Belize Times September 11, 2011

Sunday, September 11, 2011

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SUNDAY September 11, 2011

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THE BELIZE TIMES

Issue No. 4762

LIAD DOUG SINGH UDP playing a deadly game

Belize City, September 7, 2011 Prime Minister Dean Barrow and the UDP are traveling down a deadly and dangerous road. Minister of Police Doug Singh, who can’t even break an egg in his tights, is playing with fire as he attempts to deceive Belizeans in pretending that his Government has found the end to the vicious cycle of murders in our country.

While Belize City continues under siege by the bloody gun violence and honest, law-abiding citizens continue to live in fear and uncertainty, the Prime Minister is giving “official legitimacy” to the very individuals who persist on wreaking havoc on our way of life. Now, these are some of the same individuals

Police Minister Doug Singh refuses to tackle crime at its roots

Sedi attacks Belize Judges in Wikileaks cable Frmr A.G. accused Judges of “poor work ethic” & “lack of intellectual capacity”

Protestors

take on Boots’ “election fraud” See page 6

Continued on page 4

CTC Shuts Down Belizean cigarette giant flames out in already struggling economy es of Belizean business folk. Money’s tighter than a fat guy’s pants waist… and no sane Belizean wants to buy any

Continued on page 6

Belize City, September 6, 2011 The contents of a leaked cable between the U.S. Embassy and U.S. State Department show the level of disdain which former Attorney General Wilfred “Sedi” Elrington feels towards Belize’s judiciary.

The confidential message, sent

Continued on page 4

whom Barrow, as then Opposition Leader, had ORDERED to go out and BREAK UP Albert Street in 2005 and cause civil disobedience.

It’s interesting, though not surprising, that both Barrow and Singh have deliberately dismissed and ignored the GSU’s brutalization of innocent civilians on George Street which precipitated an alleged increase in terror threats on citizens last week. The GSUs brutal assault is forgotten history by the Prime Minister, even though it is what triggered Government to meet and negotiate with the most notorious Belize City street figures.

But the entire debacle has backfired on the Barrow Adminis-

CTC office on Cleghorn Street

Sedi disrespected the Judiciary

BELIZE CITY, Monday, September 5th, 2011

By Alton Humes We’ve seen and heard the complaints, the visible, palpable frustrations in the voices and fac-

Cane Farmers ready to buy BSI; GOB balks BELIZE CITY, Tuesday, September 6th, 2011

By Alton Humes The Barrow Administration continues to support illconducive close-door deals with Banco Atlántida of Honduras (the parent company to the Belize’s Atlantic Bank) instead of a Belizeanbuyout of the Belize Sugar

Continued on page 34

BSI Factory

See page 15

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THE BELIZE TIMES

Sunday, September 11, 2011

From the ghetto streets

Issues of Concern

Jorge Aldana demands 9th Amendment

consultations in San Pedro 7th, September 2011 Hon. Dean Oliver Barrow Prime Minister of Belize Belmopan City Belize, CA Dear Prime Minister Barrow, First, I want to commend your government for providing the Belizean people with an opportunity to listen and voice their opinions on the proposed 9th amendment bill. However, I want to express my disappointment with the decision taken by the government to cancel the consultation scheduled for San Pedro on September 14th.

Like the rest of the nation, Ambergris Caye residents want the opportunity to voice their views on such an important piece of proposed change to our constitution.

After speaking to many islanders, I believe that the decision taken to cancel the consultation scheduled for the island is a slap to our face. San Pedro Town is one of the municipalities that generate more tax revenues than other communities in the country, yet our over-20 thousand residents will not be given the opportunity to express their views in a public consultation. I share the views, like many residents of the island, that we are tired that successive governments has reaped the benefits of our island’s tax dollars and other resources, but when the time comes to voice our concerns, we are brushed aside. The residents of this island are

The Party is nothing but the vanguard of the people, the active organ of the people, working at all times in the service of the people.”

tired of taxation without proper representation.

Should we have been told from the onset that there would not be any consultation in San Pedro Town, we would have taken time out to travel to Belize City for their consultation. Given the fact that the Belize City consultation was the first, then it is just fair that San Pedro be included in the consultation process as originally planned. On behalf of the residents of this island, who want the consultation, I am asking that your government revisit the decision taken and include us on the schedule of consultations.

Yours truly Jorge Aldana CC Hon. Patrick Faber, Chairman, Constitution & Foreign Affairs Committee Hon. Manuel Heredia (Jr.), Area Representative, Belize Rural South Hon John Briceño, Leader of the Opposition, People’s United Party Media

Ms. Henrietta Gill calls for Peace Dear Editor, Please allow me a space in your paper to call on my future, our future, on all gang members and boys in jail, also the girls. Leave revenge to God and make a change in your lives. It is only the black boys and men that are dying. If you can put down the beef with each other for the holiday that’s a start don’t fight fire with fire. Yes I am proud of you all. Take it to the Court and be smart.

Join My gang – the boxing gang, with God as our main Coach. Yes, boys and girls this is Ms. Henrietta Gill, the boxing coach. Any beef, come see me. Don’t let me come to you.

Thank you, Ms. Henrietta Gill

Dear Editor, The clock is ticking and the years are passing; why do I say that? It’s because it has been almost four years in this madness government we call U.D.P. This government has no future and no vision for a direc-

Reigning in Rise & Shine Dear Editor, I had a lot of high expectations for the Rise and Shine Show. It was introduced as a Christian show. I became a frequent viewer. Yet as the weeks go on, the show is beginning to sound just like all the other morning talk shows. I know some people are afraid to touch this topic but I have texted the show repeatedly with this concern. In my opinion the show is moving away from its original commission, which is to preach the gospel. Rather than doing that, the show is becoming more political and secular than anything else.

The latest disappointment was last week as my two girls and I watched Pastor Wade Jr. curse or swear on TV. For non-Christians, who are foul mouthed it is nothing but to us in the church, swearing is reason to seek repentance.

I am talking about when Pastor Wade Jr., went into a rant. He was giving his opinion which has become unapologetically uninformed and irrational on a number of issues. On this morning he came right out and said “To hell with Mangroves”.

This swearing is unacceptable to me. I was sharing it with another church sister and she said that even Jesus cursed a fig tree but I told her he never cursed mangroves. He was suggesting that Belize should just rip up the mangroves, and that we do not need a lot of them.

Mangroves are God’s creation. They are part of God’s clean and true design. How can you say to “hell with it”? Worst how can you curse Belize’s stock of mangroves? Belize has the third largest reserves of man-

Continued on page 34

BTB’s Action Plan losing traction?

Dear Editor The BTB late last year introduced an Action Plan to the general public, and since then we heard nothing from them. My school assignment has to do with the Plan however, there is nothing posted on their website updating the pub-

lic. Can you request that they update the public on their website so the information is available?

I wouldn’t be surprise if you won’t find an interesting story there.

Thanks James

tion to take this country.

Mr. Barrow, you think you know everything? Well you don’t. You can’t even find solutions for the poor people. Everything you do is a disgrace to society and you need to step down as Prime Minister. Look how you and your brainless government have this country and the city, like a war zone with everyone just doing their own thing. From the day this U.D.P. government got into office the whole country shut down. Everything just stopped, as if we had our last breath of air.

Mr. Prime Minister you have a lot of issues and I am very concerned.

How come with all the crisis and murder madness that’s affecting our life, this Prime Minister can’t seem to find solutions. It is interesting how he cut his trip short and called a meeting to assist these criminal in their reckless activities. He would never do that for the poor people. A person who puts criminals first and the poor people last has a serious problem.

This is one Prime Minister I don’t understand. If it takes a little chaos on the streets to get his attention, so let it be. Maybe the poor people need to start acting on you because the people have put up with a lot of your bogus acts. This is no time for you to make deals Mr. Barrow, this is time to get real.

Belizeans, this Prime Minister only helps individuals and not the poor people. I only have one thing to tell you Hon. “Wheel” Barrow, you’re a one term government and your days are numbered. I rest my case.

Until next week, Belizeans don’t let them fool you again. It’s time to wake up.

Roberto Peyrefitte

THE BELIZE TIMES EDITOR

Alberto Vellos OFFICE MANAGER

Fay Castillo McKay PRINTING/PERSONNEL SUPERVISOR

Doreth Bevans

LAYOUT/GRAPHIC ARTIST

Chris Williams

MARKETING/ADVERTISING

Rafael Sosa

STAFF REPORTER

Carla Bradley TYPIST

Rachel Arana OFFICE ASSISTANT

Roberto Peyrefitte Printed & Published By The Belize Times Ltd.

#3 Queen Street P.O. BOX 506 Belize City, Belize Tel: 671-8385 Email: belizetimesad@yahoo.com editortimes@yahoo.com

Sunday, September 11, 2011

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THE BELIZE TIMES

PARTY PAGE

F

PUP

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HON. FRANCIS FONSECA FREETOWN

HON. mark espat albert

GREGORIO “PAPAS” GARCIA COROZAL BAY

CAROLYN TRENCH-SANDIFORD COLLET

RAMIRO RAMIREZ COROZAL SOUTH WEST

Valdemar castillo Corozal North

mike espat toledo east

oscar requeña toledo west

joseph mahmud cayo north

gilroy usher sr. port loyola

phillip palacio mesopotamia

JULIUS ESPAT CAYO SOUTH

anthony sylvestre jr . queen square

ARTHUR SALDIVAR BELIZE RURAL NORTH

anthony mahler caribbean shores

dr. francis smith pickstock

patty arceo belize rural south

dr. amin hegar belmopan

collet montejo cayo central

oscar sabido cayo west

dr. MARCO tulio mendez orange walk east

abelardo mai orange walk south

orlando habet cayo north east

HON. FLORENCIO MARIN JR. COROZAL SOUTH EAST

dolores balderamos garcia belize rural central

jorge briceno orange walk north

HON. JOHN BRICENO ORANGE WALK CENTRAL

HON. cordel hyde lake independence

RT. HON SAID MUSA FORT GEORGE

Rodwell Ferguson Stann Creek West

IVAN RAMOS Dangriga

TEAM BELIZE

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THE BELIZE TIMES

LIAD DOUG SINGH

Continued from page 1

tration as one of the groups, who has also been a part of the cycle of violence, rejected the Government’s offer to meet because they viewed the event as a mere “show” put off by the Government.

In a well-written letter to the media, the group called the Southside Gangsters claimed that they did not believe the Prime Minister’s meeting was meant to find a definitive solution to the problems of poverty and joblessness, but rather only a band aid solution by placating the dominant rival group, known as the George Street Gang.

The revelation stirred controversy because in both instances, Police Minister Douglas Singh not only claimed that the “SSG” were present, but that they indicated in the meeting that they did not need Government’s help with jobs because they could find their own means.

For Police Minister to avoid addressing the real issue is one thing, but for him to look at Belizeans in the face and unapologetically lie on national TV is a matter even graver and more unforgivable. Singh’s proclamation has infuriated the streets. “Doug Singh di gih di people misguided information.

Ih done rough out ya, mein we really need ah some genuine help and fi hear wah man ah big caliber like that di mention dehn absurd thing deh, ih noh mek sense mein. We need help out ya just like everybody else,” said one of the men affiliated to the SSG. LIAD Doug Singh!

But Singh’s idiocy is only a microcosm of the UDP’s comedy of fatal errors. If we were to identify a word to describe the past five days in the old capital, commencing Friday, September 2, 2011 and ending yesterday, Tuesday, September 6, 2011, it would have to be side-splitting.

The comedy started off with a pair of dubious press releases issued first by the Police Department followed by an unprecedented statement by an alleged George St./Supal St./Ghost Town/Gill St. Gang Alliance. With the country’s National Security Council clueless and scrambling for answers, led by the “Abbott & Costello” duo of Defense Minister, Carlos Perdomo and Police Minister, Doug Singh, the selfproclaimed “superhero” Dean Barrow was forced to make an about-face turn and to board his first-class seat from St. Kitts for the flight back home to Belize.

And so the stage was set for

Sedi attacks Belize judges in Wikileaks cable Continued from page 1

to Washington on January 21, 2009, briefed on what the U.S. Embassy called an “unusual” farewell meeting between former U.S. Ambassador Robert Dieter, and Prime Minister Dean Barrow along with former Attorney General Sedi Elrington. In that meeting, Elrington reportedly discussed several judges and CEOs that he believed were “hopeless and dumb”, according to the document.

The Embassy noted that Elrington spoke in a “more candid” fashion than usual, then went on to detail Elrington’s most unkind words about Belize’s judiciary, specifically former Chief Justice Abdulai Conteh and Supreme Court judges.

“FM [Foreign Minister] stated that both he and the Prime Minister were unhappy with the CJ’s [former Chief Justice Abdulai Conteh] performance as an administrator. He stated twice that he thought the Chief Justice often made decisions based on favoritism to certain counsel rather than strictly legal considerations,” stated the Embassy’s cable revealed

by Wikileaks on August 30 2011.

Sedi’s criticism got even nastier, and very personal. “In some instanc-

es, he [Foreign Minister] felt the CJ had even ignored the factual record.

He suggested that the CJ’s Cambridge University education did not translate into his being an efficient or effective manager of the judicial process,” reads the leaked cable.

One specific practice that got under Elrington’s skin was that of reading judgments from the bench. Elrington told the Ambassador that he found it a waste of time, and believed the “opinions” should be simply published.

Elrington was also heavily critical on the needs of the Judiciary, claiming that the Judiciary was neither understaffed nor under-resourced but that the Courts’ problems were simply a matter of “judges having a poor work ethic and, in some instances, a lack of intellectual capacity”.

It was during the 2009 opening of the Supreme Court when Elrington started a bitter war of words with the Judiciary. It was obvious that he had problems with Belize’s Court administration but he was too afraid to be as outspoken as he was in the closeddoor meeting with the Ambassador.

Elrington was later removed as AG, reportedly because of being unable to handle the workload.

THE WORLD IS READING

THE BELIZE TIMES www.belizetimes.bz

yet another round of “special meetings” between Barrow and the city’s “gangs” on Friday, September 2, 2011 at the Belize City ITVET. ASP Ernest Broaster, the boss at Conscious Youth Development Program and Barrow’s henchman, played the role of greeter as the gang leaders and their associates arrived. As for the Baccanal Singh and Compol Jeffries, it’s anybody’s guess what the roles of these three numbskulls were.

But Friday’s meeting wasn’t enough. A second meeting was held on Sunday, September 4, 2011 at the same venue. At the end of the almost four-hour long session, Barrow and his team quickly announced that they had successfully hammered out a “truce” among the warring gangs.

Friday, September 2 and Sunday, September 4, 2011 tell an all too familiar story about Dean Barrow and the UDP that story being that Barrow and the UDP have a long and proven history of “negotiating” with Belize’s underworld. Most Belizeans would recall that it was this same Prime Minister, serving in the capacity as National Security Minister during the 1993 – 1998 Esquivel Administration, who had created the CYDP. Incidentally, it is the same notorious Police official who was handpicked by Barrow to head the ineffective CYDP back then that currently heads the Program today.

Sunday, September 11, 2011 Most Belizeans would also recall that it was National Security Minister Barrow who had made a spectacle at the Bird’s Isle after forging what he would dub the “Bird’s Isle Truce” between the then rival Crips and Bloods.

Then, we all recall Barrow’s earlier “negotiations” with some of the same key players present at the Friday and Sunday sessions back in 2010. Like the short-lived “Bird’s Isle Truce”, it wasn’t long after the “truce” back in 2010 that guns were blazing and bodies were falling again.

Since the attainment of Belize’s Independence, the UDP has controlled Southside Belize City. Dean Barrow, in particular, has controlled the Queen Square Constituency for almost thirty (30) years. With the initiation of gangs in the early 90s, Barrow was able to solidify his control as he and his second in command, Sista B, courted the gangs heavily and even financed their lifestyle and practices. So close did Sista B get with the leaders and members of the GSG that they ascribed to her their own term of endearment that everyone would come to know as “Mother Blood”. And who said gangsters don’t show love, eh?

Unlike Barrow and the UDP, we, in the PUP don’t “associate” with gangs.

We do, however, wish to associate ourselves with some of the statements made by the youth feeling the pinch of the UDP’s cruelty. Those statements read as follows: “We want to see change. We want better. You just cannot be calling for better. We have to deal with this thing from the root if you mean real business in resolving the real issues on the streets.”

Sunday, September 11, 2011

THE BELIZE TIMES

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Spitting on the face of the 10th Those faithful supporters of the September 10th celebrations should have no reason for revelry in the face of the Prime Minister attempt to turn Belize’s democracy into dictatorship. The Prime Minister of Belize is really spitting on the face of everything the Tenth September has been made out to be.

As is recited every year, the 10th Celebration focuses on the “Battle of St. George’s Caye” when he Baymmen won a fight for Belize against the Spaniards. Battle or no battle, the 10th captures the spirit of our fore fathers force and otherwise choosing to resist – to fight if necessary with axe and poconuh Boy sticks against the Spanish force armada. But the irony is that after that fight, our ancestors still had the real imperialists to fight off, that is, colonial masters of the British Empire.

On September 21 1981, the nationalist movement in Belize won the real Battle. The Battle which secured Belize’s spot as an Independent nation, with its rightful place in the world. What started out on the 10th September 1798 had germinated to a full grown Nation of Belize at 30 years.

But Belizeans must question what is there to celebrate come this tenth day of September? What is there to celebrate when after the Baymen won over the Spaniards, and our Nationalists replaced the colonial masters, we now have a man drunk with political power attempt to erase our democracy? Prime Minister Barrow is doing to Belize what the invaders wanted to do on September 10th 1798.

The Belize our ancestors and nationalists protected from foreign control, now have a Chief Magistrate that is a foreigner, a DPP that is a foreigner, a Chief Justice that is a foreigner, Appeals Court judges that are foreigners, a ComPol designate that is a foreigner, a UB President that is a foreigner and with eight new Magistrates to be hired the bet is that more foreigners will be hired.

We know this is not the Belize our ancestors fought for on the Tenth as they pointed to the 21st our Independence. This is betrayal at its worst. This is huge terror. This is a sell-out but most of all it is spitting in the face of the tenth celebrations.

Think about it!

Hard Hitting Contributed There was no war going on between the Gangs. No new one. None that has not been escalating since 2008. No new or different “old beef” between gangs in Belize that made Dean Barrow make an emergency u-turn. As with most things, Barrow’s return was all selfish and without balls. It was raw fear.

As a politician, Barrow was returning to barter for his life. One of his creations was threatening to “x him out”. Gangsters do not use courts or ballot boxes to vote. Another echoing threat was that “Dean Barrow better tightened up…”

Dean Barrow was exposed by accident. Yes, by accident, because BELIZE TIMES sources have informed us that the street truth behind the harassment might be a corrupt police department trying to cut in and “work with” a large shipment of drugs suspected of being connected to the George Street Bloods (GSB) at that time. Barrow got “called out”, like a mob boss turned in by a scorned lover. George Street is his pet cobra.

Think about it. The criminal gangs in the city formed a union and incredibly issued a press release. Are we concerned yet?

List the active criminal gangs in the city: George Street, Rocky Road, Kraal Road, Supal Street, Gill Street, Sunset, Ghost Town, Backa Town and South Side. All those gangs are stuffed inside Queen Square proper or overlapping with it. Further, the leader or boss of all the criminal gangs in the city is the GSB. This gang has been comfortably bred from the heart of Dean Barrow’s constituency. A constituency he has manipulated and cultivated for an uninterrupted twenty seven years. All he has to show for it is a murderous gang that he cannot control.

Belize heard the interview of Carlos Abraham aka “Sinbad”, as the pain of Barrow’s betrayal was heavy on his tongue. “After we vote in Dean Barrow this is what he did to us - he chance us.” In fact, it appeared to them that they had been replaced, “…. It looks like he built his death squad that is what I think.

GSU is a stupid unit. That is Dean Barrow death squad.”

What the public needs to know is that Dean Barrow’s sister does all the real “political” work for him in the garrison of Queen Square. In the Southside ghettos of the old capital “Sister B” is called “Mother Blood”.

Poor people may be uneducated but they “ain’t” fool. The streets know the real stories, believe that. You heard the “SSG” member: “we have to deal with this thing from the root, because if you just represent one side, like I said, Dean Barrow… they support all of George Street…”

What the thug said after that was an eye opener. Think about it, what could a Prime Minister bring to the negotiating table. Jail, threats, police brutality, preventative detention? What? Word gets out fast; South Side Gang (SSG)

realized the real situation. In the same way the police pick up and drop off gang members in the neighborhoods of rival gangs, the government was trying to take the bull’s eye off Barrow and refocus it on other criminal groups. They smelt it: “GOB is using the SSG’s as their scapegoat to mend their relationship with the George Street Gang.”

Look at that madness, now another press release from another criminal association. This one apparently is non-aligned. They are making more demands.

Belizeans should never depend on deviants and criminals to dictate when, where and for how long we should feel safe. That is the mercy that the press release granted us. Why is Barrow negotiating with these men that have been terrorizing the nation? He has called them terrorists and accused them of trying to hold the country hostage.

The United States of America has an unwavering hard line policy: no negotiations with terrorists. The learning for this is rooted in the fact that, one of the first things negotiation does is to glamorize and publicize the cause of the terrorist. Barrow is making these thugs celebrities.

The sociological fact is that by negotiating with these criminal gangs, it will seem to people, particularly the at-risk ghetto youths, that the gangs are an acceptable part of society, which in turn will make it much easier for them to recruit new members. Their criminal association becomes a sure source of legitimate protection, housing and even part time employment to subsidize and launder their illicit activities. This increase in number of members will make the gangster groups larger in size and much harder to control. Their large numbers can enable them to cause more trouble and all of the innocent people of Belize will become less safe.

Obviously, part of negotiating with terrorists is giving them something that they want in return for something that you want. This could encourage terrorists to escalate the frequency and potency of their criminal activity as a bargaining chip. It is becomes a pattern of power to get results. This will bring on more and more gang threats with every negotiation that takes place. This is not a realistic way to keep people safe, Barrow knows it.

In fact, Barrow’s pleadings with the Union of gangsters may buy him a few days, but in the long run, it encourages these terrorists to carry on with their violent behavior. The UDP play with this demon every opportunity they get. This is, by our count, the third UDP truce. The only thing shorter than the length of these fantacia truces is UDP terms in office.

Same old song and dance, we saw the resurrection or instigation of the CYDP program. They chanted up the gang spirits. Ask yourself why we did not

Continued on page 34

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THE BELIZE TIMES

Sunday, September 11, 2011

Protestors take on Boots’ “election fraud” BELIZE CITY, Wednesday, September 7th, 2011

By Alton Humes Of all the schemes and ministrations that the Dean Barrow-UDP administration have been accused of, the mere idea of election registration fraud ought to send shockwaves throughout the government and forearm the people against such characteristic and desperate ploys.

But today, under the rays of broiling morning heat, that’s just what businessman, activist and PUP Port Loyola standard bearer Mr. Gilroy Usher Sr. dared to do.

Backed by a group of citizens from various areas of the Port Loyola Division, Usher marched unto the Elections and Boundaries Offices at the Charles Bartlett Hyde building (better known as the “Complex” Building) on Mahogany Street Extension to protest.

Usher says that, backed by the Election and Boundaries Commission (EBC), UDP area representative and Minister of Works, Hon. Anthony “Boots” Martinez, is trying to secure a sure election victory in 2013 by ‘trucking in’ non-residents into the Port Loyola area and saying

CTC Shuts Down Continued from page 1 more than what they really need.

While most, if not all Belizeans, have seen the gap between what they have and what they can afford to buy widen, one thing that hasn’t been “lost” in the struggling economy is the consumption of classic cigarettes, made with classic Virginian-style tobacco and manufactured right here in Belize. But if the persistent rumors we’ve been following are true (at least since August of 2011), then what follows here could mark the biggest fall of a Belizean-owned-and-operated business in Belize’s history.

The Caribbean Tobacco Company (CTC), the only locally-owned-and managed cigarette makers (Independence®, Milport® Menthol, National® and Colonial® are their 4 iconic brands), are shutting down their long-standing operations of around 20 years, and shifting them to Trinidad and Tobago, reportedly as a cost-cutting measure.

This news is quite disheartening.

For several weeks, CTC has been letting go employees as it winds down business in Belize. The company is a subsidiary of Madisco [Marketing & Distribution Co.] Ltd., and is in turn a subsidiary of the Roe Group of Companies.

As cigarettes, the fact they’ll be shipped back to Belize for sale could likely see an increase in prices.

The closing down of this cigarette giant will also mean millions of dollars in revenue loss for the Government.

that they live there.

Last week, the BELIZE TIMES reported that a list of voter transfers carried out by Boots came under review by the Court. Some were struck out, but others, because of paperwork reasons, were eventually added to a supplementary list.

And that was just enough to tip the edge.

Usher insists that Boots’ actions are and were born solely out of desperation, and he is calling on the EBC to rectify the situation immediately, because such an inclusion will likely taint the voter pool.

Usher, despite not formally applying for a permit to protest, (believing that it’s nothing more than a “bureaucratic process” designed to frustrate), has the full backing of the PUP Secretariat.

But that was not all that the protests had to say. In addition to voicing their anger over this perpetrated fraud, they also protested over the need for jobs and other burning issues, which they say has been Usher’s greatest failure in the most poverty-stricken area of Belize City.

Group of protesters outside Elections and Boundaries office

Sunday, September 11, 2011

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THE BELIZE TIMES

FROM THE DESK OF THE

PARTY LEADER

10th of September Message This year marks the 213 Anniversary of the Battle of St. George’s Caye. The commemoration of this day did not occur officially until 100 years later, however today Belizeans still see September 10th as a significant part of our history.

While the historians argue over the details of the events that occurred on the 10 September 1798, for many Belizeans, the 10th is a part of our cultural identity and many Belizeans take pride in the occasion.

Whatever we believe, St. George’s Caye Day has come to represent a symbol of our national unity, for the message that most resonates on September 10th and celebrated in the music of the occasion is a message that speaks of a desire and a willingness by all Belizeans to fight to defend our nation, even when the odds are against us.

It is also a time to celebrate the accomplishments of every Belizean who faced insurmountable odds and prevailed.

Creole Belizeans can celebrate their struggle and victory over slavery through emancipation and the establishment of their home here in Belize.

The Maya, our first Belizeans, survived through it all, from conquest to colonialism, and remain great contributors to our development as an independent nation.

Our Mestizo Belizeans came across our borders in search of a better life, leaving behind the violence of the Caste War in Mexico. And so did our Mestizo brothers and sisters, the new Belizeans, who came running away from the atrocities of the civil war in Central America. Here in Belize they all found a permanent home where today they continue to contribute to task of nation building.

The achievements of our Garinagu was won through great sacrifice and hard work that started with a journey and which tested their mettle as they travelled along the Atlantic coast until they made their home in Belize.

All our people including East Indian, Chinese, Mennonite, Arabs and whites can see the 10th as an occasion for celebration.

On the occasion of our 28 Anniversary of Independence, I spoke of the spirit and determination of the Belizean people and our indomitable strength which gives us courage in the face of adversity. More than any other time in our history as independent Belize we must be courageous; we must stand up and fight to protect our way of life, our respect for one another and for the rule of law. We must have the courage to stand up and fight for the dignity of every human person; for that dignity is a part of our inalienable right bestowed upon us as humans and should never be taken away by any one person or institution.

Today too many Belizeans who want to work cannot find a job, robbing them of their human dignity and their ability to provide for their families. This also leads to other social ills, like the rampant violence that is destroying so many of our communities.

What the 10th September should do for all of us is remind us of how far we have come. It should also remind us of our collective responsibility to leave an even bigger and bolder, more generous and more compassionate Belize for our children and for future generations.

From all of us in the People’s United Party, happy St. George’s Caye Day.

Under Barrow & the UDP: UNEMPLOYMENT is 24% POVERTY is 43% GST was raised to 12.5% COST OF LIVING is the HIGHEST EVER NO SALARY INCREASE for Teachers, Police, Nurses FUEL PRICES are almost $12.00 NO NHI ROLLOUT School FEES have INCREASED Sugar is NOT available BUSINESSES ARE SHUTTING DOWN INFRASTRUCTURE IS WORSE NO KENDALL BRIDGE MORE PAIN & SORROW

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THE BELIZE TIMES

Sunday, September 11, 2011

PUP READY IN BENQUE

PUP Team in Benque Viejo del Carmen ready to bring real opportunities

Over 2,000 Benque Viejo del Carmen residents flocked to the PUP convention

PUP Leader Hon. John Briceño addresses supporters at Sunday’s endorsement convention

Oscar Sabido-Puga & PUP leader Hon. John Briceño

PUP Cayo West Standard Bearer Oscar Sabido Puga

Sunday, September 11, 2011

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THE BELIZE TIMES

UDP will suffer major defeat on broken promises Wednesday, September 7, 2011 It will be a cold day when this failed UDP Belize City Council gets to convince anyone that they deserve even a fifth of another term in office. Their long list of failed promises will not fade any time soon in people’s memory. Yet they have the gall to seek office again, shuffled deck and all, but with the same visionless and unimpressive bid.

One needs only to look at the condition of the streets for any clear indication that this bunch, put forth by an equally unimpressive and visionless government, has a very poor track record.

Let’s take a look at their performance over their six-year circus term: who can forget Madam Mayor’s “brilliant” practice of under-depositing.

Actually, it didn’t even begin there. Remember that ZeMo also overpaid herself $90,000 before she was reeled in and stripped of the handsome amount and eventually assigned a Financial Controller by her boss the Prime Minister. Not that that helped the situation because things continued on a downward spiral.

The Mayor drives through her well-kept Northern Highway seas-side drive-in while the city is left littered in garbage on the side of the streets simply because the City Council failed multiple times to pay the sanitation company. Coupled with this were the protests in front of City Hall on busy tourism days. All this, remember, against the backdrop of the Mayor’s Master’s degree in economics.

Remember when they pawned the Commercial Center and promised their financial needs were fixed? It was all a lie. The bank may soon attempt to

Cop robbed in Corozal Corozal District, September 5, 2011

By Carmelita Perez Two unidentified men are the prime suspects in the armed hold up of a police officer in the Corozal District.

26 year old Belizean Police Officer Luis Quixaj reported that around 4:00am on Saturday September 3rd he was walking along the Chan Chen Road when he was approached by two male individuals of dark complexion.

Quixaj, who is attached to the Ladyville Police Station, said the men came out of the bushes.

He described them as being slim built, dressed in dark clothing with rags partially covering their faces.

According to Quixaj while one of the individuals pointed what appeared to be a firearm at him the second ordered that he hand over the money. Fearing for his life Quixaj handed over $60 in cash.

The men then made good their escape by running into the bushes. So far no arrests have been made.

UDP City Council incompetents want three more years to destroy Belize City seize the Center, because the Council is dead broke. It can’t even fix streets on its own and relies on the Ministry of Works to chip in a few thousand dollars for simple patch work.

Then there’s the embarrassment with the electric company, BEL, who could wait no more for the Council to pay up its arrears. So it was lights off!

To believe that CitCo is a broke cookie jar would be to believe the UDP’s biggest lie. The Council collects over $10m in revenue every year, plus almost a million in tourism head tax, and over a million as Government’s subvention. So, how can the Council not operate smoothly and carry out its basic functions? UDP greed is

the reason. The UDP Council – Dion Leslie, Eric Chang, Phillip Willoughby, Dean Samuels, Zenaida Moya, and the whole deck jacked up their salaries three times.

The UDP won’t fool anyone. Excuses will not but it this time. Come March 2012, the city residents will go to the polls and reject the UDP crowd.

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THE BELIZE TIMES

Police shoot at fleeing man inside Gwen Liz High

Ellis Meighan Jr. BELIZE CITY, Wed. Sept. 7, 2011 Ellis Meighan Jr., 19, a resident of Banak Street who allegedly escaped while he was in police custody, was charged with escape from lawful custody when he appeared in the #2 Magistrate’s Court.

Meighan pleaded not guilty to the charge. He was released on a bail of $1,500 and his case was adjourned until October 31.

The incident occurred on Friday morning, September 2.

The police reported that they began to pursue Meighan because they

Fight over man ends in alleged shooting incident Corozal Town, September 6, 2011

By Carmelita Perez Corozal Town is known for peace and tranquility, but on Friday morning that changed, at least for one woman living in the Potzal Area, who was attacked and allegedly fired upon after an argument over a male person turned ugly.

33 year old Maria Santos reported to the Police that while she was at home around 10:00 in the morning, she was visited by one Pamela Phillips. This was no friendly visit, however, as the women began arguing over Santos’ boyfriend.

The tension appeared to have fizzled when Philips walked away towards her vehicle, but it was apparently only intensified because Philips reportedly returned minutes later with a black and silver handgun.

Fearing for her life, Santos told Police that she ran into her house and locked the door. While inside, she said she heard the sounds of gunshots.

Luckily she was not injured, and lived to call the Police and report the matter.

Philips was detained and charged for aggravated assault and keeping a firearm and ammunition without a license and discharging a firearm in a public place. At the Corozal Magistrate’s Court, the charge of aggravated assault was withdrawn by the complainant, but Philips pleaded not guilty to the other two charges and was remanded to Hattieville Prison until October 13th.

believed that he had something incriminating in the pocket of his pants.

While the police were pursuing Meighan, he jumped over the fence of Gwen Lizarraga High School in an effort to escape.

According to reports, the police fired a shot at Meighan when he jumped the fence, but the shot missed.

Fortunately, nobody at the school was injured.

Meighan was apprehended by a security guard at the school who handed him over to the police.

Reports are that Meighan somehow managed to escape while he was handcuffed and in the police vehicle.

Sunday, September 11, 2011

Shane Gillett

charged for Murder of Premier Price’s Brother BELIZE CITY, Wed. Sept. 7, 2011 Shane Gillett, 25, a laborer of Burrell Boom has been charged with the murder of Samuel Price, 84, the brother of Leader Emeritus and former Prime Minister Rt. Hon. George Price.

Gillett was arraigned today in the #1 Magistrate’s Court.

No plea was taken from him because the offence is indictable.

Neither could the Court offer him bail. He was remanded into custody at Belize Central Prison until September 15.

Price who lived alone at Tarpoon Cove, located at Mile 5 ½ on the Northern Highway, was found dead in his home on Saturday, April 16. He was last seen alive around 5:30 p.m. on Friday, April 15. Apparently he was

Shane Gillett bludgeoned to death.

Police believed that burglary was not the motive because nothing was reported stolen.

Initially, two minors and one adult were detained in connection with the murder but they were released.

Sunday, September 11, 2011

THE BELIZE TIMES

Accused purse snatcher remanded to prison BELIZE CITY, Wed. Sept. 7, 2011

By Roy Davis Brian Enriques, 32, a laborer of Petticoat Alley who allegedly snatched a purse from a woman, was charged with robbery when he appeared in the #8 Magistrate’s Court on Monday, September 3.

Enriques pleaded not guilty to the charge.

Magistate Emmerson banner offered him a bail of $6,000 and adjourned his case until October 11.

But Enriques was unable to meet bail so he was remanded into custody at Belize Central Prison.

The incident occurred around 12:05 a.m. on New Road near to Alma’s Beauty Salon.

The complainant, Tiffara Hyde, 31, reported to the police that she was riding her bicycle on New Road, coming from work and head-

Brian Enriques ing for home when the chain of the bicycle slipped and she fell.

She said while she was lying on the ground and a man came and grabbed her purse, which contained $300 and 4 social security cards.

She said the man ran and disappeared from her view. Police later detained Enriques and charged him.

Auto Dealer gets 9 years

for firearm & ammo

BELIZE CITY, Wed. Sept. 7, 2011

By Roy Davis A total sentence of 9 years was imposed on Malcolm Lamb today in the #7 Magistrate’s Court after he was found guilty of 1 count of kept firearm without a license and 2 counts of kept ammunition without a gun license.

Magistrate Aretha Ford sentenced Lamb to 3 years for each count with the stipulation that the sentences are to run consecutively.

Lamb, an auto dealer of 85 Vernon Street, was busted around 12:45 a.m. on June 27, 2009.

Lamb was standing in Dolphin Park when a police mobile patrol approached him and police searched him. The search resulted in the discovery of one .380 pistol in the right side of the waist of his pants. Also, as a result of the search the police found 8

Malcolm Lamb rounds of 9 millimetre caliber ammunition in the pocket of his pants.

Lamb testified and admitted that he was at the park but denied that the police found the firearm and ammunition when they searched him.

Lamb said he had a witness to call but the witness did not appear in Court to testify.

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BELIZE'S #1 SPORTS PAGE

THE BELIZE TIMES

Sunday, September 11, 2011

The Belize National “A” Team fought valiantly

Belize falls to Guatemala, 1-2

Deon McCaulay on the attack

Belize City, September 5, 2011 Team Belize lost 1-2 to Guatemala when they met in the 2nd round of World Cup Brazil 2014 qualifiers on Tuesday, September 6 at the Football Federation of Belize Institute field in Belmopan in.

Deon Macaulay and Harrison “Kafu” Roches led the Belizean attacks offensive, but their attempts were not successful as a corner kick taken by Mario “Papa” Ponce centered the ball into the goal area, and

Gustavo Cabrera headed into the net for a 1-0 lead in the 4th minute of play.

The Belize squad counterattacked furiously and won 3 corner kicks, but no goal materialized as the visitors took a 1-0 lead to the locker room at the half.

In the 2nd half, Belize’s Daniel Jimenez and Victor Morales entered the ball game for Elroy Smith and Luis Mendez, while the Guatemalan squad also refreshed their offensive line-up as Marvin Avila and Minor Lo-

pez took over from Jonathan Lopez and Jairo Arreola. Avila was able to set a play for Lopez who scored a 2nd goal for Guatemala in the 75th minute.

Deon Macaulay put Belize on the scoreboard a minute later when he drilled a shot past the visitors’ goalie Ricardo Jerez.

Macaulay almost delivered the equalizer with another shot to the same corner, but it went inches outside the right side of the goal.

Guatemala made a last substitution with Fredy Garcia taking over from Mario Rodriguez while Belize’s Harrison Tasher relieved Everald Trapp, but the long whistle sounded to a 2-1 win for Guatemala.

Belize was riding the crest of a wave of 3 wins, 2 against Montserrat in the 1st round, and a 3-0 win against over Grenada in Grenada last Friday, September 2, and were very confident entering the match with Guatemala.

In Grenada, Deon Macaulay had scored 2 goals, and Harrison Roches added a 3rd for the 3-0 win.

Grenada visits Belize for rematch on October 7, while Guatemala will host Belize on October 11 as the qualifiers continue. Belize hosts Vincent and the Grenadines on November 11.

Ryan Simpson controls the ball

Kenroy Gladden wins 2011 Lionman Triathlon

Belize City, September 4, 2011 Kenroy “Smoke” Gladden has proven to be one formidable athlete.

Gladden won his third triathlon when he won the 12th Annual Lionman triathlon held along the Sandlighters’ Promenade in Belize City on Sunday morning.

Gladden beat his time from last year by 20 minutes, clocking 2:31:00 as he swam 0.9 mile along the Caribbean sea, rode his bike the 22 miles from the starting point to the Haulover Bridge and back for 2 laps, and ran 6 miles in 2 laps to Belize Telemedia headquarters on Princess Margaret drive and back to Celebrity Restaurant on Marine Parade, to win the 1st place trophy, a $200 cash prize, a Digicell

phone package and $25 gas from the Ladyville gas station.

Jose Choto took 2nd place last year and finished 2nd again clocking 2:38:00 to win a trophy, $150 cash and a Seven Seas gift basket from Santiago Castillo Ltd. Four time female champ Shalini Zabaneh won her 5th title as she finished 3rd beating almost the entire field of 14 other men, clocking 2:44:05 to win a trophy, a $200 cash prize, a Digicell phone package and $25 gas from the Ladyville gas station.

Kenroy Gladden is Lionman Champ Top 3 Male finishers

Sunday, September 11, 2011

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THE BELIZE TIMES

Kenroy Gladden wins 2011 BELIZE'S #1 SPORTS PAGE

Lionman Triathlon

Other results: David Pollard: 4th place, clocking 2:45:53 Prize: trophy, a medal & “Raiders of the Lost Mayan Caves” tour package Leroy Cassasola: 5th place, clocking 2:48:34 1st Masters Jim Scott finished 6th place, clocking 2:52:54 Prize: trophy, $200 cash prize, Digicell package & Fresca soft drink

Top 3 Female finishers

Team Sagitun wins relay triathlon

Dwight Alford: 7th place, clocking 2:53:59 Kenrick Duncan was 8th, clocking 2:54:38 Anthony Leslie: 9th place, 1st junior, clocking 2:59:54 Prize: trophy, a medal, $200 cash, Digicell package & “Raiders of the Lost Mayan Caves” tour package

Belize City, September 4, 2011 Team Sagitun: Shalini Zabaneh, Brandon Cattouse and Kevin Siroki won the Belie Triathlon Association relay triathlon held in conjunction with the 12thannual Lionman triathlon along the Sandlighters’ Promenade in Belize City on Sunday morning.

They clocked 2:19:23 to win 1st place with Shalini

Team Sagitun came in 1st

Other finishers: 4th place – Clocked 2:31:01 Team C-Ray’s Surf & Turf: Jim Scott (swim), Riis Cattouse (Bike), Kira Eiley (Run) 5th place – Clocked 2:35:59 Team Down Under: Rigoberto Rivas (swim), Emerson Vasquez (bike), Ashonti Carr (run) 6th place – Clocked 2:38:50 Team Southside Warriors: Kenroy Gladden (swim), Byron Pope (bike), Shanice Mendoza (run)

Top 3 Masters

swimming 0.9 miles in the sea, Brandon Cattouse riding his bike for 22 miles from the starting point to the Haulover Bridge and back in 2 laps, and Kevin Siroki running 6 miles in 2 laps to Belize Telemedia headquarters on Princess Margaret drive and then back to Celebrity Restaurant on Marine Parade. They won a trophy and medals, $200 cash, a Digicel package for each from Belize Telemedia and a case of Belikin Beer from Bowen & Bowen Ltd. Team Spectrum

Designs: Denise Diaz in the swim, Wilbert Jones on the bike and Louis Haulze in the run clocked 2:25;06 to finish 2nd and win a trophy and individual medals, as well as a $150 cash prize, a Seven Seas gift basket from Santiago Castillo ltd, and a case of Belikin Beer .

Team C-Ray Bad Intentions team: Eric Donis in the swim, Kaya Cattouse on the bike and Kent Gabourel on the run, clocked 2:29:32 to win a trophy, medals, $100 cash prize and a case of Belikin Beer.

13th place – Clocked 3:04:20 Team Mighty Leafs: Roscoe Rhys (swim), Carmita Gabb (bike), Terique Gabb (run)

Andrew Moody: 13th place, clocking 3:25:52 Mario Sanchez: 14th place, 2nd Masters triathlete, clocking 3:28:20 Prize $150 & Seven Seas Gift Basket from Santiago Castillo Ltd. Enrique Cal: 15th place, clocking 3:30:05 Roy Gillett: 16th overall, 3rdmasters, clocking 3:35:56

Dr. David Hoy, 19th place, 4th Masters, clocking 50:24

11th place – Clocked 2:52:31 Team Triple H: Anthony Leslie (swim), Deandre Ordonez (bike), Ashanti Carr (run)

8th place – Clocked 2:43:16 Team San Cas 2: Mario Sanchez (swim), Giovanni “Froggy” Leslie (bike), Magdalena Chub (run)

Gerard Eagan: 12th place, clocking 3:26:06

Denise Diaz, 18th overall, 3rd woman, clocking 3:48:02 Prize: trophy, medal, “Raiders of the Lost Mayan Caves” tour package

10th place – Clocked 2:48:51 Team Tony’s Superstore: Dr Raul Ordonez (swim), Roger Troyer (bike) Petie Usher-Matus (run)

12th place – Clocked 2:54:19 Team 3 Figs: Dr. Ramon Figueroa (swim), nephew (bike), Mrs. Michelle Graniel Figueroa (run)

Luigi Urbina: 11th place, clocking 3:07:29

Keyren Tzib: 17thoverall, 2nd female, clocked 3:45:54 Prize: trophy, medal, $150, Seven Seas gift basket, Fresca soft drink

9th place - Clocked 2:48:44 Team Belize Coast Guard: Jamaila Requena (swim), Charles Francisco (bike), Kenrick Thomas (run)

7th place – Clocked 2:41:32 Team San Cas 1: Leroy Cassasola (swim), Marlon Castillo (bike), Janelle Chanona (run)

Rigoberto Rivas: 10th place, clocking 3:03:24

Tony’s Store Petie Matus

Spectrum Designs won 2nd place

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THE BELIZE TIMES

Sunday, September 11, 2011

BELIZE'S #1 SPORTS PAGE

Bulldogs

lead Interoffice finals 2-1 Belize City, September 2, 2011 The Belize Bank Bulldogs are poised to win the 2011 Belize City interoffice basketball championship; leading the best of 5 game series 2-1 with a 53-47 win against over the Conscious Youth Development Programme at the Belize City Center on Friday, September 2.

Bulldogs’ tough defense shut down C.Y.D.P. while on the offense, Macario Augustine had 14 points and 11 boards to lead 16-13 in the 1stquarter. Rupert Brown drained in 2 long treys to add 12 points, 5 boards that increased the lead 27-22 at the half.

Darwin “Puppy” Leslie had 9 points, 2 boards, while Darren Neal had 8 points, 3 boards that stretched the lead even further 42-32 at the end of the 3rdquarter.

CYDP’s Andrew “Head” Staine had 13 points, 5 boards; Marcel Orosco had 10 pts, 8 boards; Jacob “Snake”

National U-17 beats Belama Ballaz 74-53 Belize City, September 2, 2011 The national under-17 team easily won an exhibition game 74-53 against the Belama Ballaz before Friday’s interoffice game 3.

Devin Daly led the U-17 team with 20 points and 12 boards, while Tariq Middleton hit 3 treys as he added 19 points. Brian White had 12 points and 15 rebounds, Lincy Lopez added 6 points and Bryant Codd drained in a long trey.

The national team led all the way 16-8 in the 1st quarter, 38-27 at the half and 57-47 at the end of the 3rd quarter.

Raheem Staine led Belama with 16 points, Russel Staine had 13 points, Sheldon Apolonio added 10 points and Marshall Nunez Jr. chipped in 8 points.

Belize Bank’s Macario Augustine scored 14 points, made 11 rebounds

Darwin Leslie scored 15 points

Leslie had 8 points; Leon “Bigs” Williams added 7 points, 9 boards; Ernest Broaster chipped in 3 points, while Earl Johnson, Justin Wade and Jermaine “Gumbi” Tillett each tossed in a bucket.

Game 4 will be held on Friday, and if necessary, Game 4 on Sunday.

Andrew Staine scored 13 points, made 5 rebounds

Island Girls, Millennium & Tornadoes win in Belize district women’s football Thru D Hole defeats Young Ballers in East Sports Center basketball Marcelina Mai scored Tornadoes’ 5th goal

Caye Caulker, September 4, 2011 Caye Caulker’s Island Girls, Belize City’s Millennium Girls and the Ladyville Tornadoes all posted big wins in Week 4 of the Belize district women’s football competition in the Caye Caulker on Sunday afternoon.

The Island Girls got the easy bye to their 2nd win: 3-0 when the Sand Hill Untouchables forfeited their scheduled game.

Millennium Girls held football clinic for the Hattieville Heat in a 4-1 blast.

Sarah Arzu blasted in the 1st goal past goalie Kadijah Marin in the 21st minute. Kersha Pollard soon added a 2nd goal in the 28th minute. The Heat’s Felicia Gillett scored on Adelma Broaster in the 45th minute but it was the vil-

lage girls’ only consolation goal.

Geanne Cayetano soon drilled a 3rd goal past Kadijah Marin in the 55th minute and Christine Avila added a 4th goal in the 59th minute to give Millennium a 4- win.

Ladyville Tornadoes whistled past the Ladyville Orchids 5-1 in Game 2.

Alma Alarcon scored the Tornadoes’ 1st goal on a free kick in the 12th minute. Mertell Bailey blasted in a 2nd goal in the 17th minute and Natasha Young scored a 3rd goal in the 18th minute.

The Tornadoes introduced Michelle Andrews in the 2ndhalf, and she wasted no time, delivering a 4th goal in the 41st minute. Marcelina Mai added a 5th goal in the 59th minute for the 5-1 win.

By Ladrick Sheppard The Under 4 basketball competition came to an end last week with the 1st and 3rd place contenders battling for the top spot. Here are the results: U-14 1st place Thru D Hole vs. Young Ballers – 52-39 Top scorers: Dilmore Jones, 16pts; Janny Alvarez 12 pts U-14 3rd place New Chitos vs. Old Fashion Heats – 30-28 Top scorers: Dwyane Avila, 9pts; Torres, 12pts Under 16 game Keyhole Top Shattaz vs. Lakers – 82-58 Top scorers: Lani Guerra, 20pts; Waldir Cuello, 17pts

R

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THE BELIZE TIMESBELIZETIMES SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 11, 2011 see full color at www.belizetimes.bz or Facebook/ Belize Times

This Week’s Sunday, September 11, 2011

TOP MODEL

E-NEWS Carnival2011

SCENES

Alleshia

• • • •

Attending UB - Bachelor in Nursing Career Plan: Nurse Sign: Libra Favourite Food: Lasagna

• Likes: Modeling, Dancing, Comedy, Listening to Music

• Lives in Belize City • Fav. Quote: “Good things come to those who wait”

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THE BELIZE TIMES

2011

Carnival Road March SENIOR Category 1st Place - $10,000.00 Southside Maquerdaers 2nd Place -$5000.00 Mother Nature Creation 3rd Place - $4000.00 Soca Warriors JUNIOR Category 1st Place - $7000.00 Mahogany Masqueraders 2nd Place -$3000.00 Pickstock Carnival Band 3rd Place-$2000.00 Black Pearl

Winners

Sunday, September 11, 2011

Sunday, September 11, 2011

THE BELIZE TIMES

Rene Montero & Gapi Vega terrorise well known Cayo family Santa Elena, September 5, 2011 In the months leading up the 2008 general elections, the then ruling People’s United Party government ran a series of political ads warning the Belizean people of Mr. Barrow’s plan to take away people’s land once he assumed power.

Many Belizeans did not take these ads seriously and saw them as the PUP’s attempt to retain power at all costs even if it meant demonizing their opponent. But today, the hard, sad facts all indicate that the PUP was right as hundreds of Belizeans have seen their little piece of patrimony ripped away from them and given to some minion, close friend and/or relative of the various UDP area representatives.

In Cayo Central, Monster Rene Montero has been on the war path and has taken lands away from close to one hundred families; the latest attack beats them all.

On Wednesday August 24, 2011 a squadron of police officers converged on the Guerra residence on George Price Avenue in Santa Elena, Cayo.

The officers were sent by Rene Montero and Gapi Vega to evict Mr. Rodolfo Guerra and his family from the home

Vindictive Gapi Vega

Chancey Rene Montero

The home of the Guerra family now belongs to Vega’s woman

built by his father Juan Guerra (Sr.), now deceased, in the early 1970s.

Everyone in town knows the Guerra family. Mr. Juan Guerra Sr. and his wife Anastacia Guerra had settled on this piece of land in the early 1950s.

Mrs. Anastacia was the daughter of Don Eloiso Avella. This is important because both the Guerra and Avella families were among the first to settle in and to help develop Santa Elena Town.

They are two of the largest families in the town up to this day.

Previous to his death Mr. Guerra willed the property over to his daughter so that it could benefit the entire family. But the UDP does not respect the law nor do they know compassion.

This home, the childhood home of so many of the Guerra boys and girls, was just taken away from them. Unbelievable, truly unbelievable.

So why did Montero and Vega take

Visit Us Online at: www.belizetimes.bz

away a piece of lease land that has been used by this family since the 50s.

Word on the street is that the lady who allegedly got the house and lot is one of Vega’s prostitutes. Since Monster Montero hates the Guerra family (he considers them PUP), they cancelled the family lease and gave it Vega’s woman. This woman recently came to Santa Elena. Her first job when she arrived was that of a stripper at a local nightclub. It is now rumored that she has a child for Vega and the man is seeking to reward her for her duties.

We empathize with the Guerra family. Imagine the cruel possibilities under the UDP. And the 9th Amendment, which could give them absolute power, is not in place. Imagine if it was! This is another reason why the Guerra family and the people of Cayo Central will vote NO the 9th Amendment.

Rene and Vega what you guys have done is shameful, low and pathetic. The Guerra Family will take you to Court, but the people ultimately will be the judge. Call elections and you will get the full sense of the message.

Call Elections NOW.

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THE BELIZE TIMES

Dolores Balderamos-Garcia hands over school supplies to Deborah Viaimill

Faith Methodist in Hattieville Rocks!!

Hattieville, September 5th, 2011 Faith Methodist Church at Mile 17 on the Western Highway, Hattieville has found a niche in its ministry to the people of the Hattieville area, especially children.

Pastor Emmanuel Viaimill and his wife Deborah have for several years provided a place of worship and fellowship for their community, and they have also succeeded in assisting many needy children with tutelage in the Christian faith, a place for sports and recreation and a hearty meal on Sundays.

On Sunday, September 4, PUP Standard Bearer for Belize Rural Central Dolores Balderamos Garcia and members of her committee joined the Viaimills and the congregation of Faith Methodist for Sunday praise and worship, followed by lunch and socializing.

Service began at 10:30 am, with the church packed to capacity and rousing songs of praise to kick off the proceedings.

Until noon the church was rocking, and the children and young people, who made up more than 60% of the congregation, participated fully in the service. Pastor Viaimill encouraged all in attendance to give their lives to Jesus and turn away from wrongdoing.

Whitfield Baptist and his wife Murien gave a special rendition, with Whitfield on the accordion and Murien singing the hymn of worship to the Almighty.

The sermon was preached by visiting pastor Giovanni Brackett. To conclude, the entire congregation made a joyful noise in singing songs of worship and upliftment.

Dolores and her committee had previously made a financial contribution to the church and the Sunday proceedings and also handed over a box of exercise books to be distributed to the children for the opening of school.

Deborah Viaimill thanked Dolores and her committee for their donation.

Most impressive is that Faith Methodist provides meals and assistance for so many children, in a welcoming atmosphere of true fellowship and Christian brotherhood and sisterhood. On Sunday some fifty children enjoyed Sunday dinner of chicken, rice and beans and pasta salad. The adults also enjoyed lunch and socializing after the service, and Dolores and her committee pledged continued support for the efforts of the Viaimills and Faith Methodist Church of Hattieville.

Faith Methodist of Hattieville rocks!!

Murien & Whitfield Baptist deliver musical praise and worship

A packed congregation attended Faith Methodist Church

Sunday, September 11, 2011

Sunday, September 11, 2011

THE BELIZE TIMES

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THE BELIZE TIMES

UWI professor weighs in on 9th Amendment Wednesday, August 31, 2011 The government seems to believe that it can deceive everyone into thinking that proposed Ninth Amendment Bill is a good thing. Playing skewed commercials to make it look like the majority is with them, they have tried to hijack support to feed their propaganda to the public. But everyone knows better. The ninth amendment has even gotten the attention of the UWI which has also gone public on the matter.

Dr Hamid Ghany, Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences, at the UWI St. Augustine campus in Trinidad, and also the Coordinator of the Constitutional Affairs and Parliamentary Studies Unit at UWI in Trinidad and a political analyst, called in to Love FM’s Morning Show last week and shared the implications of the current form of the amendment.

The professor spent a great deal of time pointing out to the public the implications of the amendment and what it could mean in several regards. Said Dr. Ghany, “There appears to be some discomfort with the extent to which the Constitutional Amendments are going with regard to the ousting of the jurisdiction of the courts from any interpretation with regard to that, and the removal of the judicial review. It is likely to create a situation whereby the courts will be deprived of jurisdiction in terms of determining whether or not any amendment passed under the section of the Constitution that deals with amendments, is going to create difficulty.

My sense is that there is anxiety about the broad base sweep of that particular policy move…and then there is a secondary issue of enshrining that all public utilities will be owned by the people of Belize into the future, so there is clearly an antiprivatization dimension…but as with most Constitutional arrangements of that nature there is no guarantee about the performance of those public utilities into the future once the state assumes control of them and uses taxpayers dollars to fund them.

The government is of the view that it needs to have a broader base of reform to be able to effect this change into the future. The countervailing view is that the broader base is too broad and that really you are going into an area which may affect the other areas of public policy, quite beyond

Dr. Hamid Ghany

just public policy and public utilities. I am sensing that the discomfort that has been expressed is the discomfort that comes from how broad this is envisaged to be. People have a real fear about the broad based nature of the proposed amendment.”

The professor said that the amendment, if passed, would be something that no individual or future government will be able to revisit if it does not turn out to suit us.

But as Dr. Ghany pointed out, the reality is the investor confidence becomes an issue as a result of the government’s proposed amendment.

“The government then would have a vested interest in making sure that it doesn’t send the wrong signal because it could hurt the economy… the private sector needs to be reassured and I think there has to be a public sector/private sector consensus on where this is going because if the spillover effect is that you’re going to damage investor confidence, the country will suffer in the long run.”

The way in which the government has coined the amendment is proof that it does not only want to confine it to public utilities but that it can use it in an adverse way against the population of Belize. “It requires further investigation”, said Dr. Ghany.

What the government needs to do is to tell the people of this country just how much support it is getting at the public consultations because many people, the majority, have rejected the amendment. We encourage more people to attend the remaining consultations in your area and to speak out against this oppressive piece of proposed legislation.

Sunday, September 11, 2011

Sunday, September 11, 2011

THE BELIZE TIMES

David Martin, Alumni Association President (far left); SJC President Jorge Espat (far right) & recipients of Alumni awards - (L-R) Harry Lawrence, Lisa Chang, Ashanti Arthurs-Martin & Dr. Marcelo Coyi

Martin & Espat along with Jesuit Jubilarians

SJC awards

eminent alumni at Gala Banquet Belize City, September 5, 2011 The setting was elegant enough to host a list of celebrities, but with the intention of acknowledging and awarding some of St. John’s College most-eminent alumni, the venue and gala dinner held to commemorate the 2011 SJC President Alumni Awards was quite fitting.

The event, held at the Radisson Fort George Hotel’s 5th floor Caracol Room, was the first held under the auspices of newly-appointed President Jorge Espat, a former SJC student and up to time of his appointment, staff member as well.

It is held yearly for three purposes, to acknowledge former students whose success began inside an SJC classroom and continues in some sector of society, to commemorate the work of important staff members, and, as a fundraising drive for the alumni association to support their aid missions for the school.

Following a brief introduction from Alumni Association’s Vice-President Carlo Habet, SJC president Jorge Espat delivered an inspirational address to those in at-

tendance. The President’s remarks were followed by the presentation of awards. The Alumni Achievement Award was conveyed on Dr. Marcelo Coyi, the Alumni Appreciation Award was bestowed on Ms. Lisa Chang, the Outstanding Recent Alumni Award was presented to attorneyat-law Mrs. Ashanti Arthurs-Martin, and the Alumni Achievement Award was given to media mogul Mr. Harry Lawrence Sr. SJC’s Alumni Association also presented “citations of merit” to five individuals who have in some ways made their mark. Those are Jorge Pelayo (1960 SJC Graduate), Stuart Simons (1954 graduate), Anthony Lord, Eric Neal Sr., and Andrew Lopez (1973 Graduate).

The Association also presented certificates of appreciation to a multitude of businesses and individuals who have provided assistance to the school. They then went on to present plaques to Jesuit Jubilarians who have helped to advance the Jesuit movement in Belize. They are Fr. Leo Webber, S.J.; Fr. James Short, S.J.; Fr. John Stochl, S.J.; Fr. John Maher, S.J.; and Br. Glenn Kerfoot, S.J.

THE WORLD IS READING

THE BELIZE TIMES www.belizetimes.bz

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THE BELIZE TIMES

Still no 13th Senator

Court adjourned delivery of ruling 5 times

Barrow has failed to honour his own promise of giving NGOs a seat in the Senate

BELIZE CITY, Tuesday, September 6th, 2011

By Alton Humes It was a significant part of the packaged 6th Amendment Act. The proposition of a ‘13th Senator’ who would give a voice to those in the Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) community was a well-meaning gesture. But like so much in the Dean Barrow administration, it’s been redacted almost in the blink of an eye.

In fact, thanks no less than to the Prime Minister’s own ministrations, the two growing and most dominating NGO’s in the country, the Belizeans for Justice (BFJ) and the Citizens Organized for Liberty through Action (COLA), along with an “interested party”, the Association of Protected Areas Management Organizations (APAMO) and a small but powerful cadre of attorneys including Mr. Anthony Sylvester and Rt. Hon. Said Musa, have taken the Dean Barrow administration, namely former Attorney General Wilfred ‘Sedi’ Elrington, to court to force an hon-

oring of this Act. APAMO, if you may recall, nominated Mr. Gregory ‘Greg’ Ch’oc, the executive director of the Sarstoon-Temash Institute for Indigenous Management [SATIIM], as their candidate for the seat since 2008.

Ch’oc described the election as a “process” of dialogue amongst the NGOs and civil society groups. Briefly speaking via telephone with both him and Mr. Moses Sulph, civil activist and an organizer with COLA, they are both mystified as to why a ruling hasn’t been brought down as yet.

The case, which is currently before acting Chief Justice, Hon. Samuel Awich, has been fraught with delays upon delays, with little in the way of a definitive reasoning behind it. They both made it quite clear, though, that barring any other delays on Justice Awich’s part (or the Government’s, for that matter), they expect a definitive ruling on September 18th, 2011.

Sunday, September 11, 2011

Sunday, September 11, 2011

THE BELIZE TIMES

REALITY CHECK!

The National Anthem of the Poor - No Money! No Jobs! Too much Crime!

By Carla Bradley Never in my young life, and in stories told by father, have I seen or heard of Belize in the way in which I hear and see Belize today. Many people say that this is nothing new and that even under the PUP crime existed and I know this is true, but according to statistics in 2007 the murder rate stood at 95. In 2008, the UDP took over and by 2010 the crime rate was 132 murders, a total increase of 67 murders. We must put aside the political side taking and really examine the crime situation in our country. This alarming rate is as a result of many factors, such as poverty and unemployment.

We can look at the poor administration of the current government as one key factor; they really have no leads in how to deal with this situation. A person once said to me, if we are to stop the corruption we must address it from the top and work our way down. We look

at so many programs the government has introduced and none have been able to help the situation. One unit, the gang suppression unit, has actually stirred up even more anger, as they go by acting on leads the wrong way. They may mean “well”, but they seem poorly trained, and have a very hostile way of dealing with the citizens of this country.

They need to learn to analyze situations first and see how you can go by doing it without angering the people.

We can then move on to the poverty level in this country. Roughly over one hundred and forty eight thousand or 43% of our people are living in poverty in our little country. The number of homeless people living on the street corners, curled up along the shutters of businesses has increased dramatically. Kids begging at the supermarkets, some beg for money to help their families and some beg for food because they just need to eat. These kids are easily influenced and are exposed to doing many illegal acts for survival.

Jobs are scarce as 23% of our country is unemployed and cost of living is just soaring to the skies. It is accepted that this is occurring in every country across the globe, but our priority is not looking at other countries, but instead focusing on ours and how we can make it easier on our people. We can see

so many students graduating from college, but when entering the real world they are slapped in the face as all those years spent in college seemed to have been in vain as no jobs are available for them. These young intelligent minds are then left on idle mode, and go into a “do whatever I need to do” to survive mode.

They say that an idle mind is the devil’s workshop. What does the government expect if our young people have no jobs to go to? They will turn to street violence, to drug selling, and even to killing over these so called “turfs” because that is their only bread and butter. I am not saying that all gang members are saints, but all of them made that choice because of their past experiences, or because of troubled homes.

23 So my only advice in this situation, and I am speaking from a youth, a young mother’s perspective, is that we must attack corruption from the top and work our way down. We must quit pointing fingers at the gangs and start educating our youths, provide jobs, workshops anything to keep their minds occupied and just maybe we can save what is left of our jewel.

I know you must wonder why I stress on poverty, unemployment and crime in all my articles; it is because these are the root of crime in Belize. If the government would address these issues fully and as they should, crime would be easier to tackle and Belize would definitely grow into a strong independent country.

democracy has failed submitted on 2011/09/05 at 12:49am

mi no feel sorry for city folks, they voted in moya twice even afta all the crap she did. city folk love the haad life me tinks and more dan likely the country wah vote in the retarded reds again, cause we just like it like that. time to leave this country and go to the gaddamn moon.”

Teacher says on September 5, 2011 at 9:46am:

Imagine that!!! And he could not have met with the Churches, Chamber of Commerce, the lawyer them, to discuss his constitutional amendments. It was only after they opposed that he was willing to meet with the Church only. This man was willing to meet with gang members but not with education and productive citizens.

Something wrong with this PM.”

Me says on September 3, 2011 at 11:33am

Rod says on September 2, 2011 at 7:02am

This is plainly not right. PM has his tail under his legs. (Pm you afraid of them that could harm you and you alone). You do talk with them. But to the real masses the people of this nation to try to rape and violate our rights with the introduction of the 9 amendment. Pm you are very wrong on the head, your head is not of a leader, but of an oppressor yet very afraid of them that can harm you and only you.”

See what I have been saying this whole time vega is a big thief you see all the corruption in this gov. The pm stealing millions of dollars from the poor people for his family. Vega stealing millions of dollars from my Mayan people for his family is it no wonder why this country is in the drain when we have leaders who are stealing outright and nothing is being done. This is why every one in this udp gov. is stealing because they see their leaders doing it outright. Well my Mayan brother pick up your arms and defend what’s yours. Do not let this thieving gov. to destroy what’s yours. Barrow thief. Vega thief. Perdomo thief and on and on. Out with this useless corrupt gov.”

Posts are from www.belizetimes.bz, Belize Times Facebook Account and www.channel5belize.com

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THE BELIZE TIMES

Reid Belize’s murder count continues to mount and as I write, the number is fast approaching the century mark and on pace to surpass even last year’s alarming record of 132. Given Belize’s small size and population, this is truly alarming. A recently released report placed Belize among the top ten most dangerous countries in the world to live or visit. This is particularly troubling given the fact that so many of our people rely upon tourism for their livelihood.

News this week of a female tourist being raped and robbed as she peddled across the country will not help and everyone agrees that something has to be done and quickly.

Last week, Prime Minister Dean Barrow rushed back to Belize from a totally unnecessary trip to St. Kitts. According to the PM, it was to take him a week to travel to the Caribbean island for the inauguration of the new President of the Caribbean Court of Justice; would not a congratulatory call have sufficed? Many wondered about the timing of this trip given the fact that all the signs were already pointing to troubling times ahead. Remember, this was well after the confrontation on George Street and even after the “not so subtle threats”. Mr. Barrow however, has a flair for the dramatics and revels in his role of “knight in shining armor” rushing to the rescue.

On the evening of Friday August 26th, a deadly confrontation occurred between members of Belize’s dreaded Gang Suppression Unit (GSU) and members of the George Street community. After it was all over, two persons were dead, a young child was wounded and serious threats were hurled toward the Police and “innocent citizens”. The Prime Minister’s name was called several times by angry residents who named him as personally responsible for all that had transpired.

A Police released sent out the following Tuesday seemed aimed at justifying the Police’s actions. That was followed by another release supposedly being issued by the gangs themselves. This has to be a first. I was watching the news and almost fell off my chair. I cannot believe that any media house would have reported that as a “press release”. “Someone handed us a note” or “we were delivered a note” maybe, but not a “press release”!

It was also unheard of and unwise for the Prime Minister to legitimize the concept of gangs by sitting with any group purporting to represent such. Someone from the Police Department or someone from the Ministry even, but not the Prime Minister. Dean Barrow has tried this before and it has not worked. It can never work.

Minister of Police Doug Singh has conceded that another harebrained scheme by the PM to send high-energy criminals to rural districts has backfired. Crime statistics in all three targeted districts have soured and we hate to say but, “we told you so”!

Two things come to mind regarding Mr. Barrow’s latest folly. Number one: if

these gangs are as organized as we are making them out to be, then we are in worse trouble than we can ever imagine. If they are not, then Dean Barrow is playing a serious game and has done much to push them in that direction. Whichever way, it spells bad news for Belize.

I do not believe that Belize has the gang problem that we are making it out to be. We have pockets of young people who hang together and sweat each other’s fever but that does not translate into a gang.

Yes, each and every one of those are capable of committing serious crimes and even murder, but to suggest that it is some collaborated effort is giving too much credibility to unorganized miscreance.

Those young men who allowed themselves to be drawn into the fray of that political flimflam have also done themselves a disservice. They are forever marked and added to the ranks of “usual suspect”. They have practically accepted responsibility for anything before or hereafter attributed to their respective gangs and will be the first rounded up under the label of “criminal investigation or crime prevention.”

Dean Barrow was hesitant to reveal what he promised the so-called gang leaders but whatever it was, it can never be enough. Some of these individuals make thousands of dollars in a single day and are by now, quite accustomed to high living. They sleep late, drive fancy cars and spend money as if it is going out of style.

Does this man think that he can coerce them away from illegal activity by promising some infrastructure job that can pay at the most, a couple of hundred dollars per week? This might work for a few who have “not strayed off the reservation” or a few of the “foot soldiers” as Mr. Barrow has put it but those already running the free range; forget it!

The root causes of Belize’s crime problem runs deep and complex. Politicians have done more than their fair share in promoting the violence and squeezing this toothpaste out of the tube. It will take much more than the promise of a few jobs or the handing out of a few dollars to retube this sucker.

When I write on issues like crime, I try to not only point out the problem but to also try my best to make suggestions for reform. In this case, I must beg an exception. This is a very serious predicament that we find ourselves in.

There is an old saying that when you find yourself in a hole, the best plan is to stop digging. We are in a deep hole but unfortunately, our Prime Minister has dug us even deeper and continues to dig. He has campaigned in poetry and has been governing in prose. These young people are tired of hearing either of those. You need a serious plan Mr. Prime Minister because your superfluous language and shifty chicanery will not bail you out of this one.

Belize needs to take a bi-partisan, holistic approach to solving this problem. It will require a wholesale awakening by just about every Belizean man, woman and child. This administration’s policy of victimization, polarization and political tribalism will seriously impede this however. The cold naked truth is that this administration lacks the necessary will, skill and wherewithal to solve any problem or to move this country forward. They spend too much time peering into the rear view and playing the blame game. They are too arrogant to accept help or advice. There is but one solution; “this crowd has to go!”

Sunday, September 11, 2011

Sunday, September 11, 2011

THE BELIZE TIMES

Centenary and the Next Revolution One Belize-Prosperous, United and Free

By Carolyn Trench-Sandiford – Deputy Leader People’s United Party - Belize

I

could still see my great grandmother Euphrozene “Frezene” Garnett nee Bowen on the tenth. She would have on her blue skirt, white blouse with her white hat, gloves and pocket book, that’s what they call a purse those days. She was off to march in the PUP parade. In those days, there was a PUP and a UDP parade. Later, I think it became three, with UBAD joining at some point. I was too young to remember it all.

When “Ma”, as we used to call her, could parade no longer, we would take her stool to the corner of West Street and Cemetery Road early on the tenth morning to secure her space, where she would sit to watch and enjoy the centenary parade. Come to think of it, I never heard her call it the tenth. It was always Centenary.

Coincidentally, this was the same stool that we would take for her to the Court House Wharf and Battlefield Park to sit and listen to “Mista Price” or the Premier talk about the peaceful constructive Belizean revolution and the road to independence. She lived for those moments.

So, whenever I hear people say that the People’s United Party is against the tenth, I am amazed, for if ever there was a bona fide PUP, it was Euphrozene Garnett. More blue and white you could not get, and she loved the tenth.

She was born on September 12th, 1898 somewhere along the ‘Shiboon’, that’s how she pronounced it. We know it as the Sibun River. She later migrated to Belize City and lived on what was then Richard Side Walk, now Richard Street, which happened to be a creek that branched off the Haulover Creek.

At that time, Belize City south side only went as far as what is now Pound Yard bridge on a picado road. I remember her saying that they used to come in the dorey right up to the house. It was there that she gave birth to two children, Nellie and Constance Usher. She later married George Garnett.

She was proud of her party, and often used to say that she joined

the revolution, and the journey to a better Belize, for her grandchildren.

She never saw the tenth in competition with the revolution and the road to independence, but rather as a first step of courage and determination of a people to forge a new nation. It was worth commemorating.

She was able to distinguish them as having occurred at different moments in time, under different circumstances, for different reasons, but contributing to the same cause. I never did hear her say once, that either was more significant than the other, but rather, if the first did not occur, the second would not have been possible.

I even remember her making a comparison with the United States of America and saying that if they can celebrate both Thanksgiving and Independence Day in different ways for different reasons, but the same cause, so could we, as similarly, while they occurred at different moments in time, one could not have happen without the other.

She, along with many others of her generation, understood the importance of both occasions to Belize. So like her, each tenth, I parade and I enjoy myself, and maybe one day, if I am fortunate to live beyond my three scores and ten, I may also have to sit on a stool to watch and enjoy.

I considered my great grandmother a wise person. I considered her a true Belizean patriot. I also considered her a Belizean nationalist at heart. One of her greatest enjoyments was to celebrate Centenary. One of the greatest moments of her life was to witness September 21st, 1981.

So like her, I do not get caught up in whether there was a battle of St. George’s Caye or not. If she believed that it occurred, so do I. If she felt it was worth celebrating, so do I. After all, she was born the same year the celebrations commemorating the battle began.

Probably her parents and grandparents knew something from their parents, grandparents and great grandparents, and told her, for her to believe. After all, they were closer to September 10th 1798 than I am.

She also believed fervently in the peaceful constructive Belizean revolution, the Rt. Hon. George Price and the People’s United Party.

She knew the future of our generation relied on them. So do I believe that the future of the next generation is dependent on the next revolution.

Happy Centenary to All! Happy 10th of September to all!

For comments email carolyntrench@gmail.com

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THE BELIZE TIMES

The ‘Pandora’s Box’ of Leadership By: S-Rod If you aren’t aware by now, thanks to his shenanigans with the 9th Amendment (Bill) Act, the entire Dean Barrow administration, particularly their overall leadership, is being called into high questioning. It’s not really surprising that this is the case, because this has been the game from time immemorial. (Granted, thanks to the introduction of the Internet, email & social media, this has gotten worse.)

We Belizeans are damned good at the game, but lack the mettle to peruse and understand the “hustle” of Belizean politicians.

But we now come back to Herr Barrow. If we can correctly theorize that Politician ‘A’ (i.e. Barrow) can tie a flame-throwing Hydra in knots without needing to draw a sword, then we can prove conclusively that all politicians, even the infamous so-called “third parties” will say any old ‘ish’ to get elected. (So here’s looking at you, Mr. Rogers and the VIP.) Leadership is for sure not new, but now, we must recognize that “leaders” are few and far between.

Instead of clinging to the Shakespearean axiom, mistakenly attributed to Sir Francis Bacon (i.e. “…some are born great, some achieve greatness and some have greatness thrust upon them….”), here’s a dandy new line you can take to the bank, and it comes from me: “Some want greatness; others seek it in life’s plateaus and valleys, and still some vaunt over others to get to greatness.” Yeah, might not even be worthy of quoting, but hell, I could live without hearing the words: “Dehn politician lie to wi again…”

Here’s the real fact: Belizean politicians (indeed, it applies to the world over) will say and do anything to get elected, and (very rarely) deviate in any meaningful way. It will always seem

to be the case that they have the power, whether there is a Constitution or not. The intellectual and political pundits can sit on their hands and do nada while we suffer.

It’s cruel to say, even worthy of getting beaten up by some (should my identity ever be compromised), but I think we’ll have to wait for pundits such as Evan X Hyde, Clinton Uh Luna & Henry Gordon to ‘pass’ (i.e. not literally, but rather their ideas and their narrow-viewed manner of looking at the issues) before a viable change is possible.

As for Senator Mr. Godwin Hulse, that wily old G.O.A.T will all-toolikely outlive us all, and refuse to enter his ‘peace’ because we can’t solve our myriad of problems.

This herein, my fellow Belizeans, is our august dilemma: How can we possibly continue such a meager existence as a people with ‘leaders’ who continue to pretend that they are ‘leaders’?!

Remember the story of Pandora, the being whom had a “box” filled to the brim with the disgusting, perverse aspects of human society, and the only quality that was not unleashed upon the world was Hope? That could apply to us, if not right now, then one day soon.

I wrote in my debut essay that Belize needed an “independence of spirit”. But we ought to be sure we’re ready for that leap. For all future leaders, real leaders: don’t ever make any promises to our people; that’s how our troubles start and the poor learn nothing from it. Instead, let action be the only resolve that is needed in this country. Belizeans, I implore you: don’t let our ‘leaders’ keep Hope at the bottom of a box….

Until next time….S-Rod, out.

Sunday, September 11, 2011

In my perspective…

History Has Some Answers for US!

By Rayford Young TENS of thousands of people, mainly women, have thronged Tripoli’s Green Square - now renamed Martyrs’ Square - to fete their new-found freedom after 42 years of Muammar Gaddafi’s rule.

Ecstatic residents of the coastal capital chanted repeatedly “now we are free.”

Some young women forsook traditional Islamic robes to wear ballgowns, while other youth strutted around in the latest fashions.

“Do you feel how the air we breathe is pure?” said Manal Al-Deber, a 35-year-old pilot. “We have dreamt of this moment for the past 42 years and now it has become a reality. Today, I no longer dream.

Our future is brilliant.” News.com. au It took the people of Tripoli 42 years to get rid of this tyrant and dictator Muammar Gaddafi. With all his military hard ware and thousands of military trained personnel, when the people had enough they took to the streets and, yes, it was messy but they were determined not to retreat.

The rebels had one thing in mind and one thing only – to overthrow this thug that terrorized their country for over 40 years. Like most dictators, he did not know when the end was at hand. He believed the people still loved him. Who loves a dictator that murders his own people and destroys the country’s economy, brutally controlling his people? No one other than his security forces, much like the Belize’s (GSU) gang suppression unit, that he has to pay off with cars and houses to keep him, his cronies and his family in power.

This is the same type of destructive pattern we see happening in Belize. One difference is that I don’t think it will take 40 years for the Belize people to get rid of these thugs (GSU). The next election will take care of this problem. In the mean time we will see more of this kind of dictator mob mentality. They too, in Belmopan, believe they are loved by the Belizean people.

This is what this Belize GSU (I’ll call it Gaddafi’s Suppression Unit) thugs did to people on August 26, 2011 as reported by the BELIZE TIMES. “These were the chilling words uttered on the television screen by a member of the notorious George Street Gang (GSG) after he and his “boys” were viciously brutalized by the now equally notorious Gang Suppression Unit (GSU) on the evening of Friday, August 26, 2011…

“At the end of their terror, the injuries sustained by members of the GSG and residents of the area were many and of varying degrees.

Those injuries included broken limbs, heads burst open, broken jaws, bruised and burnt skin. The brutalization didn’t end there however, as the victims, totaling some forty (40) persons, mostly men, were dragged off to the infamous “pisshouse” at Eastern Division and Ladyville Police Station where the GSU and other members of the Police Department continued the onslaught. In his television interview, one of the detainees, who was eventually one of only two charged, said that one of the Police Officers shouted to them that “Barrow” ordered that they be detained for a total of sixty-eight hours…

“Making absolutely no apologies, Barrow’s “urban terrorists” proceeded to release pepper spray indiscriminately into a crowd of children who had just returned from a pre-carnival motorcade. The leader of the junior carnival group and a Justice of the Peace also fell victim to the GSU’s barbarism. It is reported that during the time the members of the GSU were terrorizing the mourners and residents of George Street, they turned their savagery on a “blind” defenseless man. Even innocent citizens could not escape the GSU’s cruelty.

The events of Friday, August 26, 2011 serve to confirm what the PUP and the BELIZE TIMES have been saying ever since the formation of the Gang Suppression Unit (GSU), i.e. it is Barrow’s personal “death squad” that has one mission and one mission only which is to SEEK and DESTROY. And as the television images clearly showed, the GSU SOUGHT and DESTROYED on Friday, August 26th”.

Is this what this country has come to? To seek and destroy those who oppose you? I think the evidence is clear - you can’t kill or maim the population to get your way. There are more of us than there are of you. And as we have seen all year in the Middle East when the tough get going, the going gets though. When people power takes hold, these girly thugs run like sissies, seek asylum, live in holes. They are only men when they have a gun, once that’s gone they run like girls.

So my Belizean comrades, I know things in our country are hard right now. It feels like no one has any answers, no one cares, no jobs, it’s a nightmare. The only hope I can offer is that you have the power to change the direction of this country in this coming election. Make sure you get out and vote. Check out the candidates; make sure they are proposing solutions not just the same old failed policies. We need innovative, bold ideas to turn things around. No more silly speeches and dumb answers. We need change and we need it now.

Rayford Young is a Belizean-American, who currently lives in Michigan, U.S.A.

s

Sunday, September 11, 2011

www.belizeandiaries.com

Dear Diary, I am a single woman with two children. I was married once years ago and I feel that I am ready to venture into another committed relationship. But what is holding me back is that I am fearful of being betrayed or cheated on. Does monogamy still exist? Or should I get into a relationship prepared for the possibility of being cheated on Regards, SINGLE AND UNSURE

SHE SAYS: Dear Single and Unsure, Your fear is justified as it cheating seems to have become the norm in many relationships. Personally, I am of the opinion that ALL men will cheat as I don’t think that they were made to be monogamous. When you find someone you are ready to commit to I would advise that you sit down and talk to this person and let him know that you will not allow yourself to be disrespected. Be sure to lay it out on the table and let him know that you are ready to commit to him and if he is not then perhaps you should rethink him as your partner. I have heard that there are a few good men out there but frankly, I am yet to see one who does not cheat. I don’t mean to sound cynical but it is what it is. All the best, Melissa!!

HE SAYS: Dear “SINGLE and UNSURE”, As with most things in life, relationships are “trial & error”. That is to say, there are no “guarantees”. While your fear of being betrayed/cheated on can be understood and appreciated in light of a past experience, it is a fear that you will have to eventually confront and conquer if you are to venture into another committed relationship. It is important that you carefully decide as the decision you make must not be in your interest only but also that of your two children too.

As to your question about Monogamy, I would say that, yes, Monogamy still exists in our society today. Indeed, there exists a lot of infidelity in relationships today but you can still find examples of couples who have remained faithful and continue to remain faithful to one another over a considerable period of time. My father and mother are an example of one such couple. They’ve been married to each other for over forty (40) years and have stayed faithful to each other throughout those years. Don’t give up just yet.

Best of luck!

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THE BELIZE TIMES

One Night Stand

I

t’s something I have heard many people say they haven’t done, either because it was against their morals or because it just wasn’t something they could bring themselves to do but one night stands happen every day in all parts of the world – sometimes they blossom into something more other times they end up exactly how they started – one night only!

A one night stand is when you meet someone for the first time and you end up making such a heated connection that at the end of the night both persons end up having intercourse. It’s commonly referred to as casual sex but it’s not for everybody. There is a lot to be learned about yourself through these purely physical encounters, especially for women who are taught that sex is priceless and should not be given away in the most idyllic circumstances. On the flip side to that, men are raised to have a much more casual physical relationship with sex. It is no wonder that women put so many emotions into sex. Don’t get me wrong – the act is emotional and there is no denying that once you open yourself up on that level it is expected that things have gone up a notch in the relationship – there is also no denying that once you have allowed yourself to be naked to someone, it makes you vulnerable.

A good friend of mine has had experiences in one night stands ever since we were in high school together. But it always leaves her in a dilemma the morning after – she finds herself feeling low and cheated and even lonelier. She promised herself on more than one occasion that she will hold off until she finds her soul mate. At this point you’re probably wondering how can a high school girl be having one night stands – well she was about 3 years older than I was and so at 15 she was already 18 and in 3rd form. That promise was short lived as she realised that she really liked the sex act and rather than hold off for Mr. Right she ventured out to learn how to separate the physical and emotional. Being young and naive I was way behind her in experience and so was merely amused at her experiences and encounters. As a woman now, I can see the logic in separating the two particularly if you’re single and still looking for ‘the one’. However, I did some research to find out why do people have one night stands in the first place...what are they looking for? What do they hope to accomplish?

Based on my research I found out that there are several mindsets that would trigger someone to engage in casual sex. They are:

Lonely Mentality – this is where sex would seem like a quick fix for loneliness. Engaging in the act makes you feel attractive and while the physical and mental intimacy is nice at the moment, it’s fleeting and when the person leaves your bed – your loneliness intensifies.

Vengeful Mentality – whereby sex is only used for revenge – getting a strategic person in the sheets just to hurt someone but this usually just ends up bad.

Risk-taking Mentality – I would venture to say that all of us go through these periods in our life only that most of us don’t take it to the extreme while there are others who are more inclined to take great risks such as drugs, alcohol and promiscuity. These are the ones that are dangers to one’s health as these actions do impact the body and mind and the thrill is only temporary.

Desiring Mentality – Those with this mindset have one simple objective and purpose and that is to get laid. It is not based on mental or emotional energy – it is one basic goal with no strings attached.

Liberated Mentality – this is what some may call being too loose – you have just ended a relationship or marriage and you take advantage of that freedom. You begin feeling so liberated that you end up exercising your freedom – sometimes just to prove to your ex that you’re moving on – when really and truly you’re still stuck in that rut of losing your ex.

Closing the Loop Mentality – you spend your entire life being the good person, completing your education, getting married, building a career and having a family but through all this sexual tension is high and you have managed to control it for many years – out of the blue an opportunity knocks and you’re on a high – getting rid of all that tension in your system. At this time you probably stand to lose a lot but you say what the hay!!!

Ladies, these mindsets are all based on vulnerability and men know how to spot that from afar and they will come around and try their best to take advantage of that weakness which the one night stand mentalities feed on.

The scary thing is that there are some men who intentionally seek out vulnerable women with sex in mind and with no intention of taking it further than that one night. It is key that you be mindful of the image you portray when you’re out – as an English professor from Dangriga once told me – ‘never wear your heart on your sleeves’.

As for one night stands, it is a personal decision and if it floats your boat then who am I to condemn or criticise you? My perspective is that sex without connection, laughter, love, compatibility, and mutual experience is empty. I guess that would explain why one night stands are so awkward the morning after!

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THE BELIZE TIMES

Sunday, September 11, 2011

CELEBRATING SEPTEMBER: BELIZE DA FU WE!

Father of Our Nation Belize – The Right Honourable Mr. George Price It was said by The Hon. Said Musa that “to think of George Price is to think Belize. His life, beliefs and values have been the guiding light in the destiny of Belize…”

This week’s Mariposa is dedicated to one of the founding fathers of our Belize.

In Mr. Price we found a leader of vision and humility, a patriot and dedicated servant of the people.

In his eyes he was just a worker urging us to unite to build a nation.

Snippets of Poetry & Prose...

Snippets ofseveral Poetry & Prose...

Mr. Price wrote pageants and poems.

A Little Bit of Price…

Can you

Down 2. Mr. Price started his first job with a family friend Mr. Robert Sydney ...

3. This priest helped to instill in Mr. Price love of God, love of neighbour and the recognition that this world is not everything and that heaven lies ahead.

5. His mother and this category one hurricane that recently travelled along the eastern coastline of the USA share the same first name.

6. This influenza of 1918-1919 killed millions of people worldwide and was raging in Belize when Mr. Price was born.

Answers: 1. Priest 4. Pickstock 7.

Escalante 8. William 2. Turton 3.

Harkins 5. Irene 6. Spanish Flu

Across 1. Before his father’s death Mr. Price was on track to become “a man of the cloth”.

4. His family home is located on this street which shares its name with a small village in Shropshire, England.

7. Do you know the maiden name of Mr. Price’s mother?

8. If you watch Open Your Eyes then you can easily guess his father’s first name.

Mr. Price wrote several pageants and poems.

Can you find circle the his words frominhis pieces in search our find and circle the and words from pieces our word word search collage?

X B U T O D B N C A Y E P E T T D D W N

R U W A E B K U Y S L O S W N H O H H O

B I N R O E S D I U T T K X U O C R R I

ALTUNHA AMARA BELIKIN BELIZEAN BELMOPAN BUILD BUILDERS EARTH FATIMA

C U C A F C A E T L O N U C H L W B E T

I A I E N L T H D I D I A N U D Z K T A

S F S L S T R N R R E E O I H M D B A N

F G L R D C U T E A U I R G G A E K E E

R E P E N T A N C E T O N S V L X X R A

G L O R Y P L C I A D E L S I J C Y G Z

C I G A M L U I N C I Q T K P L P G F X

C B G C T D B M B F H A I I Z Q S P J O

B E L I Z E A N O B E N W O L T K O X C

M M V F H S N R X Q P T G A Z L G K F F

D N C T S H T U O Y U R I T S N E T V F

V H R H E R U S A U L I F Q E P R T R P

ALTUNHALOURDES FORTRESS LOVE GIANTS AMARA GIFT BELIKINLUBANTUN MAGIC GLORY BELIZEAN MASS GREATER BELMOPANNATION GUADALUPE HEART BUILDNATIONHOOD JOY BUILDERS NEED PATRIOTS LADY EARTH FATIMA FORTRESS

G A U A E Y N W R N A N T L X Q I Q A K

E O R S H N P Y A I D I Y A D V K Y T S

E T S M I L P C M T A T O X R I Q X R K

U J D F A T I M A E U Y J Z B P M O K K

N A P O M L E B W Z G L O V E E Y L H G

REPENTANCE SACRED SATELLITE SAWAI TEPEYAC TRINITY UNITE XUNANTUNICH YOUTH

co

Sunday, September 11, 2011

THE BELIZE TIMES

10th September = Christmas?

As each year goes by, Belizeans look forward to various holidays including closing off the year with a banging “Christmas and New Years”. Incidentally, I have heard it said before by wise critics that our country has too many holidays. That fact hurts our production!

Regardless, we enjoy the periodic little breaks as they come. I remember as a child going out on the Albert’s for the tenth and finding a big truck to jump up behind. I was all too excited about this and would not return home until dark was beginning to set in.

So what does Christmas and September have in common you ask? Well, apart from both being holidays, there is an even deeper connection. They both have meaningful purposes behind them! Purposes that are much too often overlooked, ignored, and terribly wasted! During the Christmas season, for example, we would celebrate the birthday of Jesus while enjoying times with our friends and family. If there was not a death, we would not be celebrating. If God permitted the death, then, its purpose must be very important based on the level of sacrifice! The reason for this holiday, then, requires a response from humans, way beyond a party, to receive the full benefits of this holiday.

As we reflect on this upcoming holiday – the tenth of September – the question becomes ‘what is the purpose behind this holiday celebration?’ According to my understanding, it is a time set aside to celebrate a victory where the land was being threatened by foreign invaders.

The people came together and fought for one common, good. Our forefathers did not accept being taken advantage of, and did not give up what was rightfully theirs nor settle only for second best. It would be utterly fruitless for us to celebrate this holiday with songs of patriotism while our existence and freedom is being threatened.

Whether it be oppression from governments, threat from gang violence, border intrusions, or even the depressing news of a crumbling economy, the purpose of these celebrative holidays should be a strong example of standing up for what is right.

Here are a number of values that will keep the celebrating of this holiday from being abstract, hollow and losing its vitality. First, is identity. This screams out to everyone around us “we know who we are; we have a sense of personal value, and a clear understanding of our assets!” Secondly it says “we have a standard as to how you will treat us, so we will not tolerate any less!” A hard example of this is the fact that many women in Belize settle to the reality of being their husband’s second or third woman and not the only one! This says you do not have a standard set up for how you are to be treated. No border is set up and therefore your husband and other women continue their leisurely intrusions!

Finally our forefathers showed an act of diligence and sacrifice! They found something they were willing to die for and so they defended it. The same way the King of kings was willing to give up his life and die for us so that none have to perish. I have heard it said that you are not really living until you have found something to die for. This is the one that sticks heavy on my heart as I think of my Belizean brothers and sisters. This goes beyond having a sense of value and identity but adds the ‘power’ or ‘action’!

No, it is not ok to say ‘we have no jobs so we will resort to crime if we have to’, and go rob a store. If we lock our minds up into that pattern, we close off to the world of ideas effectively locking out more productive, creative, and alternative ways to make money. As a people, we must look at the country’s resources and assets with a sense of value. We must be more urgent. We must make proper use of them. This should not be a thing where only foreigners see the value and the richness of our country. We also must open our eyes and begin to smell the coffee.

So as we celebrate, do not lose too many brain cells jumping up and down behind trucks while setting none aside to consider the true purpose and meaning of the celebration! It is definitely not just to party but has a much deeper significance. Begin to observe the values, the mentality, and the sense of purpose that inspired our forefathers to not settle for less, or to ‘sell out’ their heritage!

Stand up Belizeans, stand proud and move into action. We are a peculiar and a special people!

I render my prayers for the peace and safety of the public as we enjoy the celebration safely. God bless you.

THE WORLD IS READING

THE BELIZE TIMES www.belizetimes.bz

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THE BELIZE TIMES

Sunday, September 11, 2011

BELIZE TIMES WEEKLY

SCIENCE & TECH R

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V

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Selected By Chris Williams

Giant red crabs invade the Antarctic abyss 07 September 2011 by Andy Coghlan Huge crabs more than a metre across have invaded the Antarctic abyss, wiped out the local wildlife and now threaten to ruin ecosystems that have evolved over 14 million years.

Three years ago, researchers predicted that as the deep waters of the Southern Ocean warmed, king crabs would invade Antarctica within 100 years.

But video taken by a remotely operated submersible shows that more than a million Neolithodes yaldwyni have already colonised Palmer Deep, a basin that forms a hollow in the Antarctic Peninsula continental shelf.

They are laying waste to the landscape. Video footage taken by the submersible shows how the crabs prod, probe, gash and puncture delicate sediments with the tips of their long legs. “This is likely to alter sediment processes, such as the rate at which organic matter is buried, which will affect the diversity of animal communities living in the sediments,” says Craig Smith of the University of Hawaii at Manoa, whose team discovered the

scarlet invaders.

Hungry invaders The crabs also appear to have a voracious appetite. Echinoderms – sea urchins, sea lilies, sea cucumbers, starfish and brittle stars – have vanished from occupied areas, and the number of species in colonised areas is just a quarter of that in areas that have escaped the invasion. “[Echinoderms] constitute a sig-

Huge crocodile captured in Philippines

MANILA, Philippines - What a croc!

Its mighty snout wrapped tightly with ropes, a one-ton, 20-foot saltwater crocodile was captured and put on display in a town in the southern Philippines - one of the biggest such reptiles to be caught in recent years.

But shed no crocodile tears for this colossal captive.

“Lolong,” as it has been nicknamed, is about to become the star attraction of an ecotourism park - unless it is upstaged by an even larger reptile that may be still be on the loose.

Residents of Bunawan township celebrated when they captured the croc, with about 100 people pulling the feared beast from a creek by rope, then hoisting it by crane onto a truck. While the beast was safely tied up, they examined its teeth, claws and stubby legs with fascination.

Their party may have been premature, however.

After the 20-foot (6.1-meter) reptile was caught over the weekend, authorities said Tuesday an even bigger crocodile may still be lurking in creeks of the remote region in

Agusan del Sur province.

The scaly skinned Lolong - which tips the scales at 2,370 pounds (1,075 kilograms) - is estimated to be at least 50 years old. Wildlife officials were trying to confirm whether it was the largest such catch in the world, said Theresa Mundita Lim of the government’s Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau.

It was captured alive after a three-week hunt, easing some fears among the locals.

A child was killed two years ago in the township by a crocodile, and a croc is suspected

nificant proportion of the large animals on the seafloor in many Antarctic shelf habitats,” says Smith.

The crabs come from further north and moved in as Antarctic waters have warmed, probably swept into Palmer Deep as larvae in warm ocean currents. They now occupy the deepest regions of Palmer Deep, between 1400 and 950 metres. In 1982, the minimum temperature there was 1.2 °C – too cold for king crabs – but by last year it had risen to a balmier 1.47 °C. Melting ice sheets tend to make shallower waters in Antarctica cooler than deeper ones. There were no king crabs at depths of 850 metres or less, suggesting that these waters are still too cold for them. But with waters warming so rapidly, they could spread

to regions as shallow as 400 metres within as little as 20 years, says Smith.

Onwards “Several years ago, my colleagues and I predicted that warming sea temperatures off the west Antarctic Peninsula would allow predatory sea crabs to invade and disrupt the completely unique marine bottom fauna,” says Richard Aronson of the Florida Institute of Technology in Melbourne.

“Craig Smith and his team have now discovered a population in a deep basin gouged into the continental shelf off the western peninsula,” says Aronson. “What’s exciting, new and a bit scary about their find is that somehow, the crabs had to get from the deep sea over part of the continental shelf and then into the basin that is the Palmer Deep.”

“That means they’re close to being able to invade habitats on the continental shelf proper, and if they do the crabs will probably have a radical impact on the bottom communities.”

The best long-term solution? To slow the rate of global warming, says Smith.

of killing a fisherman who has been missing since July. Last month, residents saw a crocodile killing a water buffalo.

The party thrown after Lolong’s capture “was like a feast, so many villagers turned up,” said Mayor Edwin Cox Elorde.

Wildlife official Ronnie Sumiller, who has hunted “nuisance crocodiles” for 20 years and led the team that captured Lolong, said another search was under way for the possibly larger croc that he and residents have seen in the town’s marshy outskirts.

“There is a bigger one, and it could be the one creating problems,” Sumiller told The Associated Press by telephone from Bunawan, about 515 miles (830 kilometers) southeast of Manila.

“The villagers were saying 10 percent of their fear was gone because of the first capture,” Sumiller said. “But there is still the other 90 percent to take care of.”

Backed by five village hunters he trained, Sumiller has set 20 steel cable traps with an animal carcass as bait in nearby vast marshland and along the creek where Lolong was caught.

Sumiller said he found no human remains when he induced the captured crocodile to vomit.

Residents of the farming town of about 37,000 people have been told to avoid venturing into marshy areas alone at night, Elorde said.

Guinness World Records lists a saltwater crocodile caught in Australia as the

largest crocodile in captivity, measuring 17 feet 11.75 inches (5.48 meters). Saltwater crocodiles can live for more than 100 years and grow to 23 feet (7 meters).

A website for a park called Action Adventure in North Myrtle Beach, S.C., says it is home to Utan, “King of the Crocs,” which it bills as the largest crocodile in the United States, measuring more than 20 feet. Park officials did not immediately respond to telephone calls or email requests for information about their crocodile.

Elorde said he plans to make Lolong “the biggest star” in a planned ecotourism park.

Philippine laws strictly prohibit civilians from killing endangered crocodiles, with violators facing up to 12 years in prison and a fine of 1 million pesos ($24,000).

The world’s most endangered freshwater variety, crocodylus mindorensis, is found only in the Philippines, where only about 250 are known to be in the wild.

About 1,000 of the larger saltwater type, or crocodylus porosus, like the one captured in Bunawan, are scattered mostly in the country’s southern swamplands, wildlife official Glen Rebong said.

Environment Secretary Ramon Paje said the enormous crocodile was captured because it was a threat to the community. He added the reptiles remind that the Philippines’ remaining rich habitats need to be constantly protected.

Sunday, September 11, 2011

THE BELIZE TIMES

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THE BELIZE TIMES

Sunday, September 11, 2011

Sunday, September 11, 2011

THE BELIZE TIMES

THINK ABOUT IT THE 10TH AMENDMENT For the avoidance of doubt this amendment shall not be challenged in any court of law or in the de-nationalized Belize University, Sixth Form or High Schools, whatsoever.

Part XIII shall include this new addition after Section 145 and shall read as follows:The 10th day of September of each year shall be the historic commemoration of the Battle of St. George’s Caye. Commemoration of Independence is to be downgraded as much as possible.

No person shall have any doubts in their minds or express any verbal or written doubts on the truthfulness or factual nature of any of the accounts of the Battle of St. George’s Caye.

These accounts are all inclusive, but not exhaustive of such events and include:(i) A handful of Baymen, in a handful of boats and floats defeated over 31 Spanish warships and killed scores of Spanish also referred to by the British as yellow belly panyah. (ii) A handful of loyal slaves assisted the handful of Baymen in conducting the said heroic deed mentioned in subsection (1) above using pork and dough boy sticks (iii) No mention must be made of the existence of slavery or the harsh treatment and degradation of slaves before, during and after the Battle of St. George’s Caye; and the said denationalized UB, Sixth Forms and High Schools shall no longer teach such matters. (iv) They may however teach that the Glory of the Baymen shall never fade, dissuade or degrade.

Failure to adhere to the provisions of the 10th Amendment shall lead to beatings and brutal treatment by the Gang Suppression Unit also known in the streets of Belize City as the Barrow Suppression Gang and the beating referred to shall include any or all of the following methods: pepper spray, tear gas, tasering, use of clubs and baseball bats, tightening of hand cuffs, punching, kicking, stamping, placing of hoods over heads, electric shocks to limbs, body and genitals. Soon to come, Barrow’s 10th Amendment.

NECK AND BACK Neck and back parts of chicken use to be a back-up staple for the poorer classes as a substitute for a full meal of chicken or beef, pork or fish. A small neck and back could stretch in a soup and feed five or six in a family.

Nowadays, neck and back is the regular main course. Few in the ghetto can afford a whole chicken or a full meal.

Our people are down to noodles and neck and back.

HUMAN RIGHTS LET US DOWN The silence of the Human Rights Organization of Belize is deafening.

This is tragic.

On the proposal to find ways to implement hanging, the Organization was quickly spurred into action. They

even proposed to call in their regional and foreign counterparts.

On the 9th Amendment to the Constitution which seeks to bar the role of the Courts and down grade the Supremacy of the Constitution – Not a word of protest.

The sickening images of the GSU ill-treatment of citizens have not stirred a word.

But then, a person cannot be championing human rights and be on the payroll of the system, and in addition have a contract with Babylon. “Rasta nuh work for no CIA” Bob Marley BELIZE WILL VOTE WITH ISRAEL The leaders of the Palestinian people have decided to formally ask the United Nations to acknowledge them as an independent nation.

This is expected to happen later this month at the General Assembly of the UN. The US government and the Israeli government have condemned such a move. President Obama has promised to veto any such move.

But in order not to antagonize a large number of nations including several oil rich Arab and African countries, the US is resorting to a diplomatic offensive. It hopes to persuade enough countries to signal that they will not support the Palestinian request, thus allowing the US to tell the Palestinian leaders to back down or risk losing the vote.

In July and August the US started getting countries to say no to independence for Palestine. Belize is one of the handful of countries which has sided with the US and Israel against freedom for the Palestinians.

IMF SAYS THINGS DREAD The IMF has this week publicly stated that the world economy is on the brink of a new crisis.

In Belize, our leaders are going on as if all is well and fine. Public waste and abuse of resources continue unabated. From small things like light and air conditioners left on in government offices overnight and weekends; gas vehicles running all over the place after hours to more structural waste in expenditures on useless programs and political projects.

And we don’t need IMF and to tell us about our high unemployment and high cost of living and high oil prices etc.

HOW U LIKE DAT? How you like that? After a disgraceful day in the life of the country following the GSU behavior on George Street, the Police Ministry sent out a press release warning citizens that rival gangs have grenades and were planning to use them during the September Celebrations.

The George Street gang and its affiliates sent out their own press release – dat nothing noh go so.

Wow! The government frightening citizens – the gangs tranquilo things. Excuse me, who are the good guys and who are the bad ones?

ANOTHER GANG TRUCE Is this the 4th or the 5th gang

truce? Is it the 6th or the 7th time there will be a job program for gang members? Is it the 8th or 9th amendment, ops sorry! 8th or 9th time we are being taken for fools.

Aspirin and band aid can’t cure the crime cancer.

WIDE SPREAD EAVESDROPPING Belizeans don’t yet get the sense.

The government on behalf of the UK and USA is conducting widespread eavesdropping on Belizeans phone conversations and internet correspondence.

The government passed a law to give themselves the legal authority to do this. It was unconstitutional and illegal. So they dropped a bogus law on us. The reason for the law is that UK and USA cannot use illegally obtained information.

All cellphone chips MUST be registered with BTL and Smart. In a few months any chip not registered will be unable to work.

ANOTHER WASTED YEAR So called summer holidays come and gone.

Another year wasted.

Thousands of young people lost another opportunity to attend summer camps.

These gatherings could have been to learn skills-swimming, boating, carpentry, masonry, furniture making, sewing, shoe repairs, school bags; and on and on.

Hey, the young by the thousands could have attended camps to learn music, practice drama, share in reading novels and poems, planting trees, rescuing abandoned animals, visiting the old folk’s home, children homes, mental hospital.

There could have been widespread Bible reading, church attendance, Sunday classes.

There could have been so many wonderful, uplifting programs and projects – but…another wasted year in Belize.

IMPRESSED BY MAGISTRATE A ranking citizen and academic had occasions to attend Magistrate Court number 5 in support of a family member.

He informs the Court always started on time. The Magistrate was neatly dressed, always. He was methodical in dealing with matters. He was strict, with the Police and with the Public. He never smiled. He was always fair and he explained his decisions.

The person wanted the Magistrate to know how impressed and proud he was but was unsure and a bit timid to say so in person.

It is heartening to hear these comments of a public official with the high responsibility of being a Magistrate.

Court 5 is under the direction and control of Magistrate Albert Hoare. Respect is due.

MINITA GORDON Minita Gordon can sometimes be seen doing some shopping in downtown Belize City.

You would never know she is the first Governor General of our country. She is so humble and self effacing. She walks and stops and chats with those who stop her.

Minita Gordon is a highly educated Belizean. She started back in

33 five cents primary school under the colonial system and never stopped till she was in possession of a Master’s degree. She was an outstanding educationist.

Then independence came along and she answered the call by being the first Governor General and representative of the Monarch of Great Britain.

And then a victimizing government came along and the rest as they say is history. Minita Gordon was kicked out of her position.

Our first Governor General is not even provided with a vehicle.

Her name is never mentioned. Her years of experience and outstanding knowledge are never put to use.

But she is a lady, and a role model. She carries herself with great dignity. She is like a wise and experienced Queen from mama Africa. Even like unto the loins of Sheba and Ethiopia. Senior respect is due.

GOD IS GOOD TO US Late, late Monday night a hard breeze blew through Belize City.

Late, later Tuesday night, early Wednesday morning a strong storm passed through the said city. The winds howled and the rains pelted our homes.

By mid-day Wednesday 7th September, the unbearable heat of the last few days had disappeared.

God, you are so good to us, sinners that we are, you still hear our cries.

RAIN WATER Put my head in a drum of rain water. Drank it with relish.

Ain’t no water like rain water.

Pipe water and purified water are second fiddle. Rain water is the real thing. When you drink it, immediately you taste the difference. It nice. It’s so nice.

When you bathe with rain water, it makes your skin feel better.

When you wash your hair it makes it softer.

When you drink it, gial, rain water taste so nice.

Only one thing nicer than rain water.

MAESTRE TURN SCRAP Maestre Industries, a landmark business in Belize which manufactured windows and cigarettes, has turned scrap metal.

The factory, the equipment and everything that is metal was carted away by the metal buyers.

THIS IS THE 1ST COMMANDMENT “And Jesus answered him, the first of all the commandments is “…thou shalt love the Lord thy God, with all thy heart, with all thy soul, and with all they mind, and with all they strength;” “And the second is this, Thou shalt love thy neighbours as thyself”. Mark Chapter 12 verses 30 and 31. King James Version.

Visit Us Online at: www.belizetimes.bz

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THE BELIZE TIMES

Former PM to deliver lecture

at Mexican University

Belize City, September 7, 2011 Former Prime Minister Rt. Hon. Said Musa has been invited to speak at a special conference organised by the Institute of Public Administration of Quintana Roo at the University of Quintana Roo on Thursday, September 8, 2011.

Hon. Musa will provide his insight, as Belize’s former Prime Minister, former Minister of Foreign Affairs, and a long-standing public official, on the relations between Belize and Mexico and the challenges and opportunities faced by the two nations who share boundaries but different economies of scale. The topic discussed is “Belize and Mexico: challenges and opportunities of neighbours. Big and Small”.

The event is organised in collaboration with the Political Studies and Humanities Division of the University.

Cane Farmers ready to buy BSI; GOB balks Continued from page 1

Industries (BSI) factory, even though the cane farmers have announced that they have secured financing for the purchase of the factory’s majority shareholding.

The BELIZE TIMES spoke via phone with Mr. Alfredo Ortega, the Chairman of BSCFA’s Committee of Management, who informed us that they have secured the assistance of a Mexican group, named the Sterling Group, to obtain the necessary funds to invest in BSI. The deal is reported to be worth in the neighborhood of US$35 to US$42.5 million.

The main goals of the deal are: 1) to pay the incoming debt to ING International Bank of US$20 million; 2) pay $3.4m dividends to workers of the BSI factory and 3) have $35m as working capital in order to manage the factory.

But while cane farmers have charted on a path that would see the factory remain in the hands of Belizeans, their biggest challenge is ironically the Government of Belize, who has expressly supported the privatization of the industry when Prime Minister Dean Barrow called the Banco Atlántida deal as the “best option”.

This week the Barrow Administration moved further away from supporting the cane farmers, with a Cabinet release indicating that there were a total of “five expressions of interest in BSI”. The Government indicated that the Employees Trust will ultimately decide BSI’s sale, even though they have done their best to prop up the Banco Atlántida deal which includes offering the Honduran bank a sovereign guarantee.

The release states that the Government would sell its 8% shares in BSI to cane farmers, but only “if terms and conditions can be agreed”.

Those terms are reported to be agreeing that Banco Atlantida becomes the majority shareholder in BSI. Mr. Ortega and his committee, definitely not thrilled with the ‘shenanigans’ of the PM and Banco Atlántida, went to Mexico and met the

Sterling Group. Ortega explained that the deal is strictly for financing and there will be no major collateral required and no interest in a takeover of the industry, as Banco Atlántida has been wishing to do.

Mr. Ortega was a confidentsounding man when we spoke with him today, saying he has not only informed the cane farmers and the BSI staff, but key GOB ministers; namely Hon. Rene Montejo (Minister of Agriculture), Hon. Wilfred Elrington (Minster of Foreign Affairs and Trade), and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Natural Resources, Hon. Gaspar Vega. He retains a “hopeful” longing that GOB will scrap the deal with the Hondurans and sign off on this deal, and maintains that the deal will be “beneficial” and that “having the sugar industry in Belizean hands is the best way to go”.

Sunday, September 11, 2011

Reigning in Rise & Shine Continued from page 2

groves in all of Central America. This careless statement ignores the clear relationship between our majestic reef and mangroves. The mangroves act to purify the water from human wastes and pollutants, and in doing so, coral reefs are less affected. In the same spirit, the simple fact is that it helps to purify our water shed areas. It is like a big sieve or filter.

This is the worst time for a church leader to be falling on the same side as Mammon. We need to defend God’s creations. For all the times in Belize’s history, it is a shame that he would say such a thing. Right now Belizeans are environmentally aware.

The fisheries measures, environmental impact assessments and initiatives which are being fought are at an all-time high. We have seen the rise of very powerful environmental advocates like BACONGO and Oceana.

Now why would Pastor Wade want to take us backwards? For money? For oil companies?

I was told that what he is suggesting is just plain old, illegal because the law says that there must be a strip of mangrove which remains uncut. Without a permit from the Department of Fisheries, the clearance of mangroves is illegal.

I wish he would stop going into things like this without doing the proper research. To whom much is given much is expected. My advice to my Pastor and brother is to humble himself and pray. There is no need to become an ignorant extremist. I am sure that when the Pharasees first began to go astray, they were equally as convinced that they were right.

I cannot continue to see this backsliding of Christly principles.

By His grace, D. Gonzalez

Hard Hitting

Continued from page 5

need a “Gang Suppression Unit” under the PUP years in Government? Why was there no need for a CYDP? Why was there no need for Government-Gang truces? Why was the murder rate so low?

The PUP believed and invested in the youths of Belize. We did not condemn them to gang membership. We gave them hope as “Youth for the Future” and not subsidized vacations on tax payer dollars for gang bangers.

The placebo to the public is a dangerous one. Barrow knows that the public wants to feel good and will grasp as any possibility especially during celebration time. Barrow does not intend to bring any real solution.

Look at the team. An anthropologist from a country with an even worse crime rate than ours and he is yet to have one single successful program with identifiable results in Belize. Dr. Gayle is a paid mouth piece with an open dated plane ticket after his consultation fees run out.

Then there is the attorney for the UDP and chairman of the disgracefully comatose Crime Control Council (CCC), Michael Young. What a joke, how can that sheltered little “coconut” relate or connect with ghetto kids? He is partly responsible for the violence by his terrible performance on the CCC. Then there is Boots, he proudly employs the gangs and uses them as goons or mascots when necessary. Dean Barrow was the attorney for the George Street bosses.

Stop the shenanigans! Nothing good will come of this, it will only get worst.

Sunday, September 11, 2011

THE BELIZE TIMES

QUEEN OF THE BAY VISITS PUP LEADER

PUP Party Leader John Briceño (R) with Queen of the Bay Miss Amanda Taylor

Vega named in Rosewood illegal logging

By Carla Bradley An investigation conducted by Channel 5 News into the exploitation of the lucrative Rosewood has exposed the involvement of the family of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Natural Resources Gaspar Vega.

In the interview, Samuel Edwards, a Rosewood dealer explained that he and other dealers are contracted by persons who are well-connected with Ministry officials. He said that in order to be able to sell to buyers, they must assure that a portion is allocated to a relative of the Deputy Prime Minister.

“If dehn no stop di cutting ah Rosewood, then don’t ask fi no rosewood next year there won’t be any. But because Vega wants all, he wants twenty five containers a month if ih could get it, it just cut free,” warned Edwards.

Chairman of Mayan Leaders Alliance, Ligorio Coy, expressed grave concern over the illegal activity. He said Mayan leaders have made it a priority to investigate the matter of illegal logging.

Government is encouraging and abetting the extraction of Rosewood from Mayan ancestral lands, despite Court ruling which gave Mayan villages rights over the use of resources on their land.

Court exposes UDP land fraud

PUP Corozal Southeast promises to defend landowners Ranchito Village, Corozal District, September 7, 2011

By Carmelita Perez A ruling by the Corozal Magistrate’s Court has implicated the Ministry of Natural Resources in a serious land fraud, exposing the UDP’s vindictive attempt to take away land from a Belizean, simply on the basis that he obtained the land from the former PUP Government.

In 2007 the Ranchito Village Council, with the support of the PUP Government, gave out 216 parcels of land in three areas including Rancharan Layout. Maurice Smith was among those persons who benefitted from the land distribution, after paying for the land survey. In 2010, Smith placed a trailer home and he, his wife and three children moved in.

But shortly after the UDP took office, Smith parcel of land was handed to someone else. Jacqueline Usher, a strong supporter of the UDP, showed up at Smith’s house demanding that he move off the parcel of land because it belonged to her. Usher even showed a lease to showing what was purported to be a lease issued by the Ministry of Natural Resources in 2010.

Smith refused to leave the land, and about a month ago, Usher took him to Court. On Wednesday the second hearing of the case came before Magistrate Clive Lino. After reviewing the facts of the case, Magistrate Lino struck out the case against Smith because, according to him, Usher obtained the parcel of land through procedural impropriety and as such her purported lease was null and void.

Smith’s Attorney, Arthur Saldivar, explained what happened in Court, “The matter was struck out and the Magistrate basically deemed that Mrs. Usher had no basis to carry out her eviction. If she wants to seek further clarification, she needs to go to the Supreme Court. This is an indication and certainly a testament to the validity and the strength of the legislation that governs the village councils acts that was the basis upon which Mr. Smith rested his defence and it came as a result of the fact that Mr. Smith had been given

a recommendation in 2007 by the village council, had paid his surveyed fees, had been in occupation having a house on the property and that came well before the lease that came to this lady by the present government under the UDP’s “Quitar Policy” in 2010”.

The Corozal case will set an important precedent in future land disputes. Since coming to office, the UDP Government has launched a vicious campaign to victimize Belizeans who benefitted from the

PUP’s land distribution policy.

PUP area representative for Corozal South East, Hon. Florencio Marin, said he will stand against the UDP’s injustices. ““We feel very happy to know that, at least up until the 9th Amendment is passed which we hope it won’t, that we could still access the courts and we could still get justice. We had the great help of Mr. Arthur Saldivar. In every village where these guys are trying to take away land we are right there with them ensuring that they get justice and good representation.”

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Humor in UDP Politics!

At this week’s Cabinet the following matters of importance were discussed: - Whose Ministry is going to pay the Gangs – Finance or Works?

- To display the Minister Doug’s trophy for best dressed in Carnival at the 21 Ceremonies - Whether it is time to recharge the Attorney General BQ Pitts’ batteries - If Phillip Willoughby deserves the Tiger Woods award for best home wrecking. ……………..

In other related matters: Gapi Vega met with cane farmers over the weekend to ask him who blowing smoke up his voters over the Banco Atlantida deal. His reply was a Barrowcuda.

Even Eric Chang readily admits the UDP City Council total failure in a billboard sign in which he has been advertising that he was “PROUDLY SEVERING BELIZE CITY”. ……………..

Things are so bad under Barrow that a lot of kids showed up to school with no money, no books, no school bag. Things so bad that the poor man rice noodles is eaten raw so bad that the poor no longer could afford to spell poor with two o’s just POR. Things are so bad even the UDP-appointed Music Ambassador Shyne Barrow abandoned Belize and refuses to come back. ……………..

It was reported from Cabinet today that the Prime Minister of Belize is meeting with the gangs when Zenaida heard this she blurted out - “oh no, dem have his balls too!”

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THE BELIZE TIMES

Sunday, September 11, 2011