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Sunday, March 21, 2010

The Belize Times

Belize Times The Truth Shall Make You Free

' Pay Today... Poorer Tomorrow! SUNDAY MARCH 21, 2010

Issue No. 4685

$1.00 www.belizetimes.bz

BARROW'S BUDGET On March 15, 2010 PM Barrow presented his 3rd budget which was so inaccurately entitled - “Recovery today, prosperity tomorrow.” It should have been more accurately entitled “Pay today, poorer tomorrow”. The verbosity and wonton disregard, with which this presentation was made, made it quite obvious that the current UDP government continues to have apathy for the wellbeing of the Belizean populace. A review of the budget presentation and concomitant proposals reveal that it will negatively affect the majority of Belizeans, who continue to provide the human resource that drive the Belizean economy. The 2010/11 budget presented was premised on seeking to address four key areas, namely: social investments, job creation, access to credit and addressing crime and violence. A review of the proposals put forward clearly reveals that there is a lack of substantive and meaningful interventions that were presented. To address the escalation of crime and violence, the PM proposes a new intake of police recruits and the intention to find funding for ballistic

testing equipment. The IDB funding of a community action for public safety programme can be expected to be plagued with the lack of institutional capacity that resonates within government. These initiatives are surely insufficient to assure the safety of the Belizean people. The Government has a constitutional obligation to maintain law and order and when such a function is not being addressed adequately and it impinges on the economic sustainability of businesses providing services and employment; the Government needs to make conscientious interventions that will restore safety to the people. This does not seem to be forthcoming. With regard to access to credit, $4M is being sourced from CABEI and IFAD for a rural finance programme; this is being executed via the Credit Union League. This micro-finance program will be targeting rural communities with disbursement not expected to be fully expended in the 2010/11 FY. An indication of a dedicated fund for young entrepreneurs of no less than $5M provides no real commitment as (Continued on page 35)

Cop Kills Cop on La Isla Bonita MOYAlists vs. the Z-7

Cpl. Gavin Sanchez

Sgt. Paulino Reyes

The shooting of a Police Officer by a brother officer on Wednesday night has left La Isla Bonita and the Police Department reeling from the shock. The officer killed has been identified as Corporal Gavin Sanchez. The incident allegedly resulted from a confrontation between a veteran Police Sergeant, Paulino Reyes and Corporal Gavin Sanchez. As the Department searches for answers, a team comprising Assistant Commissioners of Police Miguel Segura,

James Magdaleno and David Henderson have been assigned to investigate the fatal shooting. At a press conference held inside the San Pedro Magistrate Court today, Assistant Commissioner of Police Miguel Segura pointed out that just before midnight on Wednesday Sergeant Reyes had ordered another officer to escort Sanchez to the Police Station after he was allegedly observed behaving unruly at Wet Willy’s night club. According to (Continued on page 35)

Mayor Zenaida Moya Seven dissident members of the Belize City Council called a press conference at the Belize City Center conference room yesterday morning. They claimed that it was so they could apologize for not attending Tuesday night’s scheduled Belize City Council monthly public meeting, because of what transpired at their earlier closed

Dion Leslie door caucus meeting. The group, dubbed the “Z-Seven” by Vaughan Gill on Vibes Radio Morning Buzz Show when he broke the news of the conference, said that because they are not robots, but were elected individually, they are calling on Mayor Zenaida Moya to respect the law. (Continued on page 35)

Are YOU Better Off Today?

The Belize Times

Pay Today…Poorer Tomorrow! Since the global recession, governments big and small have been trying to find ways to plug budget holes. In some countries they are taxing things like cigarettes, alcohol, chocolates, perfume and other luxury commodities. In one country they are even taxing horses that are used for pleasure rides. The new term being used to describe this form of taxation is “stealth taxes.” All across the world, political leaders have stuck to one commitment, a commitment to no additional tax burden on the middle class. Many are also doing their best to increase revenue without drawing too much attention to the tightening fiscal noose. Here in Belize, however, the Barrow administration is doing just the opposite; they are passing the financial burdens brought on by the recession as well as their obvious incompetence unto the Belizean people by increasing the gross receipt tax by 25 percent. In addition they are putting more jobs at risk by introducing a new tax on EPZs, this coming after the Prime Minister reported in his budget speech that EPZ in areas like the shrimp farm, the citrus company and others had marginal or no growth in the past financial year. In all the Prime Minister intends to collect an additional $109M in new taxes, none of which will come from “stealth taxes,” none from casino gambling, and a mere $1.8 million from Belize Natural Energy (BNE). Given the public anger over the windfall that the owners of BNE collected and boasted about in an Irish newspaper last December, this meagre $1.8 in additional taxes on one of the richest and most profitable companies in the nation is not going over well. Belizeans from talk show hosts to the person on the street are asking how their government can ask them to make such huge sacrifices, and not ask the same of one of the country’s largest corporate entities. Somehow it appears that BNE is in a privileged position. This feeling that BNE is enjoying a certain level of entitlement started when the Prime Minister announced the introduction of his windfall tax on crude oil. At an early stage in his administration, the Prime Minister threw out what his predecessor had done in relation to taxes on oil and introduced his own measures. These measures saw the introduction of a windfall tax which would kick in once the price of oil hit US$90 per barrel. From the day this announcement was made people were sceptical, The Opposition leader and former petroleum minister told the Prime Minister that a $90 threshold was too high; he cautioned that $60 would be more realistic. Since the $90 threshold was set, government has received no income from this initiative; however, over that same period of time, the Belizean taxpayers have been burdened with over $50 million, with $30 million alone coming from additional taxes collected at the fuel pump. This year, BNE will be asked to give up an additional $1.8 million in new taxes; this year the Belizean people will be asked to dish out an additional $109 million. Instead of trying to come up with creative solutions to bridge its financial gap, the Prime Minister and his economic team will implement taxes that will not only destroy an already shrinking middle class, but will be bound to cause more suffering on the Belizean people, particularly the 43 percent of Belizeans who are poor. As if that were not enough, he will punish the productive sector with his burdensome new EPZ social tax, which could result in more job cuts and will squeeze 300 percent more from utility companies. Last Monday when the Prime Minister lost his cool in the House of Representative and behaved in a most vulgar manner some thought he was simply buckling under the strain of the job, others argue that he was simply using this to divert attention away from the fact that he had just burdened Belizeans with an additional $110 million in new taxes. Whatever the reason, on April Fool’s Day 2010, Belizeans will be given the biggest “whap” of all, only this time it will be no prank and there is no end in sight.

Sunday, March 21, 2010

Out Spoken

The Prime Minister Insults March 16, 2010

Dear Editor, I write to express my great disappointment with the indecorous behaviour of the Prime Minister and his colleagues at the House Meeting held on Monday last. I had the displeasure of being at home sick with the flu, confined to my bed and happened to be listening to a radio station that was airing the meeting. At first I was very interested when I found out through the radio announcer that the Prime Minister would be presenting the Budget 2010/2011. I wanted to know what was the strategy of the government to improve the standard of living of our people and what they would be doing to combat poverty that has become pervasive in our communities, how much the government would be investing in the health and education and what was the plan to address the already disastrous crime situation facing the country. What a shock it was when I heard the disorderly and unruly mob! What a disgrace and an insult it was to hear the words and expressions used by the maximum leader of this nation in what should be an honourable house and where we should be discussing the business of the people. How unbefitting of someone who is supposed to be a paragon to our children. All this was already bad and never thought it could get worst until I heard him refer to the Leader of the Opposition as a village idiot and a naïve. Then I really took offence! What did the Prime Minister mean? Did he mean that us villagers are all idiots? Does he have anything against villagers? What is it with this nincompoop? Is it that only urban residents who have had all the opportunities to educate themselves are intelligent and qualified? While some villagers are numskulls, like his deputy who was sitting beside him with his imbecilic grin and not realizing he was being insulted, I must remind the once honourable gentleman that in the villages we have highly competent, qualified and talented people. Even with the obvious disadvantages we have, as villagers we have made significant contribution to this nation and have built this nation. It is because of villagers that you eat Prime Minister; it is because of villagers that you have foreign exchange that allows you and your family to buy all your luxurious commodities; it is because of villagers that the nation has developed and it is because of villagers that you are where you are today. Let me enlighten the Prime Minister, as I guess he certainly would not know that in the early 1990’s the Corozal Junior College graduated 4 young men who were awarded the most prestigious “Open Scholarship” for four years consecutively. These young men all came from villages of the Corozal District and today are highly competent professionals engaged in shaping the development of this country. Like these young men we have hundreds of villagers who are today professionals and leaders in their own right. In rural Belize we also have intellect and competency even though we do not get an equitable share of the country’s wealth, the very same wealth we have created! I am now asking all villagers to prepare because the season for the Prime Minister to start visiting us all the ignoramus villagers, is right before us. We will soon be honoured with the visit of the Prime Minister and his team of morons coming to beg us to vote for their team. This is at the heels of the Minister of Education calling our teachers ignorant and the Prime Minister now referring to us as village idiots. Fellow village idiots, please let us give the Prime Minister the welcome that an arrogant, despotic, insensitive and megalomaniac person deserves. Prime Minister we are patiently waiting! Sincerely, Elisa Guttierez Proud Villager

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Sunday, March 21, 2010

The Belize Times

If Da Noh Soh…

SSB Employees Afraid… Word reaching this columnist is that employees of SSB from all over the country are calling for increased security in the wake of the broad daylight robbery in Belize City. They

are justified in doing so because the situation could have been very different and any of those employees could have been shot and killed. But it looks like Merle Bailey Martinez, the head of SSB, doesn’t exactly see it that way. We understand that she has refused to implement any additional security measures because she says it is too expensive. Guess the lives of the employees aren’t worth that much, are they Merlene? One suggestion coming out of the SSB is that if Merlene wants to cut costs so she can afford security, maybe she could start with her four secretaries or any one of the UDP cronies who have been given cushy contract jobs for doing nothing….If Da Noh Soh! No comment… This gossip-monger broke the story first last week when the drunken minister from up north, along with his equally drunken driver, was stopped at a checkpoint by Escuela Mexico. That’s when both ‘borrachos’ decided that they were bigger than the law and cussed up

the policemen at the checkpoint for daring to stop the ministerial ride. Well it got worse than that. The ‘borrachos’ allegedly came back even after they were allowed to pass and the driver Campos apparently assaulted the policeman. Well, the policeman did the right thing and charges were brought against the driver. Anyway, when the press asked the drunken minister about the incident at the House meeting on Monday, he said he couldn’t comment. What he should have said is that he doesn’t remember. That would have been closer to the truth. Hahahahaha! No worries, drunken one, I know firsthand how overindulgence in the beverage tends to cloud the memory. But I’m no representative of the people. You’re a disgrace to the nation and should be kicked out forthwith…If Da Noh Soh! Best Escabeche in the land… I couldn’t hold up when I heard this one, and decided to jot it down here since gossip, like much else is better

shared late than never. Remember when the government brought in all the ambassadors from their posts for the annual get together of diplomats the other day? Well word is that there was a round table session, and each diplomat was asked to share their achievements at their respective posts over the last two years. So when it was Chendo’s turn, he stood up proudly and informed the gathering that he, Chendo Urbina,

things are going it looks like you don’t know your ass (also in the dictionary, Mr. B) from your elbow. Obtuse you certainly are, oh learned fellow. You most certainly are not getting a hint of the frustration and anger of the people out here as you try to push your misguided agenda our way. See, Mr. B… you can’t just listen to what the folks at home tell you. And ineffective for sure – do we need to mention the state of the economy and the fact that the country is heading steadily downhill? So Mr. B, with apologies to Mrs. B I must conclude that you personify the R-word…for real!...If Da Noh Soh! The Zenaida Moya Show On Tuesday night the Adele Ramos Show on Krem Television was cancelled to make way for the Zenaida Moya

is renowned throughout Mexico for his escabeche which is the best in the land. Okay, that’s a true story! Really! Word is that the Prime Minister was so embarrassed that he refused to allow Chendo to join his delegation when he travelled to Mexico on official business…If Da Noh Soh! A hog for the hog… That thing with the hog head left on the desk of the hoggish dread was the funniest thing. The predator lookalike actually appeared to shed a few tears on the newscast because he couldn’t figure out why someone would do something to poor little him, who has

never hurt a soul. Dry your crocodile tears, crybaby dread. Nobody believes you anyway. Everybody knows that you placed that hog head on your own desk in an attempt to get some sympathy, but nobody cares. We got too many things to worry about right now, like the taxes your boss is heaping on us. We hear you had a barbeque over the weekend with pork ribs and chops and all the trimmings, Mr. Dread….care to comment?...If Da Noh Soh! The R-Word… Mr. Barrow’s wife has asked us not to use the R-word, but it’s so very hard to resist, so I won’t. Mr. Barrow, since you’re so fond of the dictionary I looked up the word retarded and the definition is ‘a person who is stupid, obtuse, or ineffective in some way.’ Aw hell, PM,

I couldn’t have defined you better than that. You may be book-savvy but you’re sure stupid when it comes to dealing with the affairs of state. The way

show, the council’s normal monthly meeting which results in absolutely nothing. I’m relatively sure Krem won’t make that there mistake again. See, only about ten people showed up for the much advertised public meeting…and that includes three councilors and the Mayor. The Mayor seems to be as obtuse as her boss – in the city she stinks just as bad as the garbage on every streetcorner; even worse. Nobody wants to hear the crap coming out of City Hall. No matter what they say, nothing happens anyway, so what’s the sense of wasting time listening to Zenaida and her crew. Hell, seven of her councilors didn’t even waste their time going to the meeting, so why should we?...If Da Noh Soh! Z-7 in effect… Word is that the rift which led to seven councilors breaking away from the Mayor and her three Moyalists got real testy for a while. Reliable word is that the Mayor got in the face of Dion Leslie like she wanted to throw a punch.

When she was quietly reminded that she was a woman and that kind of behavior was not becoming, she walked out in a huff after some choice words. It’s anybody’s guess what will happen now, cause the word is that the PM refused to accept Philloughby as the Deputy Mayor. Poor Philloughby claims he doesn’t know why nobody wants him there, since his record speaks for itself (would like to know what that record is). So anyway, for now it’s all out war in the Council again, with Belizeans the biggest losers as usual in this UDP war. The Auditors are back… This is one of those cases where you can say you saw it here first. Auditors

have been sent back into City Hall and they have discovered something big. According to reports, the latest findings

make the money found missing in the last audit look like small change. Get ready for the latest scoop out of City Hall in the coming weeks…If Da Noh Soh! On Lois and the PUC Reliable word out of the PUC is that Lois Young has been expressing her serious dissatisfaction with the telecommunications orders sent out by the PUC. Those orders give any provider the right to have access to the ARCOS cable, and Lois doesn’t like

that very much. See right now BTL is playing dictator by with-holding access to ARCOS and the orders would change that. A source inside BTL told us that Lois has stated that she will personally write the orders and deliver them to the PUC to be implemented. We haven’t been able to confirm that, but it sure does sound like Lois. Anyway, we do know that the PM called John Avery to inform him of Lois’ displeasure, and Avery referred him to his nephew Kimano…If Da Noh Soh! More on BTL We’ll have much more on BTL next week, including word on a list of employees who will be given the axe, but we’ll leave you with this… employees are pissed off because there was a post open a few weeks ago, and policy required that the person to fill the post would be taken from inside the department. One person with all the qualifications applied for the job, but for some reason he was told that he couldn’t get the post because he was overqualified. That was convenient, since a nephew of Net Vasquez was then brought in from outside and pushed into the job. Things are about to erupt in BTL…look for it…If Da Noh Soh!

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The Belize Times

Sunday, March 21, 2010

From the Desk of the Party Leader In the streets of Belize City our young men are dying, killing each other in broad daylight. In our homes we live in fear that at any moment someone may storm in and hurt us. On the job we pray God that we won’t be the next one to be sent home. Our streets are broken up; our society is broken down The Belizean economy is in a recession, we are headed for a depression The social fabric that holds this society together is being torn apart and despair is turning to desperation. IN the midst of all this, hope fades. Never before in the history of Belize City and in our nation has so much gone so wrong. We must come to terms with the sad reality that Dean Barrow and the UDP cannot manage the affairs of our nation. They have NO Plan They have NO heart, They have no compassion; They care little for the needs of the Belizean people And they lack the capacity to get the job done. As a result of this Belizeans are being neglected. It is time we start the movement to send the UDP back to where they came from. Two days ago the Prime Minister stood before the nation and told the Belizean people that come April 1st he will collect $110 million in additional taxes. Two days ago the Prime Minister also told the Belizean People that he will collect $1.8 million in new taxes from BNE. I said before and I say again, the People’s United Party unequivocally rejects the proposal by the Prime Minister to raise taxes on the Belizean people and we call on the Prime Minister to reverse this decision. The PUP will not sit quietly while this UDP administration shackles the Belizean people with burdensome taxes. After his announcement that he was raising taxes, the Prime Minister offered the Belizean people, as consolation, $10 million in relief for the poor. To give you an idea of how much this will help poor Belizeans, this $10 million when divided by the 143,000 people living below the poverty line, amounts to 7 cents per day per person. Yet the Prime Minster has the nerve to stand up before this nation and talk about the “caring husbandry of the UDP Government?” How can you say you care then turn around and squeeze an additional $110 million in taxes from Belizeans? Where is the equity when Belizeans are asked to pay over $100 million in new taxes while BNE is asked to sacrifice a mere $1.8 million? Where is the love, Mr. Prime Minister? Let me put it to you this way. At the moment, for every gallon of fuel Belizeans buy they pay a tax of $1. Come April 1st on all fool’s day, Barrow is telling the Belizean people that he will beg BNE for an additional $1 for ever barrel of oil they take from Belizean soil. So the man who says he has honour and loves Belize and Belizeans charges you 100 cents per gallon of fuel, and BNE pays just over two cents per gallon of crude oil. Mr. Prime Minister, how can you accuse others of lacking morality, when you are sucking from poor Belizeans over $100 million in new taxes while at the same time charging the most profitable company in the country only $1.8 million? This very Dean Barrow, who in a year and a half paid to his ex

wife, Lois Young Barrow $1.5 million dollars, in legal fees; the very Dean Barrow who says he makes no excuses for how much he pays her, comes before the Belizean people saying that he and his government is doing all that they can. Let me tell you what else he is doing to you, to me, and to all ah we. He is talking about all the relief he is providing Belizeans. Let me get my list and it is a new list. Dean Barrow is fooling no one with his list of exemptions, he is talking about removing duty from sesame seed oil, rape oil, palm oil, irrigation pipe, washing machines as if that is a part of everyday use by Belizeans; well here are some of the things we use on a daily basis and for sure these items are bound to go up - items like toilet paper, toothpaste, soap, corn starch, soap powder, evaporated milk, all of these will see an additional 25 percent increase in the amount of tax you have to pay. This is how he intends to squeeze another $42 million dollars from Belizeans pockets, by taxing their toothpaste and toilet paper. Shame! Now I want to remind you of what Barrow and his bunch of dodo birds promised you when they came for your vote and by now you all know that in Spanish lie is mentira and in Garifuna it is marasalugu. But eena creole it is the plain and simple LIAAD u Barrow said that under the UDP there would be no corruption, ( HE LIAAD) Barrow said that he would bring down the cost of utilities, (HE u LIAAD) Barrow said that they would create 5,000 new jobs, (HE u LIAAD) Barrow said there would be no victimization, (HE LIAAD) u u He said they would institute a new text book program, (HE LIAAD) He promised you $300 for every high school student, (HE u LIAAD) He said Belizeans will get shares in the oil company! (HE u LIAAD) & Dean Barrow said he will bring down the cost of living “no u matter what!” (LIAAD) But let me tell you what he gave the people of Belize City, he gave you Zenaida Moya and under deposits. He allowed Zenida to put sanitation workers out of their jobs. He gave you the most broken down streets in the entire country. The UDP has sat back while Belize City has become one of the most violent places in the world. Ladies and Gentlemen when the PUP was in office we used to write songs that said “Believe in Belize.” We used to say that in Belize we live in a good country. Today all this optimism is gone. It has been replaced by fear. No Belizean deserves to live like this, we are good people. We have a country rich in resources, the most precious being our people. The UDP’s lack of respect for the people, their lack of a plan to move the country forward and their incompetence has put this country and the Belizean people on a path that is leading us towards destruction. We have to stop this. We have to say to Dean Barrow and the UDP, No Mas, NO MORE! It is time for the UDP to lead or to leave. It is time for the People’s United Party.

Sunday, March 21, 2010

The Belize Times

UDP Politics as usual

A little understanding… Well, the Prime Minister has presented his budget called ‘recovery today, prosperity tomorrow.’ Wonder what clown came up with that one. Ask anybody on the street and they would tell you that it would be more aptly named – ‘pay today, poorer tomorrow.’ But anyway, driving down this morning I was listening to WAVE Radio cause the other talk shows were on commercial break, and I have to say I felt a little tug on my heartstrings. There was Fonso valiantly trying to defend the budget, backed up by his buddy with the 100 year old face and 20 year old hair. See, sometimes I think we’re a little too hard on the sissy boy from the Guardian. I heard him say this morning that Belizeans are happy because here we were thinking that we would have to pay more out of pocket, when the reality is that because of the PM’s brilliance, the coming year will be a time of plenty for poor Belizeans. Normally I’d bash him for being an idiot, but in a reflective mood this morning, I realize that Fonso really is just singing for his supper and nothing else. He must realize that the budget is a bad one which will bring even more pain and suffering down on Belizeans. Everybody else realizes it. I mean, if Fonso really believes what he is saying, his brain would already have exploded from stupidity overload. Just ask anybody, Jack, this is a bad budget presented by an incompetent and insensitive government led by a millionaire who has no clue how poor Belizeans are living. Mounting frustration… There’s a little lesson which I’ve learned after many years in the game. Whenever the woman does something wrong and is guilty, that is when she will be the most hysterical and angry, lashing out in an attempt to intimidate her partner into silence, muddy the waters and distract from the wrong which was done. Does that type of behavior remind anybody of somebody’s actions recently – the Prime Minister, maybe? Talk about hot flashes. See, the Prime Minister is no dummy, though he surely seemed like one on Monday. He knows that his budget is messed up. But he feels that he can lather up the bukut with some Vaseline and shaft Belizeans while smiling prettily. That was the reason for the ruction in the House, all the name-calling and all the drama-queen antics. I don’t need to go into the response from the streets, because the Prime Minister has already gotten the sense of how stupid he was. The thing is that there were school-children sitting in the House, and they had to witness that unruly behavior from the leader of the nation, Hell, if the leader of the nation can do it, then it must be okay, right? That is the example that Mr. Barrow is setting for our children, then he scratches his head and wonders why crime is completely out of control and our social ills are escalating. Just look in the mirror, brother! That’s the reason right there. Consumers WILL pay… Belizeans are not fools. Barrow is saying on one hand that he expects to collect about $109M extra in taxes this year; and almost in the same breath says that price of goods will go down and Belizeans will have more spending power. Pray tell, Mr. Barrow, just where will the $109M come from? Will it just magically appear out of thin air? Where it will come from, Mr. Barrow, is out of our pockets. There is no getting away from that. No flowery language can disguise that fact. The whopping increase in GST will be passed on to consumers for sure. We all know that. The 300% increase in business tax on BEL will be passed on to consumers for sure. We know that too. Everything the Prime Minister spoke about in terms of taxation will come out of our pockets. So the truth is that the cost of goods will not go down, but will skyrocket yet again. The cost of utilities will go up. The cost of services will go up. The cost of everything will go up, and at a time when 43% of the country’s population is already below the poverty line, with another 14% vulnerable to falling below that line. Countries all around the world are stimulating economies to deal with the global crisis, refusing to tax residents who are already being burdened. But no, our Prime Minister’s answer to the crisis is taxation and more taxation. The truth of the matter is that Belizeans will be paying for the incompetence of this Barrow administration and for the lack of vision of Mr. Barrow. Sleight of hand… In his budget, the Prime Minister of Belize is attempting a herculean sleight of hand. In one hand he is offering some trifles like income tax exemption for those making less than $500 (he promised less than $650 in the UDP manifesto) and $4million to youth and women in need. That is all Dean Barrow wants you to see. He wants you to be dazzled and blinded and pathetically grateful for those piddling plums. Because what he doesn’t want you to realize is that his other hand is digging greedily into your pockets, our pockets, for an additional $109M. You do the math. He is offering $4million a year (nobody knows how it will be disbursed, by the way) and taking away $109M. That’s the truth. We told you the Prime Minister’s budget was a joke. $4M a year for the seriously poor works out to something like 7 cents a day - like I said, you do the math. A damned disgrace… Somebody asked me just yesterday if I thought that the Prime Minister was personally involved in some kind of shady deal with the oil company. See, the person figured that was the only explanation for Mr. Barrow’s treatment of that company. The thing is, Mr. Barrow’s big taxes will all cripple Belizeans. His whopping increase in GST will hurt us across the board. His 300% business tax on BEL will kill us when we get our electricity bills. Mr. Barrow is expecting Belizeans to come up with an additional $109M this financial year, and do you know how much of that is coming from the oil company - $1.8M. That’s right, $1.8M. Mr. Barrow most

apologetically revealed that he will be levying a fee of $1 per barrel of oil pumped out of our ground. But Mr. Barrow was not so apologetic when he hammered us with a $1 fee per gallon of fuel at the pumps. So we poor Belizeans are taxed $1 per gallon (and that will surely increase) while the big oil company which is boasting of a bonanza all the way to the bank will be taxed $1 per barrel. Go figure. You know what, thinking about it, the person I was speaking to may just be on to something. That’s the only explanation. Waste of time CitCo… Belizeans really do not want to hear one more s@#t about or from this incompetent and corrupt UDP City Council. Everybody in the streets believes the Mayor is a thief, even before the audit came out which proved that big money had been misappropriated from public coffers. The corruption is bad enough, but then there is the issue of incompetence. Not one damned thing has come out of City Hall since 2006 when the UDP took over there. Not one project, no infrastructure, no social programmes, nothing! The only thing which seems to have come out of City Hall is Zenaida’s mansion. Serious! The city is a mess. All we’ve gotten out of City Hall is rubbish, no pun intended. This latest thing where seven councilors are warring against the Mayor and three of her Moyalists is just more crap. If there was anything being done for the city we could excuse a little infighting and even call it healthy differences of opinion. But this is not that. For all Belizeans care, Mayor Zenaida and every one of the bunch in City Hall can get to walking. No distractions… One person who is ecstatic about the ruction inside City Hall is the Prime Minister. See, he is taking so much flak for his bogus budget that he is happy for any distraction. And everybody knows that the bunch of clowns inside City Hall is good for a laugh, if nothing else. But no such luck, Mr. Barrow. Belizeans won’t be distracted from the fact that you plan to tax us $109M to pay for your incompetence. We will pay now, Mr. Barrow, but you’ll pay in the long run. No doubt about that.

Hypocrite of the Week

This week, the honour of primo hypocrite bar none must go to no other than the leader of the nation, the man who has made lying and double-speak into art forms. Barrow’s saccharine tongue and oratorical genius were on full display at this week’s presentation of the Budget, set off by his trademark glasses perched at the very tip of his patrician nose. But apart from a select few FoBs and SoBs who are still enjoying the sweets and so are lulled into near orgasmic stupor by Barrow’s bulls@#t, the majority of Belizeans are getting the sense that the man can sure speak pretty, but thing are getting worse out here. Mr. Barrow seemed a little frustrated during the presentation; so frustrated in fact that he behaved like a sissy and threw a tantrum. The dis-honourable gentleman stood up in the honourable House and tried to tell Belizeans that they would be taxed up the wazoo, but the cost of everything would go down. According to the learned fellow, he is imposing a 25% increase on GST which will bring in an additional $42 million into government’s coffers, but we Belizeans astonishingly

will be paying out less. According to the brilliant PM, then, this $42 million additional revenue will probably just appear out of thin air, since he says that we poor Belizeans won’t feel the pinch. Mr. Barrow’s obvious frustration has been born from the realization that his golden tongue is fast losing its luster. Belizeans are catching on to his antics and realizing that the equation just doesn’t add up. On one side of the equation are the lofty and practiced proclamations of the PM; on the other side of the equation are ‘haad’ times like never before. See, it doesn’t add up. The frustrated gentleman will see no reprieve in coming days, as people realize that Barrow’s UDP colleague was speaking the truth – he is all glitter and no substance. His fits of verbal expression may well be written up in books of poetry, but that doesn’t do anything at all for the people out here who are reeling from the effects of economic stagnation. Barrow’s many-syllabled ramblings are doing nothing to stop the bloodshed on the streets. Barrow’s lyrical genius is doing nothing to put food on the tables of the 43% of Belize’s impoverished, or to send their children to school. Dean Barrow will remain in our annals as the premiere hypocrite of our times – a true symbol of gleaming rubbish, golden nothings and sparkling dust in the wind. The sad thing is that the gentleman is possessed of so monumental an ego that his own hypocrisy is lost on him.

PARTY PAGE Consultation with the People

The Belize Times

Sunday, March 21, 2010

THE BLUE MACHINE

BYM Elects Executives in OW &

Diary of Events

EVENT

DATE

PLACE

TIME

National Party Council

Saturday, March 20

Scotland Halfmoon

PUP Think Tanking

Thursday, March 25

Independence Hall

7:30pm

PUP Classified Ads

Do you need someone to care for an elderly relative? Call Fabiana @ 207-0736 Do you need someone to do accounting, bill collections or security? Call Gilfred @ 663-7509

ANNOUNCING

the 60th Anniversary Celebrations of the People's United Party Coming Soon

We Are The PUP

Sunday, March 21, 2010

The Belize Times

Cops still clueless on SSB jacking they will be found guilty for the crime. Twenty two year old Marlon Jones and a fifteen year old youth have been charged with Conspiracy to Commit Robbery and were remanded on Tuesday, Jones to the Hattieville Prison and the minor to the Belize Youth Hostel, while police hunt for their partner in crime.

Cops believe they along with another youth rode up to Doony's Store on separate bicycles around 11:30 that fateful morning and at gunpoint held up and robbed the security guard of his gun and an employee of her cell phone. The defendants will be brought back to court on Friday.

SPECIAL CLEARANCE SALE AT

Liberty Store (SIDEWALK) 38 Queen Street, Belize City

Wednesday, March 17th, 2010 Though officials have remained extremely closed-lipped, sources inside the SSB have told the Belize Times that the figure stolen has been estimated at more than $440,000, and the calculations are still not complete. The department is still reeling after the daring broad daylight robbery on Monday, timed to net the biggest proceeds at the 15th was the deadline for payment of contributions to the SSB. The brazen thugs gained entry to the offices by entering through a back door close to 4:30 on Monday afternoon. The Belize Times understands that the door joins the kitchenette to outside and that several of the employees' teenaged children were in there when the thieves entered. The attack did not last for more than two minutes as the two dark skinned youths bearing guns and with their heads covered went straight to the two cashiers and demanded the day's collections. The terrified cashiers, who had to be examined by a physician from the neighbouring hospital, complied with the demands and handed over an undisclosed amount of cash and cheques. The fact that there were several customers inside did not stop the thieves from carrying out their plans. But the time of the attack has Police trying to figure out whether the thieves had help from someone inside since the timing of the heist was perfect. Monday was the deadline for employers to pay their employees' contributions. There are functional video cameras inside the offices and the Police have them in their custody to see if they can identify the two culprits who pulled off this latest, broad daylight holdup in a section of the city not that popular for such crimes. But with all that, there still seems to be no clues into the Monday afternoon armed hold-up. The Police Press Officer, Sergeant Fitzroy Yearwood would only say that while police are following up some leads, a definitive amount of how much the two thieves escaped with has not been given. Yearwood says police are now depending on you, the public, to help them solve the case. They are asking you to be on the lookout for a dark Suzuki Vitara with license plates BZ-C 36066, which they say was parked outside the building. The license plates have not yet been tracked down to determine who it was licensed and registered to. Another factor police are zeroing in on is why the back door where the men entered and exited was left open. Police would not say whether they are slanting toward it being an inside job, and would only say that they are not ruling out any

possibility. Meanwhile, they are also advising the public to closely examine Social Security cheques and report any suspicious cheque to the nearest police station. It just proves how much more dangerous the city has grown and how desperate things have become over the last several months when thieves willingly commit themselves. But the daylight crimes do much more than that. They also show how incapable the Police Department is in making any real dent in the soaring crime situation which has paralyzed the country. And worse than that, it emphasizes the fact that the man at the helm, the incompetent and lacking Minister of National Security, is clueless and his 360 degree approach to crime was nothing but a joke on Belizeans. What has Belize come to? Meanwhile out of the three big city heists at corporate or big businesses in just a week, police have only been able to make arrests in connection with the armed hold up at Doony's Store in downtown Belize City last week Wednesday. But the charge against the culprits is so slight that one is left to wonder whether

All Kinds of Nick Knacks, Odds and Ends, Slightly damaged, repairable, or for parts.

New, Used, slight damage, Fully and or Partially working. All sold “AS IS” NO WARRANTEES EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED”

PRICES UNBELIEVABLY LOW. BZ$1.00-up Time: 9:00AM – 4:00PM

NOTICE OF VOLUNTARY WINDING UP BELIZE ALUMINUM INDUSTRIES LIMITED Notice is hereby given that, pursuant to the Companies Act Chapter 250 of the Laws of Belize, Section 178, that BELIZE ALUMINUM INDUSTRIES LIMITED has on 13th, day of March, 2010 Applied for Voluntary Winding Up of the said Company. Any interested parties are asked to contact: The Secretary Board of Directors Belize Aluminum Industries Limited P.O. Box 438 Gordon House One Coney Drive Belize City.

The Belize Times

Welcome to Belize Dame Billie Miller

When you are a woman with a passion for your country and an interest in political life, the first persons you normally turn to for support, guidance and advice are other women in your country, the region and the world, who themselves through political representation or advocacy have made their mark, and who you feel connected to. For me, Dame Billie Miller is one such person. She has been a trailblazer not only in her country, but also in the Caribbean and the world. Therefore, as

the Senate, Deputy Leader of the Opposition, Minister of Tourism and Foreign Affairs and Deputy Prime Minister of Barbados, representing the Barbados Labour Party. She has been instrumental in shaping and influencing revolutionary policy and legislation supporting families and planned parenthood and has worked closely with the Inter-American Development Bank and Caribbean organizations on issues relating to women, population and development.

Sunday, March 21, 2010

Opposition Condemns the Prime Minister’s Behavior in the House of Representatives

The People’s United Party strongly condemns the inexcusable deplorable and unparliamentary conduct of the Prime Minister that occurred at yesterday’s sitting of the House of Representatives. . The Prime Minister’s behavior, and his deliberate and repeated use of derogatory and demeaning language aimed at members of the Opposition is not only inappropriate parliamentary conduct, but is also an insult to the Belizean People. When the Prime Minister chose to engage yet again in vicious name calling, using terms which are vulgar and malicious,, this not only demeans the highest office in the land, but it also reflects poorly on his party as the government in office. . When the proceedings of the House of Representatives arrive at a point where control is being lost it is the Speaker, using the standing orders, who must restore order. The Opposition, therefore, calls upon the Honorable Speaker to require the Prime Minister, at the next sitting of the House of Representatives, to tender an apology to the Members of the House on the Opposition side and to Belizeans for his disrespectful behavior, and to take appropriate measures to ensure that such conduct does not occur again. ### end ###

SMALL FARMERS & BUSINESS BANK LTD. COR. HUMMINGBIRD HIGHWAY & FOREST DRIVE BELMOPAN CITY TEL: 664-4643

Wishes to inform our valued clients that with immediate effect:a woman and Chairman of the People’s United Party, I take great pleasure in welcoming her to Belize on behalf of all the women of the PUP and Belize. As I look at this picture, I reminisce of sitting at a United Nations Population Fund Meeting of Parliamentarians in Surinam, which I attended in November 2008. She was the guest speaker and shared her experiences with us as a Barbadian, a politician, a social activist, and as a woman. I remember leaving Surinam with a single message from her…know why you are in it and do not lose sight of your cause…….because that is the only way you will stay the course. Dame Billie Miller is to Barbados what Madam Liz is to Belize albeit ten years later, as she has the distinction of being the first woman to sit in the cabinet of Barbados 1976-1981. Madam Liz’s tenure was 1966-69. This single feature says to me how pioneering the People’s United Party is in terms of women’s participation in leadership and decision making in the Caribbean. Dame Miller has served as a member of both houses of Parliament, Leader of Opposition Business in

CHECK OUT OUR NEW WEBSITE at www.belizetimes.bz ~ POST YOUR COMMENTS ~ VOTE ON ARTICLES ~ VIEW OUR PHOTO GALLERY ~ CHECK OUT A PDF VERSION OF THE PAPER We are the most visited newspaper website in Belize

Dame Billie Miller is considered one of the Caribbean’s premier political trailblazers and transformational leaders, and will be a guest speaker at the National Women’s Commission public forum for Women’s Month on Wednesday March 24, 2010 @ 7:00 pm at the Bliss Center. I urge all our PUP women to attend this lecture. Like Madam Liz, Dame Billie Miller is truly an inspiration to us all.

MR. OSCAR L. ARNOLD is no longer employed with us and therefore not authorized to conduct any transactions on our behalf.

NOTICE OF VOLUNTARY WINDING UP MAYA TRAVEL SERVICES LIMITED Notice is hereby given that, pursuant to the Companies Act Chapter 250 of the Laws of Belize, Section 178, that MAYA TRAVEL SERVICES LIMITED has on the 13th, day of March, 2010 Applied for Voluntary Winding Up of the said Company. Any interested parties are asked to contact:

The Secretary Board of Directors Maya Travel Services Limited P.O. Box 438 Goedon House One Coney Drive Belize City.

Sunday, March 21, 2010

The Belize Times

Would the Real JACKASS Please Stand Up!

By: Mike Rudon Jr. On Monday at the presentation of the budget for fiscal year 2010/11, the Prime Minister of Belize Dean Oliver Barrow made a spectacle of himself when he referred to a member of the Opposition bench as a jackass. According to Dean Oliver, the member was a ‘stubborn jackass’ while he was the ‘stubborn driver’ wielding the heavy whip. The Prime Minister attributed his stupid jackass stupid driver comment to an Afghan author, but popular belief is that the PM was having a flashback with him as the jackass and a merciless Lois whipping him to a gallop all the way to the public coffers. But that is neither here nor there. Neither a flashback nor Vicodininduced intoxication will excuse Barrow’s folly in the House. He was completely out of order and is already paying the price on the streets. Just ask any of his colleagues on the government side who were at the House on Monday. Ask his Deputy Prime Minister Gapi Vega, who grinned like a fool and pounded his fists on the table while his poor mind struggled to catch up with what Barrow was saying. Vega took a licking from his constituents when he returned to Orange Walk, as all of them blasted Barrow for his behavior. And judging from the talk on the streets and the calls to the morning shows following Barrow’s punkish tirade, all his cohorts got the same reaction from their voters. Mr. Barrow has consistently made a mistake which will no doubt be fatal to his political career. The gentleman has become so blinded by his own eloquence and verbosity that he can’t see the reality which is right before his eyes. Through the glasses perched coquettishly on the tip of his nose,

Mr. Barrow sees only visions of subjects bowing before him as he waxes philosophical on the pulpit. The very learned fellow has become somewhat confused and sees himself as an Obama whose words inspire and give the nation hope. He doesn’t realize that his words inspire feelings of disgust and hope only that that he will soon shut up and step down and give the reins to somebody who may not be as eloquent but who can get the job done. See, the reality is this. In the campaign leading up to general elections in 2008, Mr. Barrow promised many things with his trademark oratorical genius. But with all that we’ve gotten absolutely nowhere. Check this out. In the UDP’s manifesto, Dean Barrow committed to – “ease the cost of living by lowering electricity rates and telephone rates.” Instead, the cost of everything has

gone up and with this latest whopping increase in taxation of BEL, electricity rates WILL GO UP! As for telephone rate, the only thing that has gone down since Barrow took over BTL is the service quality. And how about this – Mr. Barrow promised in that same manifesto to “provide greater spending power by reducing GST.” But in his budget presented on Monday, Mr. Barrow actually raised GST by a whopping 25% to 12.5%. Imagine that. What happened to the promise when you wanted our vote, Mr. Prime Minister? And there’s more, much more which has been fed to us like honey from his mouth but which ended up like his vile tongue being shoved down our throats. Is it surprising that people don’t believe you now, Mr. Barrow? What it comes down to is that Barrow proclaimed himself the savior of mankind, the godly

wonder who with one hand tied behind his back and eyes blindfolded would lead this nation to prosperity. Can you take off the blindfold now, Mr. Prime Minister, because somehow it seems that you got confused and started walking backward? Mr. Barrow has been a failure in every sense of the word. Under his watch, poverty escalated to a frightening 43% of Belizeans, with 14% more right on the line. Under his watch, violent crime has paralyzed the nation. Under his watch, cost of living continues to go up. Under Barrow’s watch, Belize City has become a cesspool. Thanks to Mr. Barrow and his wunderkind Zenaida, residents of the city have lost all faith and hope in this municipal administration. Remember the audit and the missing money from City Hall, Mr. Barrow. What say you about that? And how about those tourism figures, the worst in a decade thanks to Mr. Barrow? And we can go on and on and on. But we don’t need to, because the figures and the record are there for all to see. Mr. Barrow, you were given this nation and people on a silver platter. You have been a failure in every respect. You have not one single accomplishment of which to be proud - something you can call solely your own. So who’s the jackass now, Mr. Barrow?

A Public Service Message Courtesy of The Belize times.

The Belize Times

For Your Information Here are some handy facts about the UDP National Budget tabled today in the House of Representatives:

The current year's overall deficit, 2009/10, will actually be 60% higher than originally approved: the dollar shortfall will be $81.6m versus a budget of $52.3m. The economy shrunk by .8% in 2009; almost every major sector contracted and exports fell by a fifth of the previous year's level. Prices for food and beverages continue to rise in 2009, on top of the 13% increase in 2008. Foreign direct investment fell by 50%. GOB revenues fell on average by 10% compared to budgeted levels while expenditures were trimmed by only 2%. $45m in capital investments programmed by the UDP did not materialize. The nation's debt grew by a net $41m. National unemployment stands at a multi-year high of 13.1%, while for women and youth, the figure is more than 25%. The new budget, 2010/11, forecasts an overall deficit of $64.7m. The UDP Government plans to collect $110m more in tax revenue this year, of which $61.5m will come from new tax measures. A 2.5 percentage point GST increase will rake in $42m alone. BEL will be slapped with a $10m increase in business tax, EPZs will pay $3.5m in a social fee, GOB will collect $4.2m in tax arrears and the cost of locally produced crude oil will go up by $1 per barrel. GDP will grow by a meagre 1.5%. All of the tax "relief" initiatives proposed by the GOB will give back only $10.5m to the minority who will benefit from them. $127m in financing will be required for the budget which will come from loans from the IDB, CABEI, OFID, the World Bank, the CDB and the EU. All the tax increases have been proposed without any prior consultation. This is the UDP's third budget and its most nefarious. Poor Belizeans will be plunged deeper into poverty. Middle class Belizeans, already in a state of siege, will have their pockets picked, this time by their government. Ominously for pensioners, Mr. Barrow has also raised the prospect of "reforming" the public sector pension program, which can only be double-speak for cutting payments. Finally, it is timely to remind ourselves of the contract upon which this administration came to office: 6% annual GDP growth, lower GST, reduced telephone and electricy rates, 5000 new jobs, 1000 new houses, shares for the public in a national oil company, lower mortgage rates and a DNA testing facility to fight criminals, among others. This budget defies all these promises.

Sunday, March 21, 2010

The

Whip

Mr. Borrow Mr. Borrow you make we full of sorrow You spike the taxes, there is no tomorrow You have shown you lack leader ability Yours is a poor performance capability Two years ago you promise lowering GST Now you cram a raise despite our plea And you will borrow monies locally Changed the laws to make it legally You promised 1000 homes for the poor You wanted our vote, it was just a lure Of 5,000 jobs you made the assurance Many lost their job, you had us in trance Food \ Will become more expensive Hardship will become extensive Electricity shall hike Mr. Borrow you di strike Now you come with handouts Of this we have our doubts Guess for your chosen few Shall be the honeydew Lawd you behave so bad Mr. Borrow You temper get so narrow Effrontery shows lack of respects You di take shame make vex You talk bad about sick people You would put a bell on his neck Because he got his nose in a wreck Man, you no got no principle An apology to sick people is due But I guess you feel no remorse Respect was never in you imbued Thenceforth words so vile and coarse Leaders govern by example Kids at home follow your trample A flagrant disrespect for fellow men Is what our children see again and again If Government leaders would stop the hustle That alone would slow down criminal bustle If minista di tief, everybody want e piece a beef If prime minista di cuss, kids will follow course Get the sense Mr. Borrow We want a better tomorrow But you and your cabinet Are Belize’s worse threat…

Edmund “Hoghead” Castro He hog up the cable, he hog the bus lines, he hog the heavy equipment contracts, he hog the tilapia, he hog up the plantain, he got the land, the housing contracts and so much more… hoghead hogged up all. It ain’t no message, just a reflection of your self It ain’t no threat, it just a simple hog head to remind all of your mean and gluttonous ways… -You got the hog- just like so much more than your due share... Guess you cooked it. You hogged it too. Bon apetit.

Sunday, March 21, 2010

The Belize Times

For Your Information Below is a review of the SI No. 134 of 2009 which will regulate village council elections. There are some SERIOUS AND DANGEROUS PROVISIONS in this SI. It is IMPORTANT that you all read it and become engaged, as the PARTY must act. Issues with the New Regulations Governing Elections for Village and Community Councils 15th March 2010 1.0

Background

A new Statutory Instrument (SI) (SI No. 134 of 2009) governing the conduct of Village Council elections was gazetted by the Election and Boundaries Commission on 19th December, 2009. These regulations were passed into law as provided for in Section 35 of the Village Council Act, Chapter 38 of the Laws of Belize. This new SI effectively repealed the Village Council (Elections) Regulations, 2003 (SI No. 100 of 2003). 2.0

Differences between the Old and New Regulations

i. Under the new regulations, the elections will be conducted by the Election and Boundaries Commission rather than the Ministry of Local Government as per the previous regulations. In the previous regulation all elections for village councils with more than 700 voters were conducted and supervised by the Ministry of Local Government, and those with more than 700 voters were conducted by the Ministry of Local Government and supervised by the Election and Boundaries Commission. ii. Under the new regulations, a person is eligible to be elected as Chairperson or a member of a Village or Community Council only if they appear on the official voters list for that village or community. Under the old regulations, a person was eligible to be elected if he/she 1. was a Belizean 2. Was 18 years of age and c. resided in the village or community for at least one year preceding the date of the election. iii. Under the new regulations, permanent residents (PR) are eligible to vote if they are in possession of a Permanent Residence card or proof of possession thereof. The new SI does not specify that the PR has to have lived in the village for a continuous period of not less than 2 months – this condition applies only to Belizeans by birth or naturalization. The new regulation does not even specify that the PR has to be 18 years of age. iv. Under the new regulations, the list of electors for each village or “the official voters list” is the Elections and Boundaries Constituency list in which the village or community falls. A person eligible to vote in their village has to be on the “official voters list for that village or community” AND has to be 18 year of age AND has to reside in the village for a continuous period of not less than 2 months. Under the old regulations, the EB voters list was used as a guide only. PROBLEMS WITH THE NEW SI: a. Young Belizeans who are not yet registered to vote, and Belizeans who are registered but are not registered in that specific village or community will now be unable to contest the village council elections. b. Registered Belizean voters who are resident of a village but are not on the voters list for that village will be unable to vote in the elections for their village; c. Born and naturalized Belizeans who are 18 years of age but are not yet registered to vote will be unable to vote; d. There is not enough time to register Belizeans who are already 18 or will be 18 by the date of the elections for their village and ensure that they will be on the voters list. We are therefore disenfranchising young Belizeans who on the contrary we should encourage to get involved in the affairs of their village; e. There is no cutoff date for the official voters list and it is unclear up to when a Belizean will be able to register and still vote.

Under the old regulations once a Belizean resided in a village for more than 2 months and could prove that they were 18 years of age, they could have voted (they were allowed to vote if they were 18 up to the day prior to the election for their village); f. Permanent Residents do not have to live in a village for 2 months but are legally eligible to vote; g. Permanent Residents are afforded more voting rights in the upcoming village council elections than born or naturalized Belizeans; h. The UDP did not pay attention to the views expressed by the National Association of Village Councils (NAVCO) and in their usual high handed manner, the Election and Boundaries Commission went ahead and passed this new Regulation with all these flaws, even though at the end, the law said that the Regulation was “MADE… after consultation with the National Association of Village Councils”. 3.0

UDP’s Intent

It is known that in many constituencies, eg. Belize Rural North and Cayo Central, the UDP representative is registering immigrants for Permanent Residency hand over fist. It therefore appears that there is a clear intent by the UDP to ensure that these new Permanent Residents will be eligible to vote for the upcoming elections for village and community councils. In the meantime, born and naturalized Belizeans who are not yet registered to vote, will not have enough time to register, and will be disenfranchised from running or voting in the elections. This appears to be a sinister attempt by the UDP to steal the village council elections in villages, especially those that they are poised to lose to the PUP. If this is not the case, then it is another classic sign of UDP’s incompetence and their inability to pass a simple and effective Statutory Instrument to govern village council elections.

BY ORDER OF THE MORTGAGEE NOTICE OF INTENTION TO SELL HOLY REDEEMER CREDIT UNION LIMITED a statutory body formed and registered under the Credit Union Act, Chapter 314 of the Laws of Belize, Revised Edition 2000, and whose registered office is situated at No. 1 Hyde’s Lane, Belize City, Belize District hereby gives notice of its intention to exercise its power of sale as Mortgagee under and by virtue of a Deed Creating Charge by way of Legal Mortgage registered at the Land Titles Register between those hereinafter named and the said Holy Redeemer Credit Union Limited. HRCU will at the expiration of two months from the date of the first publication of this notice sell the property described in the Schedule below. ALL offers to purchase the said property must be made in writing to HOLY REDEEMER CREDIT UNION LIMITED from whom full particulars and conditions of sale may be obtained.

SCHEDULE ALL THAT piece or parcel of land being Lot No. 114 situate near Mile 8 ½ on the Western Highway, Belize District containing 772.22 square metres and being more particularly delineated and described as shown on Grant No. 157 of 1990 lodged at the Office of the Commissioner of Lands and Surveys TOGETHER with all buildings and erections standing and being thereon, the freehold property of Anthony Noralez.

The Belize Times

Sunday, March 21, 2010

Sharole Saldivar Prevails

After 30 months of an emotional roller coaster, Sharole Saldivar emerged from the Court of Appeal of Belize last Thursday afternoon a vindicated woman. Back in September, 2007, as a single mother and mother of three, Saldivar was fired by Zenaida Moya and the UDP Belize City Council. Saldivar at the time was the City Administrator of the Council, the highest non-elected officer of the Council. Yet, in typical UDP fashion, she was wrongfully terminated by the Council, for no reason, and worse than that, when she was on sick leave. She received the termination letter on her fourth day on sick leave, at the time recovering from a broken arm. The single mother and sole provider of her family had the rug pulled from under her for no

reason. At the time, she promptly filed a claim in the Supreme Court

Tuesday, March 16th, 2010 It is no secret by now - Prime Minister Dean Barrow has no respect for his office and the House of Representatives. If there was any shadow of a doubt in anyone's mind before now, well Barrow has personally cleared the air on that

issue when he revealed his true colours in the House on Monday. Barrow got so low that he also disrespected the former PM, Fort George Area Representative, Said Musa, when he pointedly and callously called Musa a "stubborn ja....ss" that he (Barrow) intends

of Belize asking the court to reinstate her in the post of City Administrator. That was October, 2007. While her case was heard in April, 2008 the decision in her case was not given until July, 2009. The Chief Justice who heard the case ruled that Zenaida Moya and the UDP Belize City Council had wrongfully terminated Saldivar. He also granted Saldivar $92,248.62 in damages. The UDP Belize City Council, almost spitefully, appealed the Chief Justice’s decision, causing the judgment handed down in Saldivar’s favour to be suspended until the appeal was heard. In a turn of events on Thursday, the UDP Belize City Council announced to the Court that it would not pursue its appeal. What

that means is that the UDP Belize City Council waited until down to the wire (when all along they knew they didn’t stand a chance of winning their appeal) and told the court it would not go ahead with its appeal. This deprived the single mother and sole breadwinner of her monies from last year July; monies she needed and could have used. To make matters worse, because of the hateful statements that were made by then Citco PR man Kenny Morgan and Dean Barrow, Saldivar’s character was much maligned and it has made it difficult for her to secure suitable employment since that vindictive firing of her in September, 2007. Speaking with the Belize Times, Mrs. Saldivar commented: “It took me this long, but I have prevailed.”

to be his "stubborn driver". Well, well, well! The statement left everyone in tune amazed. But if that was not enough, Barrow went on as if he was in a street side bar (Brads) casually joking over a good drink of scotch. He went on to chide the former PM that he (Barrow) will be there to "flog him" and that he won't finish until he hangs him with bell around his neck, comparing Musa to a leper. The foul speech coming from Barrow's mouth was clear over the

entire country as people from all over flooded the call-in shows to express their utter displeasure and shame at the PM's behaviour. The Leader of the Opposition, Hon. John Briceno has also weighed in on Barrow's cheap remarks. Briceno expressed disappointment that the words barely missed the ears of students who had visited the House for the proceedings that day. Briceno also calls on Barrow to apologize to his fellow parliamentarians and to all Belizeans who, for want of hearing the proceedings, had to endure the vulgarity. Whether Barrow will take shame and accede, we'll see. The Speaker of the House is like the referee of the House of Representatives. He (or she) is the one who should restore order through the use of Standing Orders. But it was clear that even the Speaker, Emil Arguelles, was hesitant that he too might have fallen prey to Barrow's venom. Eventually Barrow continued on his merry way after the gentlest of caution.

Briceño to Barrow: Apologize for vile language used in the House!"

For Sale

By Order Of The Mortgagee Scotiabank (Belize) Ltd., a company duly registered under the Companies Act, Chapter 250 of the Laws of Belize, Revised Edition, 2000, and having its registered office at Cor. Albert and Bishop Streets, Belize City, Belize, hereby gives notice of its intention to exercise its power of sale as Mortgagee under a Deed of Mortgage made the 22nd day of June, 2006, between WILLIAM H.H. LOCKE, of the one part, and Scotiabank (Belize) Ltd., of the other part, and recorded at Land Titles Unit in Deeds Book Vol. 22 of 2006 at Folios 1183 – 1210, and the said Scotiabank (Belize) Ltd. will at the expiration of two months from the date of the first publication of this notice sell the properties described in the schedule hereto. All offers to purchase the said properties must be made in writing and full particulars and conditions of sale may be obtained from the said Scotiabank (Belize) Ltd.

SCHEDULE ALL THAT piece or parcel of land comprising of 2.00 acres of land situate in Cristo Rey Village, Cayo District, bounded and described as shown by Plan No. 718 of 1987 TOGETHER with all buildings and erections standing and being thereon. DATED this 24th day of February, 2010.

MUSA & BALDERAMOS 91 North Front Street Belize City Attorneys-at-Law for Scotiabank (Belize) Ltd.

NOTICE Notice is hereby given that the company named

“RHODES LTD.” has been dissolved and struck off the International Business Companies Register with effect from the 6th day of March, 2010. The Belize Bank Limited Registered Agent

Sunday, March 21, 2010

The Belize Times

Mariposa'sKid's Corner

Color Me

Kriol - English Jumble

AAL AGE ALL AYJ BLEEKI CHROK COUNCIL COUNT

FAIYA FIRE FIRM FLAI GLOOMY GNAT HAAD KONGSL

KONK LOGIJ LORRY LUGGAGE MAABL MALANTI MANATEE MARBLES

YAANDA YONDER YONG YOUNG ZINC ZINK

The Belize Times

Sunday, March 21, 2010

Venezuela's Chavez calls Government Moves Towards for internet controls Universal Healthcare

Published on Monday, March 15, 2010 By Eyanir Chinea & Frank Jack Daniel CARACAS, Venezuela (Reuters) -- Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez, who is criticized by media freedom groups, called on Saturday for regulation of the Internet and singled out a website that he said falsely reported the murder of one of his ministers. "The Internet cannot be something open where anything is said and done. Every country has to apply its own rules and norms," Chavez said. He cited German Chancellor Angel Merkel as having expressed a similar sentiment recently. Chavez is angry with Venezuelan political opinion and gossip website Noticierodigital, which he said had falsely written that Diosdado Cabello, a senior minister and close aide, had been assassinated. The president said the story remained on the site for two days. "We have to act. We are going to ask the attorney general for help, because this is a crime. I have information that this page periodically publishes stories calling for a coup d'etat. That cannot be permitted." Social networking web sites like Twitter and Facebook are very popular among Venezuela's opposition movements to organize protests against the government. Chavez has complained that people use such sites

to spread unfounded rumors. Many opponents fear Chavez plans to emulate the government oversight of the Web used by allies Cuba, China and Iran, but the socialist leader has not given any sign that he is planning such a move. In 2007 Chavez refused to renew the license for television station RCTV, which is now battling to survive as a cable-only operator. The government has also put pressure on opposition TV network Globovision to soften its editorial line and last year closed dozens of radio stations for administrative breaches.

World Bank assures support for CARICOM Published on Monday, March 15, 2010 KINGSTON, Jamaica (JIS) -- The World Bank says it can help CARICOM increase its resilience to climate change, with innovative financing and low carbon growth strategies that include a focus on reducing the cost and increasing the efficiency of energy in the region. The Bank's private sector arm, the International Finance Corporation (IFC), is exploring opportunities to support renewable options, such as geothermal, hydro, wind and solar, along with an energy efficiency programme, World Bank Group President, Robert B Zoellick, told Heads of Government attending CARICOM's 21st InterSessional Meeting in Dominica, Thursday (March 11). Zoellick noted that CARICOM is particularly active on climate change, and that the world is increasingly recognizing the needs of the small island states in this area. Regarding financial jurisdictions, the World Bank chief said that the meeting addressed the range of issues the region faces in complying with international standards under the OECD and G-20. He assured the CARICOM Heads that the World Bank Group will continue to support countries, with advice and assistance to put the necessary legal frameworks and treaties in place. "While it is in the region's interest to complete these steps as quickly as possible, we recognize their special circumstances and are pleased to

work with countries as needed on the implementation path," he said. Jamaica's Prime Minister, Bruce Golding, heads the island's delegation to the meeting in Roseau, Dominica which runs March 11-12. The Prime Minister is accompanied by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Dr Ken Baugh, and other top government officials. Other matters on the agenda relate to external trade negotiations for a CARICOM-Canada Trade and Development Agreement; the status of the implementation of the CARIFORUMEC Economic Partnership Agreement; and the renewal of the Caribbean Basin Trade Partnership Act.

Basseterre, St. Kitts, March 12, 2010 (SKNIS): Residents and visitors of St. Kitts and Nevis have enjoyed quality health care from the facilities provided on the islands and His Excellency Sir Cuthbert Sebastian, said ongoing efforts will “progressively” upgrade the services. During his Throne Speech on Wednesday, the Governor General said “We intend to continue doing so with the addition of more advanced treatment capabilities such as haemodialysis, and modern diagnostic tools including MRI facilities.” Noting, that healthcare is extremely important the Head of State revealed that a National Health Insurance Scheme is being proposed for all citizens. During an interview with SKNIS, Minister of Health, Honourable Marcella Liburd, supported his comments giving some in-

sight into the new initiative. “Our vision for healthcare is a fit and healthy nation and so the coverage of everybody is part of that vision,” she stated. The Minister added that while healthcare is a very costly commitment, it is an important one because “the wealth of the nation is not in the treasury” but rather in the healthcare system. “Don’t care how much money you have, if you do not have your health, you have nothing,” she stressed. “We have renewed our commitment to primary healthcare to try to prevent people from getting advance stages of illness which is so very costly,” Minister Liburd disclosed, noting that greater efforts will be placed on getting men to access health services. “The plan also envisages covering costs for persons who have to go overseas for treatment when the treatment is not available locally. It also envisages covering dental health and eye care,” she stressed. Minister Liburd revealed that consultants and other array of stakeholders are currently working on the practical health plan and when their assessment is complete and it has gone through the relevant reviews, public consultations will be held.

UN chief hears progress, challenges for Haiti aid

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AFP) -- UN chief Ban Ki-moon has made his second visit to Haiti since the country's killer earthquake in January to hear the formidable challenges - and progress made by - aid groups. In a meeting with of the various UN officials overseeing the massive relief operation in Haiti, Ban said Sunday he was "deeply grateful" for all they had done to date. "I wanted to see for myself the progress made in the past two months," since his first visit on January 17, he said. He said the trip would give him a much "clearer picture" of the situation ahead of a donors' conference at the UN headquarters in New York on March 31. The officials seated at the table with Ban described a problematic situation which was staggering in its scale. Damage equivalent to 120 percent of Haiti's gross domestic product was caused in the January 12 quake, they

said. The impending rainy season was going to bring further misery to the 1.3 million homeless, only 60 percent of whom had emergency shelter in the form of tents, tarpaulins or kits to build their own. Security, especially for women and children, was of concern. Ban thanked them, and urged them to "try to be more creative, more productive" as they forged on. Afterwards, in a joint media conference with Haitian President Rene Preval and Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive, Ban admitted that "we are a little behind" in providing shelter to the Haitians. He said, though, that it was one of the main priorities for the United Nations.

Sunday, March 21, 2010

The Belize Times

Stimulation… not New Taxes…

The Prime Minister the Honorable Dean Barrow’s announcement of the 2½% increase in the General Sales Tax rate as the primary measure to close the more than $60 million deficit in the 2010/2011 Budget came as no surprise. We are all aware that the Barrow administration is as unimaginative as it gets, particularly as it relates to closing its budget deficit. It always takes the easy way out by forcing most of us to dip deeper into our pockets to finance its bills. But it is just another desperate stop gap measure. The economy needs stimulation, not new taxes. When the 2 percent Environmental Tax is tacked on to the new

12½% GST rate, starting April 1st we will pay 14 ½ % on all items

For Sale

By Order Of The Mortgagee Scotiabank (Belize) Ltd., a company duly registered under the Companies Act, Chapter 250 of the Laws of Belize, Revised Edition, 2000, and having its registered office at Cor. Albert and Bishop Streets, Belize City, Belize, hereby gives notice of its intention to exercise its power of sale as Mortgagee under a Deed of Mortgage made the 1st day of April, 2000, between DELITA CASTILLO (a.k.a. Delita Vicente) and REBEKAH CASTILLO, of the one part, and Scotiabank (Belize) Ltd., of the other part, and recorded at the Land Titles Unit in Deeds Book Vol. 18 of 2000 at Folios 935-960, and the said Scotiabank (Belize) Ltd. will at the expiration of two months from the date of the first publication of this notice sell the properties described in the schedule hereto. All offers to purchase the said properties must be made in writing and full particulars and conditions of sale may be obtained from the said Scotiabank (Belize) Ltd.

SCHEDULE ALL THAT piece or parcel of land comprising 5 acres situate in the Carib Reserve, Stann Creek District being Block 450, bounded and described as shown on Plan No. 108 of 1960 TOGETHER with all buildings, erections and developments standing and being thereon. ALL THAT LEASEHOLD INTEREST IN ALL THAT piece or parcel of land being Block No. 451 situate in the Carib Reserve, Stann Creek District and bounded as follows: On the North for 450 feet by a Road Reserve; On the South for 450.00 feet by Block No. 452; On the West for 484.00 feet by Block No. 441; and on the East for 484.00 feet by Block No. 461; containing 5 acres as shown on Big Plan No. 18 at the Office of the Commissioner of Lands and Surveys TOGETHER with all buildings and erections standing and being thereon. DATED this 24th day of February, 2010.

MUSA & BALDERAMOS 91 North Front Street Belize City Attorneys-at-Law for Scotiabank (Belize) Ltd.

that are not exempted from the consumption tax. Clearly, the 1993-1998 Esquivel/Barrow 15% VAT days are back for an encore. Meanwhile, it seems that PM Barrow refuses to hear our cry which is that we just cannot afford any new taxes at this time. It is too much to expect hardworking Belizeans to shoulder so much of the burden, particularly when the government has not announced whether the tax increase is a temporary measure or not. From the time PM Barrow, who is also the Minister of Finance, came into office he has imposed crippling taxes with no regard for Belizeans. Last year, he tacked on a $1 on each gallon of fuel sold to increase revenues to close his budget deficit. He promised to revisit the tax if a gallon were to cost more than $7 as fuel is a vital input in all sectors of the economy. It did so shortly but he reneged on his promise despite the tax’s ripple effect on the economy. As a result, many persons were harshly impacted and pushed into poverty by the accompanying high cost of living. It is also plain to see that any new taxes are likely to shrink our reeling economy further and lead to lower revenues rather than the intended effect of increasing it. See, if there is no new input in the economy from loans or other external sources, and money is taken out of it, it will contract, and subsequently the tax collections will decrease. This was clearly the situation last year which led PM Barrow to admit at his October press conference that the economy was contracting and that government revenues were falling because its collections were not meeting its projections. But it does not seem that a tax increase is necessary or warranted at this time, particularly when the government does not seem to have any urgency to cut expenditure. And the cuts should start at the Cabinet. Those fully

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maintained gas guzzling late model Sport Utility Vehicles should be a thing of the past. Also, ministers should be paid allowances towards their living expenses such as housing and utilities instead of relying on tax payers to cover all their bills. Perhaps then they will understand what we are experiencing as a result of the ever rising cost of living. The government may also save by dismissing their political appointees, who work sparingly, yet they receive obscene remuneration packages and perks. As a result, these persons are hardly fazed by the implementation of new taxes. In addition, it may save greatly by getting rid of its high priced consultants like First Lady Emeritus Lois Young. It seems that PM Barrow has personally privatized the Ministry of the Attorney General’s work for her personal gain, allowing her to collect millions of tax payers’ dollars and counting representing the government in court. And if PM Barrow were indeed serious about closing the budget deficit, he would go after those persons who are evading taxes. There are allegedly large importers with ministerial ties who are heavily involved in contraband and are purposefully undervaluing their goods in order to pay as little tax as possible. Instead of unleashing the Customs Department on the average men and women, who travel across the border to make ends meet, he should upgrade the Department’s investigative and collection mechanisms so that officers can effectively go after the big tax dodgers. But that is too much to ask of PM Barrow, who rules like a feudal lord, because he has never been about the people’s needs. Besides, the evidence is irrefutable that his promise to lower the burden on Belizeans was nothing more than a stunt for political gain. While the proposed taxes are scary, there is a sinking feeling that the worst is yet to come. We should brace ourselves for worsening crime and violence as the out of control cost of living will push more people below the poverty line, and sadly these persons may turn to a life of crime just to survive.

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The Belize Times

Sunday, March 21, 2010

COURT NEWS 19 Year Old Remanded to Prison Bus Conductor and Neighbor Charged With Robbery for Home-made Firearm

Delroy Moss

BELIZE CITY, Wed. March 17, 2010 Delroy Moss, 19, a laborer of #39 Tigris Street who the Police alleged

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they saw knocking on the window of a house with a firearm, was charged with keeping a prohibited firearm and keeping ammunition without a gun license when he appeared in the #1 Magistrate’s Court on Monday, March 15. Moss was also charged with a mischievous act for allegedly telling Police that his name was Delroy Gillett. He pled not guilty to the charges. Chief Magistrate Margaret McKenzie explained to him that the Court could not grant him bail because of the nature of the offences. She remanded Moss into custody. The incident occurred on Saturday, March 13. The Police reported that they were on mobile patrol when they saw Moss knocking what appeared to be a firearm on the window of a house at the corner of South Street and East Canal Street. The Police said that when they approached Moss they saw him throw away the firearm. They said that they escorted Moss to the area where he threw the firearm and when they retrieved it they saw that it was a home-made firearm with one round of 9mm caliber ammunition in it. Moss was taken into custody and charged. The firearm and ammunition were labeled as exhibits.

BELIZE VITY, Wed. March 17, 2010 Two men, Henry Mariano, 41 and Lynton Sutherland, 34 were charged with robbery when they appeared yesterday in the #3 Magistrate’s Court. Mariano, a bus conductor of Pinks Alley, was also charged with 2 counts of common assault, one of them upon Police Constable Martin Bahadur and the other upon Bahadur’s common-law wife Susan Castellanos, the complainant in the robbery case. Mariano and Sutherland pled not guilty to the robbery. Mariano pled guilty to common assault upon Castellanos. But he was not sentenced. Magistrate Kathleen Lewis denied Mariano and Sutherland bail. She remanded them into custody until March 30.

Two Remanded To Prison For Firearm And Ammunition

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY The Central Bank of Belize, the statutory body responsible for fostering monetary stability, especially the stability of the exchange rates and the promotion of credit conditions, is seeking to recruit an Economist.

The Central Bank is interested in persons with background in the following areas: • • • • •

Economics Economic forecasting Monetary economics Statistical analysis Macroeconomic management

The successful candidate will be expected to conduct/assist in economic research projects, engage in economic analysis, assist in the formulation of monetary policy,. Produce economic forecasts and produce/contribute to reports generated by the Research Department.

The incident occurred at around 6:40a.m on March 14. Castellanos, 25, a bartender of #52B Magazine Road, reported to the Police that she and Bahadur were walking on Queen Street coming from Planet Hollywood when Mariano approached her, grabbed her left hand and took off her gold ring with pink stone valued at $500.00. She said Mariano punched her on the right side of her face then Bahadur came to assist her. She said Bahadur grabbed Mariano then Sutherland grabbed Bahadur from behind and held him so that Mariano could punch him in his face. Both Mariano and Sutherland then ran, said Castellanos. They were detained on Monday, March 15 and charged.

Troy Hyde

BELIZE CITY, Wed. March 17, 2010 Two persons, Troy Hyde, 22 and Albert Moody, 21, have been charged separately for a firearm and ammunition, which the Police alleged they dropped when a house they were in was raided at around 10:45 am on Friday, March 12. Hyde, a laborer of Curl Thompson Street, was charged with keeping a firearm without a gun license. Moody, an unemployed man of Jane Usher Boulevard, was charged with

keeping ammunition without a gun license. They were both arraigned in the #1 Magistrate’s Court on Monday, March 15. Hyde and Moody pled not guilty to the charges. Chief Magistrate Margaret McKenzie explained to them that the Court could not offer them bail because of the nature of the offences. She remanded Hyde into custody until May 18 and Moody into custody until April 27. The Police reported that when they entered the home of Austin Stevens, located at #8880 Jr. Street they saw Hyde drop an object, resembling a firearm, under the chair on which he was sitting. The Police also reported that they saw Moody who was sitting in a chair opposite from Hyde, drop an object under his chair. According to the Police when they retrieved the object from under Hyde’s chair it was a rusty 9mm pistol with no serial number. The object they found under Moody’s chair was a magazine which contained 8 live rounds of 9mm caliber ammunition, reported the Police. Hyde and Moody were taken into custody. The firearm and ammunition were labeled as exhibits.Two other persons, Austin Stevens and Leroy Selgado, were in the house, but they were not charged.

Applicant should possess: • • • • •

A Bachelor’s or Master’s degree from a University of international standing with emphasis in any of the above subject areas; Excellent writing and communication skills; Strong quantitative , analytical and computer skills; Results oriented focus with good interpersonal skills and Working experience in an economics related position would be an asset.

The remuneration package is commensurate with qualifications and experience. Applications together with curriculum vitae, copies of transcripts and certificates must be submitted by Monday, 12 April 2010 to: Director Human Resources Department Central Bank of Belize P.O. Box 852 Gabourel Lane Belize City BELIZE Email: cbbhrd@btl.net Ref: Economist Website: www.centralbank.org.bz All applications will be treated in strict confidence.

They Are Listening to YOU!

Sunday, March 21, 2010

The Belize Times

COURT NEWS Piggy Charged With Murder of Glenford Matura

Ex-Cop Leroy Kerr Beats Theft Charge

Leroy Kerr Lionel "Piggy" Neal

BELIZE CITY, Wed. March 17, 2010

Two persons were charged in connection with the murder of Glenford Matura, 29, when they appeared today in the #4 Magistrate’s Court. They are Lionel Neal, 25, a.k.a. “Piggy” and Michael Kerr, 18. Neal, a laborer of #101 West Street, was charged with murder. Neal and Kerr, unemployed of Rockville, were charged with conspiracy to commit murder. They were remanded into custody until May 6. On that date they will go to the #6 Magistrate’s Court. Matura, a laborer of #3 Central American Boulevard, was shot and killed at around 7:00 am on Wednesday, March 10.

with

Michael Kerr

He was cleaning the street on Euphrates Avenue when his assailant appeared and shot him several times. Matura was shot in his left temple, his right buttocks and his right hand. He ran into an alley nearby and then he jumped a fence and collapsed. Matura was taken to the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital where he died at around 8:28 am while undergoing treatment. The Police reported that when the scene was processed by Scenes of Crime Technicians, four expended shells and two .380 calibre shells were found. Neal and Kerr were asked if they wanted to participate in an identification parade but they refused.

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BELIZE CITY, Wed. March 17, 2010

Former Police Constable Leroy Kerr, 26, who was charged with the theft of gasoline amounting to $175,000 in value, was freed of the charge at a

preliminary inquiry that was held in the #1 Magistrate’s Court on Monday, March 15. Chief Magistrate Margaret McKenzie said she read the file and found that there was no evidence against Kerr. Kerr was represented by attorney Dickie Bradley. It was alleged that Kerr stole the gasoline between November 2006 and April 23, 2007. At the time Kerr was attached to the Raccoon Street Police Station and he was responsible for taking fuel orders to Shell One Stop Gas Station, located at the corner of Central American Boulevard and Cemetery Road. Kerr, according to the allegations, stole the gasoline by taking unauthorized fuel orders to Shell One Stop Gas Station. Kerr was dismissed from the Police Department in 2007 after he was charged with theft.

Prison Officer Charged With Drug Trafficking

Giovanni Lennon

BELIZE CITY, Wed. March 17, 2010 Giovanni Lennon, 21, a prison officer at Hattieville Prison, Kolbe Foundation who was allegedly busted with

94 grams of cannabis, was charged with drug trafficking when he appeared today in the #4 Magistrate’s Court. Lennon pled not guilty to the charge. Magistrate Aretha Ford offered him bail of $5,000 which he met. His case was adjourned until May 17. The incident occurred at around 8:00 pm yesterday. Police Constable Thaddeus Williams attached to Hattieville Police Station at Mile 16 on the Western Highway, reported that acting on information received he visited the prison and Prison Officer Grade I Irma Wallace handed over to him Lennon and 2 parcels of cannabis wrapped in aluminum foil. Williams said he was told by Wallace that she found the cannabis when she searched Lennon who had just reported for work. The cannabis when weighed amounted to 94 grams. It was labeled as an exhibit.

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Why is this vehicle camping out on Eyre Street, just outside the office of the Leader of the Opposition?

The Belize Times

Sunday, March 21, 2010

WAYS BARROW COULD BALANCE THE BUDGET

1. Fire the firm of Lois Young and Company and use the services of the Solicitor General instead 2. Stop giving tax breaks to UDP cronies 3. Cut down on the Ministerial vehicle fleet 4. Stop subsidizing Belize City and Town Council Mismanagement 5. Stop the useless spending on spy-mobile and other espionage equipments 6. Stop awarding sweetheart contracts to SoBs1, FoBs2 and RoBs3 of Dean Barrow 7. Crack down on the blatant Ministerial hustling 8. Collect lawful taxes due from all goods flowing as contraband from the Free Zone and the Northern and Western Border of Belize. 9. Collect the $80,000 from Juliet Thimbrel, the $90,000 that Zenaida Moya overpaid herself and the extra legal tax breaks granted by Councilor Leila Peyrefitte. 10. Conduct a forensic audit of Housing for the Poor and recover all misappropriated funds 1

Supporters of Barrow,

Friends of Barrow, 3 Relatives of Barrow

Sunday, March 21, 2010

Out Spoken

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The Belize Times

Tropical Gaming Co. Ltd. Opposition Leader Writes to Speaker of the House Corrects the UDP Guardian March 17, 2010 The Editor The El Guardian Newspaper Belize City Belize

Sir, We have read the article entitled ‘Lotto in Limbo” in last Thursday’s edition of your newspaper and must make comment. Your article seems to suggest that GOB intends introducing some new regulations to better protect the interest of Lotto players and to safeguard their winnings; and, that Tropical Gaming has been resisting those measures. Your article suggests further, that GOB’s goal is “to retrieve more revenues”. We assert that your article is correct in only one material particular: GOB is trying to extract more revenues. In this regard, GOB now insists in increasing Tropical Gaming’s annual license from $6,000.00 to $160,000.00. (This last figure was negotiated down to $80,000.00); now insists on a 15% share of the Company’s gross revenues; a 50% share of all un-claimed prizes; and, a 2% participation in all dividend distributions. With regard to the protective measures, we are not aware that GOB has sought to introduce any new terms to the contract that expired on February 23, 2010 that even remotely resembles measures to protect the public. Management notes here that Tropical Gaming has always promptly honored valid winning tickets presented. We are aware that GOB has recently introduced an amendment to the Lotteries Control Act, but here again, the objectives of the amendment have nothing to do with such noble goals as protecting the public or Lotto players. Rather, the primary objectives seem to be a change in the constitution of the Lotteries Committee; vesting power in the Minister of Economic Development to set licence fees; and, permitting the Lotteries Committee to grant licences for up to ten years (the present legislation does not allow the Committee to grant licences for periods exceeding one year). With regard to this last, Management is of the view that this amendment became necessary for one reason only: To legitimize the ten year licence that will have to be issued to BRADS for the Boledo contract, a contract that must be signed by April 30, 2010. On the matter of contract renewal negotiations that, as your article put it, “are still underway”, Tropical Gaming considered negotiations to have been concluded from as early as February 24, 2010. On that date at meeting held in Belmopan between Mr. Gian Ghandi, Mrs. Yvonne Hyde (CEO in the Ministry of Economic Development and Chairman of the Lotteries Committee), Messrs. B.Q.A. Pitts and George Swift (both representing Tropical Gaming in the negotiations), there was agreement, by all parties, to the terms of a new contract. In keeping with his promise made at the end of that meeting, Mr. Ghandi distributed the following day, to all interested parties, a copy of the contract (see attached copies of the email and the contract sent by Mr. Ghandi). Mrs. Hyde also confirmed that an agreement had been reached and so did a faxed letter dated February 26, 2010. That letter (see attached) also indicated the date on which the contract would be ready for signature. The clear suggestion in the last paragraph of your article “if they (Tropical Gaming) do not accept more regulation and the other protection measures requested, then the tendering process will begin” is misleading and could not have come from the Ministry of Economic Development. We make the additional comments that: • Tropical Gaming knows of no new regulations; • No such regulations have been introduced in any discussions had with the Ministry of Economic Development personnel; • Tropical Gaming, would welcome any regulation that would enhance the integrity of its games even further. On a final note, Tropical Gaming must observe that contract renewal negotiations have been unnecessarily long for one reason: GOB’s refusal to grant to Tropical Gaming, the same exclusive rights that will be afforded to Brads with respect to the Boledo games. Brads contract and licence will be exclusive for a ten year period. Tropical Gaming has been offered a ten year contract but with exclusivity for only five of those years. In fact, GOB has since reneged on the February 26, 2010 agreement and, with no explanation has decided, without any consultation, to reduce the contract term from ten years to five years (see copy of email dated March 03, 2010 from the Ministry of Economic Development). Respectfully Tropical Gaming Co. Of Belize Limited (Readers can read relevant excerpts from the draft contracts and other letters referred to in this letter in an ad on page 32 of this edition of the newspaper.)

Office of the Leader of the Opposition #122 Eve Street Belize City, Belize Telephone 671-8385

Hon. Emil Arguelles Speaker House of Representatives Independence Hill BELMOPAN 18 March 2010 Dear Hon. Speaker, At the last sitting of the House of Representatives on Monday 15th March 2010 the Member from Queen Square, the Hon Dean Barrow, Prime Minister used offensive and derogatory remarks in reference to members of the Opposition. The member for Queen’s Square used such words as “jackass” “fool” and “idiot” whilst making contributions in the debate. These words are in clear violation of the Standing Orders of the House of Representatives. I wish to condemn in the strongest possible terms the vulgar and insulting behavior of the member. Standing Order 38 (4) states that “It shall be out of order to use offensive or insulting language about Members of either Chamber of the Legislature.” Since the Standing Orders are clear that it is the Speaker who is responsible for order in the House, we in the Opposition must express our strong disappointment that such offensive and insulting language was used without your insisting that the Member for Queen Square withdraw his comments, an act which would have been in accordance with Standing Order 44 (3) (a). Your lack of deliberate action has allowed the House to become unruly and uncontrolled. This is not the first time that the Member for Queen Square or other members of the Government Side have behaved in this way. They have adopted a consistent pattern of behaviour that is unparliamentary which has brought the House into disrepute. I am calling upon you to insist that the member for Queen’s Square apologise to the House and to the members of the Opposition at the beginning of the next sitting of the House. I also appeal to you to assume your rightful role as Speaker and to ensure that the proceedings of the House are hereafter conducted in a fair manner and in keeping with the Standing Orders. Sincerely, Hon. John Briceño Leader of the Opposition

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The Belize Times

Sunday, March 21, 2010

The People's United Party

Consulting with Belize City

the

People

Sunday, March 21, 2010

The

The Belize Times

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Para Su Informacion

Abajo se encuentra una revisión del Instrumento Legislativo No. 134 del 2009 que regula las elecciones para los concilios aldeanos. Hay unas estipulaciones serias y peligrosas en este IL. Es IMPORTANTE que todos ustedes lo lean y se involucren en como el PARTIDO debe actuar. Asuntos con el Nuevo Reglamento dirigiendo las elecciones para concilios de aldeas y comunidades. 1.0 Antecedentes Un Nuevo Instrumento Legislativo (IL) No. 1134 del 2009) gobernando la conducta de las elecciones del concilio aldeano fue hecho oficial por la comisión de elecciones y fronteras el 19 de diciembre, 2009. Estos reglamentos fueron hechos legales de acuerdo a la sección 35 del acta del concilio aldeano, capitulo 38 de las leyes de Belice. Este nuevo IL revocó efectivamente las regulaciones del

elecciones para concilios aldeanos 2003 IL una persona es elegible a ser electo si él/ No. 100 del 2003) ella 1. Es beliceña, 2. Tenía 18 años de edad y 3. Si vivía en la aldea o comuni2.0 Diferencias entre las reglas nue- dad por lo menos un año antes de la fecha vas y las Viejas. de las elecciones. i. Bajo los reglamentos nuevos, las eleciii. Bajo los reglamentos nuevos, resiciones serán manejadas por la comisión de dentes permanentes (PR) son elegibles a elecciones y fronteras en vez del minis- votar si poseen una tarjeta de residencia terio del gobierno local según los regla- permanente o prueba de posesión de lo mentos anteriores. En estos todas las elec- mismo. El nuevo IL no especifica si el PR ciones de los concilios aldeanos con más tiene que haber vivido en la aldea por un de setecientos votantes eran manejados y periodo continuo no menos de dos mesupervisados por el ministerio del gobier- ses – esta condición aplica solamente para no local, y aquellos con más de setecientos beliceños de nacimiento o naturalización. votantes eran manejados por el ministerio Este nuevo reglamento ni siquiera especidel gobierno local y supervisados por la fica que la PR tiene que tener 18 años. comisión de elecciones y fronteras. iv. Bajo los reglamentos nuevos, la lisii. Bajo los reglamentos nuevos, una ta de votantes de cada aldea o “lista oficial persona es elegible a ser electo como de votantes” es la lista de las Elecciones chairman o como miembro del concilio y Fronteras Electorales donde la aldea o aldeano o de la comunidad sólo si aparece comunidad están incluidas. Una persona en la lista oficial de votantes para esa aldea elegible a votar en su aldea tiene que estar o comunidad. Bajo los reglamentos viejos en “lista oficial de esa aldea o comunidad”

Y tiene que tener 18 años y vivir en la aldea por un periodo continuo de no menos de dos meses. Bajo los reglamentos viejos, la lista de votantes EB se usa como un guía nada más. PROBLEMAS CON EL NUEVO IL a. Beliceños jóvenes quienes no se han registrado para votar, y beliceños quienes se han registrado pero no están registrados en aldeas específicas o comunidades ahora no podrán presentarse como candidatos para las elecciones de los concilios aldeanos b. Votantes beliceños registrados quienes son residentes de una aldea pero no están en la lista de votantes de esa aldea no podrán votar en las elecciones de esa aldea. c. Beliceños de nacimiento y naturalización quienes tienen 18 años pero no se han registrado aún para votar no podrán votar. d. No hay tiempo suficiente para registrar a beliceños quienes ya tienen 18 o tendrán 18 años de acá a la fecha de las elecciones de sus aldeas y asegurar de que estarán en las lista de votantes. Por lo tanto, estamos privando a los beliceños jóvenes el derecho de votar, que al contrario debemos animar a que se involucren en los asuntos de sus aldeas. e. No hay fecha límite para la lista oficial de votantes y no está claro hasta cuando un beliceño podrá registrarse y siempre votar. Bajo los reglamentos viejos una vez que un beliceño vivió en una aldea por más de dos meses y pueda comprobar que tenía 18 años habrían podido votar (eran permitidos votar si tenían 18 años hasta el día antes de las elecciones de sus aldeas.) f. Residentes permanentes no tienen que vivir en una aldea por dos meses pero están legalmente elegibles a votar. G. Se le otorga más derechos a residentes permanentes de votar en las elecciones de aldeas que a beliceños nacidos o naturalizados h. El UDP no le puso interés a la opinión de La Asociación Nacional de Concilios Aldeanos y en su usual arrogancia, la Comisión de Elecciones siguió con sus planes e hizo la nueva ley con todos estos defectos, aunque al final, la ley reza que esta fue hecha “consultando con la Asociación Nacional de Concilios aldeanos” 3.0 Intento del UDP Se sabe que en muchos distritos electorales, ej. Belize Rural North y Cayo Central, el representante UDP está registrando a emigrantes para Residencia Permanente de a montones. Según esto es patente que las intenciones del UDP es asegurar que estos nuevos Residentes Permanentes puedan votar en las nuevas elecciones de aldeas y comunidades. Por lo siguiente, beliceños nacidos y naturalizados quienes no se han registrados para votar, no tendrán suficiente tiempo para hacerlo, y se les privara el derecho de votar o postularse como candidatos en las elecciones. Esto es un siniestro plan del UDP para robar las elecciones de los concilios aldeanos, especialmente aquellos que perderían al PUP. Si esto no es verdad, entonces es un ejemplo clásico de la incompetencia e inhabilidad del UDP de hacer ley un simple y efectivo Instrumento Legislativo para guiar las elecciones de los concilios aldeanos.

D Insert D

The Belize Times

y a d h t r i B y p p a H Rt. Hon. Said Musa from the Hon. John Brice単o & The People's United Party

KARL HEUSNER MEMORIAL HOSPITAL

VACANT POSITIONS Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital Authority invites applications from suitably qualified and motivated individuals for the following vacant positions:

POSITIONS:

ONE (1) SENIOR MEDICAL TECHNOLOGIST ONE (1) MEDICAL TECHNOLOGIST

Summary of Duties: Under the direction of the Laboratory Manager it is required to perform a variety of routine and complex tests on clinical specimens. These tests are performed during a shift system where independent judgment, professional education, and certification are required.

Educational and other requirement: Associate Degree in Applied Science (Medical Technology) Minimum five (5) years experience for Senior Medical Technologist Minimum of One (1) year experience for Medical Technologist

Salary: GOB Payscale 10 - $17,292 x 828 - $33,024

(Starting salary will be based on years of experience in specified field) Completed application form must be submitted to the Director,

Human Resources, KHMH on or before March 31, 2010.

Sunday, March 21, 2010

The Belize Times

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The Belize Times

Sunday, March 21, 2010

The Belize Times

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The Belize Times

Sunday, March 21, 2010

The Belize Times

For Sale

By Order Of The Mortgagee

Things we did in olden days… Sometimes I sit and listen to people as they admire some of the aged people, saying how they are old but can move around so fast and look so good. Well, this is the answer to some of your wondering. In the olden or ancient days, there were no radios or televisions to take up our attention. There were hard working people. These people raise their children off their plantations of rice, corn, plantain, bananas, pumpkin, squash - you name it, they grew it. There weren’t any vehicles to take them to their farms, so some of them would go on horses while the majority of them would walk. They didn’t even have roads then, there were only picados; you had to walk with your heads bowed down until you got where you were going because there were a lot of bushes you had to walk through and you couldn’t hold up your head because the bushes would lash you in your face. I can remember one morning while we were walking three of the men took out their machetes and started trimming the limbs clearing the road. It was so much better. There were men who would go fishing; then you would see the lot of fresh fishes for the women to prepare. In those days the only food or seasoning we bought was salt, flour and baking powder. The meat was seasoned with oregano, thyme leaves, salt, garlic, onions and peppers. We grew some little onions that we called Shallotte or scallions and also cilantro. We never used fertilizer because the land was fertile. Sometimes I wonder if it is not the fertilizers that are causing these stomach ulcers or stomach problems. You can listen to so many people complaining of stomach problems. You see the older people live to be very old and they never or hardly go see a doctor because we had healthy food. Our chicken was raised from corn. They grew slowly but they were very nice when cooked at the age of six months. Now a two month chicken has up to eight pounds grown from the mash. They can be cooked in half an hour. So which one do you think is much healthier? I am not condemning the broilers chicken because I raise them too sometimes but I prefer the local chicken and the local eggs – how you? Now this was our recreation - some played cards and checkers until they were sleepy then they would go to bed. On Saturday, the men would play cricket while the young girls would play softball. The month of May was the holiday month. The ladies danced the maypole in costumes and that was the most beautiful one. Our house was decorated with paper pasted on the wall. That is one of the games we played. We would sit around the table and play the game we called ‘Show me’ - show me something off the wall, We would be looking from side to side until we find the word they asked us to find. Who found it first would get the meat out of the loser’s plate. It was fun. We always used two of us so who lost would lose their meat or fish or whatever we chose from their plate. I looked at it as education because you learned how to read. The secret of living a long and healthy life is rest early, wake up early and exercise by walking or riding a bicycle every day. If you have the time to do it, eat healthy food and green vegetables. Soup with a lot of okro is good for the joints; too much fried food is not good for you. So if you want to keep smiling, keep stepping and keep sweet, keep away from food that is not good for the body. Keep on walking with Jesus. He will direct your path. By Gertrude Velasquez

657

It’s been days since the Kendall Bridge was washed away. How much longer must we wait for a new bridge, Mr. Prime Minister?

Scotiabank (Belize) Ltd., a Company duly registered under the Companies Act, Chapter 250 of the Laws of Belize, Revised Edition, 2000, and having its registered office at Cor. Albert and Bishop Streets, Belize City, Belize, hereby gives notice of its intention to exercise its power of sale as Mortgagee under a Deed of Mortgage made the 28th day of November, 2003, between REINALDO NOVELO of Naranjal Street, Orange Walk Town, Orange Walk District, Belize, of the one part and SCOTIABANK (BELIZE) LTD. of the other part and recorded in Deeds Book Volume 44 of 2003 at folios 73-100; and the said SCOTIABANK (BELIZE) LTD. will at the expiration of three months from the date of the first publication of this notice sell the property described in the Schedule hereto. All offers to purchase the said property must be made in writing and full particulars and conditions of sale may be obtained from the said SCOTIABANK (BELIZE) LTD.

THE SCHEDULE ABOVE REFERRED TO ALL THAT LEASEHOLD INTEREST IN ALL THAT piece or parcel of land being Lot No. 602 situate in Louisiana Farm Extension, Orange Walk Town, Orange Walk District and bounded as follows:- On the Northeast for 18.287 metres by Lot No. 597; On the Southeast for 30.478 metres by Lot No. 603; On the Southwest for 18.287 metres by a Street and On the Northwest for 30.478 metres by Lot No. 601; containing 557.351 square metres of land as shown on Plan No. 1968 (2 of 2) at the Office of the Commissioner of Lands and Surveys TOGETHER with all buildings and erections standing and being thereon. This property is now referred to as Parcel 4042-Orange Walk Town Registration Section.

DATED this 26th day of February, 2010.

MUSA & BALDERAMOS 91 North Front Street Belize City Attorneys-at-Law for Scotiabank (Belize) Ltd.

NOTICE Notice is hereby given that the company named

“STARDUST GROUP S.A.” has been dissolved and struck off the International Business Companies Register with effect from the 13th day of March, 2010. Arias Fabrega & Fabrega (Belize) Ltd. Registered Agent

The Belize Times

Sunday, March 21, 2010

After holding consultations across the country, we’ve still been unable to come up with even ONE POSITIVE THING which this UDP Government has done for the country since February 2008.

So we decided to ask YOU. What has this Barrow Administration done for YOU since it took office more than TWO YEARS AGO? Name one thing… JUST ONE!

????????????????????

Sunday, March 21, 2010

The Belize Times

In February of 2008, the UDP under Dean Barrow promised to – Ease the cost of living by lowering electricity rates and telephone rates. It is now March of 2010, and the people of Belize are still waiting patiently… In February of 2008, the UDP under Dean Barrow promised to – provide greater spending power by reducing GST and reduce fuel costs by replacing RRD with a lower flat tax. It is now March of 2008, and the people of Belize are still waiting patiently… In February of 2008, the UDP under Dean Barrow promised to – create a minimum of 5,000 new jobs in the tourism industry. It is now March of 2010, and the people of Belize are still waiting patiently… In February of 2008, the UDP under Dean Barrow promised to – ensure private sector prosperity by achieving an economic growth of at least 6% per annum. It is now March of 2010, and the people of Belize are still waiting patiently… In February of 2008, the UDP under Dean Barrow promised to - build 1,000 quality, affordable houses annually. It is now March of 2010, and the people of Belize are still waiting patiently… In February of 2008, the UDP under Dean Barrow promised to – increase crime detection, successful solving and prosecution of offenders by installing a fully equipped DNA-testing facility. It is now March of 2010, and the people of Belize are still waiting patiently. In February of 2008, the UDP under Dean Barrow promised to – offer shares in a National Oil Company to ordinary Belizeans so that the masses could have a personal stake in the national petroleum wealth.

It is now March of 2010, and the people of Belize are still waiting patiently…

MR. PRIME MINISTER – HOW MUCH LONGER SHOULD WE WAIT?

The Belize Times

Sober

Reflections Rape is Rape!

By: Mike Rudon Jr. I sat in the House of Representatives today and listened to the presentation of the budget by the Prime Minister of Belize Dean Oliver Barrow. I was not surprised by the flowery rhetoric, dramatic pauses and damn near poetic turn of phrase – after all, the man is a genius at flair and frippery, the current record holder in verbal flatulence – nobody can take that away from him. But I keep hoping for a little something extra, a little substance. It’s like jeez, you win, we know you can rattle off 10-syllable words with the greatest of ease, Mr. Barrow. We love the way you’re saying what you’re saying. But could you break it down for us and let us know exactly what you are saying. And Sir, do you think you could tell us the truth? Please? See, Mr. Barrow has for many years been the acknowledged master of drama and speech. That boy knows how to get on the stage and wow the crowd, so to speak. But the truth is that more and more it seems that there is little substance anywhere in all the gold wrapping. The Prime Minister has never been more eloquent, but with all that, things have never been so bad. See what I’m saying. The measure of the beauty of his prose is not exactly the measure of things out here. I remember George Price saying something quite a while ago which stuck with me and which I try to practice in my writing – clarity of thought, scarcity of words! I sure wish that Mr. Barrow would practice that philosophy and temper it with a little substance and truth as well. In 100 words or less, Mr. Barrow, could you tell us just where we stand currently and just what you plan to do to get us out of this mess? That’s all we’re asking. We don’t need the pounding of fists on the table or the chuckles and smirks of your colleagues on the government side who sure as hell don’t have a clue what you’re saying. Just give it to us straight. Vaseline eases the pain somewhat and you singing sweet nothings in our ears might distract a bit, but in the end rape is rape. I think I should mention at this point that I’ve received criticism both inside and out for my writing, especially my references to the Prime Minister which have been less than complimentary. The thing is, I write it as I see it

and I sure as hell won’t give Mr. Barrow any more respect than he is due just because he has a fancy title. With that said, let me say this. Today I saw a side of Mr. Barrow which reminded me (as if I need reminding) why I don’t have the slightest iota of respect for him. The connoisseur of fine drama went out of his way to belittle the members of the Opposition side in the House. It could not even pass as a constructive, normal back and forth between the benches. It was just a bitchy, punkish tirade in which Mr. Barrow tried to impress upon all and sundry that he is the smartest in the land. The Prime Minister got petty and personal and stupid in the House because he could not seem to understand how anyone could dare to question his brilliance and monumental intellect. But see, Mr. Barrow, you got this thing all wrong. Nobody’s questioning your brilliance or your monumental intellect. What is being questioned, and I daresay with good cause, are your commitment, your integrity, your honesty and your sincerity. That’s where you’re truly lacking, my good man, and no amount of fancy words can substitute for your lack of character and lack of substance. Just ask your former UDP colleague Mr. Elrington if you need confirmation of that. People are beginning to get the sense that pretty words do not a leader make. The thing is that Mr. Barrow’s oratorical prowess hasn’t translated into any tangible, concrete benefits yet after two years in office. Go ahead name one tangible benefit if you can. Remember Mr. Barrow promising in one memorable address to lower the cost of living no matter what? Well that sure hasn’t happened. Instead we are going through the toughest of times with poverty at an all time high 43%. Remember Mr. Barrow promising in another golden moment that fuel would not go over $7 a gallon. Where are we now? $9.25 a gallon and rising! Remember Mr. Barrow promising very eloquently to stomp out even a whiff of corruption? Well, where are we now with that? Can anybody say Zenaida Moya, or Gaspar Vega or Edmund Castro or Housing for the Poor? So please, Mr. Barrow. Save the flowery speeches for when you give your ex-wife another award or lucrative ‘gift.’ We don’t need to hear it. We need the nation to grow; we need our people to benefit and prosper. This budget certainly won’t do that for us. Today we got more vintage Barrow; the same vintage that is taking us down the drain.

Send your letters to the editor to:

mike_rudon@hotmail.com

Sunday, March 21, 2010

For Sale

By Order of the Mortgagee Scotiabank (Belize) Ltd., a Company duly registered under the Companies Act, Chapter 250 of the Laws of Belize, Revised Edition, 2000, and having its registered office at Cor. Albert and Bishop Streets, Belize City, Belize, hereby gives notice of its intention to exercise its power of sale as Mortgagee under a Deed of Mortgage made the 13th day of January, 1989, between ALEJANDRO CHAN of Orange Walk Town, Orange Walk District, of the one part and THE BANK OF NOVA SCOTIA of the other part and recorded in Deeds Book Volume 2 of 1989 at folios 95 – 112; which said property was conveyed to ASSIR TZUL of Lover’s Lane, Orange Walk Town, Orange Walk District, subject to Scotiabank’s mortgage by virtue of a Deed of Conveyance made the 16th day of May, 1997, recorded in Deeds Book Volume 14 of 1997 at folios 112-121; and the said SCOTIABANK (BELIZE) LTD. will at the expiration of two months from the date of the first publication of this notice sell the property described in the Schedule hereto. All offers to purchase the said property must be made in writing and full particulars and conditions of sale may be obtained from the said SCOTIABANK (BELIZE) LTD.

THE SCHEDULE ABOVE REFERRED TO ALL THAT piece or parcel of land situate in Orange Walk Town in the Orange Walk District of Belize being a portion of the property known as New Hope which is shown marked “A” on a Plan or Diagram made by J.H. Faber, Crown Surveyor, dated the 18th day of July 1868 annexed to a certain Indenture dated the 18th day of June 1868 made between Jose R. Gonzalez and Laurean Barosa of the part and Henry Oswald of the other part and recorded at the General Registry in Deeds Book Volume 3 at folios 1113-1116 which said piece or parcel of land hereby conveyed is delineated as Lot 19 on a Plan by H.C. Fairweather Chartered Land Surveyor dated 24th April, 1981 and recorded at the Lands Registry Office of the Lands and Survey Department, Belmopan in Register No. 1, Entry 175 and is bounded and described as follows: ALL THAT lot piece or parcel of land situate on the Belize-Corozal Road being Lot #19 Orange Walk Town, Orange Walk District bounded on the North by Lot 21, on the South by Lot 17, on the East by Lot 18 and on the West by a Street reserve 30 feet wide being more particularly described as follows: Starting from a concrete pillar at its North Western corner on a Grid bearing of 207°25’48” for a distance of 22.859 metres to a concrete pillar thence on a Grid bearing 117°25’48” for a distance of 22.859 metres to a concrete pillar then on a Grid bearing 27°25’40” for a distance of 22.859 metres to a concrete pillar thence on a Grid bearing of 117°25’48” for a distance of 22.859 metres back to the starting point TOGETHER with all buildings and erections standing and being thereon. (This property is now referred to as Parcel 2601Block 4 – Orange Walk Town Registration Section.) DATED this 11th day of February, 2010.

MUSA & BALDERAMOS

91 North Front Street Belize City Attorneys-at-Law for Scotiabank (Belize) Ltd.

Sunday, March 21, 2010

J. A. Rebel

The Belize Times

A Despicable and Disrespectful Leader

“The challenge of leadership is to be strong, but not r ude; be kind, but not weak; be bold, but not a bully; be thoughtful, but not lazy; be humble, but not timid; be proud but not arrogant; have humor, but without folly.” American Entrepreneur, Author and Motivation Speaker Jim Rohn I would not even attempt to say it any better than Jim Rohn. Our Prime Minister has failed Rohn’s leadership checklist, miserably. Belize’s Prime Minister Dean Barrow appears to be totally out of control. During the special sitting of the House of Representatives, the leader of the nation used a phrase that was, in all contexts of the phrase, out of order and completely unnecessary. He came across as the weakest, rudest, most arrogant bully this nation has ever seen. Because both the Leader of the Opposition and former Prime Minister exposed the PM’s real intent behind a legislation presented to the House, the PM in his usual manner tried to divert attention by insulting and insinuating that the duly elected representative of the Fort George division has no place in parliament to speak. He came across as meaning that as long as the leader of Fort George speaks, he (The PM) will stand up to close his mouth. This is wrong and out of control. Prime Minister Barrow then proceeded to twist the meaning of a traditional Afghan saying into a tool to attack the former leader. He said that, “a stubborn jackass needs a stubborn driver. Well you (Said Musa) are the stubborn jackass and I (PM) will be your stubborn driver every time.” While the common man on the street, the educated people (include House Speaker Emil Arguelles here) and even students knew what the PM meant, he turned around and pretended to be using the word to mean something else. Then to top it off, when the Leader of Opposition was debating the legislation, PM Barrow made the same reference to the Opposition Leader. I will be the first to agree that PM Barrow is a very brilliant and respected individual in his field as an attorney. But all those qualities went down the drain as it was overshadowed by his behavior and unruly language. The PM was overcome by his arrogance before thousands of radio, television and internet users. It is horrible that our Prime

Minister is losing control of his behavior and has no respect for parliamentary procedure to debate in an honorable way. Before jumping into rude and derogatory remarks, why is it not possible for the PM to take the Opposition’s criticisms constr uctively and clarify his position? As a Belizean I have never reached a point where I’ve felt so ashamed and embarrassed to have a Prime Minister like Dean Barrow behaving in such a manner. We have come a long way in politics in Belize, but this is truly embarrassing for our country to have our leaders behaving arrogant and ignorant. Perhaps it is time for the PM to look at things from the outside in and look at his position as an opportunity to touch the lives of ordinary Belizeans and make a difference in Belize. I have learned one thing in politics that I want to share with the Prime Minister as a lesson. Honorable John Briceno and the PUP are not your enemies but your political opponents. Your enemies are the issues affecting our beloved Belize. Your enemies should be the high crime rate, the high cost of living, poverty, unemployment, lack of infrastr ucture, lack of proper health facilities and the list can go on and on. Your political opponents should be seen as a good tool to keep a government in check and to remind a government of their mandate to govern. In my view the Prime Minister lost all respect and dignity as the leader of this precious nation. We are finally realizing that the PM has no sense of direction and skills to govern. PM Barrow’s behavior should be condemned by all sectors of society and this country deserves an apology for his rude and disrespectful remarks. I think it is past time to ask God to direct the mind and mouth of Prime Minister Barrow.

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The Belize Times me all about trying to imitate me and act like me… no that would not give me stress it would just annoy the heck out of me. If there were problems in the North and problems in the South and idiots in the West - well that is a recipe for stress. If on top my assistant was an airhead with an overinflated ego to match but not much else to offer then yes I would definitely be stressed. Enough to be ranting and raving and casting blame on everything and everybody because this all would just be more than I could handle. Maybe I would just have fun ‘cause what would it matter if I engaged in nepotism and allowed criminals to run the city streets and

“It’s the end of the world as we know it….” When a person knows that they have come to the end of the road a curious sort of melancholy oftentimes overcomes them. They exhibit the most curious behavior, acting in the most strange and bizarre manner yet doing so calmly as if nothing in the world was odd in their behavior no matter how irrational it may seem to the most casual of observers. This kind of detachment from reality is not unusual in people who are under extreme stress. Screaming, shouting, delusions are all symptoms of a serious break with reality and a more serious underlying condition which should be taken very seriously because the patient often poses a threat to himself and others around him. With that said, it is obvious

that a person that exhibits no self control; that in effect is out of control cannot be but a menace to our society. Why would a person feel like he is on the verge of a psychotic breakdown, you ask? Well, let’s see for example if the world were crashing all about your ears, if the health sector was run by a clown whose greatest achievement in health sector reform was to produce a comic book and call that the greatest achievement even when patients in hospitals were dropping like flies, well that would give me stress. If my cabinet were plagued by nincompoops and salted with problem drinkers who just could not shut up and behave, well that would give me even more stress. If there was a little runt following

Sunday, March 21, 2010 get free get out of jail passes. So what if I taxed citizens within an inch of their lives, what if bridges never materialized and the police turned rogue. And I wouldn’t care if instead of lowering gas rates and electric bills and the cost of living people were dying in the streets and in the hospitals. So what if the teachers were called ignorant by a fool with no respect for authority, and no respect for women. So what if I scream and shout it’s my party and I’ll whine if I want to. Who cares…2012 is coming. According to my experts we don’t have to worry because we won’t see the next general elections. I won’t have to answer to the people for what I do.

They Are Listening To You!

The Belize Times 010101010100101010101010101010101010101001 010101010100101010101010101010101010101001 010101010100101010101010101010101010101001 010101010100101010101010101010101010101001

THE PATRIOT

GOVERNMENT CURSE Last week a Christian Chairlady of the BDVCA was petitioned by a caller on the morning talk show, as to what the Government could do to fix their mess, her response was crisp and resolved. Her warning echoed with John the Baptist eeriness that the Prime Minister has to “get his life right” because if the head is out of line then the entire body will be. Dean Barrow is no “Honest Abe” despite his “ugly step-sister” fixation to force onto his “big pete” that glass slipper; nor is he even a shadow of one who is fit to tie Barack Obama’s laces. But my contention is not where in the ward for moral lepers the big D is. In that particular sickbay, Deano has his private bed. His severe and clinical moral favus is a tale full of sound and fury which will forever be told. No. The issue really is with the insults and curses that this polysyllabic obscurantist hurls in the chambers of the House of Representatives every opportunity he gets while cowering under the frock tail of parliamentary privilege. Now most Belizeans are peeved about his impish use of the word “jackass” but there was an even more obscene and profane word which he spat in our faces. In outlining the mirage of his Poverty Reduction programs, Deano was openly foul-mouthed. Yes, the man had the gall (not balls), to speak of “single mothers”. Shame! Bloody shame! He was talking about his disproportionate alms he was preparing to fling before those whom he called the “deprived and disadvantaged” particularly youth and “single mothers”. Disproportionate because he says he is allocating a meager four million to these unfortunate “single mothers” while he has already paid a hefty percentage of that figure, $1.5 Million, to just one single and fortunate single mother, Loisy. Maybe, just maybe, Mr. Artificial Dictionary PM, you may be “ignorant” that the reason the “flippin” people are “deprived and disadvantaged” is because of the “collateral damage” by way of political victimization and ‘quitar’ policy of your “chancey” administration. It is about the “bukut” you have dished out in the Jewel to all but those on your glittering court! Look yah, “mi bally” to speak of “single mothers” is the most inexcusable stuttering of irreverent language by this prime minister. Now I am not being spurious or fanciful but, coming from the mouth of Barrow, “single mothers” is an insult - dah wah big fat “bad wud”. It is synonymous to Ike Turner decrying domestic abuse. We cruffy all know that what makes a cuss word a cuss word is not necessarily its recognition as an inductee into the English lexicon. The words “yo ma” are surely not defined in your Webster’s or KriolInglish Dikshineri dictionary as being contemptible. But I dare this loosetongued government to make the mistake of recklessly throwing that word across the Parliamentary floor. Family, did you know that the “F bomb”, and “retarded” are both words in the Oxford? But I don’t think we will see a sixty second sermon from Dr. Bob Roberts with those words anytime soon, “mi Bally”.

On the other hand a judge once ruled that the “F bomb” used against a police officer was not an insulting word but simply a colorfully descriptive adjective. Memba dat? So the profanity ascribed to a word is more contextual than literal. Right…. The Prime Minister use the words, “single mother” just days after his case against a publicly victimized single mother was hush hushed by the pack of salivating UDP lawyers he had earlier this year commanded to “sickem” is just vile. Back in September 2007 the UDP and Barrow Administration fired Sharole Saldivar - while this single mother was on sick leave. Remember that they came on national television admitting that she was sacked for the crime of talking to the wrong people politically. Well, that single mother marched them up to court and “tenk” God, the Chief Justice condemned the vindictive and illegal actions of the UDP government. Undaunted, this same Dean Barrow government sent a private UDP law firm in the person of Darrell Bradley, to try to “bax” up this poor lady some more by dragging her through the Court of Appeal on a point which he knows is wrong. This is the way he treats single mothers. Despite being wrong, Barrow’s Government has refused to honor the Chief Justice’s order and give the single mother the monies that are lawfully due to her. Instead they wasted monies with Bradley to delay her rights by sending the matter to the Court of Appeal only to withdraw the appeal in the dark of political night. Ah guess what? Dehn still no pay the lady yet! What makes this beyond bad to ‘aggravated’ is that Sharole Saldivar, who by all accounts is a soft spoken and reliable professional functionary has been tortured with the cruel and inhumane disruption of her life for three long years. Boss, three years is a lifetime for a single mother. Shame!! This lady has three young daughters. She has had to struggle to cradle over her daughters to absorb all of Barrow’s legal slaps, punches, “bax” and kicks. Respect to Ms. Saldivar. This is women’s month, unnu pay the uman!!!!! In fact is the UDP administration should give her a bonus as a courageous whistleblower because long before the criminal charges against Zenaida, she was pointing to the stench coming from the closet. Cho, no dis yah set. Where is Deano’s real respect for women, let alone single mothers? Ask Ms. Emma, Marissa, Hirian Good, even Anne Marie, Zenaida and even Loisy herself - if those last three want to be honest. Belizeans are a bit trusting. To be fair, Sharole Saldivar’s lawsuit was the first noted case of the political victimization of single mothers by this abusive Barrow Government. I mean, at that time, we had not yet had the benefit of piecing together the victimization of all the single mothers who were school wardens or the tragedy of now single mother Hirian Good. Nope. Sharole Saldivar was out there by herself. The very same zeal with which the UDP have publicly tried to humili-

Sunday, March 21, 2010

ate and persecute this single mother of three, should be the same zeal with which they should publicly make amends to her and her three daughters. In the words of Richie Spice “The world is a cycle”. God no sleep. Your retribution for what you have done to these ladies is not visited upon you and your government yet. How dare he cuss we, and then go on justify his hypocrisy by referring to “relief ” for “single mothers”? If you still want to go back to the use of un-parliamentary language, of “jackass”, I remember this Sunday’s homily, taken from the book of James 3:1-12. The scripture teaches from verse ten onward: “From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. These things should not be so, my brothers and sisters. A spring does not pour out fresh water and bitter water from the same opening, does it? Can a fig tree produce olives, my brothers and sisters, or a vine produce figs? Neither can a salt water

spring produce fresh water.” Now the spring of bitter water from the mouth of this UDP government has a well known and sordid history. They are consistent at least. Recall Patrick cussing the teachers as ‘ignorant’. Who can forget when Mr. Potty-Mouth, Finnegan, referred to the female speaker of the house using the word “bitch”. Ah but, by the way, those words are in the dictionary too. So I guess that was ok. At mass last Sunday, we were told to pray for our leaders. I did pray. I prayed that our present government leave office soon and that the damage that they have done to our Jewel will be fixable. I end by remembering the Sister who is a chairlady, and verse six of the Apostle James’s passage: “The tongue represents the world of wrongdoing among the parts of our bodies. It pollutes the entire body and sets fire to the course of human existence – and is set on fire by hell.”

For Sale

By Order Of The Mortgagee Scotiabank (Belize) Ltd., a Company duly registered under the Companies Act, Chapter 250 of the Laws of Belize, Revised Edition, 2000, and having its registered office at Cor. Albert and Bishop Streets, Belize City, Belize, hereby gives notice of its intention to exercise its power of sale as Mortgagee under a Deed of Mortgage made the 9th day of January, 2004, between GUALBERTO HERRERA of San Jose Village, Orange Walk District, Belize, of the one part and SCOTIABANK (BELIZE) LTD. of the other part and recorded in Deeds Book Volume 1 of 2004 at folios 1159-1186; and the said SCOTIABANK (BELIZE) LTD. will at the expiration of two months from the date of the first publication of this notice sell the property described in the Schedule hereto. All offers to purchase the said property must be made in writing and full particulars and conditions of sale may be obtained from the said SCOTIABANK (BELIZE) LTD.

THE SCEHDULE ABOVE REFERRED TO ALL THAT LEASEHOLD INTEREST IN ALL THAT piece or parcel of land being Lot No. 169 situate in San Jose Village, Orange Walk District and bounded as follows:- On the Northeast for 90.983 metres by an Alley; On the Southeast for 34.444 metres by a road; On the Southwest for 96.961 metres by Lot No. 168 and On the Northwest for 39.090 metres by a road; containing 3869.181 square metres as shown on Plan No. 1701 at the Office of the Commissioner of Lands and Surveys TOGETHER with all buildings and erections standing and being thereon. This property has been subdivided and now referred to as Parcels 309/1 & 310/1 San Jose/San Pablo Registration Section. DATED this 2nd day of March, 2010.

MUSA & BALDERAMOS

91 North Front Street, Belize City Attorneys-at-Law for Scotiabank (Belize) Ltd.

Sunday, March 21, 2010

The Belize Times

PON DI GULLY The Power of Words

By anthony sylvestre Despite his eloquence, his great facility with words and being a learned man, Dean Barrow obviously doesn’t know the power of words. Can’t be! How can anyone (let alone the Prime Minister of a country) who knows the power of words, stand up in the country’s national assembly and refer to another member (a former Prime Minister at that) as a jackass and yet another member as a fool? And when he is corrected by the Speaker, he tries to justify his vulgarity by saying that the word “jackass” is in the dictionary? Barrow and his gang of Cabinet members seem to have this same problem with words though: recall “Son of a B----“ Finnegan, “artificial” Sedi, “ignorant” Patrick, now “jackass” Dean. But that is no excuse for the downright disrespectful and disgraceful behaviour of the Prime Minister of the country in the House on Monday. How is it that the man who controls all the levers in the country cannot control his emotions, his rage, his temper tantrums? Can react so unrestrained, angrily, facey and disrespectful merely because he was being asked a question? It is frightening. It is frightening indeed because as you look around in our society trying to understand this crime wave in our country, you notice the same characteristics being displayed by the criminals who are unleashing anarchy in the streets as those Barrow displayed in the House: anger, rage, faceyness, unrestraint. Wittingly or unwittingly, Barrow with his behaviour in the House on Monday encourages this pervasive culture of disrespect and ‘badmanism’ that is wrecking our nation. Barrow forgets Rudyard Kipling’s truism, that “words, are of course, the most powerful drug used by mankind”. We all know too well that when drugs are abused or misused, this can be destructive to society at large. Many of the killings in our country over the years, for instance, have been linked to the drug trade. So too, words when used to hurl insult and disrespect at others, have a debilitating effect on society. This certainly is more

D E

so when they fall from the lips of the leader of the country. As the writer Nan S. Russell has said, “poorly chosen words can kill enthusiasm, impact self esteem, lower expectations and hold people back. Well chosen words can motivate, offer hope, create vision, impact thinking and alter results.” In times like these, when Belizeans are required to make great personal sacrifices because of the Barrow budget which the Amandala newspaper characterized as one of “more taxes, more pain”, the Prime Minister is required to inspire and motivate. In times like these, the Prime Minister is required to inveigle the confidence in the Belizean populace that the sacrifices that we are compelled to make, will be worth the while. In times like these, he is required to impact the self esteem of Belizeans. In times like these, the Prime Minister is required to offer hope and create a vision for Belize and act on that vision. In times like these, the Prime Minister is required to stimulate imagination as we grapple with how to cut costs and expenses in our daily lives. These are all things the Prime Minister can do with the use of well chosen words. This is the time for leaders like a JFK and Fidel Castro. This is not the time in our history for us to have a quarrelsome Prime Minister. This is not the time and the National Assembly certainly is not the place, for the Prime Minister to screw up his face and hurl derogatory insults at another Belizean. This is not the time for an iron fist dictator. This is not the time for the Idi Amins or the Kim Jong ils. Such leaders will get no results in times like these in Belize. Saddled with an already sky rocket cost of living, and soon to be further saddled with more taxes and pain, the people have nothing to lose and so threats and insults will move no one. That will only further demoralize us. Cordel Hyde reminded Patrick Faber in a previous House meeting that he is not God. Barrow too needs to be reminded of this fact. He needs to remember too the Oath of Office he took upon becoming Prime Minister, “to conscientiously, impartially and to the best of his ability discharge his duties as Prime Minister and to do right to all manner of people without fear or [dis]favour or ill-will.” The PUP has condemned Barrow’s disgraceful behaviour in the House on Monday and has called on the Speaker of the House to request that Barrow apologize to the nation. The PUP here has given Dean Barrow the opportunity to now act like a Prime Minister. Let’s wait and see if he is prepared to inspire rather than continue to destroy.

NOTICE Notice is hereby given that the company named

“BRIGHT LINK INTERNATIONAL CO., LTD.” has been dissolved and struck off the International Business Companies Register with effect from the 12th day of March, 2010. GenPro Consulting (Belize) Limited

For Sale

By Order Of The Mortgagee Scotiabank (Belize) Ltd., a company duly registered under the Companies Act, Chapter 250 of the Laws of Belize, Revised Edition, 2000, and having its registered office at Cor. Albert and Bishop Streets, Belize City, Belize, hereby gives notice of its intention to exercise its power of sale as Mortgagee under a Deed of Assignment of Mortgage made the 30th day of May, 2001, recorded in Deeds Book Vol. 29 of 1999 at Folios 725-766, between BTL Building Society (the Assignor) and Scotiabank (Belize) Ltd., which said property was mortgaged by Christine Perriott ne Quan to the said BTL Building Society on the 16th day of August, 1999, recorded in Deeds Book Vol. 29 of 1999 at Folios 725-766; and the said Scotiabank (Belize) Ltd. will at the expiration of two months from the date of the first publication of this notice sell the properties described in the schedule hereto. All offers to purchase the said properties must be made in writing and full particulars and conditions of sale may be obtained from the said Scotiabank (Belize) Ltd.

SCHEDULE ALL THAT piece or parcel of land situate in Ladyville Village, Belize District being a portion of the land shown on a Plan attached to Minister’s Fiat (Grant) No. 85 of 1976 and being Lot No. 33 and 34 in a subdivision thereof TOGETHER with all buildings and erections standing and being thereon. DATED this 25th day of February, 2010.

MUSA & BALDERAMOS 91 North Front Street Belize City Attorneys-at-Law for Scotiabank (Belize) Ltd.

Sunday, March 21, 2010

The Belize Times

Strictly Personal Barrow is bogus!

by glenntillett@yahoo.com Hansard, the printed transcripts of parliamentary debates in the Westminster system of government used throughout the Commonwealth, is replete with examples of parliamentarians finding ways to call their colleagues insulting names but yet staying within Robert's Rules of Order “for fair and orderly meetings & conventions.” Most deliberative and/or legislative assemblies conduct their discussions using Roberts Rules of Order. Anyone who’s ever quarreled with anyone else knows that allowing members to hurl insults at each other leads to fractiousness, chaos and even violence. It is for that reason that Robert’s Rules demand that “remarks must be courteous in language and deportment,” that is that members

in their speeches should “avoid all personalities, and never allude to others by name or to motives.” According to information widely available on the ‘Net: “Henry Martyn Robert was an engineering officer in the regular Army. Without warning he was asked to preside over a public meeting being held in a church in his community and realized that he did not know how. He tried anyway and his embarrassment was supreme. This event, which may seem familiar to many readers, left him determined never to attend another meeting until he knew something of parliamentary law. “Ultimately, he discovered and studied the few books then available on the subject. From time to time, due to his military duties, he was transferred to various parts of the United States where he found virtual parliamentary anarchy since each member from a different part of the country had differing ideas of correct procedure. To bring order out of chaos he decided to write Robert's Rules of Order as it came to be called.” On Monday of this week, Dean Barrow again violated Roberts Rules of Order and insulted all those Belizeans who have been clamoring for decency in the conduct of members in our House of Representatives, by making up a story about reading an Afghan book as a device to call former Prime Minister Said Musa

a “jackass.” I was not surprised by the patently transparent device or the choice of word because after years of observing Dean the Divider, you can detect a pattern. He is no Renaissance Man, but rather a cardboard cutout who preens and prances by plagiarizing others’ wit and wisdom. It is one of the reasons Evan Hyde called him “Plastic Man.” Last September in what should have been an off-the-record moment, United States President Barack Obama said of entertainer Kanye West: “The man is a jackass.” He had been asked what he thought of West rudely interrupting another entertainer during her on-stage, acceptance speech at an awards show. For obvious reasons both the incident and Obama’s subsequent remarks were much grist for the international media mill and I am sure even Dean Barrow heard it. And just a few weeks ago, Evan Hyde referred to columnist G. Michael Reid in the same way in the pages of his newspaper. This was also the subject of much discussion in that nexus where political and media affairs circulate to create discussion so again, I am sure it did not passed unnoticed below Dean Barrow’s lofty perch. Barrow’s behavior in the House of Representatives continues to deteriorate leading me to continue to wonder if it is a side-effect of his pain medication. He is, by his own admission, suffering from a severe back ailment and vertigo, and both are painful and confusing disorders. As a fellow sufferer I can empathize because I know how irritable back pain can make you. Vertigo I imagine, can be discombobulating to any intellect, especially one as purportedly prodigious

27 as Barrow’s. Take the time to observe our Prime Minister’s deportment, as obverse to his behavior, while he is in the House. I’ve concluded from my observation that words like erratic (wild mood swings), neurotic, (intense emotional outbursts), frightening (veins popping in face and neck), come to mind. I do not condone name-calling, the deliberate derogatory labeling of others with the objective that you will somehow be elevated by their humiliation. Members of the House are leaders, and when they lead in that fashion there, it is translated into the streets here. I note that on the ‘Net two of my friends came up with a few synonyms to describe Barrow’s behavior in the House on Monday, and I thought I would share them with you. They all obviously begin with the letter “V” and even if at first thought you don’t agree, I think there are a few other words that could be added to the list. The awkward thing for me, and I hate to admit this, is not only the fact that I agree they are all apropos, but that I too had to look up the meaning of the last one: vitriolic, verbose, violent, vituperative, vain, venal, vindictive, vicious, vile, villainous, verminous, the Vitiator. Barrow is bogus.

PUP Think Tanking Sessions Every Thursday, Independence Hall at 7:30pm

The Belize Times

Sunday, March 21, 2010

Why disrespect our House? Wait until you get home!

There will be a lot said about the 2010/11 budget over the coming week as it makes its way through the House of Representatives, the Senate and to the Governor General for signature. Frankly speaking, this is as it should be. Discussion of the budget should be encouraged on our buses, in taxis, at work, in our homes, and everywhere and every opportunity we get. Equally important though is ensuing that the discourse takes place with respect. Attention should be paid to how arguments are presented in addition to the merits of the arguments. We certainly should not revel in derogatory comments, no matter how they are presented. This form of engagement for the dialogue should be exemplified in our House of Representatives and the Senate. I often wonder who is it that indicates to our political leaders that we are amused by their theatrics. I left the House meeting on March 15, 2010 before the exchange and I told a friend where I was and he asked if I heard the type of language being used in the House by our Prime Minister. We went to an establishment and the conversation was the same, but people were not amused; they were disappointed by the outburst in the House. It was perceived to be contempt of the House of Representatives. Of course questions were raised as to the selection process and role of the speaker in a democracy such as ours. Lawyers and the general public are subjected to such provision in the Courts, intended to guide the way business gets done, to hold people accessing the Courts to a higher level and to safeguard the Courts’ authority. Perhaps if we are not to continue to witness these shenanigans, then maybe the time has come to reform the House rules to further curtail the excesses of representatives. It is written in the good Book that to whom much is given, much is expected. Our political leaders have been given much, including our trust. Is it then unreasonable to expect that in their words and deeds, that they will recognize the need to guard this trust, rather zealously? The argument may be made that if one puts themselves up as being so learned then is it not to be expected that such a person would conduct himself or herself with that much more decorum, as to set an unparalleled height for ascension to leadership in Belize. This call for doing things better is not an easy one, but a necessary one. We have witnessed in the last two sittings of the House, representatives using words that seem to have caused much disquiet among the populace. Let us not forget Minister Elrington’s unfortunate comment about Belize’s border being artificial, Minister Faber’s comments in reference to teachers who exercise their rights to protest, as being ignorant and then the Prime Minister’s choice of words in the characterization of the member for the Fort George constituency. These are only words that are found in the dictionary, we say, but surely there

are others that better speak to our shared humanity, that gives credence to our reaching to a higher level and that takes account of the aspirations and rights of the Belizean people. The fact that we have entrusted the management of our House to our representatives does not mean it is theirs to do as they please. It is the House of all the Belizean people and this fact needs to be respected. It is precisely to make the point that the House is not only for the elected politician but for all Belizeans, that over the years, I have made sure to put in a few appearances at the sitting of the House of Representatives. Such times would include the presentation of a proposed budget, the debate on the budget, constitutional amendments, national security and territorial integrity bills and matters that could have a deleterious effect on the gains of workers. I think for me there is this issue of asserting my claim to ownership, as a citizen of Belize to this House. I do this every time that I am present in the House, I exercise this right. It is as if you have a private property and you allow your neighbors an alley way to pass through your property, to have use and enjoyment of it, if you do not in an active way assert your right and periodically close out the access, you may really be giving up that right or be setting the condition that may give rise to a claim against your property. Well that’s the way I see these appearances to House meetings. If we do not visit our House and register the fact that we are stakeholders too, pretty soon representatives will feel that it is only their House, to do as they please. Representatives have an obligation to be disciplined and circumspect in our House. In this regard the representative for the Fort George division showed great restraint and in so doing may have been drawing a quiet distinction to himself. History will recall that even at the peak of the pre- election protests, this representative faced the wrath of the Belizean people and there were no incidence that resulted in death of protesters occurring. He too had the defense and security forces of Belize at his disposal. There are many stories of the PUP showing remarkable restraint in the face of great people pressure. Unions, especially the PSU and BNTU and activists at that time would recall that the reason why workers of Belize continue to celebrate Labour day, on May 1st , is because the Rt. Hon George C. Price, listened to the Unions of Belize and even though a bill to amend the Holiday Act had already had its second reading , he adjourned the sitting of the House, upon hearing of the agitation of the Unions, delayed the 3rd reading of the Bill, until in the afternoon, after further amendment to the Bill, acceding to the Union’s requests that May 1st is the day on which workers would continue to be honored. As we endeavor to move Belize to a better place, more of this type of national leadership will be required of all our leaders. More of the type of cooperation that we see in

the distribution of the Venezuelan Grant Funds and less of the empty rhetoric and threat which benefits no one. So I have added my 2 cents by speaking of the climate for the debate and respect for our HOUSE. I feel that in speaking to this concern we will enable a budget to be passed with amendments that encapsulate the best of and for Belize. In addition to the forgoing Prime Minister in his budget presentation stated that “some of the Capital III under-spending for the year just ending is a clear result of capacity constraints locally that must be corrected”. The PM is exactly right when he states “every project de-

layed is employment deferred when we need it most”. The debate must highlight the importance of putting people to work, of bridging the capacity requirement forthwith. In the case of allocation for youths and sport, this ought to be proportionate to the significantly young population of Belize. Where allocation has been identified for buildings they ought to rightfully be placed in programmes that promote income generation, capacity building and improving the asset base of the young. There should be establishment of sports foundations with seed capital that can heighten sports development and (Continued on pg. 29)

For Sale

By Order of the Mortgagee Scotiabank (Belize) Ltd., a company duly registered under the Companies Act, Chapter 250 of the Laws of Belize, Revised Edition, 2000, and having its registered office at Cor. Albert and Bishop Streets, Belize City, Belize, hereby gives notice of its intention to exercise its power of sale as Mortgagee under a Deed of Assignment of Mortgage made the 10th day of October, 2007, recorded in Deeds Book Vol. 39 of 2007 at Folios 101-116, between Development Finance Corporation (the Assignor) and Scotiabank (Belize) Ltd., which said property was mortgaged by Rhonda Crichton to the said Development Finance Corporation on the 16th day of November, 2001, recorded in Deeds Book Vol. 45 of 2001 at Folios 1291 – 1332; and the said Scotiabank (Belize) Ltd. will at the expiration of two months from the date of the first publication of this notice sell the property described in the schedule hereto. All offers to purchase the said property must be made in writing and full particulars and conditions of sale may be obtained from the said Scotiabank (Belize) Ltd.

SCHEDULE ALL THAT piece or parcel of land being Lot No. 44 containing 610.67 square yards, more or less, being part of Dew Drop Estate, situate on the north side of the Old Northern Highway near Mile 11 3/4, Ladyville, Belize District, as surveyed by Kenneth A. Gillett, Licensed Surveyor and recorded at the Office of the Commissioner of Lands and Surveys, Belmopan at Register No. 16 Entry No. 5325 TOGETHER with all buildings and erections standing and being thereon.

DATED this 25th day of February, 2010.

MUSA & BALDERAMOS 91 North Front Street Belize City Attorneys-at-Law for Scotiabank (Belize) Ltd.

Sunday, March 21, 2010

The Belize Times

Why disrespect our House? Wait until you get home!

(Continued from pg. 28) sports financing. Is it not rather difficult to justify no treatment of ministry or reshuffling of Ministers and realignment, etc. of portfolio and general management of the affairs of government, in light of our reality since 2008? Is there really no case for realigning the skill sets of ministers, ministries, and departments? Can there be a justification for the increase in GST, if in terms of the management of government affairs, things remain unchanged? The amount of funds targeted for programs for youths, crime and the poor seem minuscule compared to taxes to be derived from

the various measures? For my part I am unable to comprehend why a Belize where there was no oil is not so dissimilar from one where we have abundance of oil. I am unable further to accept an explanation as to why we should listen as full belly tells hungry belly to have heart. I think that it is the duty of the opposition, during the debate, to make meaningful and clear arguments that enhance the budget and fight for the vulnerable and businesses. In so doing the PUP can continue to declare a willingness to get Belize out of this recession. There must be a call on the govern-

ment to go further with measures to cut interest rate within a specified time. There must be some oversight on making sure that government is made to stand on the same standard of sacrifice that we are. This may be accomplished via the signing of a social partnership agreement. There must also be the call for the setting up of mechanisms for the collection and dissemination of economic data and analysis. These are some of the calls that must be made. In addition to a call for increase levels of transparency and accountability in the procurement for goods and services should go out. There should also be

voted significant increase in funding of the office of the Contractor General, Ombudsman, Auditor General and the Cooperative Department. As mass parties there must be the setting up of food and other support cooperative and business entities that would ensure that the poor and children have access to their basic needs and finally, there must be the registration of the unemployed and a call for an association of such persons in an effort to ensure their social wellbeing. The approach must be multifaceted and inclusive, if we will make strides in 2010/11. Godwin B. Sutherland I

NOTICE In The Matter of the Companies Act Chapter 250 Laws of Belize AND

In The Matter of the Companies Act Chapter 250 Laws of Belize

In The Matter of

AND

MAYA TRAVEL SERVICES LIMITED

In The Matter of

In Voluntary Wind Up and Dissoltuion

BELIZE ALUMINUM INDUSTRIES LIMITED In Voluntary Wind Up and Dissolution

TAKE NOTICE THAT MAYA TRAVEL SERVICES LIMITED Is In Voluntary Wind Up and Dissolution The Date of Commencement is March 13, 2010 The Liquidators Are Mr. Silvino J. Rosado Mr. Oscar R. Riveroll

TAKE NOTICE THAT BELIZE ALUMINUM LIMITED Is In Voluntary Wind Up and Dissolution The Date of Commencement is March 13, 2010 The Liquidators Are Mr. Silvino J. Rosado Mr. Oscar R. Riveroll

Whose Address is G.A. Roe and Sons Limited Gordon House One Coney Drive Belize City.

Whose Address is G.A. Roe and Sons Limited Gordon house One Coney Drive Belize City

Dated this 13th day of March 2010

Dated This 13th day of March 2010.

The Belize Times

Sunday, March 21, 2010

Belize #1 Sports Page

Belmopan Compre girls 3-peat as NSSSA softball champs

San Ignacio, March 13, 2010 T he Belmopan Comprehensive School girls won their 3rd back to back to back National Secondary Schools Sports Association (N.S.S.S.A.) softball championship in the tournament hosted by Sacred Heart College at the Joan Garbutt Stadium in Esperanza on Friday and at Sacred Heart College on Saturday. In Game 1 on Friday afternoon, the southern champions, the Independence High School girls walloped the northern champions, the Belize Rural High School girls 14-3. IHS` pitcher Rivers struck out 2 batters as she gave up no runs in the first 2 innings. Meanwhile the Independence squad led 7-0 when Sylvia Cabral, Shenique Lozano, Aleesha Taylor, Rivers, Shanice Westby, Misty Vernon and Myra Torres whopped BRHS’ Kayle Mcfadzean’s pitching to score 7 runs in the 1st inning and they led 12-0 when Aleesha Taylor, Rivers, Celene Faux, and Veleesha Taylor

and Torres came home in the 2nd inning. Deana Garbutt, Rayann Crawford and Shenice Pook scored 3 runs for BRHS in the 3rd inning, but Rivers and Taylor scored 2 more runs for IHS’ 14-3 win In Game 2 on Friday evening, Compre’s MVP pitcher Jahna Trapp struck out 4 batters as she led the Western Division champs, the Belmopan Comprehensive girls, to an 11-4 win against the Central Division champs, the Anglican Cathedral College girls. In Game 3 on Saturday, the ACC girls won the consolation game for 3rd place against the Belize Rural High girls 18-3. ACC’s star pitcher Ashley Lucas struck out 4 batters, but the BRHS girls led 3-0 when Leeza Mcfadzean, Adren Stephenson and Kayla Staine came home in the 1st inning. T he ACC girls walloped K ayle Macfazean’s pitching to score 18 runs in the 2nd inning; the entire diamond rounded the bases twice, except Agnes Lucas, who

scored once and Veronica Cadle came home thrice. In Game 4 on Saturday afternoon, the championship final, the Compre girls won over the IHS girls 12-5 as MVP pitcher Jahna Trapp struck out 4 batters allowing zero runs in the first two innings, while Compre’s Jenease Martinez and Jahna Trapp came home in the 1st inning. IHS pitcher Maryce Rivers struck out 3 batters, but the runs poured in as Compre’s Shantel Sheppard, Kaylyn Fuller, Martinez, Trapp, Crystal Hernandez and Samantha Orellano came home in the 2nd to lead 8-0. IHS’ Sylvia Cabral, Shenique Lozano, Aleesha Taylor and Maryce Rivers narrowed the lead when they came home in the top of the 3rd, but Compre’s Fuller, Martinez, Trapp and Orellano came home again to lead 12-4. The mercy rule had to be applied when only Misty Vernon scored for IHS in the top of the 4th inning.

Sacred Heart College president Dr. Eve Aird presented the trophies and individual medals to the champs, and 2nd and 3rd place winners. Compre pitcher Jahna Trapp had struck out 9 batters and scored 6 runs to win the MVP award for a 3rd time.

Belmopan Compre boys win NSSSA softball champs

San Ignacio, March 13, 2010 The Belmopan Comprehensive S ch o o l b oy s wo n t h e N a t i o n a l Secondary Schools Sports Association (N.S.S.S.A.) softball championship in the tournament hosted by Sacred Heart College at the Joan Garbutt Stadium in Esperanza on Friday and at Sacred Heart College on Saturday. In Game 1 on Friday afternoon, the Northern champs the Orange Walk Technical High School boys won 23-17 over the southern champs, the Georgetown High School boys. The Georgetown boys seized a 7-3 lead when Justin Richie, Kenneth Major, Randy Edwards, Dwayne Rudon, Kenzer Vernon, Gilbert Lopez and pitcher Devin Longsworth came home in the top of the 1st inning. Orange Walk pitcher Wiindell Castillo struck out 3 batters but only Michael Jacobs, David Logan and Romel Vargas came home in the bottom of the 1st. The Georgetown Orange led 8-5 in the 2nd inning, but the sugar city boys turned things around when the

Georgetown pitching collapsed in the 3rd inning and the entire diamond came home, with Jacobs, Carlos Garcia, Logan, Vargas, Windell Castillo and Jose Carballo scoring twice. The Georgetown boys added 4 runs in the top of the 4th, but the sugar city boys held on to their lead with 4 runs in the bottom of the 4th. In Game 2 on Friday evening, Compre’s star pitcher Jose Hernandez struck out 6 batters to almost completely shut out the Central division champs, the Wesley College boys 11-1. Only Wesley pitcher Jermaine Madrill scored. Compre’s Tyrel Sheppard, Gilroy Hernandez and Skyler Williams each came home twice, while Shawn Lopez, Evan Arana and Brandon Dominguez came home once. In Game 3 on Saturday, the Wesley boys won the consolation game for 3rd place against the Georgetown boys 16-14. Georgetown led 6-5 in the second inning after Henry Augustine and Kenneth Major scored twice and Dwayne Rudon and Joel Major had

scored once. Jermaine Madrill pitched 4 strikeouts to get out of trouble as the Wesley boys tied the score in the bottom of the third and took over the lad to win 16-14 In Game 4 on Saturday afternoon, the championship final, the Compre boys outlasted the Sugar City boys 15-12 to win the championship. Sugar City’s pitcher Windell Castillo struck out 3 batters but this did not stop Shawn Lopez, Evan Arana and Brandon Dominguez from coming home to lead 3-0 in the 1st inning. Compre led all the way, even as Orange Walk’s Michael Jacobs and David Logan came home in the bottom of the 1st, because Akeem Watters, Shawn Lopez, Evan Arana, Deandre Flowers and Michael Belisle came home to lead 8-2 in the top of the 2nd inning. Orange Walk’s Windell Castillo, Jose Carballo, Brandon Bustillos and Nisani Bermudez came home in the bottom of the 2nd but they were still down 6-10 when Watters and Tyrel

Sheppard came home in the top of the 3rd. Jose Carballo added another run to the Sugar City tally in the bottom of the 3rd. They almost tied the score when Jacobs, Garcia, Logan and Rommel Vargas came home in the bottom of the 4th when Carballo popped up to right field and was caught, leaving 2 runners on base who were ready to score the tying run and take the lead. Compre’s Arana, Dominguez and MVP Gilroy Hernandez scored 3 runs for Belmopan in the top of the 5th to extend their lead and it was all over when only Bustillos scored for Sugar City in the bottom of the 5th. Sacred Heart College president Dr. Eve Aird presented the trophies and individual medals to the champs, and 2nd and 3rd place winners. Compre’s 3rd base Gilroy Hernandez scored 3 runs and had the best batting average and get on base record to win the Most valuable player award, while Compre’s. pitcher Jose Hernandez pitched the most strikeouts: 15.

Sunday, March 21, 2010

The Belize Times

Belize #1 Sports Page

BDF drills Georgetown Ibayani 3-0 to rule BPFL football

Independence, March 13, 2010 The Belize Defense Force is No.1 in the Belize Premier Football League standings in the Caribbean Motors Cup football tournament, with 13 pts from 4 wins and 1 draw after blasting Georgetown Ibayani 3-0 at the Michael Ashcroft Stadium on

Saturday night. BDF technical director Jose Palmiro Salas had a winning game plan and his platoon executed it with military precision. Orlando Jimenez and Lisbey Castillo led the offensive, supported by Evan Mariano and Kareem Haylock on the wings and

backed up by David Trapp, Gilbert Swaso and Victor Nunez at midfield. Alexander Peters and Jeffery Apolonio led the Ibayani attacks with the help of Kenroy Arthurs, Bernard Linarez, Edwin Palma and Luis Torres at midfield. Allan Flores anchored the Ibayani defense with the help of Luis Ruano, Mario Villanueva, and Thomas Swaso, but their overenthusiastic defense cost them a penalty in the 29th minute and the BDF sent for their free kick specialist Vallan Symns, who blasted the ball past goalkeeper Elias Pelayo with practiced ease. Play became fast and furious as the Georgetown squad fought to regain the initiative, and Gilbert Swazo’s enthusiastic defense also caused him to be sent off

with a red card, but even playing a man down, the BDF were more than a match for Ibayani and held them scoreless up to the half time break. The 2nd half had hardly got started when Lisbey Castillo embarrassed Elias Pelayo a 2nd time as the BDF took a 2-zip lead in the 47th minute. Denis “Big Den” Serano came off the bench to relieve a battered Vallan Symns and Jeremy Gentle of the national U-17 selection took over from Lisbey Castillo. Ibayani did likewise, introducing Darwin Castillo to replace Jeffery Apolonio, while Karim Peters reinforced the defense replacing Luis Rauno and Vicente Acal took over from Thomas Swazo The Ibayani squad was dead in the water when Orlando “Lichy” Jimenez added a third goal in the 50th minute. Lloyd Nunez replaced a weary David Trapp as the BDF held on to their 30 win until the final whistle.

FC Belize bombs Paradise Freedom fighters 3-0 in Belize City, March 14, 2010 FC Belize Force is No.2 in the Belize Premier Football League standings in the Caribbean Motors Cup football tour nament, with 12 pts from 4 wins and 1 loss as they bombed Paradise Freedom Fighters 3-0 at the M.C.C. garden on Sunday. Delroy “Thinman” Flowers and Delwin Jones led the FC Belize attacks with the help of midfielders Jerome Archer, Francisco Diaz, Roberto Bernardez and Nigel Franklin at midfield, but their efforts were frustrated by the tenacious defense of the Freedom Fighters’ sweeper Frank Lino and Evon Lino, Edward Lawrence and Ricky Ricketts. T hese wor thies retur ned the ball to their midfielders Andres Makin, Delroy Flores and Roberto Muschamp to create plays for the Makin brothers, Devon and Andres, who probably would like another try at the shot he got right in front of goal, on which he choked and

dumped the ball outside the sticks. Devon Makin also had cause to lament the open chance he got to give the visitors the lead, but he too choked, giving FC Belize goalie Elden Linares another reprieve as he lofted the ball over the crossbar. Ralph Flores also looked to drill Linares at point blank range, after Linares had committed himself but Ian Gaynair and Albert Thurton saved Linares’ bacon, clearing the ball almost from the goal line. Byron Usher and Leon Cadle helped keep the Freedom fighter to a nil-zip draw up to half time break. Byron Ferrel came off the bench to relieve Ralph Flores and James Logan replaced Delroy Flores, but it was “Thinman” Andrews who connected with a header to finish a corner kick by Jerome Archer for the 1st winning goal in the 53rd minute. Jerome Archer soon made it 2-zip when he finished a forward pass by

beating the last defender and goalie Ray Arzu to drill home a 2nd goal in the 62nd minute of play. Avian “Chi-Chi” Crawford came off the FC Belize bench to replace Delwin Jones, while Jerome “Jaro” James entered the ball game for “Thinman” Andrews and Chris Gilharry relieved Nigel Franklin. Jerome James embarrassed Ray Arzu a 3rd time when he finished a corner kick by Avian Crawford for the 3-0 win in the 83rd minute. Eugene Jacobs replaced Andres Makin as the visitors tried to get at least one consolation goal but the city squad had shut up shop to secure their 3-0 win. Elsewhere in the competition, Corozal Shaniah picked up their 1st win 2-1 over BRC Blaze at the Ricalde Stadium on Sunday. Corozal’s Alex Innis drew first blood in the 22nd minute of play, but BRC’s Tyrone “T-bone” Muschamp tied the ball game at 1-1 in the 46th minute. Germin Avila scored the winning g oal for the Corozal squad in the 75th minute of play. Out west in Cayo at the Norman Broaster Stadium, the San Pedro Sea Dogs came back from a 1-0 deficit to topple Hankook Verdes 2-1 on Sunday. Amin August scored Verdes 1st goal in the 16th minute of play, but Emory Nunez equalize the score for the island boys at 1-1 in the 38th minute to take a 1-1 draw into the half time break. Nigerian import Tonbra Akpoobodor scored the winning goal in the 68th minute.

The Belize Times

Sunday, March 21, 2010

WHY YOU CAN’T PLAY LOTTO AND BEL-3 A message from Tropical Gaming Co. Limited On February 24th, 2010 Tropical Gaming Company Limited was assured that the terms of a ten year contract to continue operating its Lotto, Bel-3 and scratch games had been agreed to, and negotiations concluded to renew its license to do same. Mr. Gian Ghandi, the legal advisor for the Government of Belize, informed the company’s principals on February 25th, 2010, by way of a letter to Mrs. Yvonne Hyde, the Chief Executive Officer in the Ministry of Economic Development, Commerce, Industry and Consumer Protection, and copied to Mr. Lincoln Blake, Jr., of the Lotteries Commission and Mr. George Swift of Tropical Gaming Company Limited that: “Further to the meeting held on 24th February, 2010, please find enclosed a revised draft agreement between the Government of Belize and Tropical Gaming Company. I understand that this version is acceptable to the Company provided a license is issued contemporaneously with the signing of the Agreement.” The attached draft contract read in part: 17. (1) Subject to Clause 18 below, this Contract shall remain in force for a period of ten (10) years with effect from 24th February 2010. The following day, on February 26th, 2010, Mrs. Yvonne Hyde wrote Mr. George Swift a letter headed: “CONTRACT TITLE: EXTENSION OF TROPICAL GAMING’S AGREEMENT AND LICENSE TO OPERATE” It reads in toto: “The Government of Belize has decided to give a temporary extension to Tropical Gaming Company of Belize Limited of its agreement which expired on 24th February 2010. “The current extension which will expire April 30th 201o is to allow GOB and Tropical Gaming to finalize the new agreement which is under negotiation. This extension will also give time for the amendments to the Lotteries Control Act to be approved by the National Assembly. These amendments will give authority to the Lotteries Committee to sign a five (5) year license for the company as stated in the draft agreement and to charge the license fees agreed to by the Company.” Despite the agreement, on March 3rd, 2010, apparently on behalf of Minister of Economic Development Erwin Contrerras, Lincoln Blake, Jr. wrote Tropical Gaming Company Limited to say: “This is the final draft that has been authorized by the Minister. The only change is that the agreement will be for 5 years instead of 10 year. “The Ministry requests that you kindly inform within two weeks if your organization is still interested in signing on to the agreement.” And indeed the amended agreement attached read: 17. (1) Subject to Clause 18 below, this Contract shall remain in force for a period of ten (10) years with effect from 24th February 2010. Tropical Gaming considers negotiations to have been concluded from as early as February 24, 2010. On that date at meeting held in Belmopan between Mr. Gian Ghandi, Mrs. Yvonne Hyde (CEO in the Ministry of Economic Development and Chairman of the Lotteries Committee), Messrs. B.Q.A. Pitts and George Swift (both representing Tropical Gaming in the negotiations), there was agreement, by all parties, to the terms of a new contract. Tropical Gaming must observe that contract renewal negotiations have been unnecessarily long for one reason: GOB’s refusal to grant to Tropical Gaming, the same exclusive rights that will be afforded to Brads Gaming Co. with respect to the Boledo and Sunday Lottery games. Brads contract and license will be exclusive for a ten year period. Tropical Gaming had been offered a ten year contract but with exclusivity for only five of those years. GOB has since reneged on the February 24th, 2010 agreement and, with no explanation has decided, without any consultation, to reduce the contract term from ten years to five years.

A Paid Ad

Sunday, March 21, 2010

The Belize Times

Sunday, March 21, 2010

REQUEST FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST (CONSULTANT SERVICES)

FOR RENT 1- three bedrooms, 2 1/2 bathroom house located at 4 1/2 Miles Northern Highway, #1604 Moho Bay. Large kitchen, dining, family and living rooms. A/c are in all rooms and security bars. Call 667-2890 or 224-5420. Serious inquiries ONLY

FOR SALE Double lots located on a hill in the Contiki/Maya Vista Area of San Ignacio Town. The lot is approximately 70 feet x 200 feet. Serious enquiries call 663-6245. Household items, plus computer with desk, exercise bike and tread mill. Serious enquiries call 667-2890. BOAT: 1 Chaparral 236 Sunesta. 23 feet, year 2005, fiberglass hull, Volvo Penta 5.0 engine 270 hp. Includes Bimini top, bow cover, cock pit cover, 2 showers, digital depthfinder, VHF Radio, CD, Stereo system and battery switch with dual batteries. Call 630-1700 or 6075642. 1-93 Suzuki Dr 650 Enduro Motorcycle. Good condition. $3600 BZ OBO. Call 607-1090 or 605-8467. Serious enquiries ONLY.

Liquor License Notices Notice is hereby given that Felipa Roches is applying for a Shop Liquor License to be operated at “Sweet Fel Liquerette”, #293 R Mahogany Heights, Belize District under the Intoxicating Liquor Licensing Ordinance Revised Edition 1980. Notice is hereby given that Bifang Chen and Shirong Mei are applying for a Shop Liquor License to be operated at Anson’s Grocery Shop #29 King Street, Belize City under the Intoxicating Liquor Licensing Ordinance Revised Edition 1980. Prayer To The Holy Spirit O Holy spirit, you who are the fountainhead of all knowledge, who illuminate the pathway which enables me to reach my goal. You who share your divine gift permitting me to forgive and forget past insults and injustices, and who are always at my side within reaching distance. I desire in this short supplication to thank you for all that you have done for me, and to assure you once more that I never want to be separated from you under any circumstances, no matter what the incentive. I want to be with you, I along with my loved ones, cradled in your unending love. Thank you for your never failing kindness towards me and those I call my own. (Prayer to be offered for three consecutive days; faith in the Holy Spirit will cause him to respond to your request no matter how difficult the problem might be.) Publish prayer as soon as request has been granted.

W.A.Y.

NOTICE Notice is hereby given that the company named

SHANGXIN TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD. has been dissolved and struck off the International Business Companies Register with effect from the 11th day of March, 2010. Power Point Management (Belize) Limited

Office Of the Auditor General-Belize Project: Building Institutional capacity of Auditor General and Improving Quality of Public Procurement Sector: Public Sector CONSULTING SERVICES Institutional Development Fund (IDF) Grant No. TF 094490 Project ID No. P115046 Expressions of interest Government of Belize has received financing from the World Bank toward the cost of a project to build institutional capacity of Auditor General and improve quality of pubic procurement and it intends to apply part of the proceeds to payments for goods, works, related services and consulting services to be procured under this project. The proposed grant seeks to support the government’s efforts to develop and sustain institutional capacity in the areas of external audit and public procurement and to enable the country to effectively implement internally and externally funded projects in support of its development agenda. The services include: 1. Building Capacity in the Office of the Auditor General. This component will strengthen the institutional capacity of the Supreme Audit Institution (SAI) by: (a) reviewing existing systems and formulating detailed action plans to improve the efficiency of audit processes; (b) operationalizing the action plan; (c) designing and introducing updated methodology to support audit processes; and (d) training public sector auditors in the use of the new methodology. 2. Capacity Building for Procurement. This component will improve the regulatory framework and strengthen the institutional capacity of the public sector entities involved in procurement by: (a) reviewing existing systems and formulating detailed action plans to improve the efficiency of public procurement processes; (b) updating the public procurement legal framework; (c) training public sector staff to support enhanced procurement planning and execution to effect timely project implementation; and (d) designing a monitoring system tracking contract awards and dealing with complaints and other procurement-related issues. A full computerization of this system (not financed by this grant) is envisioned for the future, once all proposed changes and newly introduced processes become fully operational. It is expected that implementation of these components will be completed within 18 months of the initiation of the services. Office of the Auditor General-Belize now invites eligible consultants to indicate their interest in providing the services. Interested consultants must provide information indicating that they are qualified to perform the services (brochures, description of similar assignments, experience in similar conditions, availability of appropriate skills among staff, etc.). Consultants may associate to enhance their qualifications.

A consultant will be selected in accordance with the procedures set out in the World’s Bank Guidelines: Selection and Employment of Consultants by World Bank Borrowers (current edition). Interested consultants may obtain further information at the address below during office hours (0900 to 1600 hours). Expressions of interest must be delivered to the address below by April 1,

2010.

Office of the Auditor General Attn: Edmund A. Zuniga Address: Second Floor – Diamond Building, Constitution Drive, Belmopan- BELIZE Tel: 001-501-822-2850 Fax: 001-501-822-1041 E-mail: AuditorGeneralBelize@audit.gov.bz Website: www.audit.gov.bz

Sunday, March 21, 2010

The Belize Times

Barrow's Budget

(Continued from page 1) to a concrete implementation schedule for access to such line of credit. Consequently, with the amendments to the banking legislations there remains no guarantee of interest rate movements downwards, and the likely expectation is that upon GOB issuance of new T-Bills and T-Notes crowding-out of saving funds within the financial system can be envisaged. Therefore, with no concrete proposition that seeks to address the implementation and use of monetary policy instruments, access to credit will remain but a fleeting idea. On the third issue of job creation, the current administration has failed to aggressively promote any new investment. With the threat of nationalization and possible litigation investor’s confidence within the Belizean economy has dwindled over the past year, with the expectation that the no-confidence of the current administration will not cause any significant investment to be attracted. Furthermore, new investments by the Social Security Board, as a key partner that has a mandate to contribute to the economic development of Belize, has not materialized over the past year. So where will the jobs come from? The public sector investment programme which is tasked with the execution of infrastructural development, recorded a less than stellar performance. Project execution continue to be plagued

with lack of institutional capacity, as Government has failed to utilize and place qualified persons cognizant of project management and procurement processes, to ensure draw-down of loan funds are received to execute projects in a timely fashion. Thus is the reason why very little was accomplished in 2009/10 of the $100M that was approved for capital projects. It remains highly unlikely that if the capacity constraints are not addressed, that the infrastructural projects would not be realized in 2010/11. Now to address the primary focus of the budget, that of social investment to support a poverty alleviation programme is a quid pro quo that disadvantages the poor even further. The total value of the relief measures proposed, will net the Government $10.5M in foregone revenue, which will be completely eroded by the 25% increase in GST to 12.5%. This increase in GST is expected to net Government an additional $42M. Thus, the net effect on Belizeans is negative and does not auger as pro-poor policy initiatives. Personal income tax relief of $23,600 per annum will only apply for persons earning less than $24,000 per annum or $2,000 per month. The majority of who were not liable for paying income tax as previous level of personal relief was $19,600 per annum. This proposal ought to have gone across the board for all employees, in light of the increase in consumption tax. A review of the items that would

Cop kills Cop...

(Continued from page 1) senior police officers, Sanchez appeared to be under the influence of alcohol and was taken to the police station. When questioned, the senior officers could not explain how Sanchez was shot in the room of Sergeant Reyes. Segura stated that questions such as those will be determine by an internal investigation. According to Assistant Commissioner Magdaleno, beside the expended shells, a number of firearms and ammunition was recovered within and in the immediate area of the fatal shooting, including a .45 caliber pistol and a 9mm pistol and an M16. According to Segura, they are investigating whether or not officers were assigned to have those weapons and if Sanchez had access to them. Police say that during the altercation and while at the station Sanchez mentioned that he would kill Reyes. Investigations reveal that Sanchez, equipped with a bulletproof vest, entered Reyes’ room located at the Police barracks armed with a firearm and a metal pipe. It is not clear what happened then but Reyes told Police

that he was attacked by Sanchez with a metal pipe. Reyes, who went to his room in the company of an officer of the Belize Defense Force, claimed in his statement that Sanchez took out a firearm and pointed it at him. Segura stated that the BDF officer and Sanchez began struggling but Sanchez kept hold of his firearm. Segura explained that Reyes shot Sanchez in his feet first but Sanchez did not surrender. In the end, Sanchez was shot multiple times to his feet, hands, his head and a shot to his body which lodged in the vest. When asked about a possible motive for the altercation that led Sanchez to want to attack Reyes, Segura explained that there are a number of allegations that they will be investigating Sergeant Reyes had a large cut wound to his head and was treated and released. At the time of the incident Sanchez was off duty and Reyes was coming off duty. Given the circumstances of the shooting, Police say that they will conduct both a criminal and internal investigation. The file for the criminal investigation has been sent to the DPP’s

MOYAlists vs. the Z-7

(Continued from page 1) They issued a statement in which they accuse the Mayor of illegally crowding the agenda with last minute items, and of illegally ending Tuesday’s meeting when they tried to bring a resolution up for vote. They said that the Mayor and the councilors who support her, walked out of Tuesday’s caucus while their group of seven stayed and passed a resolution calling for new elections for the Deputy Mayor’s position. They also accused the Mayor of signing contracts and entering into agreements without their knowledge, and in some cases even going against their

majority vote. The dissident councilors are former Deputy Mayor Dion Leslie, two-term councilors Laura Esquivel and Leila Peyrefitte, and first time councilors Eric Chang, Roger Espejo, Kevin Singh and Andrew Faber, all of whom were present at this morning’s conference. Tuesday night only new Deputy Mayor Philip Willoughby, for mer Deputy Mayor Wayne Usher and Dean Samuels attended the Council’s regularly scheduled monthly public meeting which was broadcast live on a television station. It should be noted that those

be exempted from import duty and GST indicates an extremely limited list of consumable items, especially when compared to what are currently available as zero-rated items and not subject to GST. A summary in table 1 below provides a quick snap-shot. The inclusion of processed meat items surely does not support healthy dietary and nutritional value to Belizeans.

Such processed meats are high in sodium, cholesterol and saturated fats, which are the underlying contributing factors to life-style deceases such as hypertension and diabetes. To provide the utmost benefit for Belizeans, items such as the following in table 2 should be zero-rated for GST.

What will be felt immediately is the effect that this increase in GST will have on users of hotel services b o th lo ca l and foreign users. This will of course discourag e local travel and make the Belize tourism product that much more costly. Gone are any ideas of a few days away with loved ones for the Easter holidays. When the voice of the PM subsides all that remains are the hurt that this budget will inflict on the majority of Belizeans. As one search for areas to give compliments and encouragement as meaningful benefits of the 2010/11 budget, one is forced to conclude that this presentation of the 2010/11 budget is short on vision, short on creativity, extremely short on government curtailment measures of its activities and very long on measures to inflict pain on poor and vulnerable people and the business community. The record will reveal in time, that this budget of 2010/11 will result in greater levels of poverty when the full brunt is realized upon Belizeans.

office to see whether or not Reyes will be charged. The Commissioner of Police has also ordered an internal investigation by a team of senior officers. Sanchez’s body was transported to the KHMH where it awaits a postmortem examination. The shooting of the Police Corporal ended week filled with criminal activity on the island. On Wednesday morning, residents awoke to learn of two stabbing incidents. The first occurred outside Tackle Box night club involving a male and a female. Police told the media that just before one on Wednesday morning an angry and jealous Rosa Roches attacked her ex-boyfriend identified as Stephen Bowen outside the establishment. Roches pulled out a knife from her purse and stabbed Bowen on the right side of his chest, leaving him in a critical but stable condition. As a result Police picked up Roches and charged her for grievous harm. Roches went to Court and pled not guilty and was offered bail in the sum of three thousand dollars. A few hours later at about 3:30am Police were called to the scene of another stabbing. A 22 year old student and part

time bartender Francisco Mendez was stabbed five times to different parts of the body before being robbed of a bag containing $437.00. Mendez was attacked near his home on Angel Coral Street in downtown San Pedro. Those stabbing followed a previous stabbing on Monday where Deon Pitts was stabbed on Tarpon Street. But stabbings were not the only crimes on the island recently. Two business establishments were jacked at gunpoint. On Thursday night Liquidita Deli was jacked of about $1700 in cash, phone cards and other personal belongings. On Friday, a similar crime took place at a popular hangout spot. Just before midnight on Friday, armed men stormed into BC where they made off with cash, credit cards and other personal belong. The incident occurred in front of a number of tourists. Luckily no one was injured but the incident caused alarm since the gunmen fired a shot after they were attacked by a dog. Because of the increase of crimes on the island, island resident are now calling on both local and national government to intervene before the crime situation gets even worse on the island.

three councilors and the Mayor are all serving their second term, and last night all four remarked on the absence of the dissidents. The apparent bone of contention would seem to be the February 16th election of Phillip Willoughby to be the deputy mayor, with the then deputy mayor Dion Leslie and councilors Roger Espejo and Eric Chang out of the country. (The trio had gone to Taiwan to attend Chang’s wedding.) Philloughby reportedly received four votes in an election at the meeting, with councilors Wayne Usher, Andrew Faber and Kevin Singh voting for him along with his vote for himself, while rival Leila Peyrefitte got her own and councilor Laura Esquivel’s votes. Dean Samuels,

who apparently also had ambitions for the post, ended up abstaining. In an interview broadcast on television last night, a defiant Mayor Zenaida Moya-Flowers stopped just short of telling the dissident seven to go to hell while Philloughby seemed resigned to the a fate of being replaced shortly. The Z-7 for their part has indicated that they have the backing of central government, the Ministry of Local Government and the executive of the UDP. Of course we all know that this is simply a bunch of crooked politicians fighting over the “spoils” at City Hall and at this point, having bankrupted the coffers, it hardly matters who is in charge over there.

The Belize Times

Sunday, March 21, 2010