The
Sunday, April 11, 2010
THE BELIZE TIMES
1
Belize Times The Truth Shall Make You Free
Judge... Jury... Executioner SUNDAY APRIL 11, 2010
Issue No. 4688
$1.00 www.belizetimes.bz
Was Jermaine Mangar Set Up?
As we g o to press, public speculation is growing that Detective Constable Jermaine Mangar is just a casualty of an elaborate set up by fellow officers in a conspiracy which may lead all the way up to the top of the department. That speculation grew legs with the revelation this week that Mr. Barrow and his Commissioner of Police Mr. Jeffries may not have been exactly forthcoming at a press conference last week Thursday. At that media briefing, the leader of the nation played judge, jury and executioner when he announced that Mr. Mangar was the criminal master mind behind ever y single
robbery in recent memory, including the Scotiabank Spanish Lookout heist which left one man dead. Mr. Barrow assured business owners that they could sleep easy as there would be no more robberies because of the arrest of Mr. Mangar, and other disciplinary actions to come within the department. Just days after, the Police Press Officer stated unequivocally that this was not the case, that Mr. Mangar was in no way connected to the Scotiabank heist. At around the same time early this week, the man in charge of the bank robbery investigation, Senior
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15% GST by JUNE?
The Belize Times received reliable reports late today that the Prime Minister and Minister of Finance is seriously contemplating raising the General Sales Tax another 2.5% for a total of 15%. That move, we understand, would come in the form of a Supplemental Budget presented sometime in June. Sources we spoke to in the Ministry of Finance were tight-lipped, but we did receive confirmation that there is concern that the raise of 2.5% in General Sales Tax will not return Mr. Barrow’s anticipated windfall in revenue. While those sources would neither confirm nor deny that a supplemental budget is in the works, a source as the General
Discord at Harmonyville
Sales Tax department told us that they had sought an audience with the Prime Minister’s Budget Team prior to the presentation of the budget, but were denied so had absolutely no input in the increase in GST. That source told the Belize Times that because of the nature of the tax, GOB only retains about 1/3 of what is paid in. Most definitely a raise of 2.5% would not be enough to bridge the deficit in the budget, stated the source. If the reports are true and Mr. Barrow raises GST to 15% in June, it is believed that per IMF recommendations, the next move will be retrenchment of public officers.
Just as Mr. Barrow played judge, jury and executioner in the case of Mr. Mangar, it appears that he has now assumed the role of Minister of Everything and Leader Omnipotent by giving away private land to 800 squatters in Cotton Tree at mile 41 on the Western Highway. Media reports indicate that Mr. Barrow met with the defacto leader of the group of squatters Nigel Petillo and gave him permission to parcel out 1-acre lots to 800 persons. The land in question is allegedly privately owned by a Chinese national who is reported imprisoned abroad. Apparently it does not matter that there is a legal process in place for the government to acquire land for a public purpose. By all appearances, it does not matter that squatting on land which is privately owned is illegal. It seems that none of the processes of law apply when Mr. Barrow waves his magic wand and issues a declaration. The situation in Cotton Tree arose out of the Hon. John Saldivar, who is the area representative of Belmopan, sending a few of his supporters to claim land on
the 1300 acre parcel at mile 41. Those few persons turned into a mass exodus, which resulted in Saldivar turning tail and running to Cabinet for help. Cabinet issued a cease and desist order which was roundly ignored by ‘new landowners’ at mile 41 who cleared their land and began to put up fences complete with barbed wire. At last count, reports indicate that about 2500 applications were received by Petillo for parcels of land. Minister of Natural Resources Gaspar Vega has been mute on the issue throughout. The move by the squatters has highlighted the deficiency in his ministry in dealing with real land issues for Belizeans. Mr. Vega shows no such inadequacy when it comes to handing out large parcels of land and even cayes to UDP cronies. It is common belief that a ‘gift’ placed in the right palms can resolve even the most complex land issues and open doors previously sealed shut. The many Belizeans who rushed to acquire their portion of the jewel at mile 41 have obviously not been privy to this special treatment. (Continued on page 31)
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