia y amigos, nunca estaba en recesión. De hecho, sus economías individuales eran robustas y las llevan a cabo, aun cuando el resto de nosotros nos estamos apretando el cinturón y preparado para el peor de los tiempos. Incluso ahora, mientras el Primer Ministro hace su anuncio, su "realidad" parece surrealista, cuando miramos nuestro alrededor y vemos el sufrimiento de una nación y pueblo. Doblemente tímido después de la picadura viciosa de este gobierno del UDP, no debemos depender de la prosperidad prometida, como la bonanza petrolera de Barrow y la reducción del costo de vida, nunca se materializaran. Una mano a la vez, un paso a la vez, debemos hacer todo lo posible por nuestros hermanos, hermanas y la nación. Se lo debemos a ellos. Nos lo debemos a nosotros mismos. Que ésta sea nuestra resolución de Año Nuevo.
Preguntas a los Ministros
1
Que el Primer Ministro por favor diga ¿cuando va a aprobar la Ley de enriquecimiento ilícito como se prometió en el Manifiesto del UDP hace dos años, ya que él y todos sus ministros parecen estar muy por encima de la adquisición de la riqueza de sus salarios?
2
Que el Ministro de Seguridad Nacional por favor nos diga ¿que confort puede ofrecer a los ciudadanos de Belice en la raíz de los años cada vez más violentos mientras que una ola de terrorismo urbano le pega a la nación? ¿Podría el Ministro decir si está de acuerdo con la opinión generalizada de que es un fracaso y una broma y debería renunciar de inmediato?
3
¿Podrá el Ministro de Seguridad Nacional también informar a la nación de la fecha de la ultimo decomiso de drogas, ya que parece que en virtud del UDP, no drogas importantes se han sacado de las calles y grandes traficantes de drogas pueden actuar con impunidad?
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¿Será el Ministro de Estado en el Ministerio de Obras tan amable de proporcionar una lista de los bienes que ha «adquirido», desde que asumió el cargo?, ya que los beliceños ahora están aprendiendo sobre una nueva empresa, clear the land cable, que recientemente se ha iniciado
5
¿Estará el Ministro de Obras dispuesto a proporcionar una lista de todos los trabajos realizados en la ciudad de Belice, como parte del proyecto de rejuvenecimiento, ya que los beliceños no puede ver donde $5 millones se han gastado en la ciudad?
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sunday, January 17, 2010
The Belize Times
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NATION BUILDERS
GRACE COLEMAN
Elizabeth Pridgeon A problem cited by many as contributing to disintegrating social values within Belize today is a certain reluctance among younger generations to contribute to their communities and find gainful employment. All of us know dozens of perfectlyabled teenagers who prefer to sit at home and watch ‘novelas’ rather than adventure, explore and experience the employment sector. A generation or two ago, that kind of indolent behaviour was not accepted, least of all by recent migrant communities who sought to sustain themselves and their families in their new homeland of Belize. One such family was that of Ms Grace Coleman, who today is known throughout southern Belizean as an entrepreneurial force to be reckoned with! But the accumulated success of Ms. Grace is entirely a product of her determination and persistent hard work over the years, which resulted in one of the most popular restaurant and hotel establishments in all of Punta Gorda. Ms. Grace’s family emigrated from Guatemala when she was just twelve years old. By the age of 14, Ms. Grace’s parents expected her to contribute towards the family’s earnings, and she found a job within a dry goods store relatively quickly. She worked her way progressively through various stores in Punta Gorda town, and ultimately was working evenings in associated restaurants too, which gave her excellent experience in the catering industry as well as the retail sector. In October 1979, Ms. Grace was full of ambition but lacking financial resources, and she began dabbling in the lottery in the hope of winning just enough to establish her own retail business. Four months later, Ms. Grace won one of the jackpots, and followed her ambition and invested the money wisely. The first money-making initiative that Ms Grace implemented was developing the poultry industry in Punta Gorda, which until then had featured a remarkable shortage of chicken products on sale. Ms. Grace travelled to Belmopan to apply for a licence to import chicken from Guatemala, and upon receipt of this permission, Ms. Grace imported her first batch of Guatemalan chickens to Punta Gorda: a grand total of 51 pounds! Amazed by the popularity and feasibility of her idea (before long selling up to 800 pounds of chicken every day), it was not long before Ms. Grace’s parents’ property was not big enough to support her enterprise, and in October 1980, Ms. Grace rented her first independent property on Front Street. She complimented
her chicken sales with ideals (for she was still one of the minority of Punta Gorda citizens who had a freezer) and gradually began stocking other dry goods, especially clothes. Travelling up to Belize City was exhausting for Ms. Grace, who would be away for over 24 hours merely to replenish her stocks of shoes, clothing and fashion accessories. However, her outstanding record of payment encouraged several big wholesale shops in the City to establish a credit account for Ms. Grace, which meant that she could order products to be delivered, and pay for them upon receipt. She found great business support from Guatemalan traders, who docked in Punta Gorda in order to stock their boats with modern items that were largely unavailable at the time in nearby Guatemalan towns. By this time, Ms. Grace had divided her retail businesses, separating food produce from dry goods, and employing certain assistants to help run the business. However, the economic downturn in the early 1990s forced Ms. Grace to discontinue the sale of chicken and instead focus on improving the sales of dry goods. Unfazed by the hazards and hard work involved, Ms. Grace acquired a small van in order to transport her goods throughout the district, travelling as far away as Placencia, Hopkins, Georgetown and Bella Vista in order to continue earning sufficient to support her growing family. Once Ms Grace’s trade had picked up again, she was expedient to invest her money into another enterprise to ensure continued financial turnover. In 1992, Ms Grace sought a loan in order to purchase a property to create her own hotel. This she did, and marvels at how it attracted customers within its early years, but she recognised a fault in Punta Gorda
which would not encourage visitors to stay: a shortage of restaurants, and the complete closure of all restaurants on Sundays and Public Holidays. Always eager to provide quality service, Ms. Grace pondered this predicament for several years, and by 1997 she opened her own restaurant adjacent to her hotel.
Although the eatery began by selling traditional Belizean dishes and seafood, demand quickly extended the menu to include a wide selection of international cuisine. And so, despite having worked for the best part of half a century in Punta Gorda retail and hospitality sectors, Ms. Grace is as eager to please her customers today as ever, and she is continually on the look out for new enterprising initiatives that may prove financially beneficial for her and her family in the future. Ms. Grace should be held high as an inspiration for the hundreds (perhaps thousands) of youth today who lack the ambition and drive to seek employment and independently sustain themselves. Without hard-working characters like Ms. Grace Coleman, there is no doubt that Belize wouldn’t boast the productive industries that have become synonymous with the country today. For this contribution to the development of various service industries in Punta Gorda, therefore, Ms. Grace may be appreciated as a Nation Builder of Belize.
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The Belize Times
sunday, January 17, 2010
VOICES Village
from the
VALLEY OF PEACE Elizabeth Pridgeon Thirty years ago, El Salvador was in the early grips of a crippling civil war which had been stewing for years, and hundreds of thousands of Salvadorans were increasingly desperate to seek refuge in nearby ‘safelands’. Following the coup of 1979, Belize realised the urgency of assisting its regional ‘friend’, and committed to offering a solution for a lucky handful of Salvadoran refugees: Valley of Peace (colloquially referred to as Valle de Paz). The first influx of Salvadoran refugees to Va l l e y o f Peace in 1980 consisted of five families, each of which wa s given a substantial acreage of land to establish agricultural production, plus a plot upon which to build a house. Shortly afterwards, a ‘second wave’ of immigrants colonised the village, greatly boosting both the demographics and agricultural production of the area. The undocumented agreement was that, as more Salvadorans settled in the village, more land would be made available to Belizeans who were equally seeking a ‘new start’ in a ‘new village’. However, Belizeans were somehow less successful in the local agricultural sector, and many left the village within only a couple of years of arriving; today, Valley of Peace is home to only two of the original Belizean families who settled in the village in the early 1980s. Although the concept of Valley of Peace seems idyllic, the village has suffered numerous physical impracticalities and social conflicts over the years. The first problem to present itself was social aggravation as various sized lots were donated to different families: whilst some early immigrants received 50 acres to establish agricultural production, other ‘second wave’ migrants received less than half this land area, which was deemed ‘unjust’ by many residents. Another problem to plague all residents was the aridity of the area, and the lack of nearby streams, rivers, creeks or reservoirs which exacerbated this situation. It is only in the last decade that piped water has been made available to residents through the combined support of the UN, Help for Progress and WASA, which established the village’s first and only water tank. One water tank may seem sufficient according to statistics, but Valley of Peace is one of the largest villages according to land mass in the country, comparable to the sprawling layout of Shipyard. Thus residents of Valley of Peace may find themselves living several miles from their
than the current government is willing to. A group of exceedingly proactive Canadian Scouts have been participating in community development proposals of
counterparts, and farming hundreds of acres apart. The agricultural ambition for Valley of Peace, however, proved itself attainable from the start, and guidance from resident and nearby Mennonites assisted the Salvadorans to establish some of the best salad-growing
Valley of Peace for the past three years, having funded and helped build the community hurricane centre, worked on the school, and this year, having helped fund and build the Community Health Clinic. Five group leaders alongside twelve youth sought support from the Scout Brotherhood Fund, the Rotary Club and the Canadian Embassy to provide building materials, whilst labour was donated by numerous farms in the region. Sweet and chile peppers, tomatoes, zucchini, cucumber, cabbage and carrots are some of the most prevalent products, all of which are sold on the nearby Belmopan market, and surpluses are taken to Belize City for sale. Despite international agricultural advisors being employed for the area in the early years to encourage diversification and non-reliance on one staple crop, much advice was not heeded, which has resulted in people competing in the same products, creating unimaginable surpluses (resulting in the dumping of literally tons of produce on occasion). The infrastructure of the village also causes problems on occasion. In the 1980s, it was hoped that each farm would maintain its own access roads through the provision of maintenance grants, but the proposal never reached fruition and the village now suffers poorly maintained roads, particularly during the rainy season, when heavy rain creates torrents of overland flow in the hilly surroundings. Valley of Peace does, however, have the natural resources for road repair, as a large limestone quarry within the village boundaries produces as much material as could ever be required by one village. The excess of this quarry, which until now has always been considered a communal village asset, stimulated the current UDP village council to sell the limestone product to external construction companies and material suppliers; villagers complain that this extra revenue for the village has never benefitted the residents, and remains tightly controlled by the Chairwoman and her councillors. However, external support in recent years (which continues today) looks set to assist the village into the future far more
villagers to assist the group. The health provisions for Valley of Peace have been especially neglected over recent years, and it is hoped that the Ministry of Health’s most recent promise to provide a nurse and doctor five days a week for the community will be fulfilled: it will certainly be closely monitored by numerous par ties (the Belize Times included). Valley of Peace literally represented a haven of safety for distraught campesinos forced to flee their Salvadoran homeland in the 1980s, and even today a steady stream of immigrants arrive in Valley of Peace seeking a new opportunity – a new hope. There are concerns that the continued exhaustion of the village’s resources to cater to these new arrivals will deteriorate the quality of life that residents have spent three decades establishing. Perhaps it is time for a new ‘Valley of Peace’ to be proposed before this one loses its peaceful namesake?
sunday, January 17, 2010
The Belize Times
PRISON GIFT SHOP
Elizabeth Pridgeon W hen chang es to the prison administration began with the privatization of Hattieville jail in 2002, one project in particular was designed to change the system of rehabilitation whilst offering sources of income to “working” inmates. The culmination of these plans was the opening of the Prison Gift Shop in 2005 in new – more accessible – premises on the outskirts of the prison boundary, easily reachable from the Boom road by passing members of the public. The gift shop, often staffed by inmates under going rehabilitation, has a wide array of prison-made commodities including furniture, jewellery and carvings. Using a range of materials, including silver, pewter, gold, mahogany,
IZAK’S WIRELESS
Elizabeth Pridgeon Izak’s Wireless has been one of the premier independent cell-phone stockists in Orange Walk since its opening in 2001. The phone and gadget store, at 61 Queen Victoria Avenue, is well stocked with various SMART and Digicel phones to suit everybody’s needs, and manager Gerson Torres is proud to offer some of the newest models in i-phones, touchscreen phones and blackberry models available in Belize. Since 2005, the store has extended its product line to include phone accessories such as batteries, chargers and cases, and Izak’s now also stocks cameras, MP3s, and one-off sales items such as DVD players and i-pod speakers. Izak’s is open 8am until 5pm Monday to Friday (staying open during the lunch period too, allowing working customers to fulfil their shopping requirements during their mid-day break). It is also open on Saturdays from 8am until 3pm. Far from being ‘just another cell-phone shop’, Izak’s Wireless offers customer service and care, and advises its clientele on what phone model is best for them, and what the best offers on the market are today. So for Orangewalkaños looking for a phone upgrade, or an unusual accessory for their current phone, there is no better place than Izak’s to start the search! Telephone enquiries are also welcome, on 302-0177.
cerracote and granadillo wood, prisoners harness various trades and skills to cater to customer’s demands. Furniture on
sale include doors, chairs, stools and occasionally tables, whilst wood carvings incorporate a vast range of figurines from
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marine life to national birds to crucifixes. Wholesale orders are also welcome. The sale of goods in the prison gift shop enables the resident artists to receive a small stipend salary every fortnight, with the intention of providing a money-saving mechanism for inmates in preparation for their release from prison. And for the past couple of months, prison woodwork and gifts have also been available at the new Prison Gift Shop premises in the Tourist Village in Belize City. It is anticipated that trade will be much enhanced now the mission has two sales locations, especially during the upcoming peak tourist season. Both gift shops are open during normal working hours, and for extended sessions upon demand (such as for group visits), and both premises welcome locals and tourists alike to support a truly national initiative.
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The Belize Times
sunday, January 17, 2010
Belize #1 Sports Page
Santino Castillo wins 1st Red Bull Cat 4&5 race
Belize City, January 10, 2010 Team Santino’s 53-year-old Santino “di Chief ” Castillo won the 1st Red Bull Weekend Warriors cycling race for Category 4 & 5 riders co-sponsored by M&M Engineering Ltd and held by the Belize Cycling Association on the Northern Highway on Sunday. Santino clocked 1:56:00 on his 50-mile-ride from Orange Walk to the M&M Engineering Ltd offices on the Northern Highway to win the 1st place trophy and 8 Miller Lite beers and 4 Red Bull energy drinks. Team M&M’s Roque Matus won the 2nd place trophy, along with 4
Miller Lite beers and 4 Red Bull energy drinks. Team Fabrigas’ Andrew Ordonez won the 3rd place trophy and 2 Miller Lite beers and 4 Red Bull energy drinks. Fitzgerald “Palas” Joseph took 4th place to win a trophy and 2 Miller Lite beers and 2 Red Bull energy drinks. Orange Walk’s Allan Conorquie of Team L.A. pulled in 5th to win a trophy and 2 Miller Lite beers and 2 Red Bull energy drinks. Team Fabrigas’ John Burns was 6th, Phillip Burns was 7th, Team Paediatrics Center’s Curtis Eck pulled in 8th, Truckers Posse’s Colonel George Lovell Sr. was 9th
and Team Paediatrics Center’s Marlon Swift rounded out the top 10, each winning a medal and a Miller Lite beer and a Red Bull energy drink. Team M&M’s Liam Stewart was 11th, Truckers Posse’s Dr. Edwin Martinez was 12th, Team Paediatrics’ Deryck Smith was 13th, Martin Esquiliano was 14th, Orange Walk’s Hipolito Flores of Team LA finished 15th and Team Paediatrics’ Adrian Faux was 16th. Team M&M’s Shalini Zabaneh was the first female, finishing 17th overall. Team Paediatrics’ Ashton Burns was 18th, Truckers Posse’s Valentino Sosa was 19th and Tom Tillett rounded out the top 20. Some 28 contenders lined up in front of the Orange Walk Town Hall for the start of the race, but no one took the lead in the neutral zone to Carmelita Village where the race really got underway. Andrew Ordonez seized the lead to win the 1st station prize package of Miller Lite beers, Red Bull energy drinks and Gatorade at Mile 40, and he swept the next station prize package at the Crooked Tree junction. Team Fabrigas’ Juan Gonzalez won the 3rd station prize package at mile 20, and he was still leading a close-packed peloton when the race rolled into the city. Meanwhile Santino had been conserving his energy in the middle of the peloton and when he made his move to sprint for the tape, no one could challenge him.
Guatemala’s Carlos Hernandez wins 2010 ‘Sugar & Cream’ New Year’s Cycling Classic Belize City, January 1, 2010 Team Zayra Tico del Sureste’s Carlos Hernandez, a Guatemalan riding on the Mexican team, won Radio KREM’s 2010 annual ‘Sugar & Cream’ Cycling Classic held in collaboration with the Belize Cycling Association on New Year’s Day. Hernandez clocked 3:39:39 on his 100 mile ride from Corozal Town to the border and back to finish on Central American boulevard near the Mahogany Street junction to win the $2,000 1st prize, the champion’s trophy, a round trip ticket courtesy of American Airlines to the continental United States, a $500 prize bull from Minister of State Hon. Edmund Castro and a gift basket from Grace Kennedy Belize Ltd. Hernandez had gotten away from the main peloton in a 2-man breakaway with Donizetti Vasquez Aburto of the Mexican ‘Depredadores’ team from Chetumal, Quintana Roo at mile 25, and they had quickly opened up a 35 second gap. Hernandez won $200 worth of spices from Sewell Spices in Sand Hill, and alternated the lead with Donizetti, who won the $100 sheep sponsored by Minister Castro and a $242 gift certificate from Maruba Resort at the junction with the old Northern Highway to Maskall. Hernandez also won the $100 sheep sponsored by Minister Castro at the Burrell Boom junction. Donizetti went down in a 2 man pile up with Gregory Lovell when they hit a dog, but both would be in the top 10 at the finish. Mexico’s Juan Ramon Juarez had taken over the lead at mile 13 to win
a $100 prize from Dr Joel Cervantes, and swept the next 5 prizes: $100 at the Lord’s Bank junction, $100 at mile 9, a $75 ice chest from Zeta Ice factory in Ladyville and $270 worth of 6” cement blocks at the airport junction. Guatemalan rider Miguel Perez took over the pace crossing the Haulover bridge, but Mexican rider Cesar Vaquera also of the Depredadores team overtook him to win 2 prizes passing the offices of Grace Kennedy Belize Ltd and at Mile 3. Perez surged ahead to sweep the last 5 prizes totaling $475 entering the city to the Community Drug store at Farmers Market. Hernandez was hard on his wheel and won the sprint across the Bel Can bridge to the finish line. Mexican cyclist Carlos Manuel Hernandez, also of the Depredadores team was right behind, clocking 3:39:42 as he won the $1,500 prize and the 2nd place trophy. Team Benny’s Megabytes’ Costa Rican import Marcos Salas Arias won the $1,000 3rd prize and trophy, and Mexican rider Cesar Vaquera of the Depredarores team was fourth to win a $500 prize. Guatemalan rider Miguel Perez of Orange Walk’s Team Zamir Cycling won the $300 5th prize. The first Belizean was Team Santino’s Darnell Barrow who led the chase group in the sprint for 6th place to win the $275 6th prize. Team Santino’s Domingo Lewis claimed the $200 7th prize, while teammate Gregory Lovell took home the $175 8th prize. Orange Walk’s Jairo Campos of Team Typhoon won the $150 9th prize, while Donizetti Vasquez rounded out the top 10 to win a $100 prize.
Team Indeco’s Geon Hanson and Erwin Middleton from Belmopan are all grown up now, competing with the big boys to each win a $75 prize for 11th and 12th places. Team Zamir’s Peter Choto pulled in 13th, a nose ahead of Team Santino’s Giovanni “Froggy” Leslie who placed 14th, while Team Western Spirit’s Jose Choto won the $50 15th prize. Team Typhoon’s Allen Castillo and Edgar Nissan Arana won 16th and 17th places, Team C-Ray’s Brandon Cattouse pulled in 18th, Team Santino’s was 19th and Team Zamir’s Rodrigo Leiva was 20th - each of these 5 won a $25 prize. Belizeans had done well in the opening miles of the race: Nissan Arana won the $150 station prize at Gush & Emy in Corozal, and Team Zamir’s Mateo Cruz claimed the next $200 prize in Ranchito village. Team Benny’s Megabytes’ Byron Pope led briefly in San Joaquin village to win a short stay with meals at the Cahal Pech Resort, before Miguel Perez won the $300 prize at the mile 75 marker. Rodrigo Leiva won the DVD player offered in Louisville; then Orange Walk’s Arnidez Rivas of the Sugar City Starz won the next 11 prizes, including the grand $1,000 prize at the SHELL One Stop service station in Orange Walk Town, a $450 grill in Carmelita Village, a 100 lbs of butane from Gas Tomza Belize Ltd, a $200 prize from Brothers Habet at mile 35, $200 from Eustest Dawson Auto Parts at the Crooked Tree junction and a case of Stone ginger wine at mile 30.
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The Belize Times
sunday, January 17, 2010
Belize #1 Sports Page
Team Cayo High Road’s Daniel Choto wins 2010 ‘Sugar & Cream’ Junior Cycling Classic Belize City, January 1, 2010 Team Cayo High Road’s Daniel Choto won Radio KREM’s 2010 annual “Sugar & Cream’ Cycling Classic held in collaboration with the Belize Cycling Association on New Year’s Day. Choto clocked 2:18:55 on his 50 mile ride from Orange Walk Town to cross the finish line all alone on Central American boulevard 2 minutes ahead of the field, winning the $500 1st prize, the champion’s trophy, and a gift basket from Grace Kennedy Belize Ltd. Juan Jose Cuellar Samos of Mexico’s Team Diario de Quintana Roo caught and passed 14-year-old Aidan Amir Juan in the sprint to the finish line, clocking 2:20:12 to win a $300 2nd prize and trophy. This was Aidan Juan’s 3rd race and he had to be content with the $200 3rd prize and trophy. Team Depredadores’ Joan Quintal placed 4th, while teammate Jose Juan Cuellar Samos was 5th. Team Smart’s Eduard Burns placed 6th,Team Indeco’s Kyle
Gentle pulled in 7th and Cayo High Road’s Darren Williams was 8th. Team C-Ray’s Claude Young rounded out the top 10. Christopher Andrews had won the first station prize at the Tower Hill bridge then Claude Young won 50 lbs of butane from Gas Tomza Belize Ltd, sweeping the next 2 prizes to the Crooked Tree junction.
Kyle Gentle won a $100 sheep sponsored by Minister Castro at Maxboro, sweeping the next 2 prizes at Los Lagos and at the Grace Kennedy Belize office at Mile 3. Choto had gotten away in a 2-man breakaway with teammate Juan Umana, but when Umana fell and a service motorcycle ran over his bike, breaking it, Choto pressed on for the win.
Shalini Zabaneh wins 2010 ‘Sugar & Cream’ Women’s Cycling Classic
Belize City, January 1, 2010 Team Sagitun’s Shalini Zabaneh won Radio KREM’s 2010 annual “Sugar & Cream’ women’s Cycling Classic held in collaboration with the Belize Cycling Association on New Year’s Day. Zabaneh rode in solo as she completed the 50 mile ride from Orange Walk Town to Central American boulevard to win the $500 1st prize, the champion’s trophy, and a gift basket from Grace Kennedy Belize Ltd. Team Telemedia Swoosh’s Anthea Sutherland had the legs on
a weary 3x winner Fiona Humes, who had won several station prizes as she led the race to the city. Sutherland won the $300 2nd prize and trophy, while Humes took home the $200 3rd prize and trophy. Jane Usher riding unattached finished 4th and veteran Sheena Castillo made a comeback to finish 5th. Castillo had won the first station prize at the Tower Hill toll bridge, then Humes took the next 2 $50 prizes in Carmelita Village and mile 40. Sutherland won 50 lbs of
butane from Gas Tomza Belize Ltd, but Humes swept the next 3 prizes at mile 35, mile 30 and mile 25. Shalini Zabaneh won a $100 sheep at the Crooked Tree junction, but Humes recovered to win the next $200 prize at mile 20. Sheena Castillo won the $100 prize at mile 15 and Jane Usher won a prize at Los Lagos but Castillo took the next prize at mile 11. Shalini led from the airport junction sweeping 6 more prizes on the way to city. Jane Usher won a $100 prize at the Haulover Bridge.
sunday, January 17, 2010
The Belize Times
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Belize #1 Sports Page
Kulture Yabra blasts Northside United 5-1 in over-35 football
Belize City, January 10, 2010 The Kulture Yabra over-35 veterans stomped Northside United 5-1 in the over-35 football competition at the MCC garden on Sunday afternoon. Charles Slusher, Peter Guy and Emerson Jones spearheaded the Kulture Yabra offensive, backed up by midfelders Norman “Tilliman” Pipersburgh, David “Manu” Macaulay Sr, and Cecil “Tata” Smith, and the Northside defenders: Albert Hoare, Samir Barrios, Joseph
“BDF” Tillett and Anthony Phillips had their work cut out to contain their attacks. Even so Charlie Slusher penetrated to get off shots that forced Northside goalie Marlon Rosado to come up with several saves. The pressure of the Yabra offensive told on Northside midfielder Emmanuel Agbo, who pulled a thigh muscle and had to retire from the field, leaving the Northside squad playing with only 10 men; there were no substitutes on the
bench. The Northside defenders stopped Norman Pipersburgh at midfield, but gave up a free kick, and Tilliman’s execution was textbook, placing the ball perfectly into the goal area for Charlie Slusher to finish the play with a header that had Rosado beat as Kulture Yabra took a 1-0 lead in the 30th minute of play. The Yabra celebration was short-lived as a minute later Kevin Rowland raced up the right flank and out-maneuvered Yabra defenders Basil Milton and George James to lob a shot over Yabra goalie Sebastian Nunez Jr. to rebound off the left goal post and into the back of the net, to equalize the score at 1-1. Kulture Yabra remained on the offensive winning a corner kick, which Peter Guy lobbed into the goal area. Marlon Rosado should have gotten up the vertical to tip it over the crossbar, but he was out of position as it fell behind him and bounced into the net to give Yabra a 2-1 lead at the half time break. In the 2nd half, Northside’s Wayne Eiley, Brian Meighan and Julio Swazo sought to equalize again, with the help of Roberto Bernardez and Rowland at
midfield. But it was Alfred Codrington, coming off the Yabra bench to replace Cecil Smith, who set the play for Slusher to outrun the Northside defenders. Rosado shifted position to narrow the angle, but Slusher slapped the ball across to Emerson Jones who drilled home Yabra’s 3rd goal. The Yabra squad continued to refresh their offensive line-up as Murray Menzies relieved Basil Milton, and Norman Bonnel replaced Emerson Jones. Slusher kept on the pressure to blast in a 4th and a 5th goal to complete his hat trick for the 5-1 Yabra win.
Ladyville Tech & Gwen Liz boys lead CSSSA schools football The Gwen Lizarraga High School boys had also won 1-0 over the Nazarene High School boys on Monday evening; with Raheem Flowers scoring the winning goal. The Gwen Liz boys also drew 2-2 with the Edward P. Yorke High School boys last Wednesday. Ralph Martinez and Dale Tillett had scored for Gwen Liz. Alfred Garnett and Darren Leal equalized for Edward P. Yorke but found themselves a man short when Keith Anderson was sent off with a red card. The Anglican Cathedral College boys also posted 2-1 win over the Edward P. Yorke High School boys on Monday. Lovell Mejia had delighted the E.P. Yorke fans when he connected with a header
Belize City, January 8, 2010 The Ladyville Technical High School boys and the Gwen Lizarraga High School boys lead the 2010 Central Secondary Schools Sports Association football competition, each with a win and 2 draws in the past week of competition at the MCC garden. The Ladyville Technical High School boys battled to a 2-2 draw with the St. John’s College boys on Tuesday. Avian Crawford gave the SJC boys a 1-0 lead when he lobbed a free kick over the wall of defenders into the goal. But David Ramos soon equalized for Ladyville Tech when he lobbed a free kick from 40 yards out over the SJC goalie’s head and under the crossbar into the net. David Ramos gave the Ladyville boys the 2-1 lead when he danced the ball around 4 defenders to drill the ball past
the goalie, but the SJC boys equalized the score when Misael Canul’s execution of a free kick beat the Ladyville goalie, who got a glove on the ball but could not stop it from passing over him into the back of the net. The SJC boys had done better in their first game, posting a 3-0 win over the Sadie Vernon Technical High School boys last Thursday on strikes by Misael Canul, Avian Crawford and Kendice Williams. Sadie Vernon’s cause was not helped when Alpheus Cleland got ejected from the game with a red card. The Ladyville Tech boys had also struggled to a scoreless draw with the Gwen Liz boys last Friday evening The Ladyville Tech boys had won their opening game 2-0 over the Nazarene High School boys last Wednesday evening; Denroy McCord scored both goals.
to finish a free kick by Cito Martinez to take a 1-0 lead into the half time break. Darrel Myvett equalized for ACC in the 2nd half, and Justin Usher’s forward pass found Gilbert Neal for the finish to score the winning goal. The TUBAL Institute boys won 2 – 1 over the Wesley College boys last Thursday evening. Clinton Jorgenson and Ivory Copious scored for Tubal, but only Michael Perrera scored for Wesley College, who found themselves playing one man down when Junior Najera was sent off with a red card. The Gwen Liz girls also won the 1st female game 1-0 over the Wesley College girls last Friday, on a strike by Jaslyn Cadle.
sunday, January 17, 2010
The Belize Times
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Belize #1 Sports Page
Stella Maris boys lead primary school basketball 5-0 Belize City, January 12, 2009 The Stella Maris School boys to lead the Belize City primary schools basketball 5-0 when the competition resumed at the Belize City Center on Tuesday. The Stella Maris School boys edged by the St John’s Vianney RC School 22-21 to post their 5th win. Jamaal Cherrington with 16pts top scored for Stella Maris, Michael Graham added 4pts and Philip Meighan – 2pts. Randy Franklin led St John Vianney with 13pts, Raheem Richardson and Kane Smith added 4pts each. The Buttonwood Bay Nazarene School boys enjoyed their 2nd win 26-17 over the Central Christian School boys. Kenyon White hit 2 treys to lead Buttonwood Bay with 12 pts, and Ricardo Pavon added 10pts. Anfernee Brooks hit 2 treys to lead Central Christian with 8pts and Mikel Longsworth added 6pts. The Trinity Methodist School boys enjoyed their 3rd win 20-17 over the St Ignatius RC School boys. Elwin Pollard led Trinity Methodist with 10 points; Oscar Gutierrez added 4pts and Mateo Gutierrez, Marlon and Frank Young tossed in a bucket each. Keimar Nicholas led Nashus with 9pts, Sydney Bradley added 6pts and Akeem Baptist tossed in one bucket. The St Luke’s Methodist also enjoyed an 18-10 win over the St. John’s Anglican Primary School boys. Alex O’Brian led St. Luke’s boys with 10pts, Kenrick Requena added 4pts, while Joseph Lopez and Harold Usher tossed in a bucket apiece.
Shawn Philips and Akeem Forbes scored 4pts each for St. John’s. On Tuesday, the St Martin’s RC School boys outlasted St. Mary’s Government School 33-28. Isise Leslie led with 8pts, Kirkland Lambey hit 2 treys to add 7 pts, while Stanley Lambey added 6pts and Clency Lopez followed with a trey to add 5pts. Anfernee Conorquie tossed in the last bucket for the win. Steven Goff led St Mary’s with 11pts, Lismo Williams hit a trey as he added 7pts and Jordan Williams added 6pts. The Belize Elementary School boys romped to a 16-12 win over the Holy Redeemer RC School boys. Jordanny Williams led the BES boys with 8pts, while Zachary Usher scored two buckets on the put-back from rebounds. Jorge Espat and Zac Bouloy added a bucket apiece. Jover Lopez led Holy Redeemer with 4pts, while K’lon Augustus added 3pts. Central Christian School boys romped to a 29-11 blowout of the All Saints boys. Anfernee Brooks led with 12pts, while Marquise Stamp had 9pts and Marlon Garbutt had 4pts. Kenyon Evans scored all 11pts for All Saints. The Queen Street Baptist School boys also romped to their 3rd win 16-11 over the Wesley Upper School boys. Jahron Myvett led with 10pts, Kiffer Mckenzie hit a trey and Devan Gillett tossed in another bucket. Trey Bowen also hit a trey as he led Wesley with 5 pts.
St. Martin’s girls lead primary school basketball 4-0
Belize City, January 12, 2009 T he undefeated St. Mar tin’s RC School girls upset the hitherto undefeated St. Luke’s Methodist girls 15-4 to post their 4th win and lead the Belize City primary schools basketball competition at the Belize City Center on Tuesday.
Gilda Moguel led the Martin’s girls with 10pts, while Janelle Grinage added 3pts and Cella Thompson added one more bucket. Jannely Lamb scored 4pts for St Luke’s, who are 4 wins - 1 loss. The Belize Elementary School girls also enjoyed their 3rd win 7-4 over the Queen Square Anglican girls. Zoe Mao
led the BES girls with 5pts, while Balika Meighan tossed in a bucket. Lyshen Young and Kayla Boush scored a bucket apiece for Queen Square. The Holy Redeemer RC School girls also posted their 2nd win 10-8 over the St. John’s Anglican Primary School girls. Indie Dixon opened the scored Holy
Redeemer’s 1st bucket and Courtney Duran added another bucket to take a 4-0 lead into the half time break. Tyra Moriera added 6pts for Holy Redeemer in the 2nd half, while Ashley Bailey led St John’s with 6pts and Erica Olivera added one more bucket.
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The Belize Times
Sober
Reflections
On resolutions, criticism & hypocrisy..! before I go back to work, so I haven’t had a chance to look at any newspapers for the past week. A couple people have said that Colin bs had some choice words about the paper and yours truly, though. Ok, no worries. About Harry’s criticism I will say only that I don’t take it personally because I don’t think he meant it personally. I think Harry is just old school and
By: Mike Rudon Jr. I start this year’s first bit of literary rambling by welcoming back our faithful readers - those who read in support, those who read for information, those who read for entertainment and even those who read just to get some ammunition to criticize us for the fulfillment of some personal or political agenda or the other. WELCOME ALL. It’s been a difficult year for most of us, for most of you. For me, personally, it’s been an especially trying time. In fact, toward the end of the year I wasn’t even sure I’d still be a bit player in this messy, nasty, convoluted and very dangerous time in which we political animals bob and weave. Even now I’m not exactly sure if me still being on the periphery of the political game in some small part is a good or bad thing, but that’s another story for another time. The New Year is a time of resolutions, so allow me to share mine. Apart from the usual no drinking (actually I’m doing pretty good with that one) and healthy eating and exercise (not so good with this one), I’ve decided that I’m not going to take any more crap from anyone. There are very few important things in life – family, real friends, pride, selfrespect and happiness/contentment the most important to my way of thinking. There are a lot of people out there who get kicks out of bringing others down. My resolution and my two cents worth of advice to any who are interested – focus on what’s important and kick all the little things and little people to the curb. That’s it. Hell, I know this isn’t exactly political warmongering, but it’s my column so give me a break and allow me my few seconds of sentiment. Now with that said, let me just say this. We ended off 2009 with a bit of criticism coming from Harry Lawrence in the guise of an editorial in the Reporter Newspaper. He objected to the use of what he called expletives in one issue of the Belize Times. In his own peculiar old world style, Harry ‘lambasted’ yours truly while attempting in equal parts to lecture and impart bits of wisdom, a sort of Journalism 101, so to speak. Word is that we also started off the year with some criticism in the Amandala Newspaper from Colin bs. I’m not so sure about that one because I haven’t seen it. Fact is I’m writing this on the weekend
a little prudish in his ways of thinking… nothing wrong with that, really. About Harry trying to lecture on what is really good journalism I am forced to say this, however. I have nothing but praise for the new Reporter Newspaper which is gaining much credibility after fresher heads took over the helm. Hell, nothing personal old chum, but people still laugh about a story in the ‘old’ Reporter Newspaper about some member of British Royalty visiting Belize and giving an address. The thing is, although the story in the Reporter detailed the royal comments at some dinner or the other, at the last minute the trip had been cancelled. The punch line of the story is that when Harry was questioned about the story, his nonchalant answer was that that was what the Royal would have said if he had visited! So please, my friend, no lessons in journalism! About the comments from Colin bs…well, like I said, I haven’t seen them. I do know that the Kremandala group isn’t too happy with some of us for too freely venting what we feel about the tin fence, but that’s all well and good. I expect a lot more of the same from them in the weeks ahead. Damn, I just have a problem with people who run their mouths with reckless abandon but shriek
sunday, January 17, 2010 and moan like plundered virgins when comments are aimed their way. Everybody wants to go to heaven but you don’t see anybody in a hurry to die. That’s been my single favourite sentence since some irreverent classmate whispered it to me in some mass or the other back at SJC. See, the Belize Times is owned by the People’s United Party. This is a political paper. We make no apologies. We have no hidden agendas. Our job is to inform the nation about the crap that the UDP is doing, and that’s just what we do. There are a lot of people out there in the so-called mainstream media who claim objectivity and impartiality and profess sterling journalistic integrity and undying commitment to Belizeans even while their back pockets are bulging with an assortment of hidden agendas, cash or perks. You won’t get that here. And you know what else you won’t find in the Belize Times? You won’t find any of the hypocrisy which is so pervasive in the ‘mainstream’ media today. We’ll tell it like it is, like it or not. And if you don’t like it, the name’s right at the top, so you’ll know who to contact. No bulls@#t, no games. New Year…new rules!
Sunday, January 17, 2010
The Belize Times
Strictly Personal Barrow is bogus!
By glenntillett@yahoo.com Shortly after the UDP won the 1993 General Elections Evan Hyde put a picture of Dean Barrow in the AMANDALA over the caption “Plastic Man.” I was puzzled by the picture and caption and asked him why. As is his wont, he gave me both the short answer and the long answer but on two separate occasions. These days I wonder if Evan Hyde’s opinion of Dean Barrow has changed, if he still thinks Dean Oliver is a fop given to frippery, a narcissistic sell-out. Or alternatively, I wonder if he thinks Dean Oliver has changed from the man who egged him on to beat “Lot” Aragon at basketball and sat laughing in the stands while the two men went at it. Evan gave the long answer in one of his From The Publisher columns in which he described the game and how it came about, and in that column in his own unique way he gave us an insight into our current prime minister that is still very much apt today. Evan’s brother Colin bh thinks I should lay off Dean because he figures the PUP had ten years and Dean hasn’t had quite two years yet. With all due respect bro, (and with malice towards none), I not only don’t believe in political honeymoons but Barrow has already done ten years worth of crap in less than two years time. If I sound bitterly disappointed in the dream merchant it is because I am. It’s not that I believed or disbelieved the promises or drank from the “Imagine the possibilities” cup. I rationalized that given a fresh start, a clean slate if you will, combined with two terms of experience Dean Barrow would do good or would at least do no harm. The plastic man has morphed into Dean the Dictator, but more Kim Jong-il and less Lee Kuan Yew, or more Castaneda’s petty tyrant and less the Machiavelli’s philosopher prince he seems to think he is. I expect that all leading politicians will resort to mendaciousness at times but Barrow the Bogus has displayed such an extraordinary ability to speak out of both sides of his mouth that he is a walking contradiction. You can point to nearly all of his utterances and I can show you a lie, an untruth, a mischaracterization,
you name it, the entire gamut is represented. Now I don’t consider that necessarily a failing g race if it produced the result of an improved society but less than two years after Barrow and his SOB’s our very existence as a nation-state and a free, peaceful, democratic and productive society seem much more threatened than at any time in the past two decades. We are failing on so many fronts and it is only logical to conclude that if we continue to fail eventually we will be a failed state. I give Colin a lot of credit because I think he has a fairly clear vision of what he would like Belize to be, and he has some distinct ideas about what we need to do to achieve that. Don’t dodge Colin, what do you think is Barrow’s vision for Belize and how practical is it? You know Colin I hear people in the PUP who are seriously considering your push for PR and it doesn’t surprise me because nearly all the major reforms to our political system has come from the PUP. You may not have agreed with some but it does not change the fact that of the two major parties it was nearly always the PUP who was willing to try and change things for the better. I know you disagreed with the landowners’ position on that proposal in the Sixth Constitution Amendment Bill, but I have yet to hear your thoughts on any of the proposals in the Seventh Constitution Amendment Bill. I am thinking that you agreed with the proposal in the former that a representative of the NGO community be seated in the Senate but called for a representative from the agro sector as well. You see Colin, this is why I say Barrow is bogus and is wasting our valuable time. At this point it is clear that some of the proposals in the two bills, such as the enhanced Senate and the CCJ are popular. It is also clear that there is majority opposition to some of the others. If Barrow was genuine he would’ve long ago bundled the popular proposals together and passed them with little or no objections instead of trying to act as though those are the spoonful of sugar that will make the medicine go down.
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THE PATRIOT
The Price of Birthing Nationhood
“Worker”. I guess the appellation of being the singular most iconic figure in Belize’s political and social history as well as the force behind the boldest, most revolutionary act of national liberation and self-determination for the people of Belize would not fit in the miserly thirty centimeters reserved under “Occupation” in the passport of Leader Emeritus Rt. Hon. George Price. Nope. In fact, I am admonished in my justified hyper-inspiration and gratitude, to refrain from moving beyond the humility that Mr. Price, himself, has subscribed to during his epic life of selflessness, selfsacrifice, service and divinely ordained triumph. We are Belize because of the legendry of Mr. Price. As I write this, the clock rings in his birthday and I am brought to remember with measured pride and zeal that the commission of his life’s work continues in the architecture of my fellow Belizeans and my fellow PUPs. The life story of Mr. Price, not diluted by any red eyed criticisms that have been ignorantly stabbed at his contributions and example, is the marker and expectation of “PUP-ness”. None would argue, save and except for Mr. Price himself, that he is the quintessential prototype for service, leadership and patriotism. The foundation that he laid for the peaceful, constructive revolution which “mutinied” Belize into Independence was built on virtues more suitable to the ideals of a seminarian than a politician. He guarded and reinforced the beams of Belizean politics with spiritual vocation ensuring that we were a nation that was built. The term of art, Nation-building, was no reckless pandering to get applause. Building and toiling was meant literally. Hard work, honesty, humility, dedication, patriotism, God fearing compasses and just plain old love, would shine from our windows and live in our hearts. Despite what some constitutional theorists may propound, Belize is not a model for constitutional supremacy; under Mr. Price’s architectural vision, Belize was birthed as a model to Godfearing supremacy and as such any law which is inconsistent with that biblical imperative is to the extent of that inconsistency void. Don’t believe me? I tell you, this is entrenched into the tablets of our national bible, the 1981 Constitution of Belize. There, we declare in the very Preamble “whereas the people of Belize affirm that the Nation of Belize shall be founded upon principles which acknowledge the supremacy of God…” Our anthem pledges us to persevere, “by the might of truth and the grace of God”. The road map to our national salvation was littered with reminders that only God brings us to fulfillment and that He was the author of our independence. This is our emancipation. Once oppressed people or as the anthem metaphorically refers to our previous incarnation as marginally “hewers of wood”, we emerge. This is the commission of the people of Belize: to find freedom, equality and justice. This was the direction Mr. Price turned us towards. This is the direction that the PUP today shall walk towards. This is the direction that God will guide us through as we move towards His design for us. Some will say that there is a hyperbole of emotion in this article, but to them I say, it is deservingly placed. Imagine if the mighty United States could
look into the eyes of George Washington as he spoke with the moral authority of Abraham Lincoln today; this very day of 2010. Ask Barack how “emotional” he would be. We have our George Washington and our Abraham Lincoln alive and well on Pickstock Street, probably resting before his faithful pilgrimage to get to six o’clock mass at the Holy Redeemer Parish. Emotional! Sure. In fact, in honor of Mr. Price I will say that the PUP is a party of moral conviction and passion and that the very creed of our party is begotten by our respect to and roots in religion. I go further to say that in order to attack Mr. Price and the ideals of the PUP, you at some point in time have to attack God and the church. But no one can touch God’s anointed. Mr. Price is anointed. The constitution of the People’s United Party is grounded on a very catholic social teaching called “social justice”. It is repeated in the national prayer, when we say “may all our endeavors tend to peace, social justice, liberty, national happiness, the increase of industry, sobriety and useful knowledge.” Yes, Mr. Price by example taught us that God is faithful to us and never to forget Him in seeking our just objectives. It is either by the conspiracy of coincidence or the pre-destination of purpose that my reflection for today was a passage of scripture which is forever etched on my religious memory. In it, Jesus first recognized the “deeds, toil, and perseverance” of the Ephesians but after praising their strengths, Jesus told them in Revelations 2:4-6: “Nevertheless I have this against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.” To know that God had something against his people must have been rough. Big! Now as my biblical scholarship lends itself, the only other emotional references that I can remember of God’s incarnation as man – being Jesus weeping, cursing of the fig tree and his thrashing of the temple yard merchants. So, yeah, it has to be big. What was Jesus so upset and emotional about? Well, the church had left their “first love.” This statement does not suggest that they no longer had any love for Christ at all. Rather, it means that the quality of their love for Him had weakened. The phrase “first love” holds two meanings: “as you loved me at first” and “my first love.” The first has to do with chronology; the second has to do with priority. These two meanings overlap and are complementary. The Greek word translated “left” (aphiemi) means “to depart, leave alone, forsake, and neglect.” When you lose your car keys, where are they? When you lose your glasses, where are they? If you think real hard about it, when you lose your house keys or your glasses, they’re right where you left them! And that’s the way it is with your first love for the people. If we’ve lost it, guess where it is? It’s wherever we left it. Our promise to the people is that we will go back and find it. Wherever it is, it’s still there because the people have not moved! The people still love us, as we do them. They have waited for us to come back and we are back!!!! As Assad penned it way back in the 8th of June 1974 issue of the Cayo Times: “the most important word in the name of our Party, the People’s United Party, is the word PEOPLE. We are a
Party of the people, for the people and without the people we are nothing...the people…learnt that when they came… their problems received immediate attention and help was on its way. .. living proof of the fulfillment of the Party’s motto – SERVE THE PEOPLE.” The story goes that, in 1516, mercenary commander Fabrizo Colonna, after returning from his successful military engagement in Lombardy challenged a well known Florentine gentleman, Cosimo Rucellai, who had boasted of the comfort which the shades of his gardens had offered several princes of their time: He said “How much better off those princes would have been had they tried to equal the ancients in strong and rugged matters instead of delicate and soft ones, in those things done in the heat of the sun and not in the shade, taking to their course of action from a true and perfect antiquity…” The people of Belize are our first love. This year 2010 we continue to reconnect with that first love. Mr. Price has taught us to “honor and reward ability; not to despise poverty; to value the methods and institu-
sunday, January 17, 2010 tions of virtue; to make citizens love one another ; to live without factions ; to value the public interest over private interests; and other enduring principles that could easily suit our times”. ..“Anyone who institutes such a way of life plants trees under whose shade one can live with greater happiness and prosperity.” Brother, to what you said back then I say today, “sub umbra floreo”. We PUP’s, we Belizeans, have a history and a lineage. We are built from a tradition of service. Walking through rivers barefooted to be with our fellow Belizeans. Taking to horseback to be at their side; standing at their shoulder eating from the same pots. This heritage demands that we as PUP dress in the white guayabera appeal of sophistry, glistening with the transcending ideals of vision and hope but also that we have the blistered and calloused hands of blue collar workers, with political finger nails dirty from the unending toils of sharecropping our independence, democracy and unflinching devotion to social justice. The Price of nationhood is back breaking service. Que viva PUP! Que viva George Price!!!!!!!
Sunday, January 17, 2010
The Belize Times
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sunday, January 17, 2010
Mariposa'sKid's Corner “Belize Da Fu We”
Across
7. Considered as the largest island of our 200 cayes. 9. This island is five-miles long and is located just a mile inside Belize's barrier reef. 10. Short for Punta Gorda. 11. A major Mayan ruin nearest to Belize City.
Down
1. He became Premier of Belize January 1, 1964. 2. This town's name means 'sweet water'. 3. The agricultural centre of Belize since the days of the Maya. 4. Celebrated as Garifuna Settlement Day. 5. The International Airport is named for this man 6. Named after Hurricane Hattie. 8. This was built in 1970 as a safer location for our nation's capital.
KRIOL - ENGLISH JUMBLE
Y
“Mi Nayba”
ou may have heard the devastating news that Haiti was hit by a catastrophic earthquake on Tuesday, January 12, so this week we’ll spend “lee” time getting to know our neighbours in Haiti. Interesting facts about the Republic of Haiti: � Haiti is a Creole and French speaking Caribbean country. Along with the Dominican Republic, it occupies the island of Hispaniola. � Hispaniola’s earliest inhabitants arrived around 2600 BC in huge dugout canoes, coming from what is now eastern Venezuela. They were called the Taínos. The Spaniards landed on the island in 1492 and within 30 years of their occupation the population of roughly 400,000 Taínos had died. They were “wiped out” by European diseases and from the abuse they were subjected to as slaves. � Ayiti (Land of high mountains) was the indigenous Taino name for the mountainous western side of the island. � French buccaneers and colonists settled on the neglected western side of Hispaniola and in 1697 the island was formally divided. The French side was called St-Dominque. The French turned St-Domingue over to sugar production on a huge scale and by the end of the 18th century it was the richest colony in the world, with 40, 000 colonists controlling half a million African slaves. � Haiti is the first post-colonial independent Black-led nation in the world and the only nation whose independence was gained as part of a successful slave rebellion. � Haiti celebrates its Independence Day on January 1. It became an independent nation on January 1, 1804. Throughout its history Haiti as an independent nation has had 32 coups and its political and financial independence have often been negatively influenced by foreign countries that had very little interest in promoting the prosperity of Haiti. � Haiti is one of the most densely populated countries in the Caribbean with an estimated total of 9,035,536 inhabitants. It is also the poorest country in our region (the Americas) eighty percent (80%) of Haitians live in poverty. A little over fifty percent (50%) of Haitians have to survive on $1 US dollar per day. � Haiti has one of the highest rates of deforestation in the world, soil erosion is another major environmental issue and there is an inadequate supply of potable water. It however has these natural resources to count as part of the land’s natural wealth they are bauxite, copper, calcium carbonate, gold, marble and hydropower (hopefully in the future using this resource will mean that Haiti could become less dependent on oil, this would enable the government to spend this money on other aspects of growth in the country rather than on buying oil to generate electricity). � The official currency is the gourde, and there are 100 centimes to 1 gourde. � Most Haitians are Christians and about eighty percent (80%) of Haitians worship as Roman Catholics. � Haiti’s flag has two equal horizontal bands of blue (top) and red with a centered white rectangle bearing the coat of arms, which contains a palm tree flanked by flags and two cannons above a scroll bearing the motto L'UNION FAIT LA FORCE (Union Makes Strength); the colors are taken from the French Tricolor and represent the union of blacks and mulattoes.
HUB-WORDS 01 How many words can you make from the letters in the wheel? Each word must contain the hub letter I. Can you find a 9-letter word and at least 8 other words of five letters or more avoiding proper nouns?
APPLAUD - BAABA - BONUS - CHAOTIC - CHARACTER ENCHANT - EULOGY - FAITHFUL - FAYT - GREEDI - HAPMNINZ HEART - JEST - JREEM - KAAFI - KINDLE - SHUFFLE - STABLE ANSWERS: 7. Ambergris Caye 9. Caye Caulker 10. PG 11. Altun Ha 1. George Price 2. Dangriga 3. Orange Walk 4. November 19 5. Phillip Goldson 6. Hattieville 8. Belmopan
Answers: 9-letter word - EDUCATION Here are a few words of five letters or more containing the hub letter I: action, adieu, auction, audio, audit, caution, cited, coined, conduit, detain, dicta, edict, induce, induct, nicad, notice, noticed, tonic, tunic, unite, untie, united, untied.
Sunday, January 17, 2010
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PUP Leader Calls for Immediate Action! (Continued from page 1)
which occurred on Kraal Road, this latest act of urban terror appears gangrelated. The home which was apparently the target at #4 Cesar Ridge Road is the residence of Andre Trapp, believed to be one of the bosses of the SSG, or south side gangsters. Trapp’s vehicle, a Suburban, was damaged by the blast, as was the window of the home. BDF bomb expert Lt. Col. David Jones has speculated from the evidence on the scene that the intention was to lob the grenade over the fence into the yard, but instead it struck the fence and rolled back onto the street. Commissioner of Police Crispin Jeffries, in an interview with the media, stated that ‘We believe that for the past two weeks or more we’ve been hearing information that grenades would be
thrown in the general area. So it is not something new and it is something that has been anticipated…so it is indeed nothing new to hear that it had occurred.’ Hearing that the Police anticipated the attack but could do nothing to thwart it is cold comfort to the residents of the area. This latest act of urban terror comes just days after Prime Minister Dean Barrow, Minister of National Security Carlos Perdomo and Minister of Education Patrick Faber held discussions with gang leaders and took the media opportunity to talk about a ceasefire. In an interview given to the media following that meeting, Prime Minister Barrow conceded that so far his government has been impotent in halting the crime wave. Minister of National Security Carlos Perdomo, as is his trademark when the issue of crime is brought up, was mute.
In his statement, PUP Leader John Briceno called for three concrete actions – that the Prime Minister ‘immediately seek the assistance of the British government in the provision of the relevant technology, equipment and training to deal with urban terrorism,’ that the Prime Minister ‘immediately ask the Minister of National Security to step down from his position as Minister of National Security,’ and that the PM make public the Crooks Report and present the nation with its plan, if any, to combat crime. In an interview with the media, Briceno reiterated that he had presented the National Assembly with a ten point plan to combat crime, stating – “It’s not just the government or the political partners, but it also requires the society, the communities, the business community, all of is to jointly work at it. We have to be strengthening the police department, strengthening the DPP, but at the same time we need to be fighting
35 the root causes of crime including poverty. And as we continue to go into a deeper recession, which the Prime Minister announced last October, it is just going to get worse. That is why I have said that we need to go into the areas where we have these pockets of crime especially in south side Belize City. We have to invest more in education, we have to go in there and ensure that those kids are going to school. We have to go into those areas and put a stronger police presence where it is necessary. It is not an easy job; it’s a long term job but the government needs to get its act together.” Unconfirmed reports to the Belize Times indicate that the Leader of the Opposition will hold discussions with the British High Commission in an attempt to solicit assistance in the new era of urban terrorism which is taking over city streets.
Oil Bonanza in Belize…
(Continued from page 1) administration’s policy is when it comes to oil. After a failed attempt to collect a windfall tax months after entering office, this UDP government has gone mute when it comes to the oil. Belizeans, then, have no idea how much revenue is being taken in by government even as tens of thousands of barrels of oil leave our shores. Belizeans also have no idea of how any money generated from the oil is being spent by government, though it is a certainty that the money has not been spent on health, education or social projects. The result of the Bar row Administration’s reticence on the oil issue and mismanagement of the oil industry is that while more than $700M has been generated for BNE from oil in Belize, our economy is in recession and latest unofficial statistics show that 43% of
WARNING (Continued from page 1)
question features equipment which can jam cellular transmissions as well as monitor phone conversations and conduct audio and video surveillance. A search of the internet confirmed that similar vehicles have been used in surveillance and monitoring and that all the equipment to do so is readily available. This is not the first time that the Barrow administration has brought up the issue of violation of privacy in terms of eavesdropping on conversations. Back then the suggestion had caused a public outcry rooted in a distrust of the Police Department and the Government of Belize. The situation is even worse now but the UDP Government seems to not care. Bolstered by their hijacking of BTL, Barrow is moving full speed ahead under the guise of a threat to national security. But who will police the police/GOB? The entire project with the Israeli team has been kept hush-hush, but as it nears its completion, Belizeans will no doubt want some sort of clarification on what happens next, to what lengths their privacy will be invaded and why. Sources inside BTL have told us that lists of ‘numbers of interest,’ many of them belonging to political players, have already been compiled. But it does not stop there. Using the new technology and with the new training and equipment, the Barrow administration will be free to do what they will and use information gathered in any manner they wish. With firsthand experience of the victimization at the hands of this administration, many Belizeans are far from comfortable with this power held by this government.
our population is living in poverty, with a further 14% vulnerable to poverty. This is unacceptable, especially in the face of the bounty which has been visited on these Irish investors as a result of our oil. Belizeans are calling on the Barrow
administration to immediately disclose what percentage of revenue government is receiving from the oil find. Belizeans also demand accountability from government as to what that money is being spent on. And finally, Belizeans demand that
the Barrow administration stop playing games and ensure that we receive our rightful share of this non-renewable resource, a resource which seems to be slipping out of our grasp with nothing to show for it, at least here in Belize.
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Haiti Search Teams Work To 'Do Best For Most'
Search teams fighting through the gnarled concrete and steel in collapsed buildings in Haiti are guided by the
principle "do the best for the most," as they zero in on pockets of debris where survivors may be trapped. Jack Wise, chief of the disaster preparedness section of the Los Angeles Fire Department, said converging teams operate on that principle in a situation where most of the lives will be saved within the brief "golden" period. "After seven days, after the golden hour, the golden day, the highest probability of finding survivors goes down," said Wise. "We've had miracles, but we have to look to do the best for the most victims." On Thursday, Wise was preparing his teams for activation to Haiti — making sure members had inoculations and passports in hand — so they would be ready to move within four hours of receiving orders for deployment. An experienced rescue worker who pulled victims from the rubble of California's Northridge earthquake in 1994, Wise said time is of the essence in search operations. "We have a finite time to conduct these rescues," he said. Guided by that knowledge, Wise said, rescue teams do much of their work before disaster strikes. For example, California Urban Search and Rescue members must have at least eight weeks of training just to be eligible for service in the earthquake-prone state. After that, they train one week a month to maintain their expertise. The 70-member teams include medical personnel, as well as canine units and structural engineering, heavy equipment and hazardous materials specialists. Before its arrival, the team lays out a plan of operation from viewing aerial photographs supplied by government planes and talking to experts at the scene. Once on the ground, hazardous materials experts make certain rescue sites are safe from gas or chemicals that may have been released by the quake, while medical personnel begin treating victims, canine units conduct searches and engineering specialists stabilize buildings. "We truly go into an impact area where there's no other support. We're completely self-sufficient," said Wise. "Every person on the team is a worker." Wise said personnel are trained to head first to areas where the most victims are expected to be trapped — hospitals, schools, office buildings. Crews then perform triage, going after easy-to-reach victims first, moving on to "light service" areas where the debris is readily movable, then searching for pockets of debris that could support
life.
Canine units are put into place to help sniff out people buried so deep in the rubble that they couldn't be seen or heard. Special cameras and listening devices are lowered into the most promising areas, as rescuers search for signs of life. Search-and-rescue
personnel from Virginia and California were on the ground Thursday in Haiti, and more teams from California, Florida and Texas were in various stages of deployment. Wise said U.S. teams carry about 50,000 pounds of equipment —
including 90-pound jackhammers and chain saws that can cut through concrete — when they're activated. They aim to be ready to go within four hours with everything they need to work and live for up to 15 days. Haitian officials still have no estimate of the number of people trapped beneath the rubble of buildings and thousands of private homes. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies estimated that as many as 3 million people are in need of aid. In Geneva, Red Cross spokesman Jean-Luc Martinage said the Haitian Red Cross
estimated 45,000 to 50,000 people were killed. Experience has told Wise that the toughest part of the job for rescuers will be working with people who are trapped. "You have, as rescuers, a close bond with the victims. It's tough to leave a person once you make initial contact with them," especially knowing that they may endure many hours of
horror before they're free, he said. "The people who are going out on these teams are wonderful human beings," he said of his colleagues. "It's a testimony of how we help one another in an emergency."
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