Belize Times May 31, 2015

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The Belize Times THE BELIZE TIMES

31 MAY

2015

Established 1957

31 MAY 2015 | ISSUE NO: 4947

The Truth Shall Make You Free

SEDITIOUS

www.belizetimes.bz | $1.00

Roaring Creek Men Mutilated!

Edilberto Madrid

UDP Foreign Minister Apeases Guatemala Again

Pg. 3

Steve Hyde

Pg. 8

92 illegal fields near Western Border

“We must defend Belize at any cost” - PUP Leader

Francis Fonseca PUP National Executive discusses ICJ and Guatemala

Armed Duo Robs M&M Engineering

Office in Belize City Pg. 23

Pg. 18

PUP: NO TO SEDI, NO TO ICJ

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31 MAY

THE BELIZE TIMES

Sedi, the UDP & Guatemala position.

This is why the capitulations to Guatemala by the current UDP Government and Foreign Minister Sedi Elrington have led to what the PUP Leader Hon. Francis Fonseca called a “breach of trust” between the Government and the Opposition.

In addressing a meeting of the members of the PUP National Executive and Standard Bearers, Hon. Francis said that he has lost all trust in Minister Elrington.

“We don’t know what Sedi does or signs when he meets with the Guatemalans”, he said.

The PUP Leader said that even Prime Minister Dean Barrow has attempted to be disingenuous in trying to defend his Government’s grave errors.

He reported that he had made it clear to the Prime Minister that the

Belize City, May 26, 2015 If there is any issue that should cross all lines, including those of politics, it is the unfounded Guatemalan claim. It is for this reason that the Opposition People’s United Party has played an important role in the process of finding an acceptable solution to the claim. The PUP’s position, as defined under the leadership of the Father of the Nation Rt. Hon George Price, is that there shall be no ceding of land or water to Guatemala and that our sovereignty and territorial integrity are intact and must be respected.

For the People’s United Party, Belize’s foremost nationalist party, and the radical movement that defied the British colonial masters to gain Independence, there could be no other

Fort George shares mother’s day love

2015

PUP’s support of the recent request

by Guatemala to amend the Compromis was conditional. The conditions were that the Government consult with the Belizean people on the issue and that any documents proposed for signing be made public before such signing.

The UDP Government failed to meet both conditions, and according to the Prime Minister was not even prepared to carry out any consultation. He said a simple press release was all that he required. It so happened that his Government was not even competent of that.

As far as we can see, Sedi and the UDP have been playing with fire when it comes to the Guatemalan issue.

Sedi claims that we just don’t understand “the way I proceed with these matters”. But we say, he doesn’t understand, has forgotten or is simply playing lost with regards to how important the Guatemalan claim is to us.

PUP Fort George Chairman Henry Usher and committee member Ms. Penny join Outspoken Panelists to announce winners of the Mega Mother’s Day raffle SCAN HERE

The Belize Times

Established 1957

14 APR 2013

|

ISSUE NO: 4840

The Truth Shall Make You Free

www.belizetimes.bz

|

$1.00

serving Belize since 1957 as the longest continuous newspaper.

Founder: Rt. Hon. George Cadle Price, People’s United Party Leader Emeritus EDITOR

Alberto Vellos LAYOUT/GRAPHIC ARTIST

Chris Williams

Mrs. Modesta Medina won the top prize, a 32 inch flat screen TV

OFFICE ASSISTANT

Ms. Sharon Moss won a washing machine

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31 MAY

2015

THE BELIZE TIMES

SEDITIOUS

Belize City, May 27, 2015 Despite tremendous public disapproval and protests by the Opposition People’s United Party, Foreign Minister Sedi Elrington travelled to Guatemala over the long “Sovereign’s Day” holiday weekend to sign another secret document in direct relation to the unfounded Guatemalan claim.

Two weeks ago, Elrington mistakenly revealed in a television news interview that he planned to travel to Guatemala, at the request of the Guatemalan Government, to approve amendments to the 2008 Compromis document, also at the request of the Guatemalan Government.

This, he said, he would do without consulting the people of Belize, and without first showing the public or even the Opposition PUP, exactly what it was that he was going to sign. This incensed Belizeans and drew the Opposition’s condemnation, so much that the People’s United Party announced that it would boycott such move by the Government, ending the bi-partisan approach they had been supporting.

“We cannot go to the ICJ being led by Wilfred Sedi Elrington. We cannot go to the ICJ to fight for our territorial integrity and territorial sovereignty by a person who believes our border is artificial,” stated Hon. Francis Fonseca at a press conference on May 6, 2015.

Despite all of this, Sedi went ahead and signed the documents this past Monday, May 25th along with his Guatemalan counterpart, Carlos Raúl Morales Moscoso, and outgoing Secretary General of the Organisation of American States, José Miguel Insulza.

The amended document now unbinds Guatemala to the agreed terms of the 2008 Compromis which stated that the referendum which would put the question of whether or not to take the territorial claim before the International Court of Justice to the electorate must be held in both countries simultaneously.

It appears that the condition has been impossible to meet, for unclear reasons, and Guatemala, on its own, decided that they want to hold their referendum in November of this year instead.

Guatemala’s Bad Faith It is strongly viewed by a majority of Belizeans that Guatemala has shown extreme bad faith to the process of getting to a final settlement to their false claim.

The Opposition Leader has accused that Guatemala has “turned a blind eye” to the increasing incursions into Belizean territory.

As recent as last week, the NGO group Friends for Conservation Belize reported that as of May 8th they counted about 92 fields inside Belize’s territory, indicating that illegal activity is on the rise.

“We believe that if the government of Guatemala wants to go forward to the ICJ they must show good faith. They must stop their nationals from coming across and raping the Chiquibul. They must stop their nationals from coming across and over fishing and polluting the port of Honduras. And until we see manifest signs of good faith on the ground, tangible good faith, we are not in support of going to the ICJ,” said Hon. Fonseca.

Guatemala is currently gearing to hold general elections on September 6th 2015 and a presidential run off scheduled for October

20th 2015 if no winner is declared in September. This adds to the cynicism over what is taking place. It has been a mutual understanding, which has been supported by the international donors known as “Friends of Belize and Guatemala” that the referendum must be kept out of the election cycle in both countries.

Yet, the Government of Guatemala is mixing up the referendum campaign along with the other political campaigns soon to start. And this is occurring with the Government of Belize’s consent.

Mr. Artificial There are heavy concerns about Sedi Elrington role in the process.

This is the same man who said that our border is “artificial” and that our maritime borders are “not defined”.

The same man who refused to accept that an armed Guatemalan bandit killed Belizean special constable Danny Conorquie and who readily agreed to compensate the family of an illegal Guatemalan who was shot by our mil-

03 3 itary personnel after they came under fire.

Elrington has pursued an apparent policy of appeasement when it comes to Guatemala, bending backwards or forwards at the request of the same entity that has challenged our national sovereignty.

Most dangerous is Elrington’s refusal to acknowledge the need for consultation with the people of Belize over this issue which deals with Belize’s existence. According to Sedi, and in defiance of the will of the people, Belize simply has people who “don’t understand the way I proceed with these matters”. Elrington continues to openly.

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31 MAY

THE BELIZE TIMES

2015

Belize’s Shining Stars!!

High School Graduation Season 2015: Maud Williams High, St. John’s College, Canaan SDA High, Belize Rural High and Mount Carmel High By: Alton F. Humes (Freelance Reporter) BELIZE CITY, Wednesday, May 27th, 2015 It’s the end of another high school year, and with it, the countdown towards Graduation Season 2015. And the BELIZE TIMES remains the ONLY national newspaper fully prepared to give you the run-down on the best and brightest emerging this year from Belize’s high schools.

We kick things off at Maud Williams High School in Belize City. 51 of 53 graduates will march up on Thursday, June 4th, at the Holy Redeemer Parish Hall, starting at 6:00 p.m. Leading their ranks will be: Ms. Cassandra Sanker (Valedictorian, from Class 4S2, with an average of 93%), Ms. Eugenia Courtenay (Salutatorian, also of Class 4S2, with an average of 87.34%) and Ms. Stephanie Rivera (3rd place, will deliver the Vote of Thanks). The BELIZE TIMES interviewed Sanker and Courtenay at the school’s Racoon Street campus on Tuesday, in the midst of their Graduation Practice.

For the pair of 17-year-olds, their journeys to the top, while not quite the same, share the thread of family. Ms. Sanker, a native of Hattieville Village in the Belize District, comes from a blended family – her mom, a step-father, and 8 siblings, of which she is the 2nd youngest.

Courtenay’s family includes Fort George area natives - dad Eugene, mom Rona Young and grandfather Gilbert Young. And both have had to adapt – Sanker to the Belize City atmosphere (via constant travel to and from Hattieville), and Courtenay to the grind of SBA’s (school-based assessments), while studying for tests, doing homework assignments, etc.

Both, however, share strong cheerleaders, who have helped them to weather those frequent bad days – Ms. Sanker has mom, step-dad and oldest sister and teacher Carla (who teaches at the institution), while Courtenay just had mom at her side, who was “always there to provide for me, lead and motivate me.”

With sister, Carla, as motivation, Ms. Sanker plans to further her education and eventually become a teacher, while Ms. Courtenay hopes to become an accountant. Their words of wisdom belie any apprehensions they might have about the future. Ms. Sanker says, “Keep your head held up high; no matter what people say to you, just keep following your dreams.” Meanwhile, Ms. Courte-

Natalee Pratt

Harim Ochaeta

Yasmin Anthony

Shane Longsworth

Zamaria Ferguson

Christian Williams

nay turns to the wisdom of Greek philosopher and scientist Aristotle: “The roots of education are bitter, but the fruit is sweet.”

We move along to the Northside, and the historic St. John’s College (High School).

The venerable institution will continue their long tradition, marching up 116 young men on Sunday, June 7th, 2015 at the school’s Gymnasium on Cassandra Sanker Eugenia Courtenay Princess Margaret Drive, beginning at 3:00 pm. Leading them will be a trio from the class of school mentioned before.

4A: Mr. Harim Ochaeta (Valedictorian, Despite their cool and collected personal4.07), Mr. Shane Longsworth (Salu- ities, these young men had to battle to get to tatorian, with a GPA of 4.06) and Mr. where they are now. For Harim, his 4th year Christian Williams (3rd Place, with a was indeed his “reality check”: ascending as GPA of 4.01).

Student Council president, but realizing that it The young gentlemen, though would be a juggling act unlike any other. But busy with practice cleared their col- while he had to deal with falling grades, he lective schedules to sit-down with the “didn’t regret” being there for his fellow stuBELIZE TIMES on Wednesday. The dents. While he does consider his grades as trio share Belize City as their base, ‘important’, he offered a startling insight into but their family roots are as wide and why being well-rounded is that much better: deep as imaginable. Harim’s family “You can’t base your education on just includes his Dad (originally from Ben- your GPA.” que Viejo del Carmen), Mom (born and For Longsworth, he had to adjust to the raised in Ladyville, where he current- world of high school, and for Williams, it was ly lives as well) and sister Kristieañe, about getting along with his teachers and fitwho is currently studying Economics ting in with fellow students, all while keeping, in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Shane as he put it to us, “the drive to work”. has his parents, including dad Stanley Having the right team to help you keep it Sr., and two siblings. But it’s quiet, together is key, and the young men had plenty well-spoken Christian that has the of folks around to do just that. Mr. Ochaeta most surprising pedigree – his pater- had his parents, who “always had my back”, nal grandmother is none other than and somewhat surprisingly, their Principals Mrs. Maud Williams, the legendary Academic Vice-Principal Ms. Melissa Andrade educator with the namesake of the and Principal Ms. Yolanda Gongora. Mr. Long-

sworth too acknowledges the former, as well as his parents, who “always provided what I needed”, and his peers, who goaded him (somewhat reasonably) into doing better, while Mr. Williams solely acknowledges his mother’s unconditional support and love.

Their career paths are divergent – Ochaeta wishes to become a diplomat and economist (although he admitted that he is leaning more towards Economics, like his sister); Longsworth isn’t sure yet, but is leaning towards optometry or biology, and neither is Williams, but he is certain it will involve something with Mathematics and/or Chemistry. Finally, their advice accentuates the positive; Mr. Ochaeta says: “Don’t listen to anyone trying to bring you down.”

Mr. Longsworth advises his peers to “Take life seriously”, while Mr. Williams says, “Don’t lose focus, lest you trip and can’t come back from it”.

Next up on the list is Canaan SDA High School, who will be marching 78 young men and women up the aisles this coming Sunday, May 31st at the Ramada Princess Hotel in Belize City, beginning at 3:00 pm.

Leading them are: Ms. Reina Guardado (Valedictorian), Ms. Jasmine Moody (Salutatorian) and Ms. Candice Ramclam (3rd Place).

Moving to the Belize District, we have Belize Rural High School, tucked away on the Old Northern Highway. Split along 3 distinct disciplines – Business, General and Vocational, the school will graduate 24 of 25 students (14 males and 10 females) on June 13th at their compound, beginning at 3:30 pm. The top graduates, all hailing from the General Program, are: Ms. Natalie Pratt (Valedictorian), Ms. Yasmin Anthony (Salutatorian) and Ms. Zamaira Ferguson (3rd Place).

Finally, we have Mount Carmel High School, in the Cayo District. 78 graduates will take the march, also on Sunday, May 31st at the school’s compound in Benque Viejo del Carmen, beginning at 9:00 am. The top graduates are: Ms. Carmen Arroyo (Valedictorian), Mr. Moises Martinez (Salutatorian) and Mr. Eric Gallicia (3rd Place).

Stay tuned as our series on High School Graduation Season 2015 continues next week…

31 MAY

2015

THE BELIZE TIMES

5 05

EDITORIAL

T

UNFIT TO LEAD

he road to the International Court of Justice (I.C.J) has become a risky journey for Belize, littered with I.E.D-improvised explosive devices. The doings of the current Prime Minister, his foreign minister and the government.

The Prime Minister was told over one year and a half ago by Guatemala that she would no longer hold simultaneous referenda with Belize and would instead hold their bilateral referenda during their elections in September and October 2015.

The Prime Minister was wrong to hold this information to himself. He had a duty to inform Belizeans and to raise it in the National Assembly for the views of the nation’s elected officials. The Guatemala Claim/I.C.J. issue is a matter of national importance. It is more important than the Prime Minister and his government. It is not their place to decide what information to withhold from the people.

Ever since his slim majority in the 2012 general elections, the Prime Minister has been behaving increasingly autocratic.

The list of such behavior is long and troubling. The most recent and most troubling is the revelation that for two years and six months (since 12 September 2012) the Prime Minister has been committing gross violations of the Finance and Audit (Reform) Act. He has removed almost three hundred millions dollars from the Petro Caribe funds without once adhering to the requirements of the law.

To compound this incredible behavior the Prime Minister rushed through a one-day law called the Petro Caribe Loan Act. There were no consultations with the unions or other sectors of the society. The Opposition PUP was deliberately kept in the dark with the proposed legislation.

It is of no surprise to the Opposition that with regards to the matter of holding joint referendum in Belize and Guatemala, the Prime Minister would treat Belizeans with such utter contempt and a failure to be forthcoming.

The Prime Minister’s shenanigans over his handling of the simultaneous/separate referendum have resulted in seriously undermining of the whole process. Principally, he has caused the issue to potentially become a unilateral move by the government of Guatemala. The Guatemala government is facing upheavals at home on the eve of their “general” elections in September. The issue could become a political football in that country.

In our country the Prime Minister has succeeded in casting the issue into the partisan arena. His failure to

follow through on a simple commitment to have his Foreign Minister prepare a press briefing and provide an advance copy to the opposition must be seen for what it is. The same contempt that is shown to the nation at large.

Additionally, the comments of the Foreign Minister casting aspirations at the Opposition is nothing short of infantile, but is a manifestation of the Prime Minister’s scant regards for a duty he owes to the constitutional opposition. He is not doing the opposition any favors.

With regards to the Foreign Minister, it has been a number of years of mis-speaking on the Guatemala/Belize issue. From his inexplicable “artificial” borders description, to his recent there is no maritime boundaries guffaw.

He has displayed an unbelievable ability to muck-up such a seminal issue. This has caused consternation in the population and reduced any confidence the government may have had on the issue of going to the I.C.J. Certainly among the rank and file supporters of the People’s United Party there is a clear lack of confidence in the government to properly manage the process.

Equally important as the Prime Minister’s disrespectful behavior is the absolutely irresponsible approach to Guatemala’s decision to hold a referendum on their own.

The implications for Belize are enormous. Especially, with the current Guatemala Foreign Minister’s statements. He said a few days ago that the public information/education campaign to the citizens of his country would be short.

He also said should there be a vote of no to the I.C.J that there would be repeated return to the citizens in other referenda-presumably until a yes vote is obtained.

What if Guatemala votes no? The Prime Minister has no idea what will happen if this should occur. There is no strategy for any alternative. Will there be increased hostilities?

What if Guatemala votes yes? Will Belize come under unbearable pressure to fall in line? The Prime Minister has been bleating out at every turn that he will vote yes.

But he has said nothing to Belizeans about what is the scenario if Guatemala votes yes and Belizeans say no.

The People’s United Party has always cooperated with the government when it comes to the Guatemala issue.

We have done so despite grave misgivings over the government’s incompetence and lack of good faith. But this can no longer continue.

Unlike the Prime Minister our Party Leader is accountable and listens to the members and supporters of the Party. His decision is a reflection not only in the Party but across the nation of widespread suspicion and deep distrust of the Prime Minister.

6 06

THE BELIZE TIMES

May Pen Road A Disaster!!

Belize City, May 27, 2015 The May Pen Road in the rural area of Belize District is a total disaster today.

Eight years of the UDP Government, and millions upon millions of Petrocaribe, has not seen any type of development in this beautiful community.

The area representative, Edmond Castro, has been going to the people of May Pen asking them to support his candidacy for the UDP convention this coming Sunday. He has been telling them he has done a lot for Belize Rural North, but the evidence on the ground shows a different picture. Castro has actually done a lot for himself while representing Belize Rural North. There has been the visa hustling scandal, the misuse of funds from the Belize Airports Authority scandal, the Taiwan sexual assault allegations scandal and the land scandals.

Castro has neglected the May Pen community allowing the access road to deteriorate immensely, which huge mud pools in various sections, almost making the road impassable.

Even the wooden bridge is almost a disaster in waiting, as the wood layers are rotting and could collapse with every passing vehicle.

Residents of the community have been ignored and neglected by the dishonourable UDP representative and this Sunday he will be getting a rude awakening.

Deteriorating bridge conditions

No Petrocaribe rolling in May Pen. The road conditions are disastrous and dangerous

31 MAY

2015

31 MAY

THE BELIZE TIMES

2015

WOMAN IN THE HOUSE

By Dolores Balderamos Garcia

The Wine of Astonishment The most consistent theme of the Book of Psalms in the Holy Bible is that the prayers and supplications to Almighty God are for protection and grace, while requesting deliverance from one’s enemies, so that enemies and foes can be destroyed, that they may wither away. The most famous Psalm is the Twenty-Third, The Lord is My Shepherd. However there are one hundred and fifty Psalms, and trust in God for deliverance against enemies and evildoers flows throughout them.

Psalm 60 is a Prayer after defeat in battle. It refers to God’s abandonment of his people, so that they suffered terrible losses. Verse 5 of the King James Version says: “Thou hast shewd thy people hard things; thou hast made us drink the wine of astonishment”. Modern versions of the Bible state “You have made your people feel hardships; You have given us stupefying [or intoxicating] wine”. Other translations refer to the “wine that makes us stagger”. I

do not know the kriol translation of the Bible, but I would imagine it must be something like “di wine weh mek we fool fool”.

The wine has so debilitated the people that they were entirely unable to defend themselves or even to have the ability to discern what is good for them. They were therefore completely routed and left devastated and absolutely downcast and despondent. The newer translations do not capture the poignant meaning of the verse quite as perfectly as “drink the wine of astonishment,” in referring to how the people’s senses were completely overcome, leaving them weak and powerless.

Famous Trinidadian author Earl Lovelace invoked Verse 5 of Psalm 60 as the name of his celebrated novel. “The Wine of Astonishment” is critically acclaimed.

Its themes of colonial domination, helplessness of a poor black community vis a vis the white English masters, and neglect by those in political power resonate loudly throughout the Caribbean, including Belize.

In the story the Spiritual Baptists, or

Shouters as they were called, were so oppressed in their religious expression that a law called the Shouters Prohibition Ordinance was enacted. Their syncretic incorporation of African beliefs and culture into their Christian worship was severely frowned upon by the colonial authorities in early twentieth century Trinidad and Tobago. The plot revolves around this harsh reality. Although the masses wished to struggle for their freedom and dignity it is as if they had drunk the wine of astonishment. Collectively they were impotent to effectively fight the ‘downpressors.’

The story also revolves around the self interest of a scholar turned politician from the community who abandons his people for self aggrandizement. Once elected, he turns his back on them and forgets his promises. Only after a time do they see through his election gimmicks and the other measures he employs only to win their votes when he needs them, afterwards betraying their best interests altogether. They realize belatedly that his sudden rush to answer applications for land and to put up crash programs right before elections are just tricks to fool voters into re-electing him for another term in office.

I have heard my esteemed colleague Dr. Francis Smith refer to the Wine of Astonishment when he is appearing on morning talk shows recently. Francis is a practical man, but he is also an intellectual who can incisively sum up a situation that presents itself. Without a doubt he sees that what is happening in Belize today is that the UDP government would like the

07 7 Belizean people to drink the wine of astonishment!!

The UDP government would like us to be so overcome by the massive spending that we will stumble and fall with broken consciousness, becoming unable to discern that all this is a big election gimmick designed to pull the wool over our eyes. They want us to become intoxicated and stupefied, unable to think clearly and to understand what is happening to us. They would like us to become like the Spiritual Baptists in Earl Lovelace’s novel, a colonized, powerless people who feel worthless and insignificant in the face of the rampant corruption, mismanagement of government finances, arrogance, dictatorial actions, blatant disregard for the Rule of Law, and nepotism.

Belizeans, we MUST NOT drink the Wine of Astonishment. Otherwise we will be left emasculated. In “The Wine of Astonishment” Lovelace, as another of his overriding themes, criticizes Caribbean people for placing too much emphasis on the politicians in power and not nearly enough on themselves and their own ability to adapt and to survive. As in the novel, Belizeans must struggle to achieve human dignity and not to be fooled. Perhaps another way of putting it is that we cannot listen to all the noise. We have to check our change. However, I cannot put it any better than to ascribe fully to the exhortation that we must resist the Wine of Astonishment, think deeply and clearly, and see all the election gimmicks and all the hype for exactly what they are – just that!!

0 88

A CALL to ALL ARTISTS

by yasser musa 23 may 2015 “Lead a READING revolution by harnessing the creativity of our writers and illustrators to create children’s books focusing on our people and environment.”

– proposal 11 from List of Demands – Image Factory – the next 20 years 2015 -2035 A few days ago Joan Duran our long time collaborator and Moi Moi a graphic artist and conceptualist from the Yucatan returned from China after overseeing and supervising the publication of Binomium, a 416 page book involving the work Michael Gordon and myself.

The release of this book on 4 September 2015 fits our philosophy that a society must have an optimistic attitude and aspiration toward the collection, production and promotion of knowledge. The book will go on sale first at Beepub Books in Bejing, China.

In the morning of 26 June 2015 we will gather as an artistic community to declare a list of 20 Demands on the community and the state of Belize.

I hereby invite all artists, musicians, poets, thinkers, historians, intellectuals, cultural activists, dramatists, film makers, dancers and supporters to join the Image Factory in presenting 20 ideas and plans for the next 20 years. Contact us for more information.

Over the past twenty years the Image Factory has designed and organized over 400 exhibits, performances, encounters and activities connected to contemporary art. We have collaborated with more than 500 artists from Belize and the world. And we have published over 200 books, brochures, magazines, catalogues and other printed materials.

This was the first twenty years, but we are not satisfied. We are more determined, more ambitious, more restless, angrier, more grateful, more enlightened, more disturbed, more confused, and more coherent than ever.

In the words of Maurice Bishop, “forward ever, backward never.”

THE BELIZE TIMES

Roaring Creek Men Mutilated!

Roaring Creek Village, Cayo District, May 27, 2015 The gruesome murders of two men, 28 year old Edilberto Madrid and 51 year old Steve Hyde, have shocked the residents of Roaring Creek Village and nearby communities.

The men went missing on separate days. Their bodies were found on different locations, but the horrid manner in which they were killed was similar.

Madrid was reported missing by his common-law wife, Julie Fernandez, on Sunday May 24th morning.

His body was discovered on Tuesday morning floating in the Belize Old River, about 200 yard from the Agripino

Cawich bridge in the Young Bank Area of Camalote Village.

His head, two hands and feet had been severed. He also had a large cut on his body, extending from his neck to his torso, and his inner body parts had been taken out.

His sister, Lioni Bejerano, was the only family member strong enough to identify the body. She said that while the family is devastated, they are thankful that they have closure.

“He went missing from Sunday morning at about 7am. He was at my sister’s house in the Young Bank Area. Whoever did this brutal murder to my brother we know we got closure and I know you are carrying his sins and hopefully

31 MAY

2015

my family is strong enough to see this because it wasn’t a good condition for me to see but I was the strongest one down here,” said Bejerano.

As Madrid’s body was discovered, the family of another resident grew concerned about their loved one.

Steve Hyde was reported missing on Monday, May 25th. It was reported that he was on his way to visit his cousin, Russell Hyde, when he disappeared.

His body later turned up on a property belonging to Russell Hyde along the Young Gyal Bank Road. The body was mutilated, with its head and limbs cut off, and then dumped inside a grave.

Both men are connected to Russell Hyde, whose wife was killed in a viciously calculated highway-side gunfire ambush, at the Guanacaste Park entrance to the City of Belmopan on Sunday, May 23, 2015.

31 31 MAY MAY

THE BELIZE THE BELIZE TIMESTIMES

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THE BELIZE TIMES TIMES THE BELIZE

31 MAY

2015

Unitedville Rebels are Softball Champs Belize City, May 24, 2015 The Unitedville Rebels won the VIII Charles Solis Memorial softball tournament, their first ever championship in this event organized by the Belize Softball Federation and the Solis family at the “home of softball” at the Rogers’ Stadium on Sunday.

The Rebels toughed it out, against the Belize Bank Bulldogs, to win the championship 7-6 as Francine Salazar struck out 2 batters, walked one, and gave up 8 hits.

The Rebels got 10 hits off Bulldogs’ pitcher Hortencia Richards to score 7 runs.

The Rebels won the Charles Solis Memorial cup, presented by his son, they get to hold the Cup for a year until the next tournament. Rebels’ pitcher Francine Salazar won the MVP award, and the 2nd and 3rd place winners received individual medals.

Unitedville Rebels team

MVP Francine Salazar scored 2 runs

Shamera Wade scores

Bulldogs’ Ashley Lucas

St. Joseph’s RC defeats Wesley Upper 3-0 in football

Belize City, May 26, 2015 The St. Joseph’s RC boys ran over the Wesley Upper school boys 3-0 in the Belize City primary schools football competition on Tuesday, with goals by Eldon “Quincy” Byrd, Bjarne “BJ” Gabourel and Sergio Andrade.

The St. John Vianney RC boys got the easy bye to their 2nd win: 3-0 against the Queen Square Anglican School boys were a no show for Tuesday’s game. The Vianney boys had posted their 1st win, 3-2, against the Ebenezer Methodist School boys last Monday with 2 goals from Mikey Palacio and 1 goal

by Daniel Hemmans. Ebenezer’s Marco Rojas and Trevis Flowers scored a goal apiece.

In game 3, the Queen St. Baptist School boys drew 1-1 with the Salvation Army school when Eshaq King scored for Queen St., and Jaron Carcamo scored for Salvation Army.

Other matches: Queen St. Baptist boys vs.

Unity Presbyterian - 3-2 Goals by Keenan Rowley, Eshaq King, Shaquan Gabourel, Luis Martinez (2) Queen St. Baptist vs. Hummingbird Elementary boys 6-0 Goals by Keenan Rowley (3), Shaquan Gabourel (2), Eshaq King Salvation Army vs. Hummingbird boys - 2-2

Goals by Hussein Shoman, Nigel Matus, Jaron Carcamo, Shawn Billary St. John’s Anglican vs. Trinity Methodist School – 5-0 Goals by Denroy “Bobo” Lopez (4), Shadrick Lord Holy Redeemer RC vs. St. Joseph’s RC boys - 3-2 Goals by Anthony Usher, Dani Fabro, Claishan Lewis, Sergio Andrade (2) Belize Elementary vs. James Garbutt 7th Day Adventist School - 1-0 Goal by Ajani Vaughn St. Ignatius RC vs. All Saints School - 3-0 Goals by Leon Leslie (3) Central Christian School vs. Queen Square Anglican School - 3-0 (forfeited)

St. John’s Anglican 5-0 Trinity Methodist

Queen St. Baptist wins 3-2 Unity

31 31 MAY MAY

11 SPORTS 11

THE BELIZE THE BELIZE TIMESTIMES

2015 2015

Team Digicell 4G dominates Outback Ranch circuit race Belize City, May 25, 2015 Team Digicell 4G dominated the Outback Ranch Circuit Race of 4 laps over a 20 mile circuit from the Outback Ranch at mile 30.6 to mile 33 and back to the Outback, organized by the Cycling Federation of Belize on the George Price Highway on Monday.

Top 10 finishers 1st Giovanni Lovell – Team Digicell 4G 2nd Joel Borland – Team Digicell 4G 3rd Brandon Cattouse – Team C-Ray Road Addikz 4th Gregory Lovell – Team Digicell 4G 5th overall/1st Masters – Liam Stewart - Western Spirits team 6th Joslyn Chavarria – Team Digicell 4G 7th Byron Pope – Team Benny’s Megabytes 8th Philip Leslie – Team Benny’s

Megabytes 9th Allen Castillo – Team Outback Ranch 10th Ron Mckenzie – Unattached 11th overall/2nd Masters – Kenroy “Smokes” Gladden 12th overall/3rd Masters Leroy Cassassola – Team Santino’s Juniors 1st Darien Anderson – Team SMART Zoom 2nd Yan Cattouse – Team C-Ray Road Addikz 3rd Kaydine Pinello – Team Outback Ranch Weekend Warriors 1st Kent “Bob” Gabourel – Team Benny’s Megabytes 2nd Robert Mariano – Team Digicell 4G 3rd Ray Cattouse – Team C-Ray

Digicell 4G team sweeps race

Top 3 Junior team

Western Ballaz &

Tigersharks

win playoff game 1

City Boys, Ladyville Jaguars & Brown Bombers win in 2015 Smart Mundialito Belize City, May 16, 2015 The defending champs City Boys, Ladyville Jaguars and Brown Bombers enjoyed wins in Week 6 of the 2015 SMART Mundialito football tournament, jointly sponsored by Coca-Cola and Bowen & Bowen Ltd, at the M.C.C. Garden on Saturday.

In Game 1, City Boys posted their 2nd win: 2-0 against Third World, with goals by Zamar Alvarez and Rasheed Lord.

In Game 2, the Ladyville Jaguars posted their 3rd win: 1-0 against Collet Strikers; on a penalty converted by D’jon Canello.

In Game 3, the Rising Stars and Heights FC drew 0-0.

In Game 4, the Brown Bombers posted 4-0 win over Face of Belize with a hat trick by Jovaun Ramos, and Keemar James scored a 4th goal.

In Game 5, the Hattieville Youth FC and the Young Warriors drew 0-0.

In Game 6, London Strikers and Carlston FC also drew 0-0.

Brown Bombers made 5 wins & 1 draw

NEBL’s Paul Thompson awards Kurt Burgess for Most Rebounds

12

THE BELIZE TIMES

Wicked, Wicked Castro!!

UDP Representative Deep in Scandals

Belize City, May 21, 2015 Major scandals have emerged involving Edmond Castro, the United Democratic Party’s Minister of State in the Ministry of Works and area representative for Belize Rural North (BRN).

The most recent of Castro’s long list of dilemmas is that he is accused of illegally occupying land in Santa Martha Village, which is situated in the Orange Walk East constituency, bordering Belize Rural North. The accuser is realtor Emerson Burke who says that Castro’s involvement in the unlawful use of the land has caused major losses for his clients.

Castro does not deny that he is in-

Edmund Castro

Whistleblower Alvarine Burgess

In Court, Alvarine Burgess testified that at only 15 years old she had affair with Castro volved in the use of the land. He told the news media on Wednesday that he “cultivates” cane on the land. He might not be aware but cultivate means plant and grow.

Castro also admitted that he is well aware that the land is not his and that it is privately-owned. Yet, he said he still encouraged farmers to use the land and grow vegetables and fruits on it.

Stubborn and confused are the best ways to describe Castro. Facey and pathetic would fit as well.

He refused to accept that he was doing anything wrong. “…Emerson Burke needs to cease and desist because I’m not a man that likes Court,” he said, further charging that Burke “has no proof that any squatting of land is being done by me or any letter or any paper to show that I have owned or claimed to own any land in the Santa Marta area”.

Castro may not like the Court, but considering his behaviour while in public office as an election official, he has found himself there quite often. Burke has issued a Notice of Eviction letter to Castro, which if ignored, could lead to Court proceedings.

The BELIZE TIMES has learnt that this is not the last of scandals involving the embattled Minister. He certainly is no stranger to those things.

Court Confessions Last week, Castro made controversial confessions while appearing in Court for a matter he brought against visa scandal whistleblower Alvarine Burgess, Burgess and Great Belize Production (Channel 5) for alleged defamation of character.

The embattled UDP politician confessed to signing visa recommendations brought to him by Burgess. According to Castro, he did it so Burgess could make money to pay for the medical expenses of her husband.

While under cross examination, for two days Thursday, May 14th and Friday, May 15th, it is Castro who had to defend his character and integrity much more than the respondent.

Castro was drilled for almost the entire first day by Senior Counsel Godfrey Smith, who appeared on behalf of Great Belize Production (Channel 5) and then on the second day of trial by Anthony Sylvestre Jr., who appeared on behalf of Alvarine Burgess.

As a result of Smith’s piercing questions, Castro admitted that he had signed dozens of other visa recommendations for foreigners (mostly Asian nationals) who he did not know and had never met.

Copies of those visa recommendation letters with Castro’s signatures were used as evidence in Court.

Burgess testified that she took over 2,000 requests for visa recommendations to Minister Castro, who at that time was the Minister of State in the Ministry of Works.

“I paid Castro $2,000 for each visa application,” Burgess testified in Court.

She also denied that Castro assisted her

out of any form of compassion, and that his statement was not true.

According to Burgess, Castro was aware that he was partaking in a visa hustle.

Castro eventually accepted it when questioned by Senior Counsel Smith.

“Can you see how the process you explained can be seen as a visa hustle?” asked Smith.

“Yes…I can see that now,” answered Castro, drawing a prolonged moment of silence in Court which allowed the weight of his words to be absorbed by those in attendance.

Burgess also revealed in Court that she has known Castro for over 20 years, and

31 MAY

2015

that she and Castro had an affair when she was only 15 years old.

“Minister Castro and I had an affair when I was a young girl attending Belmopan Comprehensive (School) and I was 15 years old,” she said, “He was sharing a house with one of his brothers and he was working at Salada in Dangriga.”

The trial will resume on July 3, when the attorneys will make final submissions, which will be followed at a later date by Supreme Court Justice Courtney Abel’s decision on the case of defamation.

While Castro’s statements in Court will have legal implications, the will also be weighed for expected political ramifications.

In 11 days, on May 30th, Castro will be facing a political convention as UDP Standard Bearer for Belize Rural North. The opponent is Dwight Tillett, a pastor who has questioned Castro’s integrity and credibility and has said that he is unfit to lead.

Tillett has the support of Belize City Mayor Darrel Bradley and former UDP Belize Rural North representative Samuel Rhaburn.

Castro claims that his entire Cabinet colleagues are supporting him, including Prime Minister Dean Barrow, who fired Castro from Cabinet in 2010 for accusations that he had scammed an American woman in a land deal. Barrow also had to defend Castro’s abuse of authority and misuse of public funds in a scandal exposed by the BELIZE TIMES in early 2014. There was tremendous public outcry for Castro to be removed from Cabinet, but the Prime Minister shielded him.

There are other scandals that have followed Castro in office.

In February 2014, Castro was dragged to Court to answer to charges of breach of code of conduct commenced by concerned resident, Trevor Vernon.

In January 2014, Castro’s image was tarnished in the court of public opinion for hustling from the Belize Airport Authority.

In October 2013, Castro was back in the news after whistleblower Alvarine Burgess accused him of hustling from the sale of visas.

In September 2013, Castro was accused behaving improperly towards a Taiwanese female Government worker, during an official visit to Taiwan.

In November 2010, Castro suffered public embarrassment after an American national accused him of swindling her in a fraudulent land deal. The Prime Minister believed the American woman over his political colleague.

The litany of scandals has left Castro’s reputation tattered and the UDP looking desperate for keeping a politician like him in their circle. You wicked Castro, you wicked!

31 MAY

2015

Eulogy for Grace Agatha Meighan Sunrise: December 28th, 1913 Sunset: May 23rd, 2015

My Grandmother lived her life for one hundred and one (101) years. Then she said good bye!

Let’s not bore ourselves with how she died. Instead, let me try to tell you how she lived.

Grace Agatha was born on the 28th of December 1913 to Agatha Fuller and Charles Cecil Fuller; the 2nd child in a family of 5 kids.

Her sisters Marie and Helen and brothers Herbert and Theodore have predeceased her.

Grace attended St Catherine’s Academy and graduated in 1931.

A bit of a tomboy and a rebel, she had a taste for traveling and adventure and a willingness to try things that girls of that era were not really supposed to be thinking of doing. She climbed trees, fished and played tennis.

She worked in the Fuller Rum Shop on Albert Street. A place that I remember resembled an apothecary with many small bottles of essence and flavorings.

She played tennis in the afternoons at the New Town Club and Pickwick Club and honed her skills so she could win her coveted trophies, which we still have proudly displayed at the family home on Barrack Road.

She retired from tennis, an undefeated female champion.

Grace loved to travel, and religiously visited New Orleans to see her sister Marie and family who lived there. This meant taking a bus, then a boat, then another bus to New Orleans; some three days to get there.

This is how much change my grandmother has seen in her lifetime. She saw the first cars and planes arrive in Belize as well as the invention of the Internet and cellular phones - things we take for granted these days.

She met and married Owen Leopold Meighan, a young police officer from Belize City. Owen had many postings around the country and so Grace lived in Corozal, San Ignacio, and Benque during these times. Grace and Owen had two children Owen Junior (Sonny) and Phyllis. They also joined Grace and Owen on their postings

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THE BELIZE TIMES

around the country.

By the time my brother Jim and I came along, we lived on Barrack Road and Owen was now retired and working at the Electricity Board. Grace took care of the home and her two grandsons while everyone else was at work.

Grace was always an avid sports fan and loved to take us to see many basketball and tennis matches. Of course we were there to cheer on our family sports legend Sonny, her HERO, who had been blessed with his mother’s sporting ability. The Advent of TV was another thing that allowed Granny Grace to watch

more sports and game shows, including her favorites: the Chicago Cubs and the Price is Right.

Some of you may remember her riding a bike around town. She was well known for this.

Before that she was a follower of the many radio talk shows that were popular on Radio Belize. Her like for these shows are a testament of her true spirit - forever an optimist with a giving heart and a warm smile.

As a member of the Fuller family we spent time at the Fuller home in front of the memorial park visiting with Uncle T, Tia Ida, Carlos and Edith. Tia Helen who lived in Guatemala was a regular visitor especially at Christmas time in her later years. Tia Helen was her beloved little sister who I am sure she is with now.

We then left for the UK and during that time my Uncle married

Judy Craig and my grandmother had many joys taking care of her grandkids, Kathy, Michael and Christopher. Like to Jim and I, she was another mother to them.

She lived most of her life with Sonny and Judy, whom she always said she loved as if she was her very own daughter. She lived with them on Barrack Road, except for the occasional visit to the UK to visit Phyllis and other Fuller family members.

Granny Meighan lived a very long and fruitful life and we are happy to have shared so many years with her. We know she is now looking down on us, with that warm smile, and will forever be with us in our hearts and through our memories. She is now our true Guardian Angel, just as she has always put all of us first...even in her prayers.

We love you Amazing Grace!

PUBLIC AUCTION SALE

BY ORDER OF THE MORTGAGEE HOLY REDEEMER CREDIT UNION LIMITED, a Licensed Public Auctioneer will sell the following property at the place and time as listed.

At the Parking Lot across the street from the office of Holy Redeemer Credit Union Limited, No. 1 Hyde’s Lane, Belize City on Friday June 12, 2015 at 10:00a.m.

ALL THAT piece or parcel or block of land being Block No. 41 consisting of 49 Acres situate along the San Ignacio – Benque Viejo Road, Cayo being such land comprised in MINISTER’S FIAT GRANT No. 800 of 1999 dated 16th October 1999 and more particularly shown and delineated on a Plan of Survey No. 800 of 1999 recorded at the Office of the Commissioner of Lands and Surveys, Belmopan, Cayo District as Plan No. 1514 TOGETHER with all buildings and erections standing and being thereon, the freehold property of MINOR CASTELLANOS DATED this 27th day of May 2015 All sales are strictly cash and deemed final. For more information contact: HOLY REDEEMER CREDIT UNION LIMITED 1 HYDE’S LANE, BELIZE CITY, BELIZE Phone: (501) 224-5644 Fax: (501) 223-0738 Email: hrcu@btl.net

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31 MAY

THE BELIZE TIMES

2015

The tale of two NEMO houses

By Oswin Blease The residents of Maskall are becoming more and more distraught with their area representative after finding out that the houses donated by NEMO after a wind storm a few weeks ago were not fairly distributed. Villagers have shared the “TALE OF TWO NEMO HOUSES”.

After the wind storm passed through the village, NEMO conducted an assessment of the villagers affected and decided to assist five residents with Mennonite houses, but apparently two very close family members of the UDP Minister benefitted from the generous assistance.

According to the villagers, one of the houses went to the UDP Minister’s sister who, in the villag-

VACANCY FOR TECHNICAL OFFICER The Pesticides Control Board is a statutory body under the Ministry of Agriculture charged with the mandate of implementing the provisions of the Pesticides Control Act for the regulation of pesticides in Belize. ers’ view, didn’t need it because she owns two two-story concrete houses. The house that NEMO appraised to be damaged was only a frame under construction and was not owned by the sister.

The next NEMO house found a resting place on the football field without an owner. According to some villagers the house was placed on the football field because it was to have been given to another family member but it is creating bad blood among the relatives.

Others are saying that the house was to have been delivered to a cane field in Isabella Bank. Villagers are following the movement of the house to see where it will end up.

The Pesticides Control Board invites applications from suitably qualified individuals to fill the position of TECHNICAL OFFICER. The Technical Officer shall be attached to the Registration Unit of the Pesticides Control Board and will carry out the primary function of supporting the work related to decision-making for pesticide registration.

The Technical Officer shall also, in parallel, assist in the strengthening of technical linkages between the Registration and Post-Registration Surveillance Units, and between the Board and stakeholders.

Responsibilities: 1. Review and analysis of technical data for decision making at the appropriate levels. a. Pesticide registration b. Field data from post-registration surveillance activities 2. Assist the Registrar in statutory and management functions. a. Preparation of documents and reports to the Board and sub-committees b. Keeping of Registers on pesticides c. Dissemination of information d. Notifications to the Rotterdam Convention e. Liaison with field staff in technical matters 3. Provide assistance to technical assistants/inspectors at the field level.

4. Represent the Board on national committees and task forces that require technical expertise.

Academic Qualifications: Minimum of a Bachelors Degree in Chemistry or Biochemistry.

Experience: In areas related to pesticide management would be an asset.

Basic computer skills are required; experience in database management would be an asset.

Languages: Bilingual (English/Spanish) would be an asset.

Deadline for applications: 12 June 2015 Please submit applications which should include a cover letter, resume and two recent reference letters to the Pesticides Control Board Secretariat, P.O. Box 217, San Ignacio, Cayo District.

Shortlisted applicants will be called for interviews during the last week of June.

Tel: 824-2640; Email: pcbinfo@btl.net

31 MAY

THE BELIZE TIMES

2015

By Gilroy Usher Sr.

The Case for Public Meetings A number of “intellectuals” dismiss the need for political parties to hold regular public meetings in each district of this country. They believe that one public meeting, if any at all, a day or two days before an election is enough to help secure a victory for any party. Like many other concerned Belizeans I totally reject that view.

A public meeting is one of the most important tools for any party that is serious about victory at the polls. It gives a party the platform to layout detailed plans for job creation, housing, land reform, and crime control among others topics to make Belize a better country for all its people. Public meetings also give a party the opportunity to explain to the public in layman’s language the many faults of its opponent, which makes it unworthy of a victory in an election. Furthermore a public meeting offers one of the greatest opportunities for a party to show the voters that it has candidates who can deliver themselves well and represent a constituency at any level. Additionally public meetings give a party the opportunity to energize its base and persuade

LIQUOR LICENSE NOTICE Notice is hereby given that MARIE JUDITH VERTUS is applying for a Beer Liquor License to be operated at “F&S Two Sisters”, situated at 21 Kraal Road, Belize City, Belize District under the Intoxicating Liquor License Ordinance Revised Edition 1980.

VACANCY A vacancy for a CASHIER exists at Hyde’s Lane Grocery & Laundromat located at 54 Barrack Road, Belize City. Call 203-0870 for serious inquiries.

a number of independent voters to support it at the polls. Those are some of the main reasons why political parties throughout the world even in the great United States continue to hold public meetings or rallies.

Those objectives cannot be achieved by house-to-house campaigning alone because such visits are too short. They will also never be achieved by reliance on the press regardless of whether it’s newspaper, radio, or television.

Due to time and space limitations the press only reports tidbits of a policy or program. Secondly most media organizations in the country support either UDP or PUP which are the two major political parties in the land. Consequently, a political party cannot rely on them for the best coverage to the public, because they always put a spin on their stories to suit a political agenda.

These same intellectuals say the cost of public meetings is

15 high and counter-productive. That doesn’t have to be. Considering the huge benefits of a single successful public meeting, that’s a necessary and wise investment by any standard. The ability to satisfy the conditions of a successful public meeting is what enabled Father of the Nation George Price (PUP), Phillip Goldson (NIP) and successive leaders of our two major political parties to hold massive public meetings again and again at the Pound Yard Bridge among other places in Belize City and in all other urban communities of the country. In 2015 any party that cannot satisfy the basic criteria for a successful public meeting is not fit to govern.

Dozens of intellectuals also argue that due to the high crime, especially in Belize City, attendance in public meetings will be very low and embarrassing. That’s not true.

Despite all the violence in Belize City a huge crowd always turns for the finish of the Cross Country and La Ruta Maya races, exciting football and basketball matches as well as for concerts at B.T.L. Park and other venues in the old capital. Those are a mixture of day and night events. To ease concerns, public meetings can begin much earlier to enable those in attendance to reach home early.

The founder of the independent nation that we now enjoy, George Cadle Price, best stated the case for public meetings in Belize from the rostrum at the height of his political career when he said, “A public meeting is the university of the people”.

16

Negotiating our way out of corrupt Belize Posted on www.akingslife.com Normally, when a taxi pulled up to our condo building we were either welcoming new friends or saying goodbye to them. This time was different. The taxi was for us and we were leaving Belize. A bittersweet moment as we looked forward to our next adventure, but still wanted to keep this one for a little while.

We were heading to Chetemal, Mexico via water taxi from San Pedro. Our plan is to slowly make our way to Cancun, where we are flying out of. We’ll be spending some time in the states to sell the rest of our stuff and then flying off to Bali.

We drove to the Water Jets water taxi station on the lagoon side of the island, dropped off our bags and then went to our favorite chicken taco joint on the island, Nery’s.

They make the BESTEST chicken tacos and watermelon juice and we devoured several dollars worth, using up our small change from Belize.

Negotiation 1: Port and Mexican Holiday Fee Scam

Back to the water taxi station, the office had opened and we went inside to purchase tickets. One way tickets to Chetamal are $30 US. We were prepared to pay our $60 fare, when the gentlemen behind the counter added an additional $60 US Mexican Holiday Fee on to the bill.

I did notice a computer printed sign that stated every ticket would have to pay an additional Port/Mexican Holiday fee of $15 US, but I didn’t expect it.

My initial reaction was – “No way, no one told me about this, this is a junk fee”. So that is what I told the gentleman behind the counter.

Here’s how our conversation went: Him: “Because it’s Mother’s Day in Mexico (and Belize), you have to pay the fee” Me: “I’m not paying the fee because of a holiday, that’s not a reason to have a fee, it doesn’t make sense.”

Him: “Well, you could leave tomorrow when it’s not a holiday” Me: “That is not an option. This is a junk fee, I bet Mexico never sees the money” Him: “I assure you they do.”

Me: “Then I’ll pay the Mexican government the fee when I get to Mexico, but I’m not paying you now” He turns to the older lady sitting with him behind the counter and they have a discussion. Meanwhile, a line of people wanting to purchase their tickets has formed behind me that stretches out the door.

Him: “She (meaning the lady he just spoke with) said you can pay only one fee and it will be for all four of you – $15 US instead of $60.”

Me: “I’m not paying the junk fee.”

Mr. King (speaking to me): “How

31 MAY

THE BELIZE TIMES

long do you want to stand here and argue with the man?”

Me: “Long enough to not pay this junk fee.”

In the end, I paid the extra $15 for all four of us only to save my husband the embarrassment of me waiting it out. I would have won, mind you. Unless someone can convince me otherwise, this is a completely bogus fee.

Any thoughts? Why would a water taxi company in Belize be collecting fees for the Mexican government?

Note: after doing some Google research, I have found this to be a scam.

Upon entering Mexico at the water terminal, no immigration officer checked to see if we had paid the ‘Mexican holiday’ fee, further confirmation that this was a junk fee. But, as a bonus since it was Mother’s Day, I was able to go to the head of the immigration line and got a free taxi ride to the bus station.

Negotiation 2: Belize Immigration After paying the ticket and junk fee, our next stop outside the office door was Belize immigration. A sim-

ple podium desk awaited us with one of the most non-happy immigration officers. We’ve seen this lady every month for six months and never once have we seen her smile.

Luckily, most of the time we dealt with a very gregarious, young immigration officer during our monthly visa extensions. But this time, we have her. Mr. King goes up with all of our passports and, without looking at him, she says “$30 bz”.

Mr. King tells her that we don’t have to pay for the small children and, again, without looking at him, she says “Okay, $15″. Mr. King gives her $20 bz and of course she does not have change and then waits on the next few people until she gets change. Mr. King gets his change, we get stamped and, just like that, we change our emotions from missing Belize to waiting to get the heck out.

Belize, why are you so corrupt?

It’s one thing to negotiate with a street vendor, but a government official representing Belize is another story. The above two incidences

2015

bring up lots of conversation of the open embezzlement and corruption that we have witnessed in our short time here. Why did we have to remind the immigration officer that small children do not pay the Belize exit fee? She knew this, yet withheld the information.

Everything in Belize has a price that can be paid as a bribe to the appropriate government official.

Want residency quick? A $15,000$30,000 payment will do the trick.

Need a permit for a vehicle on the island? $3,000 and it’s done. And on, and on. This is open knowledge, this isn’t even a secret!

What a shame, I say.

Although this type of system has made several government officials rich, it depletes the citizens of Belize. Instead of money going to government programs, schools, roads or medical care it goes into the pockets of already well-off government officials. Sorry citizens of Belize – you lose. There are many uneducated children and adults (who can’t read) in Belize, simply because they cannot afford to go to the public schools, which charge $150/month for each child, yet government officials steal thousands of dollars per month and put it on their own pockets. Fair?

I don’t think so. Who would elect these people?

During our 6 month stay we had the opportunity to witness a full election process. There was a lot of yelling and screaming and riling up of citizens for particular political parties, that is just the norm everywhere. But what we witnessed on election day was insidious. Voters being paid directly by political parties $100 bz for their vote, a gentleman that was paid $400 bz to fly from Placencia to San Pedro by a political party to cast his vote for that party and on and on. When stories of vote tampering came on the news, there was no surprise.

And how about all the money collected for the bridge tolls on Ambergris Caye for the last 8 years? It was never used to maintain the bridge and now it is falling apart and needs $300,000 worth of repairs, but there is no money.

What happened to 8 years worth of $10 tolls?

Oh, Belize

Sharing a Horchata at Nery’s

Oh, Belize. You are so beautiful on the outside and so ugly and decaying on the inside. Unless your government can provide its citizens with a positive example, you will be doomed to being rats grappling at each other for the left overs. What a shame to a country full of rich diversity and beauty.

As we pulled away from the dock and headed toward Mexico waters, there was a movie that was playing on the boat about the overfishing of Belize waters that summed up what I was feeling at the moment perfectly: “I love my people, I detest the government” – Local Belize fisherman Goodbye Belize. We still love you (despite what I wrote above).

31 MAY

2015

Reid The People Must Demand Better

By G. Michael Reid Corruption is the enemy of development, and of good governance. It must be got rid of. Both the government and the people at large must come together to achieve this national objective. ~ Pratibha Patil The duty of youth is to challenge corruption. ~ Kurt Cobain If a country is to be corruption free and become a nation of beautiful minds, I strongly feel there are three key societal members who can make a difference. They are the father, the mother and the teacher. ~ A. P. J. Abdul Kalam As we await the date for the next general elections, which by all reasonable speculations should come sooner than later, Belizean voters have serious realities to confront. Do we proceed with politics as usual; this “tyranny of structurelessness” or do we demand a better way going forward?

The United Democratic Party is in their second consecutive term of office and this second term in particular, has been a politician’s dream; unlimited money to spend, no structured system of accountability and a very tame media. Given the hesitance of Belizean businesses to advertise, media houses in Belize are mostly reliant upon government advertising to meet operating costs. As a result, the media in Belize tends to tiptoe around those issues considered too controversial or which they know might raise the ire of government and result in the loss of advertisement revenues. If in doubt, check with Plus TV. In February of 2012, almost immediately after being re-elected by the narrowest of margin, Prime Minister Dean Barrow signed into effect, the restart of the Petro-Caribe program. It is a program that

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THE BELIZE TIMES

was originally negotiated for by the PUP government but because of resistance from Esso Standard Oil the program never really got traction. Esso at the time enjoyed a monopoly on fuel distribution in Belize and had declined to work with Venezuela, preferring instead its U.S. base of supplies. It is still a mystery how this government was able to convince super multinational Esso to close shop and hand over operations PUMA who sells strictly Venezuelan fuel. Oil companies are notorious for their insatiable greed and it is not likely that they would have simply surrendered their monopoly without some quid pro quo.

The things that make you go hmmmmm…

Initially, government’s intent was simply a “limited scope of sufficing only the fuel supply needs of the Government’s vehicle fleet” but it soon became apparent that

some cheap outdated tablets to hand out to students and gave teachers a long overdue raise and told them it was from Petro Caribe money. He then appointed a couple of Union members to select boards and made them feel as if they were a part of some grand process. He then pointed to that and accused them of being complicit. The Prime Minister recently announced that he will be giving half a million dollars of Petro Caribe money to fund select summer programs for kids.

You can be sure that this money will be disbursed with the same partiality as every other program that this money has been used on. In announcing his Mother’s Day Cheer program, the Prime Minister made no attempt to hide his partisanship.

Fifty thousand to UDP’s and to the PUP, twenty-five thousand but only if they grovel and beg! Kudos to the Opposition for refusing to participate!

Belizeans must understand that this is not Dean Barrow’s or the UDP’s private funds that are at play here. Once the government changes, it is the PUP who will have the same access to these monies for as long as the program lasts. It is true that political parties see more clearly when they are in opposition but

a loan; a low interest loan, but a loan nonetheless. We all contribute to this fund and we will all have to pay this money back. The Superbond was a rallying cry for the UDP but the Superbond was an accumulation of debt going back several terms of government. Since 2008, the United Democratic Party by themselves has more than doubled the Superbond and continues to borrow even with Petro Caribe money in hand. To this point, no one really knows where Belize’s national debt stands and unfortunately, few even seem to care.

In this second term in particular, the UDP has been plagued with scandal after scandal; Immigration, Lands, KHMH, Rosewood, Noh Mul, etc., etc. Crime has spiralled out of control, unemployment remains high and poverty is still above forty percent. Corruption is rampant and there is very little attempt to even conceal any of it. Of course, with a compromised media, few stories get to make it past the nine-day-wonder timeframe.

In all fairness, the scandals have come so rapidly upon each other that we can hardly find the time to discuss any at any length before another is upon us. But, Petro Caribe is rolling!

We the people, at some point will have to realize the role that we play in all of this. If we are to come within a shouting distance of addressing corruption, we will have to all become involved. We must make sacrifices and refuse to participate regardless of the personal benefits derived. The short term gains can in no way justify the long term damages. The politicians are corrupt and crooked but when we partake, we remove from ourselves the right to criticize. We must all do our share to fight corruption; the mothers, the fathers, the teachers and the students. We owe it to ourselves and to our future generations. May GOD bless Belize!

Belizeans will have the opportunity to demand the necessary transparency and accountability that this program deserves. This is a loan; a low interest loan, but a loan nonetheless. We all contribute to this fund and we will all have to pay this money back. a golden opportunity was at hand.

Petro Caribe has dumped hundreds of millions of dollars into the hands of our politicians and while some has been spent on high visibility projects here and there, there is very little accountability in that spending. Nepotism, cronyism and wholesale corruption has been a staple of this program but the Prime Minister has been skillful in making just about every aspect of our society accomplice.

In his last press briefing, the Prime Minister announced plans to build a chapel for the Churches from Petro Caribe money. He paraded former UDP politician turned preacher Howell Longsworth as proof that his reckless spending had the blessings of at least one member of the clergy.

He purchased

that is when we must make them commit to better stewardship. Once elected, they will feel as if they can do whatever they wish and point to their victory as a mandate.

Leading up to the coming elections, Belizeans will have the opportunity to demand the necessary transparency and accountability that this program deserves. This is

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THE BELIZE TIMES

31 MAY

2015

92 illegal fields near Western Border

May 20, 2015 Special Report by Friends for Conservation and Development Agricultural Expansion in the Chiquibul Forest Satellite imagery and aerial reconnaissance shows that forest cover in adjacent Guatemala is severely fragmented. Across the border in Belize, the Chiquibul remained largely contiguous until around 1985 when agricultural encroachments were first observed in the area. Within the Chiquibul Forest (CF) there are no recognized human settlements, but an estimated 65 Guatemalan communities are found in a 45 km stretch along the adjacent Belize-Guatemala border; of which 11 immediately buffer the Chiquibul Forest.

These communities are highly dependent on the natural resources found in the CF. Due to the high level of forest fragmentation in neighbouring Guatemala, local Guatemalans have been illegally harvesting the resources of the Chiquibul Forest for decades. Illegal activities include poaching, looting of Mayan ruins, illegal logging, xaté extraction, gold panning and agricultural encroachments.

Our 2012 assessment reported that if no aggressive interventions were set in place to cease the present rate of deforestation it would inevitably continue to increase in a linear manner.

In October 2013, FCD developed a paper titled, “A Historical and Projected Analysis of Agriculture encroachments

in the Chiquibul Forest.” The study indicate that agricultural encroachments in the Chiquibul Forest are concentrated along the Belize – Guatemala Western Border, and the furthest land clearing inside the Chiquibul Forest was 4 km from the border. Agricultural encroachments started to appear after 1980 and increased slowly up to 2000; registering highest growth from 2004 (1,290 ha.) to 2010 (3,547 ha.) translating into an increase of 175% in just 6 years reaching a total deforested area of 3,615 hectares (8,932.86 acres) by 2013.

Based on historical data, encroachments started in two localized spots; Central Caracol and the Rio Blanco Area. These deforestation hotspots coincide with proximity to Guatemalan communities across the border. La Rejoya inhabitants, 0.5 km from the border, have historically led continued encroachments in Central Caracol and thus the recommendation to install the Valentin Conservation Post.

Monte Los Olivos, located 1.5 km from the border, is the closest community around the Rio Blanco Area and to address the agricultural incursions, FCD installed the first Conservation Post, namely Rio Blanco in 2008. The CP has managed to recover over 200 ha of secondary growth, that were once milpas.

This area is now recovering and no new milpas have been recorded proximity to the CP but instead Guatemalan farmers have moved further north into the Cebada area.

For the 2013 aerial reconnaissance FCD ascertained that more than 46 areas had been cleared both inside the Caracol and Chiquibul National Park. Of these clearings, 18 were considered to be inside the so called adjacency zone, while 28 were beyond the 1 km. The furthest new clearing recorded was 4.2 km found in an area south-west of Chiquibul. A total of 9 recent dwellings were observed. By this time, 3,615 ha.

(8,932.82 acres) of broadleaf forests had been converted to milpas. From 2012 to 2013, a decrease of 7% (255 ha. or 630 acres) was recorded. Concurrently, there was a gain of 224 ha. (553.51 acres) of secondary forest. This gain was attributed to milpa abandonment or fallow periods. These areas have slowly been transforming into “guamils” (early stage secondary forests). Much of the shift from deforested areas to forested areas occurred in the Rio Blanco Area.

The success of this conservation approach supports establishing more conservation posts in hotspot areas along the border.

Aerial Reconnaissance 2015 For the 2015 dry season three flights have been taken over the Chiquibul Forest. During the first conducted on the 23rd of February, FCD registered two milpa clearings inside the park. At this time the situation was described as “not alarming”. However on the 17th of March FCD registered approximately 23 areas where the forest had been slashed and prepared for

burning. Sixteen of these were new clearings, while 7 were reused wamils being prepared for farming. This year’s agricultural activities already showed an increase in trend compared to last year.

By this time the area of Caballo, where a conservation post has been proposed, had zero activities; the area of Valentin where the Conservation Post was recently built had one clearing to the north and two to the south. However, as we moved into the Cebada area we documented the majority of the clearings. More clearings were being done.

Subsequently on the 8th of May, another overflight was conducted to document the extent of the current situation of illegal agriculture. To get a better understanding of the situation a landsat image was used to count the number of fields. 92 fields were counted, 34 of these are more than one kilometer inside from the border. In the Caballo area it was noted that illegal activity in this area is very low. 4 clearings were seen on this region. There are some old active pastures that were never addressed since they appeared but no new clearing is there since 2013.

However, further north along the border there are some new large clearings that start in Guatemala and extend into the Vaca Forest Reserve. These fields are pastures for cattle ranching and belong to Guatemalans. In the area of Caracol clearings are increasing slowly but also the majority of the old clearings are still Continued on page 19

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THE BELIZE TIMES

Scotiabank Welcomes New Country Head, Michael Shaw Belize City, May 18, 2015 - Scotiabank (Belize) Ltd. is pleased to advise that Mr. Michael Shaw has been appointed as the new Vice President & Managing Director of the bank.

Mr. Shaw has been with Scotiabank since 1980 and brings with him extensive experience in Retail Banking and Leadership. As the former District Vice President of Scotiabank Metro North in Jamaica, Mr. Shaw successfully led the Sales and Service management team for the district comprising of 10 bank branches.

In his new role at Scotiabank (Belize) Ltd., Mr. Shaw will be responsible for the development, communication and implementation of the bank’s local business strategy, business goals and core values for Belize’s operations in alignment with International Banking and Corporate strategies.

This appointment marks the first

92 illegal fields near Western Border Continued from page 18 active, what was noted is that agriculture is moving north and south of Valentin. Activities increase more as we moved southward. 30 clearings were detected in the area of Caracol. 48 clearings are found in the Sapote and Cebada region, the furthest clearing are found up 5 kilometers inside the park from the west border. The other 10 clearings are found in the north Rio Blanco area.

These have also been active for many years and have not been addressed. Currently the fields are newly burnt, some rain has fallen already and planting will take place very soon.

This report is preliminary to show the intensity of fields by numbers and not by acreage.

The current trend indicates that where Conservation Posts are located there are less agricultural encroachments. It appears that Guatemalans have moved and are concentrated in the area of Cebada and South Cebada where less governance occurs in the form of patrols. It is, therefore, recommended that the Conservation Post in the South Cebada be constructed urgently to deter effectively this activity.

In the immediate term, it is critical that aggressive patrols be conducted in the region to avoid people from burning.

The South Cebada and Cebada is considered a hotspot where people carry offensive weapons and have fired at joint BDF, Police and park ranger patrols.

This area is where most of the marijuana fields have been documented during the past three years.

international assignment of the new country head and highly successful business banking leader.

When asked about his vision for the bank in his new role, Mr. Shaw said, “First, I am delighted to be in Belize and to work with this amazing team of people. Moving forward, our strategy will continue to focus on serving our customers and delivering on our Service Promise, keeping our operations safe and effectively managing operational and credit risk. We are guided by our core values and risk management culture and focus on maintaining the trust and confidence of our customers, while helping them become financially better off”.

The arrival of Mr. Shaw, as the

19 departure of former Managing Director Patrick Andrews, marks a milestone in local operations as the bank embraces the formal change of guard in the leadership of this financial institution. The strength of Scotiabank has always been grounded on the strength of its leadership. As the bank bids farewell and thanks to Mr. Pat Andrews for his successful 41 years of service, Scotiabank embraces the opportunities and vision that comes with new leadership.

Scotiabank has been part of the Caribbean and Central America region since 1889 when the Bank opened its first office in Kingston, Jamaica. It is now the leading bank in the region, with operations in 27 countries, including affiliates. The Bank has more than 15,000 employees in the region, including affiliates, serving more than two million customers, with 450 branches, kiosks, other offices and more than 1,000 ABMs.

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2015

BELIZE TIMES WEEKLY

SCIENCE & TECH R

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Fetal cells injected into a man’s brain to cure his Parkinson’s 26 May 2015 by Andy Coghlan A man in his mid-50s with Parkinson’s disease had fetal brain cells injected into his brain last week. He is the first person in nearly 20 years to be treated this way – and could recover full control of his movements in roughly five years.

“It seemed to go fine,” says Roger Barker of the University of Cambridge, who is leading the international team that is reviving the procedure.

The treatment was pioneered 28 years ago in Sweden, but two trials in the US reported no significant benefit within the first two years following the injections, and the procedure was abandoned in favour of deep brain stimulation treatments.

What these trials overlooked is that it takes several years for fetal cells to “bed in” and connect properly to the recipient’s brain. Many Swedish and North American recipients improved dramatically, around three years or more after the implants – long after the trials had finished. “In the best cases, patients who had the treatment pretty much went back to normal,” says Barker.

After the fetal cells were wired up properly in their brains, they started producing the brain signalling chemical dopamine – low levels of this cause the classic Parkinson’s symptom of uncontrolled movements. In fact, the cells produced so much dopamine that many patients could stop taking their Parkinson’s drugs. “The prospect of not having to take medications for Parkinson’s is fantastic,” says James Beck of the Parkinson’s Disease Foundation in the US. Because the early trials missed this improvement no one had received fetal brain cells since the 1990s. But the man treated at Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge on 18 May did not receive a full treat-

Mystery disease claims half world population of saiga antelopes

Recovery might be only a transplant away (Image: Rainer Unkel)

ment, because the team only had enough cells to treat one half of his brain.

The transplant depends on fetal cell donations from women terminating pregnancies, so the researchers don’t know when cells are likely to be available. It takes cells from at least three fetuses to treat each half of the brain, and four earlier attempts to treat the same man had to be stopped due to a lack of cells.

Lack of cells But Barker hopes to treat the other half of the man’s brain soon. “We would expect that if we do both sides, he will see an improvement in around six months to a year,” says Barker. But the maximum benefits are predicted to happen in three to five years’ time, and should then be sustained for more than a decade, he says.

The team plans to test the treatment in a further 19 people, in a trial split between Cambridge and Sweden.

Barker sees the revival of the technique as a stepping stone to injecting dopamine-producing cells made by stem cells (see “Stem cells – the

next step” below). Trials of such treatments are expected as early as 2017, and Barker hopes lessons learned from the fetal cell transplants will guide how to apply and assess them once they are ready.

“We are now on the road towards a 2.0 version of the cell therapy paradigm,” says Lorenz Studer of the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York. He thinks future treatment will eventually involve the use of dopamine neurons that come from stem cells rather than fetal cells, which will permanently resolve the supply problem.

Members of the Parkinson’s Disease Global Force met in New York last week to discuss the progress of this stem cell work.

When Barker announced that his team’s first patient had just left the operating theatre, the meeting’s attendees burst into spontaneous applause.

“There’s a real sense within the community that this is a collaborative effort to make cell treatments work, and that there’s real potential to change the lives of hundreds of people worldwide,” said Barker.

27 May 2015 by Andy Coghlan The death toll of iconic saiga antelopes in central Asia has soared to around 120,000, almost half of the world’s remaining population, according to unofficial estimates. Today vets and scientists investigating the catastrophe presented their results so far to government officials in Kazakhstan, where the animals are dying.

“The current official figure is 85,000, but we are hearing unofficial estimates in excess of 100,000, approaching 120,000,” says Aline Kühl-Stenzel of the UN Convention on Migratory Species.

The animals began dying from an unidentified cause around 10 May. The death toll soared within days to 27,000, at which point the Kazakh government requested help from the secretariat of the convention. A team of vets, led by Richard Kock of the Royal Veterinary College in Hatfield, UK, flew out on Friday.

“It’s very dramatic and traumatic, with 100 per cent mortality,” Kock told New Scientist from Betpak-Dala in central Kazakhstan. “I know of no example in history with this level of mortality, killing all the animals and all the calves.” The animals die through severe diarrhoea and difficulty breathing.

Trio of possibilities From tissue samples collected earlier by Kazakh researchers, Kock and colleagues have narrowed the cause to three possibilities. One is haemolytic septicaemia, caused by bacteria that are normally harmless, and which also kills buffalo.

Another, less likely culprit is epizootic haemorrhagic disease, a viral disease transmitted by mosquitoes. “We have to do more tests to rule that out,” says Kock. The other possibility is toxaemia caused by clostridia bacteria. “We need all the lab tests to be completed and a comprehensive analysis before we can reach any firm conclusions.”

The reason so many animals died at once is linked to the fact that the local females all calve within one week, providing ideal conditions for disease to spread between the animals and to their calves.

In 2014, there were an estimated 200,000 animals in Betpak-Dala, with a further 60,000 in other regions of central Asia, down from more than a million saiga in the 1990s.

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2015

Barrow 23

By Micah J Goodin Barrow is my shepherd, I shall not want.

He leadeth me on cement streets covered by sewerage water, He restoreth my doubt in Belizean Politics He leadeth me to the paths of unemployment and crime Passport penner and medusa dread castro get no jail time Yea though Petrocaribe is rolling, ramen is rolling from sunrise to sun down.

My country is in blood.

Grandma is at kolbe for a gun she nevah own Grandpickney buss up...

GSU abuse cyannt done Barrow anointeth my minimum wage with maximum taxes, My bills have run pass Sedi’s artificial border Surely we do not own BEL and BTL It’s not hard to tell Under this government life for all is hell!

May 2015

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.)

D.I.C.

THE BELIZE TIMES

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NOTICE TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC THIS IS TO INFORM YOU THAT PURSUANT TO THE TELECOMMUNICATIONS ACT – S.I. 110 OF 2002 , THAT CARIB PROSPECTORS COMPANY LIMITED OF SAN IGNACIO TOWN, CAYO DISTRICT, BELIZE HAS APPLIED TO THE PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION FOR THE USE OF FREQUENCY SPECTRUM TO PROVIDE INTERCONNECTION SERVICES THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY OF BELIZE. LOCATION: FREQUENCY: (MHz) SAN IGNACIO & SANTA ELENA TOWN 5180,5200,5285,5325

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THINK ABOUT IT SHARON FRASER Sharon Fraser is the most important person in the whole nation regarding the salaries negotiation between the government and the public services unions.

The massive entity called the public services is made up of two groups: the public service which consists of thousands of employees in the departments and ministries and the senior managers who are more of the management/employer category.

The Police have an Association but the BDF are even less involved than the Police.

They both have no say and have to take what they get.

The bulk of the public officers are represented by the Public Service Union. This Union has seen its glory days. The current leadership is weak and is surrounded by quislings and persons who are compromised. There are a few leaders who are known UDP supporters and as such are not able to conscientiously serve the best interest of the many employers in the public service.

The Association of Senior Managers is an anomaly but it fills the vacuum created by the Public Services Union and it has the intelligence and the status to influence the public service.

Sharon Fraser is the de-facto leader of the Association of Senior Managers. It should be noted that many so-called senior managers are political cronies and outright party hacks and so the Association is in a strange place.

Sharon Fraser is herself in a strange place. Our understanding is that she is a career public officer. She could have been the first female Controller of Customs but passed it up for a career in law. She had offers to join private law firms but choose to remain in the public service. She was a hard-nosed Prosecutor winning difficult cases against some of Belize’s best defense attorneys.

She became a Magistrate and was promoted to the only post of Senior Magistrate, making her the next in line to become Chief Magistrate. Because the former Chief Magistrate Mrs. Margaret Mckenzie was not far from retirement, Miss Fraser was asked to, “hold on a bit’ and would become the Chief when Mrs. Mckenzie retired.

The UDP came into office and Mrs. Mckenzie was given extra years on short contracts. It looked suspicious and was unfair to Miss Fraser but she swallowed her pride and waited.

Finally, Mrs. Mckenzie retired. But Miss Fraser got the shock of her life. None other than the Prime Minister made it known she was not going to be the new Chief Magistrate. Unknown to Miss Fraser a foreigner had already been promised the job by a relative of the Prime Minister.

Around the same time a Senior Superintendent of Police was being publicly told he had no future in the Department by the all-powerful Prime Minister. The indomitable Chester Williams, getting no protection from the then wimp of a Commissioner took his fight to the Supreme Court and miraculously check-mated the Prime Minister.

Shortly thereafter the brilliant Chief Justice of Belize was told to pack his bags and leave town.

Sharon Fraser could easily have won her case in any court. It was open and shut. As the next in line the laws governing the public service were clearly in her favor. Coming from an impeccable UDP family and having fate in her Prime Minister she must have decided to wait for her day. It is similar to waiting for Mr. Godot.

Fast forward three plus years, here is the said same Prime Minister negotiating with the National Trade Unions Congress of Belize for salary increases. He holds the upper hand.

The NTUCB is weak and confused by UDP

31 MAY

THE BELIZE TIMES

agents in its ranks. The same can be said for the Public Services Union. The same cannot be said for the ascendant Teachers Union, especially the Belize City branch of strong women or the Senior Managers Association now under Miss Fraser.

During negotiations by these unions in 2013, they and the nation were told there was no money available for any type of salaries adjustments. Public officers and teachers had gone without any salaries adjustments for almost ten years. Inflation and cost of living had long reduced their take home pay to pennies.

Finally, in the face of widespread dissatisfaction the Prime Minister caved in and said there would be a six percent adjustment. Take it or leave it. There was just no money for public officers.

Well! Well! It has now become a fact in 2015 that since September 2012 the Prime Minister had secretly withdrawn, in violation of every law governing the control, approval and public accountability, almost three hundred million dollars from the Petro Caribe funds.

In other democracies this revelation would have caused all unions to shut down the country, close all schools and colleges and demand immediate salaries readjustments.

Last week, as the Union met in the Prime Minister’s office they were being told the same old 2013 story. Government has no money. But knowing that now the Petro Caribe secret was out, the PM’s explanation is it is not for salaries. It is for salaries for gang members but not public officers, teachers, nurses, police and soldiers.

On the other side of the negotiating table is Sharon Fraser. She, more than anyone, knows that the millions hidden in the bogus budget can rightly belong to public officers.

She must know too, that the other millions listed as community assistance, pro-poor, Ministry of Housing, Ministry of Works and Ministry of Human Services are false accounting and can be replaced legitimately with Petro funds; thereby releasing funds for public officers and teachers .

Leaving Belmopan last week with her union colleagues must have been a heavy journey back to Belize City. Her dream to become Chief Magistrate had long been shattered. Her future is that she has no future in the judiciary. So long as the man who disrespected her remains Prime Minister.

The Prime Minister, whose dream is to become a three-time Prime Minister can ill-afford the Unions turning up the heat for their just and equitable salaries increase. The injustice he personally inflicted on Sharon Fraser, like the many instances of malice and victimization he visited upon many innocent citizens is of no concern to him.

He may want to find it in his cold, hard heart, to revisit the evil thing he did to this lady.

The beginning of his troubles with the Unions rest is with her. She can remain professional and closet her shattered dreams inside her broken heart. Or she can take a page from the very personal, very vindictive Prime Minister. Tit for tat, butter fi fat.

It is written that even after several plagues had befallen Pharoah he hardened his heart.

Jah then brought down massive pressure on him and his cronies. Fearing he would not be able to rule any longer Pharoah gave in and the people were released from bondage.

It is a rare, if not the rarest of situations, that a lowly employee is trust by the winds of fate to become the leader of thousands of public officers who are fed up with their government. And who have seen through the lie that no money ‘noh deh’. Will Sharon Fraser pierce the Belmopan tyrant and fatally wound his ambition for a third term or will she remain professional the injustice done to her?

We are told her Mom and Dad raised one heck of a daughter.

VERSUS v. VERSUS Last week Ireland which is part of the United Kingdom became the first country in the world to decide by referendum that gay marriage is acceptable to the majority of its citizens.

There is great rejoicing among gay persons all over the planet.

The spokesperson for the Holy Father, the Pope, has called the decision a “defeat for humanity”.

The issue of homosexuality and gay marriage in regard to Christianity has gotten a serious reality check as a result of the decision in Ireland.

The struggle, for both sides, goes on.

OSCAR ROMERO Here is a man to be emulated and honored. And honored he was.

In 1980 the vicious dogs, the death squads of the U.S.-backed military government in El Salvador murdered Roman Catholic Bishop Oscar Romero while he was in Church. He was an outspoken champion for the poor and oppressed in that unhappy country.

In a speech to government soldiers the day before he was murdered he said, “ In the name of this suffering people, whose cries to heaven become more deafening each day, I beg you, I beseech you, I order you in the name of God: stop the repression”.

In the war against the repressive military government some 75,000 persons lost their lives. The insurgents won the war and are now the ruling party in El Salvador.

Last week ceremonies were held as part of the decision by Pope Francis to appoint Bishop Oscar Romero to become a Saint of the Church.

MBE The established churches in Belize are as docile and as pro status-quo as any church could be.

To the extent that not one but two church leaders have been singled out by the UDP Prime Minister to be honored. Guess what was the honor? To be named M.B.E-Member of the British Empire. There is no British Empire since 1945. Worst, the British were our slave masters and colonial masters until 1938 and 1981 respectively.

If there was an honor called M.R.EMember of the Roman Empire, would John the Baptist accept such from Herod? Would Jesus accept any such from Pontius Pilot?

A SHAMEFUL STORY The story of Tricia Young, a hard working, struggling, single mother needs a fuller public discourse.

As told by Channel 5 journalist Mike Rudon, Miss Young was given- literally given, a cement house in Burrel Boom, by the Prime Minister’s sister, being a voter in the Prime Minister’s constituency. She was moved to another, semi-abandoned house in Boom Village because the Deputy Prime Minister from Orange Walk had done a land grab and taken the first house and lot.

Miss Young received lease papers from the government in 2013. She is paying to purchase. Last month she was told to get off the property and out of the house as it belonged to the wife of the now notorious Minister Castro.

How could that be? Isn’t the houses built in Boom by taxpayer’s monies, specifically built for first time, needy home-owners?

This is a rotten, no good government to be doing this to Miss Young. How can a private citizen, no matter being the P.M’s sister, be giving away government land and government houses to UDP voters?

HURRICANE SEASON On 1st June the hurricane season starts.

2015

Hundreds of drains in Belize City remain the same condition as last year, the year before and the year before that. Clogged up and unable to hold water.

The rainy season is now almost upon us.

We are already living through a social hurricane and a rising violent crime season.

Please Lord, don’t give us anymore burdens.

Hurricane Dean is more than we can bear.

JOSE COYE Jose Coye dubbed by Glen Tillett as “no ordinary Joe”, was seen cycling past mile 38 on the highway named for his hero- George Price.

We are informed that Jose regularly trains with other cyclists.

Here is a man with a brilliant, analytic mind who is well read and is of a cheerful and pleasant personality.

Jose has gone into the history books for defeating former two time UDP Prime Minister Esquivel in the 1998 general elections, sending Esquivel into permanent political retirement.

ZERO TOLERANCE The government, through one of its Ministers has recently been repeating that it has zero tolerance for persons who squat on government land. It’s bull but its government saying it.

Then boom! Word came out from the forest rangers and conservationist that over 92 illegal settlements and clearings have been counted near the Belize/Guatemala border. Some inside our adjacency zone and others deep in Belize territory.

Not a word from government.

Nothing about zero tolerance for such threats to our sovereignty.

Guess the settlements and squatters are all artificial.

AUDREY UNDER ATTACK The ruling party has been keeping up its steady barrage of personal attacks against Audrey Matura. Latest is in the form of a law suit from the Prime Minister’s law firm asking the Supreme Court to sock it to Audrey for some alleged breach of a clause in a Court settlement matter.

MOSE UNDER ATTACK Mose Hyde has come under a scurrilous personal attack from the UDP propaganda “newspaper”. Showing a photo of the popular Krem talk show host, who was a major asset in helping the Prime Minister/ UDP win the 2008 general elections, the rag sheet blatantly called Mose a thief.

Just how low can you guys go?

BELIZEANS UNDER ATTACK Since September 2012 to May 2015 the government has used some three hundred million dollars on all kinds of projects without ever once consulting the people of Belize.

The people of Belize are in dire straits.

One out of every two Belizeans is living in poverty. More young people are out of school than those who are in. No housing project exists. None of the three hundred millions is being spent to uplift any of the people. The people cannot eat streets and roads and bridges and sports stadium. Those things should be built from the large amount of taxes paid to the government in their regular one billion dollars budget.

Venezuela/Petro Caribe money is to make the lives and future of the poor people of Belize better. No such thing is happening.

The monies are being squandered on high visibility, show-time projects so the government can attempt to fool people for election purpose. The people are being treated as fools. They are under attack by deceitful politicians.

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THE BELIZE TIMES

Saldivar fired from CEO post??

Belize City, May 27, 2015 Everyone who is anyone in the Barrow Administration has kept their mouths shut and/or has shut out the media about the sudden fallout with Candelaria Saldivar from her post as Chief Executive Officer in the Ministry

Armed Duo Robs M&M Engineering Office in Belize City

Fredrick Smith

Belize City, May 26, 2015 Police have detained one man but are looking for several others for the brazen armed robbery of M&M Engineering Consultant Limited, a construction company located at mile 2 ½ on the Phillip Goldson Highway, on Friday May 22, 2015.

Video footage of the robbery shows two men entering the waiting lounge on the second floor around 3:30 in the afternoon. The men, both of creole descent, wore t-shirts and short pants. One of the men is seen pulling out a gun upon entering but concealed the weapon right after.

The men mulled around the lounge before pressing the office’s buzzer and when a staff member opened it, they rushed in at gun point.

Once inside the main office, the armed men held up the staff, taking their money, cell phones and other possessions.

The office manager has reported to the Police that the men went away with about $9,000, two cell phones and an iPod, which were placed in six envelops.

The men escaped in the direction of Coney Drive. The Police’s response and search of the area led them to an unfinished building where they found 19 year old Frederick Smith, of Racoon Street Extension in Belize City. He was detained and interrogated, and eventually led the Police to where the stolen items had been stashed.

Smith was formally charged on Wednesday, May 26th. He was charged with six counts of theft, five counts robbery and a count of damage to property.

He pleaded not guilty to the charges and was remanded to prison until July 28th, after denied bail.

Police have reported that they have identified two other accomplices involved in the robbery and are now looking for them.

Candelaria Saldivar

of Immigration, Local Government and NEMO. Saldivar, we understand, has been placed on Administrative Leave, pending her re-assignment to a new post in the Barrow Government’s politically-stuffed public service. Meanwhile Edmund Zuniga has been asked to act as CEO until The abrupt re-designation came as a surprise to everyone, because Candelaria Saldivar, who is the sister of the Minister of National Security John Saldivar, carried tremendous political clout in the Government and in particular, the Ministry of Immigration.

Water crisis in Gardenia and Biscayne Villages Belize District, May 26, 2015 The residents of Gardenia and Biscayne Villages deserve potable running water in their homes.

The BWS water line stops in Sandhill just 1.5 miles outside of Gardenia Village and 4 miles from Biscayne Village. It will take a pittance from the Petro Caribe Fund together with villagers’ labor to extend the water line to these two villages so that they can have safe drinking water.

In Biscayne Village, a villager shared that there is a water crisis. He said the wells are dried up and a water truck arrives with water, only UDP supporters get water. Just how unfair can the UDP be to the people of Gardenia and Biscayne Villages?

“It is our TAX DOLLARS that pays for the water and the truck. Every single villager deserves to fill their buckets. How can you say this UDP Government is a Government for all?” questioned the resident.

CARTOON

She even survived the boat rocking caused by the Penner-Wong Hong Kim scandal and the visa hustling scandal which followed.

Unconfirmed reports are that Saldivar and a senior official in the Ministry of Immigration, led by Godwin Hulse, have not been seeing eye-to-eye on key matters of the Ministry. This pushed their relationship to the edge of the cliff, and Saldivar was thrown over, so to speak.

No one has been able to say what is going. Not Minister Godwin, not Cabinet Secretary Carlos Perdomo, CEO in the Prime Minister’s office Audrey Wallace, nor John Saldivar himself.

We will keep following this matter.

Gilroy Usher Sr. treats Port Loyola Fathers to Domino Tournament Belize City, May 26, 2015 To honor of all the wonderful fathers of Port Loyola the Gilroy Usher, Sr. Domino Tournament will the held on Fathers’ Day June 21st.

The event will be held on Freedom St. in front of the residence of Mr. Goldburn Samuels. Prizes for the tournament are as follows. 1st prize $300.00, 2nd prize $200.00, and 3rd prize $100.00.

The Gilroy Usher, Sr. Domino Tournament for Fathers’ Day will begin at 9:30 sharp and will conclude by 5:00 p.m. The tournament will consist of six teams with eight players each. All players must be registered voters in Port Loyola. Registration is free.

To enter your team for this domino tournament on Fathers’ Day please contact the coordinators Mr. Goldburn Samuels or “Big John” Linares Tel: 6647101

24

THE BELIZE TIMES

31 MAY

2015