Belize Times Augist 8, 2021- Corruption Breeding Hypocrisy

The Belize Times

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THE BELIZE TIMES

8 AUG

2021

Established 1957

The Truth Shall Make You Free

8 AUGUST 2021 | ISSUE NO: 5261

www.facebook/belizetimes | $1.00

CORRUPTION

BREEDING HYPOCRISY UDP EXPOSED BY SI/SE’S FIVE PEOPLE’S COUNCILLORS Trapp and Faber defended these SI/SE ‘workers’ Driver - Father of Mayor Procurement Officer - Son of Mayor Handyman - Son of Mayor HR Manager - UDP Crony Vehicle Inspector - UDP Crony Jr. Accountant - Traffic Manager’s partner Paymaster - Son of UDP councillor Cashier – Niece of Mayor Supervisor - Nephew of Mayor Handy Man - Nephew of Mayor Garbage Supervisor - Special UDP Crony Traffic Manager - hustler EXPERTISE: Being a UDP Crony Public Relations; Revenue Collector; Traffic Warden; Security; Labourer; Valuation Officer; Revenue Collector

Training to deliver

PlanBelize Natural Resources Police Prosecutors Teachers & Others

Another Patrick press conference and still no confession on the 13 years of UDP terror. Instead this charade was to support a UDP Mayor who is a confessed follower of Barrow and dictatorial dogma. This is the same Barrow who is biological and otherwise father of the still con Leader of the Opposition who cunningly signed himself into that position. At the 11th hour, Shyne couldn’t allow the petty one to have all the hypocrisy to himself. Shyne issued a release saying, in so many words, he wants his share of the trappings of nepotism the UDP Mayor has embroiled himself into.

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DELIVERING ON PLAN BELIZE FOR THE PEOPLE OF SAN PEDRO

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Strength in Numbers

By Hon. Gilroy Usher

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Belize @ 40: Hopeful Hearts, Steady Hands, Together We Rise

FOLLOW THE PROTOCOLS | STAY SAFE | VACCINATE

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8 AUG

THE BELIZE TIMES

Delivering on PlanBelize for the people of San Pedro SETTING WRONGS – RIGHT

Putting an End to the Lands Fiasco of the Past Administration

Righting the wrongs of the distribution of the Belizean birth right… that is the goal of this week’s iteration of the Lands Clinic started by the Deputy Prime Minister Hon. Cordel Hyde and the Ministry of Natural Resources. The Clinic today makes its first visit to the Belize Rural South Constituency with sessions in San Pedro Town, Ambergris Caye for August 5 and 6.

From early morning until the last person is seen, the Lands Clinic is being attended to by a 26 member team from the Department of Lands & Survey along with Area Representative and Minister for Blue Economy and Civil Aviation Hon Abner Andre Perez and the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Natural Resources Hon. Cordel Hyde.

Hon. Abner Andre Perez: “The Clinic is important for the entire Belize Rural South Constituency – San Pedro and Caye Caulker. We are starting a process to make real a campaign commitment. There are many people living in our area that do not have the stability of a piece of land for their families. They have been living in their homes on a land they were made to believe was theirs and only to find out years later, the land title is in someone else’s name and hands.”

The Clinic was slated to see over 500 people within the two days, but as evidenced this morning at 7:30a.m, that number will easily be surpassed. By 9:00a.m., the start of the Clinic, the line was already stretched down the street and preparing to make its way around the corner of the San Pedro High School.

Orderly lined up, respecting as much as possible the COVID-19 regulations with masks and maintaining a distance, the people stood quietly in the line. As the Ministers arrived, they could not help but exit the golf cart and walk along acknowledging the

people gathered awaiting some relief to their long standing lands issues.

Hon. Andre Perez described the situation with lands in his constituency as an utter fiasco, while Hon. Cordel Hyde responsible for the Ministry of Natural Resources said it is a mess on top of a mess.

Deputy Prime Minister Hon. Cordel Hyde: “We are resolved to right these wrongs,” “Our people have waited for years to have the peace of mind of owning the land their homes sit on, either with a proper legal lease or a title.”

The situation can be likened to the last mango tree in town with ripe mangos. The former red administration raided the mango tree, leaving nothing for the rightful heirs. People in San Pedro and Caye Caulker were left without or ignored, told fairy tales, left holding worthless pieces of papers.

Hon. Perez recalled the story of a family in San Pedro. “The family has been living in their homes on the piece of land for 15 years. Their children grew up, grandchildren added joys to the family but they soon found out the stability they thought they had was all an illusion. Someone else was holding title to the land they believed was theirs. These situations are unjust and unfair. We have to rectify them,” he said.

For his constituents, Hon. Perez said that the needs are many. He informed that for him priority one is land, priority 2 is land, priority 3 is housing, priority 4 is infrastructure, priority 5 education and without a doubt, access to jobs. While he listed them with numbers, he quickly added, “These numbers do not imply order or urgency… the needs are many and so is the urgency. We must act and work on all priorities at the same time. Our people have suffered for too long.”

2021

CORRUPTION

BREEDING HYPOCRISY Continued from page 1 Instead of quoting such, Trapp would free himself by listing these, The “Seven Nolan Principles of Public Life” — selflessness, integrity, objectivity, accountability, openness, honesty and leadership by example — which should form the standards for holding public office. This is what planBelize aims to accompany.

But whenever the real petty Faber sees success in the planBelize he so lauded he panics as he knows there is no 2025 nor 2030 nor any future for Faber in a United Democratic Party that has been battered by the deadly castigation of two category 5 political slayings at the hands of the Belizean electorate. Instead of running away and confessing the corruption that raped Belize, he, Faber, has somehow nurtured this corrupt Barrow/Faber system into fertile grounds for hypocrisy masked as opposition. All this even as he is NOT even the leader of the Opposition—double hypocrisy.

So at this press conference full of incompetence and technical stupidity, maskless Trapp announced that he is happy to do unilateral decisions. He did not say what the councillors have on him that made him run from the Town Hall as venue for this Press conference. He quoted some obscure human to back his going at it alone without even his one UDP Councillor. Faber for his part was happy to pronounce that his reason for calling the press conference was for the sake of full blown politics. He could not care less for the people who were unemployed since the UDP moved unemployment to a point where 52percent of Belizean are POOR. There was no regard for the poor in this petty mind. Faber has found what to corrupt next—press conferences.

Faber lied. He said he would have many lawyers at the press conference to listen to the concerns of UDP’s who lost their jobs. All the lawyers amounted to ONLY Jerome Elrington whose skills are limited to jumping fences. No other lawyer put their career in jeopardy by defending Trapp’s blatant nepotism and Faber’s ulterior motives. So battered and rejected candidate Orson Jerome Elrington lived up to his artificial background by calling Trapp his Lordship. Oh, Jerome is now known as a scandal-maker hoping that there is a lawsuit that he can pursue. When asked if he is working pro bono, Jerome smirked that Faber will pay him.

So leader Faber is in solidarity with what he recognizes as patently UDP— cronyism, nepotism, and thus open corruption. Faber himself is compromised as he is on record unapologetically firing school wardens and anyone who opposes him. Let’s quote Yellowman describing Faber: “He is a sick puppy!” Faber’s was defending his candidate for Cayo Central…politics at its best. Sick.

Hyprocrisy...The SI/SE was called a safe haven for workers. The remnants of an administration that doused Belize with infamy and lewd history of nepotism, cronyism, corruption, unemployment is just the opposite—it was 13 years terror for the average worker. Proof: look at the poll numbers.

Where was LOO Shyne? Wouldn’t it have made sense for ALL the 5 UDP’s left in the country help their UDP? Faber and Elrington offered to help with getting the right severances. This was the only confession of the afternoon; the UDP know that the fired workers were fired because they were non-performing UDP’s just like their bosses who were voted out. Case closed.

This week’s Lands Clinic commences the purge… a land purge… where wrong is put right.

Land is stability, security for our people… a future for younger generations. While the land stock is not infinite, both Ministers Perez and Hyde admit that the government has to do the best it can to ensure justice is returned to land distribution not only for Belize Rural South but for the entire country.

The Lands Clinic is expected to see almost 1000 people over the two days of August 5th, and 6th. Later this year, the Clinic will visit Caye Caulker where a similar situation is expected to be awaiting urgent attention. The matter in that island municipality is more peculiar as the island is smaller and the availability of lands is even more finite.

A problem compounded by many years of neglect under the previous UDP administration.

The Belize Times

Established 1957

14 APR 2013

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ISSUE NO: 4840

The Truth Shall Make You Free

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8 AUG

THE BELIZE TIMES

2021

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EDITORIAL Get Out The Way - Ludacris

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he UDP were good at one thing only and that is the infestation of the public service with cronies and fat cats. These were the people who turned a blind eye to the excess, the rum and the pibil. These were the hundreds who facilitated the leakage of millions of dollars through the creation and exploitation of loopholes in the systems at lands, creating land scams that have cost us dearly. These are the culprits that colluded and conspired so that the pantry programme and other safety nets were not accessible to those who needed it the most. They made sure that they and their families and friends were the recipients.

It is the same bunch that made sure that Sistah B et all was able to give out pantries even though she was not approved as a distributor and that the Salvation Army profited through the initiative which was to help the needy. These are the same bunch who have entrenched themselves deeply into the government system and simply refuse to accept that they will no longer be allowed to carry on as before.

These people who have gotten positions as public officers and some on the board of directors of statutory bodies seem to think that their free loading days will continue even during the present administration. To that end they have refused to resign from boards, others have asked to be compensated over and above that which they are entitled to. Others outrightly refuse to work and sabotage the current administration. They continue to have a choke hold on the government of the day, and frankly these acts are tantamount to treason. Belize is struggling to regain her footing; the pandemic threatens to surge once again, and our economy is still very vulnerable. Yet, there are those who would not help us and work toward regaining our balance. They seek at every opportunity to destroy the progress and use subterfuge, misinformation, and every trick in the book to undermine the good work of the Government. They forget their role in the mess created by the UDP and want to bury deep their misdeeds. They want to stand sanctimonious on their soapboxes and preach words they do not believe or practise.

It is expected that they do not want to give up their perks and positions. As members of the party in Opposition, it is not surprising they sow seeds of chaos and discord wherever they wander. Their own leadership is in shambles and by all accounts the melee is just about to get good. The total disintegration of the Opposition is imminent, and so these minions seek to distract by disparaging the good work of the PUP Government by any means necessary. Instead of trying to get the job done, for instance, those in the Public Service Commission forget their allegiance is to Belize and her people not to Tweedle Dee or Tweedle Dumb. The Dalai Lama famously said “…if you can’t help them, at least don’t hurt them.” Truth is that Belize is already hurt badly, first by the ineptitude of the last government and their excesses and corruption, the ravaging and the pillaging of her resources and treasury. Belize and her people have been hurt by those who helped and those who stood by watching while it happened and said and did nothing. Next, Belize was stuck a nearly deathly blow by the pandemic and the magnification and augmentation of every weakness and vulnerability of the social safety nets, health system, and economic activity.

We echo the sentiments of President Biden as he asks his own governors to “help or get out of the way.” It brings to mind the peculiar way Ludacris in his famous song instructs “Move…, get out the way!”

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THE BELIZE TIMES

EDITORIAL

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8 AUG

2021

en Español

Quítense Del Camino - Ludacris

l UDP fue buena en una sola cosa y esa es la infestación del servicio público con compinches y los peces gordos. Estos fueron aquellos que se hicieron de la vista gorda ante los excesos, el ron y la pibil. Estos fueron los cientos que facilitaron la fuga de millones de dólares a través de la creación y explotación de las deficiencias en los sistemas en las tierras, creando así estafas de tierras que nos han costado muy caro. Estos son los culpables que se confabularon y conspiraron para que el programa de despensas y otras redes de seguridad no fueran accesibles a quienes más lo necesitaban. Se aseguraron de que ellos y sus familias y amigos fueran los beneficiarios. Es la misma pandilla que se aseguró de que Sistah B y compañía pudieran repartir despensas a pesar de no estar aprobada como distribuidora y de que el Ejército de Salvación se beneficiara de la iniciativa que era para ayudar a los necesitados. Es la misma pandilla que se ha atrincherado profundamente en el sistema gubernamental y que simplemente se niega a aceptar que ya no se les permita seguir como antes.

Estas personas que han obtenido puestos como funcionarios públicos y algunos en el consejo de administración de organismos estatutarios parecen pensar que sus días de carga gratuita continuarán incluso durante la presente administración. Con ese fin se han negado a dimitir de los consejos de administración, otros han pedido que se les indemnice por encima de lo que les corresponde. Otros se niegan rotundamente a trabajar y sabotean la actual administración. Siguen teniendo asfixiado al gobierno de turno y, francamente, estos actos equivalen a una traición. Belice está luchando para recuperar su equilibrio; la pandemia amenaza con surgir una vez más, y nuestra economía sigue siendo muy vulnerable. Sin embargo, hay quienes no quieren ayudarnos ni trabajar para recuperar nuestro equilibrio. Buscan en cada oportunidad destruir el progreso y utilizan subterfugios, desinformación y todos los trucos del libro para socavar el buen trabajo del Gobierno. Olvidan su papel en el desorden creado por el UDP y quieren enterrar profundamente sus fechorías. Quieren ponerse santurrones en sus pedestales y predicar palabras que no creen ni practican.

Es de esperar que no quieran renunciar a sus prebendas y cargos. Como miembros del partido en la oposición, no es de extrañar que siembren el caos y la discordia por donde quiera que vayan. Su propio liderazgo está en ruinas y, según todos los indicios la refriega está a punto de ponerse buena. La desintegración total de la oposición es inminente, por lo que estos adláteres tratan de distraer desprestigiando el buen trabajo del Gobierno del PUP por cualquier medio. En lugar de intentar hacer el trabajo, por ejemplo, los de la Comisión de Servicios Públicos olvidan que su lealtad es hacia Belice y su pueblo, no hacia Tweedle Dee o Tweedle Dumb. El Dalai Lama dijo famosamente “...si no puedes ayudarles, al menos no les hagas daño”. La verdad es que Belice ya está malherido, primero por la ineptitud del pasado gobierno y sus excesos y corrupción, la rapiña y el saqueo de sus recursos y tesoro. Belice y su pueblo se han visto perjudicados por los que ayudaron y los que se quedaron mirando mientras sucedía y no dijeron ni hicieron nada. A continuación, Belice recibió un golpe casi mortal por la pandemia y la magnificación y el aumento de cada debilidad y vulnerabilidad de las redes de seguridad social, el sistema sanitario y la actividad económica. Nos hacemos eco de los sentimientos del presidente Biden cuando pide a sus propios gobernadores que “ayuden o se quiten de en medio”. Nos recuerda la peculiar forma en que Ludacris, en su famosa canción, instruye “¡Vete..., quítate de en medio!”.

8 AUG

2021

THE BELIZE TIMES

Frontline Officers at Ministry of Natural Resources Complete

Customer Service Training

From July 29 to 30, 2021, the Ministry of Natural Resources, Petroleum and Mining, through the Customer Service Unit, held an interactive consultation and training session for customer service officers countrywide.

The session was in line with the ministry’s strategic priorities of improving the quality and delivery of services and building a strong organization with a highly competent and motivated staff. Frontline officers were sensitized about the importance of uniformity and the standards of service delivery. Performance expectations were clearly established for the general operations carried out by each front desk officer through the development and implementation of a Front Desk Policy.

Frontline officers are expected to always deliver outstanding service to the public, keeping in mind that priority service is given to golden citizens, customers with disabilities, pregnant women, and customers with young children.

To improve the quality and delivery of services at the ministry, several changes have been implemented. These include: • Improvement of the waiting area at central headquarters; • Implementation of digital ticketing system; • Renovation of front desk area; • Cross-training of frontline workers; • Information desk and Front Desk Policy; • Improved service delivery at Land and Surveys district offices, etc.

With feedback from 44 participants, a successful training was held. It is expected that customer service officers will focus on improving the quality of services delivered at the ministry. The training will be followed by a series of targeted Customer Service workshops.

Present for the training were Hon. Cordel Hyde, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Natural Resources, Petroleum and Mining; Dr. Lesbia Guerra Cocom, CEO in the ministry; Mr. Talbert Brackett, Commissioner of Land and Surveys Department; and Ms. Nelda Tulcey, Deputy Commissioner of Land and Surveys Department.

U.S. Government and Belize Host Advanced Police Prosecutors Training Belmopan - U.S. Embassy Belmopan facilitated a three-day workshop on Advanced Prosecutors Training for members of the Belize Police Department, specifically the National Prosecution Branch personnel. The sessions, funded by the Department of State’s International Narcotics and Law Enforcement (INL) Bureau, provided comprehensive training on investigating and prosecuting criminal cases, including trial preparation, research methods, advocacy, and the examination of evidence, witnesses, and experts.

The workshop was attended by senior Government of Belize officials including Chief Magistrate Sharon Fraser, Senior Crown Counsel in the Attorney General’s Ministry Stacy Martinez, and Head of the National Prosecution Branch Alifa Elrington. The sessions were facilitated by INL Prosecution Advisor Oladele Osinuga, British barrister Jerry Sodipe, and Belizean attorney Darrell Bradley.

Mary Walz, the U.S. Embassy’s INL Coordinator underscored the broader framework of this lat-

University of Texas at Tyler and Ministry of Education Launch Teacher Training in Southern Belize Belmopan – The University of Texas at Tyler in partnership with the Ministry of Education, today launched the start of a series of teacher training sessions in Dangriga Town. The project is part of an ongoing twoyear CARSI-funded grant and will be implemented through the ministry’s Teacher Education and Development Services (TEDS). Participants include education field supervisors, principals, teacher preparation instructors, and newly qualified teachers. The sessions will focus on student-centered instruction and develop the framework for educators to become teacher trainers.

In her remarks at today’s launch, Acting Deputy Chief of Mission Andie De Arment emphasized, “This initiative aims to tackle some of the biggest challenges in Belizean primary education by focusing on teacher preparation and capacity-building.”

In the first year of the program, the University of Texas at Tyler faculty will lead the sessions utilizing a train-the-trainers model to transition responsibility for teacher training to Belizean education experts. The following year, the University will take a supporting role in the training as the first cohort leads in training the rest of Belize’s supervisors and instructors.

05 5 est U.S. government-sponsored initiative, “Maintaining a fair and autonomous judiciary requires strengthening the capacity of prosecutors through professional development in core legal skills. This training for prosecutors demonstrates the U.S. government’s ongoing commitment to improving Belize’s justice sector.”

In her opening remarks, Ms. Elrington noted, “There was genuine appreciation that police prosecutors need to ensure that they possess the requisite skills and knowledge as well as keep up to date with latest developments in legal practice and procedure to make them better and effective in their role as ministers in the temple of justice and to ensure that there was no erosion of the public’s trust and confidence in the administration of justice.”

Since January 2019, the U.S. government has provided more than 40 instructional courses to the Belize justice sector through the Comprehensive Justice Sector Capacity Building Program. This $1.7M USD program focuses on improving the capacity of police prosecutors, implementing a Court Case Management system, and supporting the National Forensic Science Service’s efforts to acquire international accreditation.

Partner agencies include the Stann Creek Ecumenical Junior College and the University of Belize, Toledo. Present at today’s launch were Minister of State in the Ministry of Education Dr. Louis Zabaneh, Dean at the University of Texas at Tyler Dr. Wesley Hickey, Project Manager Dr. Yanira Ortiz, TEDS Director Jeannie Garbutt-Franklin, and representatives from the Ministry of Education. Similar training activities will also be carried out in the Toledo district in early August.

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8 AUG

THE BELIZE TIMES

2021

BY ORDER OF MORTGAGEE NOTICE OF INTENTION TO SELL HOLY REDEEMER CREDIT UNION LIMITED a statutory body formed and registered under the Credit Union Act, Chapter 314 of the Laws of Belize, Revised Edition 2000, and whose registered office is situated at No. 1 Hyde’s Lane, Belize City, Belize District hereby gives notice of its intention to exercise its power of sale as Mortgagee under and by virtue of a Deed of Mortgage registered at the Land Titles Unit between LAURA HOPE of the one part and HRCU of the other part.

HRCU will at the expiration of three months from the date of the first publication of this notice sell the property described in the Schedule below.

ALL offers to purchase the said property must be made in writing to Holy Redeemer Credit Union Limited from whom full particulars and conditions of sale may be obtained.

SCHEDULE ALL THAT piece, parcel or block of land along the Philip Goldson Highway, near Mile 9 ¼, Ladyville Village, Belize District containing 1651.242 square metres or 0.408 acres, being such land comprised in Minister’s Fiat Grant No. 45 of 2009 dated the 7th day of April, 2009 and more particularly shown and delineated on a Plan of Survey by K. M. Emmanuel, Licensed Land Surveyor, recorded at the office of the Commissioner of Lands and Surveys, Belmopan City, Cayo District in Register No. 29 Entry Plan No. 9912 TOGETHER with all buildings and erections standing and being thereon the freehold property of LAURA HOPE

GOVERNMENT OF BELIZE MINISTRY OF FINANCE, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, AND INVESTMENT BELIZE INTEGRAL SECURITY PROGRAMME (BISP) INVITATION TO QUOTE No CABEI-G-001-2021/2147 The Ministry of Finance, Economic Development, and Investment acting through the Belize Integral Security Programme (BISP), funded by the Central American Bank for Economic Integration (CABEI) has allocated funds towards the cost of supply and delivery of vehicles.

The Ministry now extends an invitation to Suppliers to tender for the below listed items:

GOODS Pickup Trucks

QUANTITY 2

Interested bidders may obtain a complete set of bidding documents inclusive of Specifications free of cost through written request to the below physical address or via electronic mail (email) to projectcoordinator.bisp@med.gov.bz or you can visit the Ministry of Economic Development’s webpage, www.med.gov.bz to download the bidding documents. Additionally, the Invitation to Quote can be found on the Belize Procurement Notice Board’s webpage https://blz-cppnb.caricom.org/epps/home.do Deadline for submission of sealed bids is Monday August 16th, 2021, at 3:00 p.m., via direct mail or hand delivered to the address indicated below.

Electronic Bidding will not be Permitted, and Late submissions will be rejected.

DATED this 3rd day of August 2021 HOLY REDEEMER CREDIT UNION LIMITED 1 HYDE’S LANE, BELIZE CITY, BELIZE Phone: (501) 224-5644 Fax: (501) 223-0738 Email: foreclosures@hrcubelize.org

CARTOON

Project Coordinator Belize Integral Security Programme (BISP) Project Management Unit 1904 Constitution Drive 2nd Floor, Unit #3 Belmopan City, Belize C.A. Ref: Belize Integral Security Programme (BISP) INVITATION TO QUOTE (No CABEI-G-001-2021/2147)

8 AUG

2021

07 7

THE BELIZE TIMES

BELIZE RECEIVES ADDITIONAL COVID-19 VACCINES

The Government of Belize is pleased to announce the arrival of a donation of 42,000 doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine from the Government of the United Kingdom. The donation arrived late evening on Tuesday, August 3, 2021, at the Phillip Goldson International airport.

This donation is a part of a surplus of 9 million COVID-19 vaccines, which the Government of the United Kingdom announced will be shared with countries across the world. The vaccines are produced by Oxford Biomedica in Oxford and packaged in Wrexham, North Wales.

H.E. Claire Evans, British High Commissioner to Belize, expressed her pleasure at the donation that will help Belize in the fight against COVID-19 and efforts to get more persons vaccinated. She shared that Belize is among the first countries to receive this coun-

UWG Swearing-In Cayo Central & West

for creating avenues for service and empowerment for the ladies in his constituency.

When women work together, greatness is manifested. We encourage women to support each other, take a stand and embody the motto of the UWG: Meaningful Engagement and Empowerment of Belizean Women! Click here to become a UWG member: https://unitedwomensgroup.com/new-members

try-to-country donation of vaccines from the Government and people of the United Kingdom.

CEO Dr. Deysi Mendez received the donation on behalf of the Ministry of Health & Wellness. Dr. Mendez expressed gratitude to both the office of the British High Commissioner and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade and Immigration for ensuring the safe delivery of the donation, which will see 21,000 more Belizeans fully vaccinated.

Ambassador Amalia Mai, Chief Executive Officer in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade and Immigration, was also present for the arrival of the vaccines.

In addition to the UK donation, Belize was fortunate to also receive its third shipment of 33,600 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine on Tuesday, August 3, 2021. The vaccines were procured by the Government of Belize through the COVAX Facility, a partnership that includes Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), the Vaccine Alliance, Gavi, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), the World Health Organization (WHO), and UNICEF. The Ministry of Health & Wellness takes this opportunity to reiterate the call for persons 18 years and older to get vaccinated. Persons can visit any public health facilities to get vaccinated.

To be fully vaccinated, persons must receive two doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine. The ministry invites persons who have received their first vaccine to return eight weeks after for the second vaccine. The public is also reminded that even after receiving the COVID-19 vaccine, persons must continue to follow the COVID-19 prevention guidelines.

PUBLIC AUCTION SALES: PROPERTIES Moho Bay Area, Belize City, Belize District

BY ORDER of the Mortgagees Messrs. The Belize Bank Limited, Licensed Auctioneers Kevin A. Castillo and Christiana R. Castillo are selling ONLINE via belizepropertyauctions.com the below described property. Sale currently running PUBLIC AUCTION SALE: FABULOUS WATERWAY PROPERTY and will expire Monday 16thCity, August Moho Bay Area, Belize Belize2021 Districtat 1:30 pm.

The United Women’s Group National Executive swore-in two new chapters: UWG Cayo West and UWG Cayo Central on Friday July 30.

UWG Cayo Central: On Friday July 30 was the swearing-in of the new Cayo Central United Women’s Group Chapter. Hon Alex Balona Area Representative for Cayo Central was in attendance and pledged his full support to his new UWG Executive Chapter. Congratulations to the new UWG-Cayo Central: UWG Cayo Central Executive Members are: President Abelina Gonzalez Vice President Anna Martinez Secretary Flors Choc Assistant Secretary Lavern Gonzalez Treasurer Lorraine Guzman Executive Members Myrtle Jones, and Damiana Gonzalez.

UWG Cayo West:

Also, on Friday July 30, the UWG National Executive officially swore-in the new Cayo West United Women’s Group chapter, and Mrs. Katie Chulin Jones was sworn-in as the Cayo District Representative for the UWG. Congratulations to the UWG-Cayo West.

UWG Cayo West Executive Members are: President ,Julieta Mendez Vice president Lilian Pinelo Secretary Ebelyn Tzib Assistant Secretary Lucy Uck Treasurer Anita Ochoa Executive Members Edelmira Naj and Rocio Smith Also, a presentation by Mrs. Cynthia William’s - Executive Director of the National Women’s Commission was done for the UWG Cayo West Chapter. This was followed by the presentation from Mrs. Gerri Dennis on the banana fibre project.

We look forward to all the projects, workshops, and other activities that this dynamic group will bring for women of Cayo West.

We thank the Hon. Jorge Espat

BY ORDER of the Mortgagees Messrs. The Belize Bank Limited, Licensed Auctioneers Kevin A. Castillo and Christiana R. Castillo are selling ONLINE via belizepropertyauctions.com the below described property. Sale Parcel No. 1609 Bay Area, Belize2021 City: currently running and willMoho expire Monday 16th August at 1:30 pm.

Parcel No. 1609 Moho Bay Area, Belize City:

REGISTRATION SECTION

PARCEL 1609 (Being a fabulous two-storey concrete dwelling house [3,941 sq. ft.] containing 4 bedrooms + 3 full walk-in closets Caribbean Shores 45 + Laundry1609 + 3 bathrooms + Powder room+ living/dining/kitchen + 2 verandas + Fully flat concrete roof with railings + 2 storerooms + Garage (4 vehicles parking) and lot [623 sq. yds.] situate 2 lots from the Moho Bay Area, Belize City, (Being a fabulous two-storey concrete dwelling house [3,941 sq.sea ft.]incontaining 4 bedrooms the + freehold 3 full property.) walk-in closets + 3 bathrooms + Powder room+ living/dining/kitchen + Laundry VIEWING AVAILABLE 24 HOURS NOTICE + 2 verandas + Fully flat concrete roof withWITH railings + 2 storerooms + Garage (4 vehicles TERMS: CASH parking) and lot [623 sq. yds.] situate 2 lotsSTRICTLY from the sea in Moho Bay Area, Belize City, KEVIN A. CASTILLO the freehold property.)

TELEPHONE 223-4488 Website: belizepropertyauctions.com E-mail: kevinacas@yahoo.com VIEWING AVAILABLE WITH 24 HOURS NOTICE Facebook: Belize Auctions Caribbean Shores REGISTRATION SECTION

BLOCK

BLOCK 16PARCELS

TERMS: STRICTLYCASH KEVIN A. CASTILLO TELEPHONE 223-4488 Website: belizepropertyauctions.com E-mail: kevinacas@yahoo.com Facebook: Belize Auctions

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THE BELIZE TIMES

8 AUG

2021

PUBLIC AUCTION SALES: PROPERTIES Camalote Village, Cayo District

BY ORDER of the Mortgagees Messrs. The Belize Bank Corporation Limited, Licensed Auctioneers Kevin A. Castillo and PUBLIC AUCTION SALE: PROPERTIES Christiana R. Castillo are selling ONLINE via belizepropertyauctions.com the below described property. Sales currently running Camalote Village, Cayo District

BY ORDER of the Mortgagees Messrs.

The Belize Bank Corporation Limited, Auctioneers and will expire Tuesday 10th August 2021Licensed at 1:30 pm: Kevin A. Castillo

and Christiana R. Castillo are selling ONLINE via belizepropertyauctions.com the below described property. Sales currently running and will expire Tuesday 10th August 2021 at 1:30 pm: Parcel Nos. 2710 & 2711 Society Hall, Cayo District: Parcel Nos. 2710 & 2711 Society Hall, Cayo District:

REGISTRATION SECTION BLOCK PARCELS Society Hall 24 2710 & 2711 PARCELS (Being a concreteREGISTRATION bungalow dwellingSECTION house [5,324 sq. BLOCK ft.] containing 7 bedrooms + 5 1/2 bathrooms + living/dining/kitchen + porch + timber deck and board walk to gazebo + 3 car garage [968 sq. ft.] and lots [3,292.185 S. M.] situate on a road on the Society Hall 24 2710 & 2711 south side of the George Price Highway near Mile 49 1/'2, Camalote Village, Cayo District, the freehold properties of Mr. David (Being a concrete bungalow dwelling [5,324 sq. ft.] containing 7 bedrooms + 5 1/2 bathrooms + living/dining/kitchen + porch + timber deck and board walk to Ferrier & house Edith Ferrier)

gazebo + 3 car garage [968 sq. ft.] and lots [3,292.185 S. M.] situate on a road on the south side of the George Price Highway near Mile 49 1/’2, Camalote Village, Cayo District, the freehold properties of Mr. David Ferrier & Edith Ferrier) TERMS: STRICTLY CASH KEVIN A. CASTILLO TELEPHONE 223-4488 TERMS: STRICTLY CASH Website: belizepropertyauctions.com KEVIN A. CASTILLO E-mail: kevinacas@yahoo.com Face Book: Belize223-4488 Auctions TELEPHONE

Website: belizepropertyauctions.com E-mail: kevinacas@yahoo.com Face Book: Belize Auctions

8 AUG

099

THE BELIZE TIMES

2021

Belize’s 1st Ever Observance of Emancipation Day Belize observance of the very first public and bank holiday has passed yet we can rightfully say that the day lives in the memory of Belizeans every single day.

The planBelize government has been determined to give this point in our history its rightful place in the yearly calendar. In 2019 the then Party Leader and leader of the opposition John Briceño had this to say: “I greet Belizeans everywhere on this Emancipation Day in the spirit of freedom. Emancipation Day allows us the chance to reflect on what was lost because of slavery and the perseverance of our ancestors which we now see in our generation of freedom loving people.

Because of the courage of our ancestors, we stand today free from the bondage of slavery and strong in our conviction that this should never happen again.

The ending of the evils of human enslavement is, however, only a part of the struggle to free ourselves from the bigotry and injustices of our time.

Poverty and other forms of modern day oppression remain our unfinished task. We must therefore remain committed to the enhancement of equality and to the achievement of social, economic and environmental justice.

So while we celebrate Thomas Buxton’s Bill of 1833, which resulted in the Emancipation Proclamation of August 1834, let us commit to the work ahead, which includes ending all forms of oppression and tyranny and let us dedicate ourselves to the task of building a Belize that works for everyone!”

In 2021: “Today, Emancipation Day, marks a very important occasion in our history. Slavery had a ripple effect on the entire world. On our first national holiday for this occasion, let us remember what our ancestors were forced to endure. Let us celebrate their strength and perseverance. #EmancipationDay2021

PUBLIC AUCTION SALES: PROPERTIES

Belize City, Belize District; Orange Walk Town, O.W.; San Pedro, Ambergris Caye

BY ORDER of the Mortgagees, Messrs. The Belize Bank Limited, Licensed Auctioneers Kevin A. Castillo and Christiana R. Castillo are selling ONLINE via belizepropertyauctions.com the below described properties. Sale currently running and will expire Monday 9th August 2021 at the times listed on the website.

A. BELIZE CITY: Mahogany Street, (east of round-about) Parcel No. 114 Mahogany Street, Belize City:

REGISTRATION SECTION

BLOCK

PARCELS

Lake Independence

45

114

(Being a two storey concrete COMMERCIAL/RESIDENTIAL building and lot situate one lot east of Central American Boulevard on Mahogany Street, the freehold property of Messrs. PAL Enterprises Limited.)

B. ORANGE WALK TOWN, ORANGE WALK DISTRICT: Parcel No. 1824 Corner Jamaica and Mejiba Streets, OrangeWalk Town, OrangeWalk District:

REGISTRATION SECTION

BLOCK

PARCELS

Orange Walk Town

4

1824

(Being two (2) buildings - Older Building + Second Building: The OLDER BUILDING is a two storey a concrete and timber structure approx. 38 ft. x 38 ft. accommodating Ground Floor: a restaurant - food delivery + dining area approx. 27 ft. x 38 ft. + kitchen approx. 10 ft. x 19 ft. + front of building addition for extension of dining area approx. 11 ft. x 37 ft. + 13 ft. x 38 ft. which includes 2 restrooms; First Floor: 1 Bedroom + kitchen/dining room + living room + 1 bathroom + laundry room. SECOND BUILDING is a two storey concrete structure 35 ft. x 35 ft. accommodating Ground Floor: Three sections + shared restroom; First Floor: 1 apartment 12 ft. x 20 ft. + access from ground floor via concrete internal staircase TOGETHER with lot (550 S.Y.) situate at the corner Jamaica & Mejiba Streets, Orange Walk Town, Orange Walk District, the freehold property of Mr. Mark Nugent) C. SAN PEDRO, AMBERGRIS CAYE: 1. Parcel No. 1434 West of Ambergris Lakes Villas, San Pedro, Ambergris Caye

National Trade Negotiating Commission Holds First Regular Meeting

The First Regular Meeting of the National Trade Negotiating Commission (NTNC) was held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade, and Immigration auditorium in Belmopan on Tuesday, August 3, 2021.

The NTNC functions as the primary consultative mechanism between government and all non-state actors in the negotiation and implementation of trade agreements in Belize. The commission is comprised of representatives of government ministries, departments and agencies, the private sector and civil society, labour groups, non-government organizations and academia.

The meeting reviewed, finalized, and adopted the Rules of Procedure, which will guide the operations and smooth functioning of the commission. The meeting addressed substantive matters, which included cross border payments and constraints experienced by the private sector in exporting to Guatemala and Mexico, prospects for a trade agreement between Belize and Mexico, and preparations for the third meeting of the Belize-Guatemala Administrative Commission to be held on August 12 to 13, 2021. Other important

matters addressed were front of package warning label, World Trade Organization negotiations on fisheries subsidies, the Trade Facilitation Road Map that was recently approved by Cabinet, and targeted industries for investments to CARICOM. The NTNC also approved the creation of a Task Force on Payments to devise a national strategy for the establishment of a formal payment mechanism to assist Belizean traders with sending to and receiving payments from Central America and Mexico. The Task Force on Payments is expected to convene its first meeting within two weeks and will report back to the NTNC either at a special meeting or at the Second Regular Meeting of the commission.

The First Regular Meeting was cochaired by Ambassador Amalia Mai, Chief Executive Officer in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, and Mr. Emile Mena, private sector representative. Hon. Ramon Cervantes, Minister of State in the ministry, and Mr. Andy Sutherland, Director General for Foreign Trade, were also present for the meeting.

The next regular meeting is scheduled for September 29, 2021.

REGISTRATION SECTION

BLOCK

PARCELS

San Pedro

7

1434

(Being a two storey concrete dwelling house containing - Ground Floor: Apartment 3 bedrooms + living; First Floor: 6 bedrooms + 1 bathroom TOGETHER with Lot [49.99 ft. x 74.98 ft.] situate west of Ambergris Lake Villas, San Pedro, Ambergris Caye, the freehold property of Ms. Carroll Leonardo) 2. Parcel No. 3271 South of the Football Field, San Pedro, Ambergris Caye:

REGISTRATION SECTION

BLOCK

PARCELS

San Pedro

7

3271

(Being (A) Timber building 20 ft. x 24 ft. + extensions 8 ft. x 24 ft. + 12 ft. x 20 ft. + Porch 8 ft. x 20 ft. containing 3 bedrooms + 2 bathrooms + living/dining/kitchen; (B) Single Level Timber/Concrete Building containing 3 rental rooms + shared bathroom; (C) Single Level Timber Building [12 ft. x 24 ft.] containing 2 rental rooms; (D) Timber Building [ 4 ft. x 10 ft.] containing 2 outdoor restrooms TOGETHER with lot [49.99 ft. x 74.98 ft.] situate south of the Football Field, San Pedro, Ambergris Caye, the freehold property of Ms. Carroll Leonardo) ADDITIONAL INFORMATION www.belizebank.com (foreclosure listing) TERMS: STRICTLY CASH KEVIN A. CASTILLO CHRISTIANA R. CASTILLO TELEPHONE 223-4488 Website: www.belizepropertyauctions.com E-mail: kevinacas@yahoo.com Face Book: Belize Auctions

10 LIQUOR LICENSE NOTICES: Notice is hereby given that Roma Sofia Oshon is applying for a Shop Liquor License to be operated at “Blessed Love Shop” located at 16 Mls. George Price Highway, Hattieville Village, Belize District under the Intoxicating Liquor License Ordinance Revised Edition 1980.

Notice is hereby given that Hay Tuen Tong is applying for a Convenience Store Liquor License to be operated at “Tong Hay Tuen Fast Food” located at # 28A Baymen Avenue, Belize City, Belize District under the Intoxicating Liquor License Ordinance Revised Edition 1980.

Notice is hereby given that Jia Wei Yao is applying for a Shop Liquor License to be operated at “Kim Shop # 2” located at # 7030 Iguana Street, Belize City, Belize District under the Intoxicating Liquor License Ordinance Revised Edition 1980.

Notice is hereby given that Sheng Wang Chen is applying for a Convenience Store Liquor License to be operated at “K.C. Shop” located at # 78 Barrack Road, Belize City, Belize District under the Intoxicating Liquor License Ordinance Revised Edition 1980.

Notice is hereby given that Chun Hua Chen is applying for a Convenience Store Liquor License to be operated at “Kick Down Fence” located at # 46 Victoria Street, Belize City, Belize District under the Intoxicating Liquor License Ordinance Revised Edition 1980.

Notice is hereby given that Qing Zhi Lan is applying for a Publican Special Liquor License to be operated at “Henry’s Bar” located at # 5 C.A. Blvd., Belize City, Belize District under the Intoxicating Liquor License Ordinance Revised Edition 1980.

Notice is hereby given that Ariola Faustina Morales is applying for a Beer Liquor License to be operated at “K & R Fruits & Vegetables Shop” located at # 8556 Curl Thompson Street, Belize City, Belize District under the Intoxicating Liquor License Ordinance Revised Edition 1980.

Notice is hereby given that Li Nong Zhen is applying for a Publican Special Liquor License to be operated at “Friendship Restaurant ” located at # 6196 Buttonwood Bay Blvd., Belize City, Belize District under the Intoxicating Liquor License Ordinance Revised Edition 1980.

Notice is hereby given that 100 Service Station Ltd. is applying for a Convenience Store Liquor License to be operated at “100 Service Station Ltd.” located at # 517 Vernon Street, Belize City, Belize District under the Intoxicating Liquor License Ordinance Revised Edition 1980.

Notice is hereby given that Rachel Armstrong is applying for a Malt & Cider Liquor License to be operated at “Rali’s Take Out” located at # 69 Albert Hoy Avenue, Belize City, Belize District under the Intoxicating Liquor License Ordinance Revised Edition 1980.

Notice is hereby given that Simeon Alvarez is applying for a Malt & Cider Liquor License to be operated at “Miragua Sports Bar” located at # 223 Mahogany Heights, Belize District under the Intoxicating Liquor License Ordinance Revised Edition 1980.

8 AUG

THE BELIZE TIMES

EMANCIPATION DAY ADDRESS

By Hon. Francis Fonseca, Minister of Education, Culture, Science & Technology August 1st is Emancipation Day! The Government of Belize, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Science & Technology and the National Institute of Culture and History proudly celebrate the fact that this year, for the first time, Emancipation Day will be observed as a National Public and Bank Holiday. Emancipation Day is observed on August 1st to commemorate the date in 1838 when Apprenticeship ended and enslaved Africans in the Anglophone Caribbean were legally freed from forced bondage.

Slavery was one of the most evil chapters in all of human history. Over 20 million African men, women, and children were brutally and inhumanely forced from their homelands and brought to the Americas and the Caribbean to work on agricultural estates.

Here in Belize, these enslaved Africans were bought and brought from the slave markets of Jamaica and Bermuda to provide free labor for the logwood and mahogany trade. The first record of slaves arriving in Belize is in 1724. Our enslaved brothers and sisters from Africa suffered unimaginable physical abuse, rape, torture, and forced labor. The indignity and injustice of slavery brought with it psychological trauma and socioeconomic inequities which have been passed on from generation to generation.

Today as we celebrate Emancipation Day, let us as a Nation renew our commitment to correcting this injustice and addressing these inequities. We must do so by creating greater opportunities for education, for employment, for land, and for housing ownership. We must also celebrate the proud history of resistance and resilience embodied in our African ancestors.

We acknowledge and pay tribute to their magnificent contributions to Belize’s rich and diverse culture so evident in our language, food, and dance.

We pay respect to their descendants who have played such a meaningful and important role in Belize’s social, economic and political development.

On this first publicly recognized and celebrated Emancipation Day, let us proudly and loudly beat the drums of our African forefathers.

Our drums will never be silent!

Together we shall rise!

Happy Emancipation Day 2021!

VACANCY: Cashier needed at Yasin Store & Ice Bar located at # 19 West Collet Canal Street, Belize City. Call 623-8180 for more information.

PSYCHIC CARD READING Contact Ms.Hilda psychic card reader for advice on love, make lover stay, money help, ect. $2.00 U.S. donation. You get 2 questions free of charge.

Call 323-590-7739 for readings or write to: 6452 San Vicente Los Angeles, CA 90048.

2021

Pitahaya Field Day

Excellent turnout today at the Pitahaya Field day organized by the Orange Walk Agriculture Department.

Pitahaya or Dragon as it’s called in English fetches market prices of $5-$6:00 US in the USA. Currently Vietnam dominates the market.

In our view it is the perfect fruit for small farmers to grow. Small acreages give high yields and the capital investment is definitely manageable.

Locally, Pitahaya is selling at $4.00 a pound.

The demand stems from

the fact that it is very nutritious and that it has medicinal properties. Am amazed to see that restaurants and bars are now offering Pitahaya drinks and smoothies and even ice cream!!

Our next event will be a demonstration on the propagation of Pitahaya.

Thanks to Peter Penner for having us use his farm and for the many drinks and food. Thanks to the Director of Research Ina Sanchez and the Director of Fruit Tree Program, Faye Garnett for their technical contribution.

Grateful to DAC Barry Palacio and his staff for organizing the field day.

NOTICE

Westray Enterprises Limited #20,046 (“the Company”)

Pursuant to Section 102(4) of the International Business Companies Act, Chapter 270 of the Laws of Belize, Revised Edition 2011, notice is hereby given that Westray Enterprises Limited: a) is in dissolution b) commenced dissolution on the 29th day of July, 2021; and c) Serhiy Babych whose address is 17 Ryazanova street, apt.15, Kryvyi Rih city, Dnepropetrovskiy region, Ukraine is the Liquidator of the Company CILTrust International Limited Registered Agent

NOTICE

LEFORS DEVELOPMENTS LIMITED #19,138 (“the Company”)

Pursuant to Section 102(4) of the International Business Companies Act, Chapter 270 of the Laws of Belize, Revised Edition 2011, notice is hereby given that LEFORS DEVELOPMENTS LIMITED: a) is in dissolution b) commenced dissolution on the 29th day of July, 2021; and c) Vladyslav Smahlyuk whose address is 17 Ryazanova street, apt.18, Kryvyi Rih city, Dnepropetrovskiy region, Ukraine is the Liquidator of the Company CILTrust International Limited Registered Agent

8 AUG

2021

THE BELIZE TIMES

APARTHEID, ETHNIC CLEANSING AND SANCTIONS

Israeli forces shot and killed 11-year-old Mohammed al-Alami

By Assad Shoman Last week, Israeli forces shot and killed 11-year-old Mohammed al-Alami in the back seat of his father’s car, as the family were on their way home from grocery shopping. The next day at Mohammed’s funeral, Israeli soldiers attacked the procession, killing 20-yearold Shawkat Awad. That isn’t news, it happens all the time.

Back in May, people all over the world were appalled by the latest Israeli military assault on Gaza, a territory of 141 square miles housing over two million Palestinians, 80% of whom are refugees from other parts of Palestine.

In that exercise, some 240 Palestinian civilians were killed, including 66 children. All 2.1 million people in Gaza faced shortages of water and power, while the bombings destroyed or damaged over 1,000 homes.

The situation in Gaza is permanent. Every day, for, going on, 15 years, people are caged in what is known as the biggest prison on earth. Israel maintains a blockade of the entire area, by land and sea and air. This amounts to a crime against humanity. And most of the time, nearly all of the time, the world pays no attention.

Taking More and More Land The same can be said about the rest of Occupied Palestine, what is known as the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, which multiple UN resolutions have declared to be illegally occupied by Israeli military force.

These entities, Gaza, West Bank, are artificial divisions of what is one territory called Palestine, inhabited by Palestinians. In the late 19th century, the ideology of Zionism began to promote the creation of a Jewish state in Palestine, to be inhabited by Jews who had lived in Europe for centuries, using the slogan, ‘a land without people for a people without land’. But there were people in Palestine, practicing several faiths. In 1912, only 5% of the population was Jewish, and with the Zionist-promoted migration, by 1925 this grew to 15% and in 1946 to 31%.

Jews owned less than 6% of the land.

In the 1947-48 war the European Jews who had settled there in the previous decades succeeded, by terrorist acts including wiping out entire villag-

es, in taking 78% of the land of Palestine and declared the State of Israel. Over 750,000 Palestinians were driven from their homes and became refugees in other lands. These acts of ethnic cleansing continue to this day, because alone among states of the world, the state of Israel has no borders—it plans to take all of Palestine bit by bit.

Apartheid State Israel is a classic case of settler colonialism, where the invaders, typically Europeans, want the land for themselves, but they don’t want the people on it. That was the story of the British who took lands from the indigenous people and called them the United States of America, or Canada, or Australia.

And South Africa, except that there the indigenous were too many, plus they were useful for their labour power. So the whites established the system that came to be known as Apartheid. Apartheid was once thought to be confined to South Africa but that is not the case.

The Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, which came into effect in 2002 (Belize ratified the treaty in April 2000), defines Apartheid in Article 7 (2) (h): “The crime of apartheid” means inhumane acts of a character similar to those referred to in paragraph 1 [including deportation or forcible transfer of population and persecution against any identifiable group on, racial, national, ethnic, cultural, and other grounds] committed in the context of an institutionalized regime of systematic oppression and domination by one racial group over any other racial group or groups and committed with the intention of maintaining that regime.”

It was a Jewish Israeli organization that in February 2021, in a report entitled “A Regime of Jewish Supremacy from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea,” concluded “THIS IS APARTHEID”.

After providing evidence of the treatment of Palestinians by the Israeli state, both inside ’48 Israel and the occupied territories, this Israeli organization concluded that “the bar for defining the Israeli regime as an apartheid regime has been met after considering the accumulation of policies and laws that Israel devised to entrench its control over Palestinians.”

The international organization Human Rights Watch, in April 2021, issued a long report establishing that Israel is guilty of the well-defined crimes of Apartheid and persecution, and called on all States to “Issue individual and collective public statements expressing concern about Israeli authorities’ commission of the crimes of apartheid and persecution” and to “Impose targeted sanctions, including travel bans and asset freezes, against officials and entities responsible for the continued commission of grave international crimes, including apartheid and persecution.”

The Belizean State’s Responsibility Belize, in common with other UN members, has a responsibility to condemn and fight against Apartheid wher-

ever that grotesque system of racial segregation is practiced. Belize made representations to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in its Advisory Opinion on the Legal Consequences of the Construction of a Wall in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, known as the Apartheid Wall. The Court decided that the wall and all the practices of discrimination and persecution are contrary to international law. It said also that “all States parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention (as is Belize) have in addition the obligation to ensure compliance by Israel with international humanitarian law as embodied in that Convention.”

So far, however, the only sign the Belizean state has given of its opinion on Apartheid in Israel is that a couple years ago it actually invited the Israelis to provide training to our police force! A small group of people protested that outrage, but most Belizeans didn’t seem to be bothered much, even though they often see how the Israeli police and army treat Palestinian children protesting the occupation.

Our record so far makes us complicit in Israel’s crimes of Apartheid and persecution. At the very least, the Government should ensure that Belize complies with its obligation under international law to contribute to lawful and effective measures, including targeted sanctions, aimed at ending Israel’s grave violations of international humanitarian law and Palestinian human rights. ** Meanwhile, Biden’s “failed state” (something as ridiculous as saying that Cuba is a state sponsor of terrorism when it is the USA that has committed numerous acts of terrorism against Cuba) ended Tuesday at the Tokyo Olympics at #13 in the medals table, the highest in the Americas after the US, and ahead of Canada. And it still has a higher life expectancy, and a lower infant mortality rate, than the USA. And for those who believe the US propaganda that the blockade really does not hurt Cuba, that the hardships and scarcities are the fault of the communist regime, consider that Western Union has been operating in Cuba for twenty years. It was practically the sole agency used to send remittances from the US to Cuba, but the new Trump sanctions, kept in place by Biden, forced it to close. According to Oxfam, remittances are the main source of direct income for about half the population of Cuba. You think that doesn’t cause scarcities and hardships?

The US measures to stop fuel (which almost all activities depend on) from reaching Cuba have been draconian. In April, the Treasury Department blacklisted thirty-four ships for shipping crude oil to Cuba, and imposed costly penalties on two U.K.-based oil companies. The US continued to blacklist persons, companies, and ships from Italy, Colombia, Panama, and Cyprus, claiming they had all provided Cuba with oil.

The message was clear: anyone who delivers oil to Cuba should expect to face penalties that could be commercial-

11 ly catastrophic.

Even humanitarian aid is blockaded, truly a cruel as well as a criminal act.

The US government lies when it claims that the U.S. sanctions include humanitarian exemptions, and that any shortages of food and medicine are due to the failures of the Cuban government.

In fact, U.S. sanctions interfere not only with the Cuban state’s efforts to ensure adequate food and medicine, but also with those of international humanitarian organizations.

Recently the UN’s World Food Programme (WFP) undertook measures to support nutrition and food security. But U.S. sanctions repeatedly undermined its efforts. Because of U.S. penalties on ships that dock in Cuba, cargo ships bringing food are forced to stop over in a neighbouring country. The shipments then have to be offloaded and transported to Cuba on a different vessel, all of which causes delays and additional costs. The UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) reported that U.S. sanctions affect agriculture and food access in many ways. Banks often refuse to handle FAO’s financial transactions for the sale of food to Cuba. Suppliers in third countries cannot provide products to Cuba that were obtained from U.S. companies. Shipping companies will not contract to transport goods to Cuba, or will cancel their contracts.

Dr. Joy Gordon, Professor of Social Ethics at the Loyola University in Chicago (which many Belizeans have graduated from), concludes that “Regardless of its professed concern with human rights, the Biden administration appears to be doing whatever it can to worsen the situation in Cuba, to create chaos and instability, toward the end of regime change. No doubt it, too, is courting the Cuban American community in south Florida. But while the Biden administration is not as grotesque and cartoonish as its predecessor, its Cuba policies are very similar.”(1) Maybe not quite as cartoonish, but just as cruel and criminal.

In keeping, of course, with US policy. Regardless of who is President, or how hard or soft they play, the objective has never changed. As stated back in 1960, the objective is to create as much hardship, hunger and suffering among the Cuban people that they will rise up against their own government and install a new one that will be open to US capital and rampant capitalism once again.

Biden would so love to be the one US President, after all from the 34th to the 45th had tried and failed, to accomplish Cuba’s surrender. Good luck with that.

Cuba is sanctioned because it has chosen a non-capitalist path, but Israel, which has chosen to impose an Apartheid regime, is not only not sanctioned by the US but it is supplied with the military and economic means to uphold Apartheid. And it is against the law in 35 US states to promote boycotts against Israel! Although international law calls on all states to do so.

World gone wrong.

1. “A Sanctioned Crisis: The United States’s role in Cuba’s economic collapse” By Joy Gordon, August 3, 2021 https://www.commonwealmagazine. org/sanctioned-crisis Editor’s Note: The article above is solely the opinion of the author and not necessarily that of the People’s United Party.

58 12

8 AUG

THE BELIZE TIMES 2021

8 AUG

2021

8 AUG

2021

THE BELIZE TIMES 2015

BUILDING AND STRONG Min. Cordel Hyde, Ministry of Natural Resources

13

18 JAN

Minister Dolores and Minister of State Elvia Vega

‘Before you relax, Get Vax!’ Min. Michel Chebat and HW Team w/ IP Commissioner Ch’oc visited Seine Bight Village for consultations w/ the VC and NGC reps.

Hon. Jorge ‘Milin’ Espat, Cayo West

Customer Service Unit Training

Cayo West Youth Group still at work

San Pedro TC, fully vaccinated

In San Pedro for Land Clinic

Hon. Marconi Leal, Belize Rural North

Min. Jose Mai, Agriculture, Food Security and Enterprise

Min. Julius Espat, Infrastructure Development and Housing

BTB on hand assisting the people from the Altun Ha area with the BTB Grants.

Min. Kareem Musa, Home Affairs & New Growth Industries

Tour at the Northern Fishermen Cooperative

Familiarization Tour in Belmopan

In San Estevan Village

Toledo Cacao Growers Association is exporting its first shipment of Cacao nibs

On the Southern Highway

Ramiro Ramirez, Corozal Southwest

Louis Zabaneh, MoS in Ministry of Education w/ Hon. Mike Espat, Toledo East and Rodwell Ferguson

Inauguration of the Bella Vista Pre and Secondary School Hot mixing 1700 feet of the Lord’s Bank road

Hands-on, in the CSE villages

14

8 AUG

THE BELIZE TIMES

2021

Training on Mental Health Dr. Kendra Flores Carter, an Assistant Professor with the Department of Social Work at California Baptist University facilitated a training with social workers and residential care staff on mental health and adverse childhood experiences.

The session was organized

through the Office of the Special Envoy for the Development of Families and Children through its partnership with California Baptist University. This is a follow-up to the needs identified at a familiarization meeting hosted by Mrs. Rossana Briceno, Special Envoy earlier this year.

NOTICE

Corozal Town Council at Work

On August 4, the first layer of tar as a primer sealant was placed on 4th Avenue (from 1st St. North to 5th St. North), as part of the ongoing enhancement of our downtown Corozal Town.

We are imploring community residents to utilise the street with caution and care as the Council prepares for the 1st layer of tar and gravel in the upcoming days. The Council will also improve the street with adequate traffic signage and speed control methods where necessary.

We are grateful to the business community for their cooperation and understanding as we work to improve the Town.

We also thank the Government of Belize for the support with this project.

CTC - WORKING FOR A BETTER COROZAL TOWN!

GOVERNNMENT OF BELIZE TREASURY BILLS ISSUE NUMBER 9/2021 Tenders are invited for an issue of Government of Belize Treasury Bills. The amount of the issue will be $67,408,200.00.

The Bills will be issued in electronic form only evidenced by an electronic book entry in the Central Securities Depository of the Central Bank of Belize in multiples of $200 and will be repayable at par 91 days after issue. They will be issued on Wednesday, 18 August 2021 and will be redeemed on Wednesday, 17 November 2021.

Each tender must be for $200 or a multiple of $200 and must specify to five decimal places the amount, which is offered for each one hundred dollars face value of the Bills sought.

Members of the public who wish to participate in the auction must submit their bid to the Central Bank of Belize electronically or at the designated drop off box no later than 12:00 noon on Friday, 13 August 2021.

The Auction on the Central Securities Depository System (CSD) will be opened from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm on Wednesday, 18 August 2021.

Successful bidders should arrange to settle via the Automated Payment & Securities Settlement System of Belize (APSSS).

Bank: Central Bank of Belize Account: GLICORP0402627 The Government of Belize reserves the right to accept or reject any and/or all tenders in whole or in part.

CENTRAL BANK OF BELIZE Notices are placed on Central Bank of Belize Website (www.centralbank.org.bz)

Minister Musa Familiarization Tour In Belmopan

Minister Kareem Musa, on August 4, 2021, met with specialized units at the Police Training Academy, City of Belmopan.

This afternoon, Minister of Home Affairs & New Growth Industries Hon Kareem Musa continued his national familiarization tour in the City of Belmopan, met with the personnel of the Police Academy, MIT, SPU, ATIPS, PITU & Special Branch.

Minister Musa was being accompanied by the Commissioner of Police - Chester Williams, Head Special Branch - Sr. Supt. Sandra Bowden, all the Specialized Units Commanders & their Deputies, COMPOL’s Staff Officer - Supt.

Clement Cacho, President of the BPD Association - Sgt. Jermaine Hyde & other support staff.

During this tour today, Minister Musa & the team, inspected the guard, group meetings with all the police officers, one & one discussions with police officers requesting an audience & presentation by the president of BPD Association.

9 July 2021

8 AUG

2021

15

THE BELIZE TIMES

Scholarship for 7 Police Officers

PUBLIC AUCTION SALES: PROPERTIES

PUBLIC SALES: PROPERTIES Belama Phase 1, Belize City; TheAUCTION Placencia Residences; Seine Bight Village, Pensinsula PeninBelama Phase 1, Belize City; The Placencia Residences; Seine Bight Village, Pensinsula Peninsula & sula & Pomona Village Extension , Stann Creek District; Punta Gorda Town, Toledo District Pomona Village Extension , Stann Creek District; Punta Gorda Town, Toledo District

BY ofof thethe Mortgagees Messrs.

TheThe Belize BankBank Corporation Limited Messrs.

The Belize BYORDER ORDER Mortgagees Messrs.

Belize Corporation Limited Messrs.

The Bank Belize Bank International Limited andand Messrs.

The The Belize BankBank Limited, Licensed Auctioneers Kevin A. Castillo and International Limited Messrs.

Belize Limited, Licensed Auctioneers Kevin A. Castillo and Christiana areare selling ONLINE viavia belizepropertyauctions.com those those properties appearing below. below.

ChristianaR.R.Castillo Castillo selling ONLINE belizepropertyauctions.com properties appearing th Sales andand willwill expire onAUCTION Monday 16 16th August 2021 at the at times on the website.

Salescurrently currentlyrunning running expire on Monday August 2021 theshown times shown on the website.

PUBLIC SALES: PROPERTIES 1.

Parcel No. 2407/1 Samuel Crescent, Belama Phase 1, Village, BelizePensinsula City: Peninsula & Belama Phase 1, Belize Haynes City; The Placencia Residences; Bight PUBLIC AUCTION SALES:Seine PROPERTIES

1. Parcel No. 2407/1 Haynes 1, Belize Pomona Samuel Village Extension , Stann Crescent, Creek District; Belama Punta GordaPhase Town, Toledo District City:

Belama Phase 1, Belize City; The Placencia Residences; Seine Bight Village, Pensinsula Peninsula &

BY ORDER of the Mortgagees Messrs. The Belize Bank Corporation Limited Messrs. The Belize Bank Pomona Village Extension , Stann Creek District; Punta Gorda Town, Toledo District International Limited and Messrs. The Belize Bank Limited, Licensed Auctioneers Kevin A. Castillo and BYChristiana ORDER R. of Castillo the Mortgagees Bank Corporation Limited Messrs.appearing The Belize Bank are sellingMessrs.

ONLINEThe via Belize belizepropertyauctions.com those properties below.

International Limited and Messrs.

Belize Bank Limited, Licensed Kevin A.website.

Castillo and Sales currently running and willThe expire on Monday 16th August 2021 at Auctioneers the times shown on the Christiana R. Castillo are selling ONLINE via belizepropertyauctions.com those properties appearing below.

1.

Parcel No. 2407/1 Samuel Haynes Crescent, Belama Phase 1, Belize City: Sales currently running and will expire on Monday 16th August 2021 at the times shown on the website.

1.

Parcel No. 2407/1 Samuel Haynes Crescent, Belama Phase 1, Belize City:

“Education is the key to police reform.” - Hon. Kareem Musa, Minister of Home Affairs and New Growth Industries.

On August 4th, 2021, seven police officers, of the Western Police Formation, received 6th forms scholarships, from Sacred Heart Junior College.

In partnership with the Ministry of Home Affairs, Belize Police Department & Sacred Heart Junior College, a memorandum of understanding was officially signed by Hon. Kareem Musa, COMPOL Chester Williams, ACP Richard Rosado, President of Sacred Heart College Mrs. Rocio Carballo & Dean of Sacred Heart Junior College Mr. Fermin Magana, for seven scholarships that seven police officers who will be obtaining their associate degrees.

Congrats to Dracir Reid, Joan Barrera, Evaristo Choc, Crystal Castillo, Melonie Magdaleno, Laujuana Gillette & Ciriaco Medina, who were the scholarship recipients.

Also attending this important, historical event were Hon. Alex Balona, Hon. Jorge Espat & Hon. Orlando Habet.

REGISTRATION SECTION PARCELS Registration Section BLOCKBlock Parcel Caribbean Shores 16 2407/1 2407/1 Caribbean Shores 16 (Being a two-storey timber/concrete dwelling house [2,576 sq. ft.]: Ground Floor – two apartments (Being two-storey timber/concrete dwelling house [2,576 sq. ft.]: Ground Floor – +two each a containing 2 bedrooms + 1 bathroom + living/dining/kitchen; First Floor - 3 bedrooms 2 apartments Registration Section Block Parcel each containing 2 bedrooms + 1 bathroom + living/dining/kitchen; First Floor Haynes - 3 bedrooms + 2 bathCaribbean 16 meters] situate 2407/1 bathrooms + living/dining/kitchen andShores lot [380.516 square on Samuel Crescent, rooms + living/dining/kitchen lotdwelling [380.516 meters] situate on apartments Samuel Haynes Crescent, (Being two-storey timber/concrete house square [2,576 ft.]: Ground Floor – two Belama Phase 1,a Belize City, theand leasehold property of Ms.sq.Elizabeth Villanueva.) each1,containing 2 bedrooms + 1 bathroom + living/dining/kitchen; First FloorParcel -Villanueva.)

3 bedrooms + 2 Registration Section Block Belama Belize City, leasehold property of Ms. Elizabeth 2. No. 1486 Phase West Wind Drive, Thethe Placencia Residences, Placencia Peninsula, Stann Creek District: bathrooms + living/dining/kitchen and lot [380.516 square meters] situate on Samuel Haynes Crescent, Caribbean Shores

16

2407/1

2. No. 1486 West Wind Drive, The Placencia Residences, Placencia Peninsula, Belama Phase 1, timber/concrete Belize City, the leasehold property Ms. Elizabeth Villanueva.)

(Being a two-storey dwelling house of [2,576 sq. ft.]: Ground Floor – two apartments Stann 2.each No. containing 1486 West Wind Drive, The Placencia Residences, Placencia Peninsula, Stann- Creek District: 2 bedrooms + 1 bathroom + living/dining/kitchen; First Floor 3 bedrooms +2 Creek District: bathrooms + living/dining/kitchen and lot [380.516 square meters] situate on Samuel Haynes Crescent, Belama Phase 1, Belize City, the leasehold property of Ms. Elizabeth Villanueva.)

2. No. 1486 West Wind Drive, The Placencia Residences, Placencia Peninsula, Stann Creek District:

REGISTRATION SECTION BLOCK REGISTRATION SECTION BLOCK PARCELPARCEL REGISTRATION SECTION BLOCK PARCELS Placencia North 36 36 1486 Placencia North 1486 (Being a three storey timber/vinyl dwelling house: Ground Floor 28 ft.

X 59 ft. + porch 8 ft.

X Placencia North 36 1486 (Being a three storey timber/vinyl dwelling house: Ground Floor 28 ft. X 59 ft. + porch28 8 ft. ft. X 28 ft. containing 2 bedrooms + 1 bathroom + living/dining/kitchen + laundry + utility room + storage under containing staircase; 2 bedrooms + 1 bathroom +ft.living/dining/kitchen + laundry + utility +room + storage under First Floor: 22 ft. X 43dwelling + porch 5house: ft. X 22Ground ft. containing master + walk-in (Being a three storey timber/vinyl Floor 28bedroom ft. X 59 bathroom ft. ++porch 8 ft. X 28 ft. containREGISTRATION SECTION BLOCK PARCEL+ walk-in staircase; First Floor: ft. X 5 attic ft. X(access 22 ft.tocontaining master bedroom bathroom closet; Second22 Floor: 10 43 ft. Xft.10+ft.porch viewing all three floors via internal concrete staircase ing 2 bedrooms + 1 bathroom + living/dining/kitchen + laundry + utility room + storage under staircase; Placencia North 36 via 1486 with timber lot squareattic meters (1099.95tosquare yards)] situate on internal West Windconcrete Drive, The closet; Second Floor:steps) 10 ft.andX 10[919.702 ft. viewing (access all three floors staircase Firsttimber Floor: ft.and X 43 ft. +Placencia porch 5 ft. meters X house: 22 ft.(1099.95 containing master bedroom +8West bathroom + walk-in (Being a22 three storey dwelling Ground Floor 28freehold ft. X 59 ft. + porch ft.

X Wind 28 ft. Drive, Placencia Residences, Peninsula, Stann Creek District, the property ofon Mr. Ron with steps) lottimber/vinyl [919.702 square square yards)] situate The closet; Oczkowski andX Ms.10 Bell.) + living/dining/kitchen containing 210 bedrooms +Barbara 1ft. bathroom + utilityvia room + storage under Second Floor: ft. viewing attic (access to all+ laundry three floors internal Placencia Residences, Placencia Peninsula, Stann Creek District, the freehold property of concrete Mr. Ron staircase with *******NB. Restrictions on use of Property is available upon request******* staircase; First Floor: 22 ft. X square 43 ft. + porch 5 ft.(1099.95 X 22 ft. containing master bedroom +on bathroom + walk-in timber steps) and [919.702 meters squarePeninsula, yards)] situate West Wind Drive, The PlaOczkowski and2108 Ms.lot Barbara Bell.)

3. No. Wind Drive, Placenciaattic Residences, Placencia Creek District: closet; SecondWest Floor: 10 ft.

X 10The ft. viewing (access to all three floors viaStann internal concrete staircase

cencia Residences, Placencia Stann Creek District, the freehold property of Mr. Ron Oczkowski *******NB. Restrictions onPeninsula, use ofsquare Property is (1099.95 available upon yards)] request******* with timber steps) and lot [919.702 meters square situate on West Wind Drive, The and2108 Ms. Barbara Bell.)

3. No. West Wind Drive, The Placencia Residences, Placencia Peninsula, Stann Creek Placencia Residences, Placencia Peninsula, Stann Creek District, the freehold property of Mr. Ron District: *******NB. Restrictions on use of Property is available upon request******* Oczkowski and Ms. Barbara Bell.) *******NB. on use The of Property is available upon request******* 3. No. 2108 WestRestrictions Wind Drive, Placencia Residences, Placencia Peninsula, Stann 3. No. 2108 West Wind Drive, The Placencia Residences, Placencia Peninsula, Stann Creek District: Creek District:

Fort George Women’s Group Activity

REGISTRATION SECTION BLOCK PARCEL Placencia North 36 2108 (Being a two-storey concrete building [32 ft. X 32 inclusive of a porch 5 ft. X 16 ft. + back porch 5 ft. wide containing Ground Floor: master bedroom + walk-in closet + bathroom + living/dining/kitchen + half bathroom REGISTRATION + laundry room; Second SECTION Floor: 1 bedroom + closet + bathroom (access via internal concrete & BLOCK PARCEL

Placencia North 36 2108 (Being a two-storey concrete building [32SECTION ft. X 32 BLOCK inclusive of PARCELS a porchBLOCK 5 ft. X 16 ft. + backPARCEL porch 5 ft. wide REGISTRATION REGISTRATION SECTION Placencia North+ walk-in closet + bathroom +36living/dining/kitchen 2108+ half containing Ground Floor: master bedroom Placencia North (Being a two-storey concrete building ft. X 3236 inclusive porch 5 ft. X 16 ft. +via back porch 5concrete ft. wide & bathroom + laundry room; Second Floor:[32 1 bedroom + closetof+a2108 bathroom (access internal containing Ground Floor: master bedroom + walk-in closet + bathroom + living/dining/kitchen + half

(Being a two-storey concrete building ft. X 32+ inclusive of a porch 5 ft.

16 ft.concrete + back &porch 5 ft. wide bathroom + laundry room; Second Floor:[32 1 bedroom closet + bathroom (access viaX internal containing Ground Floor: master bedroom + walk-in closet + bathroom + living/dining/kitchen + half bathroom + laundry room; Second Floor: 1 bedroom + closet + bathroom (access via internal concrete & tiled staircase)] and lot [937.060 S.M.]S.M.] situate on West WindWind Drive,Drive, The Placencia Residences, Placencia tiled staircase)] and lot [937.060 situate on West The Placencia Residences, Placencia Peninsula, StannStann Creek District.)

Peninsula, District.) tiled staircase)] andCreek lot [937.060 S.M.] situate on West Wind Drive, The Placencia Residences, Placencia *******NB. Restrictions on use of Property is available upon request******* Restrictions on use Property available upon request******* tiled staircase)] and lot [937.060 S.M.] situate onof West Wind is Drive, The Placencia Residences, Placencia Peninsula, Stann*******NB. Creek District.)

4.

Parcel No. 1523 Seine Bight Village, Placencia Stann Creek District: Peninsula, Stann1523 CreekSeine District.) *******NB. Restrictions on use of Property isPeninsula, availablePeninsula, upon request******* 4.

Parcel No. Bight Village, Placencia Stann Creek District: *******NB. Restrictions on use of Property is available uponStann request******* 4.

Parcel No. 1523 Seine Bight Village, Placencia Peninsula, Creek District: 4.

Parcel No. 1523 Seine Bight Village, Placencia Peninsula, Stann Creek District:

This weekend the Fort George Women’s Group held a clinic and presentation on the topic of Diabetes Mellitus. Dr. Kennedi Molina was invited to share her expertise on the topic. Weight, measurements, oxygen levels, blood pressure and sugar were checked for each participant.

“Preventative Care has always been a passion of mine and being able to help educate the Belizean population on the importance of Diabetes and the steps needed to protect, prevent and manage diabetes is a great privilege. I look forward to more opportunities to continue spreading the importance of preventative health. Thank you again to the Fort George Community for having me.” ~Dr. Molina

PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT: PRICE OF FLOUR

The Supplies Control Unit (SCU) of the Belize Bureau of Standards has received reports of an increase in the price of wheat flour countrywide.

The SCU advises the public that there has been no change to the controlled price for Bebe Agua and La Gitana flour in the marketplace. Such change would require discussions with the Belize ADM (flour mill) and an approval by the Government of Belize. The reports of flour price increase above the controlled prices are, therefore, not substantiated.

The unit takes this opportunity to remind consumers that as per Supplies

REGISTRATION SECTION REGISTRATION SECTIONBLOCK PARCELS BLOCK PARCEL REGISTRATION BLOCK PARCEL Placencia 36 1523 Placencia North North SECTION 36 1523 Placencia North 36 REGISTRATION SECTION BLOCK (Being a two storey timber/concrete dwelling house containing: Ground Floor - Open Area [21 PARCEL ft.1523 x 21 ft.]; (Being a two two storey storeytimber/concrete timber/concrete dwelling house containing: Ground Floor Open Area [21xft.

21 ft.]; Placencia North 36ft.- xOpen house containing: Ground Floor Area [21 1523 ft.

21xwith ft.]; First Floor - 3 bedrooms + 1 bathroom +dwelling living/dining/kitchen + verandah [27 27 ft.]

TOGETHER First Floor 3bedrooms bedrooms 1 bathroom + living/dining/kitchen + verandah [27 27[21 ft.]ft.TOGETHER (Being a two timber/concrete dwelling house containing:+Ground Floor Area x 21 ft.]; First Floor --3storey ++ 1 bathroom + living/dining/kitchen verandah [27 -ft.Open x 27ft. ft.]x TOGETHER with lot [608 S.M.] situate west of the Placencia Road in the Village of Seine Bight, Placencia Peninsula, Stann with lot S.M.] [608 S.M.] of the in the Village of[27 Seine Peninsula, First Floor - 3 bedrooms + 1ofwest bathroom + Placencia living/dining/kitchen +ofverandah ft.Placencia xBight, 27 ft.]Placencia TOGETHER with lot [608 situatesituate west the Placencia Road in Road the Village Seine Bight, Peninsula, Stann Creek District, the freehold property of Ms. Sherlette Augustine) Stann Creek the freehold property of Ms. Sherlette lot [608 S.M.]District, situate west ofproperty the Placencia in the VillageAugustine) of Seine Bight, Placencia Peninsula, Stann Creek District, the freehold of Ms. Road Sherlette Augustine) 5. Lot No. 59A Pomona Village Extension, Stann Creek District: Creek District, the freehold property of Ms.Stann Sherlette Augustine) 5. Lot No. 59A Pomona Village Extension, Creek District: Lot Pomona Village Extension, Stann Creek District: 5. 5.

Lot No.No. 59A59A Pomona Village Extension, Stann Creek District:

ALL ALL THAT piecepiece or parcel of land being LotLot No.No. 59A, comprising 696.567 square metres situate in Pomona THAT orparcel parcel ofland land being 59A, comprising 696.567 square ALL THAT piece or of being Lot No. 59A, comprising 696.567 squaremetres metressituate situateininPomona Pomona Village Extension, Stann Creek District, Belize shown on on Plan 504504 of of 2011 attached to Minister’s Fiat (Grant) No. ALL THAT piece or parcel of land being Lot No. 59A, comprising 696.567 square metres situate in Pomona Village Extension, Stann Creek District, Belize shown Plan 2011 attached to Minister’s Fiat (Grant) Village Extension, Stann Creek District, Belize shown on Plan 504 of 2011 attached to Minister’s FiatNo. 504 of 2011 more particularly shown andand delineated on on a Plan of of Survey byby Licensed Kirk.

M. Village Extension, Stann Creek District, Belize shown on Plan 504 of 2011 attached toSurveyor Minister’s Fiat (Grant) No. 504 of 2011 more particularly shown delineated a Plan Survey LicensedSurveyor Kirk.

M. (Grant) No. 504 of 2011 more particularly shown and delineated on a Plan of Survey by Licensed SurveyEmmanuel recorded at the Lands andand Surveys Department, District ininRegister 504 of registered 2011registered moreand particularly shown delineated on a Plan of SurveyBelmopan, by LicensedCayo Surveyor Kirk.

M. Emmanuel and recorded at and the Lands Surveys Department, Belmopan, Cayo District Register29 29 or Kirk. M.Emmanuel registered and recorded at the Lands and Surveys Department, Belmopan, Cayo Emmanuel registered andbungalow recorded at the house Lands and[approx.

Surveys Department, Belmopan, Cayo District in Register 8087.

(Being a concrete dwelling house 935 sq. ft.] containing 3bedrooms bedrooms +11bathroom bathroom + 29 8087.District (Being a concrete bungalow dwelling [approx.

935 sq. ft.] containing 3 + + in Register 29 8087. (Being a concrete bungalow dwelling house [approx. 935 sq. ft.] containing 3 8087. (Being a concrete bungalow dwelling house [approx.

935 S.M.] sq. ft.] containing 3 bedrooms +Extension, 1 bathroomStann + living/dining/kitchen + balcony TOGETHER with [696.567 situate in Pomona Village Extension, Stann living/dining/kitchen + balcony TOGETHER with lot lot situate in Pomona Village bedrooms + 1 bathroom + living/dining/kitchen +[696.567 balcony S.M.] TOGETHER with lot [696.567 S.M.] situate in living/dining/kitchen + balcony TOGETHER with lot Williams) [696.567 S.M.] situate in Pomona Village Extension, Stann Creek District, the freehold property of Mr. Thurman CreekPomona District, the freehold property of Creek Mr. Thurman Village Extension, Stann District,Williams) the freehold property of Mr. Thurman Williams) Creek the freehold property ofTown, Mr. Thurman Williams) No.District, 1092 Street, Punta Gorda Town, Toledo District: 6. 6.No. 1092 SixthSixth Street, Punta Gorda Toledo District: 6. 6. No. No.1092 1092 Sixth Punta Gorda Town, Toledo District: SixthStreet, Street, Punta Gorda Town, Toledo District:

Control Regulations, the SCU is mandated to regulate price-controlled goods (PCG’s), which includes but are not limited to sugar, flour, beans, grade C rice, 16 oz loaf bread (sliced and unsliced), liquefied petroleum gas, fuel (diesel, premium, regular and kerosene), and general sanitizers and cleaners. Any commodity outside the scope of the PCG’s regime does not fall within the jurisdiction of the SCU. Consumers are advised to be vigilant during this time and report any issues that may be encountered in the marketplace by calling our Consumer Protection Toll free line at (0- 800-283-5587).

REGISTRATION SECTION BLOCK PARCELS Block Parcel Punta GordaRegistration Section 42 1092 Registration Block Parcel PuntaSection Gorda 42 1092 Registration Section Block Parcel Punta Gorda 42 1092 (Being a small masonry block building [16[16 ft. X ft.]ft.] + zinc shed andand lotlot [713.37 situate on on Sixth Punta Gorda 42 1092S.Y.] (Being a small masonry block building ft.24 X 24 + zinc shed [713.37 S.Y.] situate Sixth (Being aPunta small masonry block building [16[16 ft.the X 24 ft.]ft.] + property zinc shed and lotFern [713.37 S.Y.] situate Street, Gorda Town, Toledo District, ofof Ms. Carin Gutierrez).

(Being a small masonry block building ft.freehold Xfreehold 24 +property zinc shed and [713.37 situateon onSixth Sixth Street, Punta Gorda Town, Toledo District, the Ms. lot Fern Carin S.Y.] Gutierrez).

Street, PuntaPunta Gorda Town, Toledo District, the the freehold property of of Ms. Fern Street, Gorda Town, Toledo District, freehold property Ms. FernCarin CarinGutierrez).

Gutierrez).

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION -

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION - www.belizebank.com (foreclosure listing) www.belizebank.com (foreclosure listing) ADDITIONAL INFORMATION - www.belizebank.com (foreclosure TERMS: CASH ADDITIONAL INFORMATION - STRICTLY www.belizebank.com (foreclosurelisting) listing) TERMS: STRICTLY CASH KEVIN A. CASTILLO TERMS: STRICTLY CASH TERMS: STRICTLY CASH KEVIN A. CASTILLO CHRISTIANA CASTILLO KEVIN A. CASTILLO KEVIN A.R. CASTILLO TELEPHONE 223-4488 TELEPHONE 223-4488 TELEPHONE 223-4488 TELEPHONE 223-4488 Website: belizepropertyauctions.com Website: www.belizepropertyauctions.com E-mail: kevinacas@yahoo.com Website: belizepropertyauctions.com Website: belizepropertyauctions.com E-mail: kevinacas@yahoo.com E-mail: kevinacas@yahoo.com Face Book: BelizeAuctions Auctions E-mail: kevinacas@yahoo.com Face Book: Belize Face Book: Belize Auctions Face Book: Belize Auctions

16

THE BELIZE TIMES

Strength in Numbers

By Hon. Gilroy Usher, Port Loyola Representative “We cannot be separated in interest or divided in purpose. We stand together until the end.” – Woodrow T. Wilson The Chinese Association of Belize, the National Garifuna Council, the Maya Alcalde Association, the Belize Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI), and other organizations stand up for the rights of their members through dialogue with government and other bodies. Individually, each of the groups represent less than ten percent of the population. Nevertheless, when the members of any of those organizations speak with one voice they get results, because unity is strength in numbers which influences power.

The black population, Creole people, in Belize is the only ethnic group which doesn’t have an organization to express its concerns with social justice, inequality, poverty and crime including gangs to the administration of the day and other bodies. There are even several organizations

that protect manatees, howler monkeys, jaguars, dogs, and other animals. Yet, there is no such organization on the ground to demand protection, social justice, a better life for the black Belizeans.

Five black men were murdered in Belize City last week in continuous gang violence. One of the alleged shooters was a minor which is becoming the norm. The particular minor was fatally shot by Police as he fired upon the officers in trying to flee the scene. The deaths are not anything to cheer about. Those, who lost their lives all had families, and… all lives matter.

Not a single press release was issued by the churches or any of the many civil rights organization in the country to a) condemn the Black on Black carnage and b) demand that the government do it’s best to end the gang crisis it inherited, and address the root causes of the problem—pressing social issues.

The murder of five members of any other ethnic group in a single week in this country would have resulted in street protests and a flood of press releases denouncing the carnage and demanding that the government put an immediate end to the bloodshed. Not so when five black youths suffer the same fate.

That is an indication of how much the lives of lost and marginalized black youths and their entire communities are valued or written off by certain sections of the society.

Sadly, in the absence of their own association to stand up for their rights not even black people, the victims of the five latest deaths in the street murders, could stand up for themselves with one voice to

1) condemn the violence and 2) demand respect of their fundamental rights as stated in the Constitution of Belize.

Divided, black people remain at the mercy of whichever party is in power to address their struggles in whatever shape or form they choose if at all. As the second largest population in the country and the largest ethnic group in seven of the ten divisions in Belize City which is the commercial and media capital of the country, black people have the numbers in the old capital to demand the most basic things for a better life from their Area Representatives and any government for election or reelection to office. Fragmented, however, they are powerless with scores of black persons dependent on the same politicians for their daily survival. Shocking, but real.

The gang problem, which results in all sorts of terrible social issues, started in the early 80s about three or four years after Independence. In that thirty-five plus years approximately 1000 mainly black members of gangs have been murdered by their rivals along with several of their innocent relatives and friends. That clearly shows that, unlike what some people mistakenly believe, simply leaving the members of gangs to continuously murder each other will not bring an end to the problem.

The solution to the nightmare is jobs, education, counseling, prosecution, and better home conditions to channel the youths towards the right direction.

Gangs have gotten worse in the country under both political parties especially during the thirteen years of the previous administration. Those thirteen years should be called ‘the great betrayal’.

During that time the then administration used thousands of dollars monthly to actually pay members of gangs to stay home

8 AUG

2021 and keep the peace especially at election time. That was done for cheap, quick, and easy political gain. Those funds should have been used instead to provide black youths with real jobs and, in so doing, teach them life skills such as a fair day’s work for a fair day’s pay. Those are the skills necessary for black youths to function as law-abiding citizens.

Of course, when the free money was depleted, hell broke loose in the country, particularly in Belize City with robberies, burglaries, and murders of members of rival gangs. There has been no escape from the crime and violence for long periods since then.

The United Black Association for Development (UBAD) that was headed

by Evan X Hyde in the late 1960’s was the last attempt to organize black people of the Belize as an association for their own betterment. Such group, force, or association enabled their representatives to discuss their problems and solutions with the government and request the implementation of specific programs for the betterment of themselves and their communities.

In the privacy of their homes and with close friends most black persons discuss their uphill battles for a better life in the country, and admit that with the way things are presently headed for them, their future in Belize looks bleak.

What black people in Belize need to realize is that by forming an association or organization specifically to represent their interest on a wide range of social issues, they are guaranteed a better future in Belize. That’s because, they will then have strength in numbers to demand social justice, development, and equal protection from any government of the day exactly as the other ethnics groups and organizations have done and continue to do.

8 AUG

2021

THE BELIZE TIMES

THINK ABOUT IT On the 19th July, 2021 Supreme Court Judge Honourable Westmin R. A. James handed down an important decision upholding the constitutional rights guaranteed to all citizens of Belize. The judgement is crucial as it protects all of us from arbitrary search and illegal profiling which the police insist on carrying out despite these rights have always been the law in this country. We quote below the exact words of the Judge from pages 24 and 25 of his significant decision.

“On the basis of the above, the Court makes the Following ORDERS; 1. A Declaration that the search of the Claimants person carried out by officers of the Belize Police Department, on the 4th August, 2020, was in the absence of any reasonable suspicion or reasonable belief and, contravened section 9 of the Belize Constitution.

2. A Declaration that the photographing of the Claimants identification card constituted an unlawful and disproportionate interference with the Claimant’s right guaranteed under section 14 of the Belize constitution to not be subjected to arbitrary or unlawful interference with his privacy, except under the authority of a law which makes reasonable provision in accordance with section 9 (2) of the constitution, 3. A Declaration that the retention of the photograph of the claimant’s identification card further constituted an unlawful and disproportionate interference of his right guaranteed under 14 of the Belize constitution to not be subjected to arbitrary or unlawful interference with his privacy, except under the authority of law which makes reasonable provision in accordance with section 9(2) of the constitution.

4. A Declaration that the actions of officers of the Police Department, on the 4th of August 2020 failed to recognize and treat Mr. Gregg Nunez with the dignity and respect required by section 3 of the Belize Constitution.

5. An injunction restraining the Defendants, their servants or agents or otherwise from taking and retaining photographs of persons not charged or convicted with an offence in the absence of any law authorizing and regulating the same; 6. An order that the Defendants, their servants or agents or others destroy any photograph of the Claimants identification cards; 7. Damages in the sum of $5,000.00 to Mr. Greg Nunez and $3,000.00 for Mr. Bryton Codd.”

8. Vindicatory damages to each Claimant in the sum of $10,000.00; and costs in the sum of $12,500.00 to each Claimant.

WHAT THEY SAY ABOUT FABER IS TRUE The last, outgoing set of UDP politicians were in a class by themselves.

Dean “the two sided machete” Barrow was pure pain and sorrow as he presided over the worse and most corrupt government in the country. Gapi “no ordinary Belizean” Vega turned the Lands Ministry into a cesspool of corruption. Boots “am a millionaire” Martinez never had to touch his salary even as he bought million dollar buildings after million dollars buildings from money he claimed he receives by fixing billiards tables. Yeah right!

Michael “bukut” Finnegan was the court jester and national clown who built about forty plywood houses after thirteen years as housing minister and millions of dollars improperly spent while leaving the people of mesop more messed up than before.

And the list goes on.

All theses monsters, vampires, werewolves and other pestilence have left the stage, kicked out of office by an angry and long-suffering people.

But Patrick ‘woman beater’ Faber still lingers on. He took busloads of poor voters to Corozal for alcohol and pibil from Petrocaribe monies, he is now one of two ‘leaders of the opposition’.

Several of his party colleagues have been publicly making a serious allegation against him.

At the recent special convocation to decide whether to oust Faber as party leader, he was unable to obtain half of the delegates’ votes. He remained party leader because the UDP rules are very undemocratic. So long as a party leader can get a hundred and sixty two votes he cannot be removed. Every heard of such a ridiculous requirement. And these were the guys who ran (ruined) our country for the last thirteen years.

The criticism that if Faber as party leaders could not even get half of the delegates to support him he should do the proper thing and resign.

This is how real democracy works.

AUGUST THEN SEPTEMBER Well brothers and sisters, we “experienced” our first official Emancipation Day. Finally, a law has been passed that each year on the 1st day of August, freedom from slavery will be remembered, maybe even celebrated in Belize.

The move from slavery to freedom must have brought great rejoicing to

17

those who only knew a life of being a slave. On 1st August 1838, there must have been great rejoicing -drums, dancing, drinking, singing and carousing.

The 1st August 2021, was a Sunday. Sundays in Belize seem like the most boring day of the week. This Sunday, we were under a curfew and the fear of increasing Covid infections. The government had officially made Monday a public holiday.

The Minister of Education gave a powerful address to the nation to mark Emancipation Day. It was a relevant and fitting speech for the occasion. Respect is due, Honorable Francis.

Respect is also due to the few who organized discussions and small, significant events. Local television stations were a big disappointment, they made no efforts except for Krem. Hopefully, we will all be better prepared for 1st August 2022.

Then there is 15th August. In 1947, the colonial British were finally chased out of the sub-continent of India. It was an epic struggle that had been ongoing from 1857. Outstanding leaders like Gopal Krishna Gokhale in the late 1860’s to early 1900’s, to the famous Jawaherlal Nehru from late 1880s to 1960s to the great Mohandas Mahatma Gandhi whose non-violent strategy upended the British and brought freedom to millions of Indians.

After the enslavement of Africans by the British ended in all their colonies on 1st August 1838, the British brought in East Indians to Belize replace the free labour they enjoyed by using slaves from Africa. This is how large numbers of east Indians entered the Caribbean Countries, including Belize.

In the so called “ good-old days,” East Indians started celebrating their homeland’s independence. Events took place in the Yarborough area where many East Indians lived. They dressed in their native attire and many danced and performed a number of traditional rituals.

Perhaps NICH can start meetings with the “last of the Mohicans” in an effort to recall that we had vibrant, tranquil East Indians in our midst. We note with sadness how they have all been going quietly into that good night.

The recent arrivals of East Indians to Belize seem to be mostly business persons. They seldom intermarry and do not mingle with the remnants of their country men and women who have lived in Belize for generations. One reason is the new arrivals are prejudiced and come from a society with a rigid class system.

Another reason is that most of the original migrants of East Indians are poor, same as creoles, Mayas, mestizos, and Garinagu, while most of the recent arrivals (from the 1970s) are fairly wealthy.

Belize is a melting pot of ethnic groups and races. It is one of the features that make our country unique and special. Anything which weakens one of us, weakens all of us. We are all like links in a chain.

MORE UDP CORRUPTION The UDP government, which ruined our country, was awash in corruption. Years and years of corruption piled up in their bank accounts.

Every program they touched, every project they put in place were all infected with corruption. Roads, bridges, streets, roundabouts, school buildings, fire station-everything was a hustle, a kickback, a bribe, and thieving.

Latest exposure comes in a detailed Audit Report concerning poor people’s grocery assistance. Under the UDP, most ministers decided on who can and who can’t receive a little help with groceries on a regular basis.

PUP supporters, no matter how poor and how much their innocent children needed help, they would never, ever get a little rice and flour and beans or tortilla.

A certain stinging bee refuse to cooperate with the Auditor General and although some shadiness have been uncovered there are sticky questions yet to be answered.

The so-called pantry program was a big hustle for the UDP. And sad to say, some public officers let us down.

On another level, Belizeans want to know what is happening with our Boledo and Lottery which were stolen by the UDP government and as Minister Julius Espat has intimated frustratingly, when will the Police arrest certain former Ministers whose misdeeds have been documented?

BARROW, SORROW, GRABAMENT The huge, overpriced monument to greed and corruption which is sitting by the Chetumal bridge is completing its construction. Minister Julius Espat says such a building should cost no more than approximately 15 to 17 million dollars. Dean Barrow spent 27 million dollars on it. There goes a man who knew how to waste taxpayers’ money while poverty rolled from 41 percent to 60 percent.

The building should have a small mud or plastic statue of Barrow as a constant reminder of how we should never, ever allow what he did to ever, never happen again.

There should be a public competition of what to name the statue. The greedy hands should be extra-large and molded in a money-grabbing posture.

Hey! What about the name -The Barrow Grabament.

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THE BELIZE TIMES

8 AUG

2021

UNHCR Donates Medical Equipment in Response to COVID-19 in the South of Belize BELMOPAN, Belize 29 July 2021 – UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, donated medical and personal protective equipment to the Independence Poly Clinic, San Juan Health Post, the Bella Vista Poly Clinic and Community Health Workers in the Independence sub-region.

These donations are part of the continued efforts to support the government in preventing the spread of COVID-19 in Belize. With the donation of PPEs, including 2,800 KN95 masks, 4,000 surgical masks, 2,450 disposable gowns, 500 face shields, 6,600 pairs of gloves, and equipment such as 3 vital signs monitors, 6 pulse oximeters, 7 and infrared thermometers, UNHCR hopes to enhance access to health services and reduce the risk among frontline health workers.

“These donations will continue to help the fight against the coronavirus pandemic,” said Dr. Rayford Rancharan, Medical Chief of Staff at Independence Poly Clinic, “They help us do our jobs and keep our staff safe.

With limited supplies, there is less that can be done but with these donations we can keep providing the best services to the 22 communities we serve.”

UNHCR also assisted the Bella Vista Poly Clinic with a lap-top for health information campaigns and the building of a waiting area, with the assistance of partner, HUMANA People to People.

“This new waiting area comes as a great asset to our Poly Clinic because it serves as protection and prevention for our patients,” said Dr. Gino Orellana, Medical Officer-in-Charge at Bella Vista Poly Clinic, “I would like to extend my gratitude to UNHCR and HUMANA People to People for the work that they’ve done with health education and prevention across the community.”

Independence and Bella Vista Poly Clinic and San Juan Health Post cater for the needs of over 25,000, including people forced to flee violence and persecution in other Central American countries and have sought protection in Belize.

“A global response is needed to combat COVID-19,” said UNHCR’s Associate Field Officer, Joseph Hendrikx, “These donations serve to promote the inclusion of everyone in medical care and treatment, especially the most vulnerable.”

Belize is home to over 5,000 refugees and asylum seekers who have come to Belize seeking safe haven and protection, mostly from nearby El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, and Nicaragua. These healthcare facilities provide medical services to over 20% of refugees and asylum seekers living in Belize.

For more information on this topic, please contact: Aida Escobar - Senior Public Information Assistant, at 672-2399 or escobar@unhcr.org.

Assistant Manager, Economic Intelligence

The Central Bank invites qualified individuals to join its Research Department.

The Assistant Manager, Economic Intelligence, assists in the general and strategic administration of the Research Department to ensure that the goals of efficient and effective economic monitoring and analyses, and the formation of economic policy recommendations are achieved. The Assistant Manager, Economic Intelligence will:

▪

Ensure that monetary, financial, and economic information is provided in a timely and efficient manner for economic analyses;

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Conduct and supervise in-depth economic research and provide advice on economic policy;

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Supervise technical work and work processes to ensure efficiency and effectiveness and that the Unit’s objectives are met;

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Recommend staff training and development initiatives to improve work output, quality, resiliency, and productivity;

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Coordinate the production and publication of reports on economic, monetary, and financial issues adhering to the Bank’s standards;

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Liaise with external, local, and international agencies on macro-economic developments and assess economic trends and impact on the country; and

▪

Oversee and coordinate the timely updating of economic forecast.

The applicants should possess the following: EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE

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Preferred qualification is a Master’s Degree in Economics or a related field from a recognized university, with at least three (3) years relevant experience; or

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A Bachelor’s Degree in Economics from a recognized university, with at least six (6) years relevant experience.

TECHNICAL KNOWLEDGE ▪ Possesses, applies, and maintains a high degree of knowledge in the relevant area to deliver quality work, and keeps informed of the latest trends and developments in the discipline; knowledge of Central Bank of Belize Act; knowledge of all sectors of the economy and their linkages, and business and management principles; proficient in software applications, including Microsoft Suite and statistical software.

COMPETENCIES ▪ Results Oriented; Flexibility/Adaptability; Communication Skills; Leadership; Emotional Intelligence/Relationship Management; Diagnostic Information Gathering; Analytical Thinking.

Submit the following documents by Wednesday, 18 August 2021:

▪ ▪ ▪ ▪

Central Bank Employment Application Form (available online) Curriculum Vitae Three (3) references (one must be from previous employer) Copies of university transcripts, degrees, and any other personal certificates Applications should be addressed to: Manager, Human Resources Department Central Bank of Belize P O Box 852 or Gabourel Lane Belize City, BELIZE Ref: Assistant Manager, Economic Intelligence - Research Department Email: hr@centralbank.org.bz or online at www.centralbank.org.bz (All applications will be held in strict confidence.)

8 AUG

2021

THE BELIZE TIMES

19

Team Belize wins 13 medals at CADICA U-20 championships REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL CONSULTING SERVICES TO DEVELOP AND IMPLEMENT A CAPACITY – BUILDING PROGRAM FOR PRODUCERS’ ORGANIZATIONS

Managua, Nicaragua, July 31, 2021 Team Belize won 13 medals: 3 Golds, 5 Silver and 5 Bronze at the Central American Isthmus Athletics and Sports Confederation (CADICA), Under-18 and U-20 championships held at the IND (Instituto Nacional de Deportes) Olympic Stadium in Managua, Nicaragua over the weekend. The tournament was a qualifier to the Junior Pan American Under-23 Games to be held in Cali, Colombia on September 14-18.

Glenford Williams won Belize’s first Gold medal, clocking 11.14 seconds in the U-18 100 meters on Friday, while Josh Crawford was 7th in 12.11secs.

Williams won his second Gold, running 14.83 seconds in the 110 meters with 91cm hurdles on Saturday.

Kerwin Castillo Palacio flew over the bar at 2.00 meters to win a third Gold for Belize in the U-20 High Jump on Sunday, when Kevin Jones also took the silver by clearing the bar at 1.83 meters.

Jones also won Bronze in the Long jump at 6.18 meters on Saturday and hopped, skipped and leaped 12.98 meters to win Bronze in the Triple Jump on Friday.

Jones won a third Bronze medal when the U-20 men: Christopher Broaster, Kerwin Castillo, and Mario Vivas ran 47.33 seconds in the 4x100 meters relay on Sunday.

Kirk Elrington flew 13.88 meters to win Silver in U-18 triple jump on Friday, but placed 4th in the U-18 long jump at 5.92m, while Adrian Wade was 5th at 5.20m.

Adrian Wade did better in the U-18 200 meters, winning Bronze in 24.17 seconds on Saturday, while Anjay Bernard was 4th in 25.84secs.

Christopher Broaster won Silver in 2;09.37 in the U-20 800 meters on Friday, while Kamerone Sainsbury ran 4th in 2:14:19. Broaster ran 4th in the 1500m in 4:37.80 on Saturday. Sainsbury clocked 20:41.51 in the 5K to finish 6th.

Mario Vivas won another Silver medal in the U-20 400 meters in 51.68 seconds, but finished 4th in the 200 meters in 23.70secs. Jahson Logan hurled the shot 13.10 meters to claim the Bronze in the U-18 shot put. Andre Armstrong ran the U-18 800meters in 2:20.64 to finish 5th.

Keely Faux was the only Female to medal, clocking 1:17.62 for Silver in the U-18 400 meters; in which Nicaragua won the Gold. Faux ran 5th in the U-18 100 meters in 15.09 secs. Jada Logan placed 4th in the U-18 long jump at 4.45m mark, and 5th in the 200m in 28.88 secs.

Gina Tejada hurled the 3kg shot 9.27m to place 4th in the U-18 shotput on Saturday. As Prime Minister said, hopefully in the future we can have more athletes in the Olympics. That should be all athletes goal.

Institution: Ministry of Economic Development Country: Belize Project: Resilient Rural Belize Programme Loan No.: 2000002301 Deadline for Submission of Proposals: September 14, 2021 at 3:00PM. Background: The Government of Belize (GOB), through a financing agreement with the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and Green Climate Fund (GCF), has embarked on a six-year Programme, Resilient Rural Belize (RRB), which aims to minimize the impacts of climatic and economic events on smallholder farmers while supporting sustainable market access for their produce. The programme will help farmers employ climate resilient agricultural practices and technologies; integrate profitable smallholder participation into the development of select vegetables, fruits, and honey value chains; and support smallholder production capacity through investments in public and private climate resilient infrastructure and in the strengthening of smallholder farmer Producers’ Organizations and relevant GOB Departments.

Scope of Service: This consultancy is designed to strengthen farmers’ organizations, referred to as Producers’ Organizations, whether registered or unregistered. It will focus on providing technical, social, and organizational knowledge to improve the management, operation, and overall performance of the main actors in the selected value chains. This includes strengthening of the organizational and administrative capacities of the organizations and their financial management, marketing, and entrepreneurial capabilities to identify and take advantage of market opportunities. In addition, the Department of Co-operatives (DOC) must be strengthened to be able to provide continuous and effective capacity building support to these Producers’ Organizations ensuring sustainability.

The consultancy comprises of two (2) components: (i) Capacity Building for Department of Co-operatives (DOC) (train of trainers) (ii) Capacity Building for Producer Organizations in Business Management (organization and management, bookkeeping and accounting and marketing).

Objectives of the Consultancy The main objectives of the assignment are as follows: 1. To review existing materials of the six modules that make up the training curriculum of the DOC with a view to improve and/or further develop appropriate (simplistic) and effective (“learn by doing”) other materials and instruments tailored for building the capacities of Producers’ Organizations (collectives/all membership).

2. To develop and implement a Training of Trainers’ Module to strengthen the capacity of the staff of the DOC, CSAEOs and relevant authorities so as to more effectively deliver the training modules to Producers’ Organizations.

3. To develop and execute a capacity building and training program in business management (organizational management, bookkeeping and accounting and marketing) for a minimum of 700 households (40% women and 20% youth) that include a combination of theoretical and practical training sessions in thematic areas identified below.

The Resilient Rural Belize (RRB) Programme now invites proposals for the provision of Consulting Services to Develop and Implement a Capacity Building Programme for Producers’ Organizations.

A Consulting Firm will be selected in accordance with the procurement procedures set out by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and is open to all eligible bidders as defined in the policies.

Consultants may associate with other firms in the form of a joint venture or a sub-consultancy to enhance their qualifications.

Note that all consulting firms must specify their nationality. The nationality of a firm is that of the country in which it is legally incorporated or constituted and in the case of Joint Venture, the nationality of the firm appointed to represent it.

Consultants interested in receiving the RFP and submitting a Proposal should register their interest by sending an e-mail (with subject: Request for RFP- Capacity Building for Producers’ Organization) to the Procurement Consultant on Thanson.RRB@med. gov.bz giving full contact details of the Consultant. This will ensure that the Consultants receive updates regarding this RFP.

The Proposal must be delivered to the following address on or before September 14, 2021, at 3:00PM (Local time). Consultants also have the option of submitting their Proposals electronically using the File Request Link: https://bit.ly/3gfVtGU.

Attn: Tracey Recinos Hanson Procurement Officer Resilient Rural Belize Programme Ministry of Economic Development National Agriculture Showgrounds Hummingbird Highway Belmopan, Belize

20

THE BELIZE TIMES

Agriculture Tidbits

8 AUG

2021

TENDER Consultancy Services for Customer Risk Profiles and Collection Strategy BEL invites tenders for Consulting Services Customer Risk Profiles and Collection Strategy as follows:

****Food and Nutrition Security Coordinator Mr. Emilio Montero along with Cayo Extension Officer Mr. Jesse Madrid and Information Officer from the Ministry of Agriculture met with OAS Interim Director Dr. Juan Carlos Amador.

The purpose of the meeting was to discuss collaboration—how agriculture can be integrated into their program known as “promotion of Peace” within communities in the Belize/Guatemala Adjacency Zone. ****Minister Jose Abelardo Mai attending Extension Service Mid-Year Report.

The Consultant will review Belize Electricity Limited’s (BEL) available customer demographics, credit and payment data along with all other applicable external factors to develop risk profiles. Based on the profiles developed, determine the most effective collection strategy. The profiles and collection strategy developed should be customer focused, fair, transparent, easy to understand and easy to implement.

The bidding documents, which outline all the duties and responsibilities of the contract, and dates are available on BEL’s website at www.bel.com.bz/Tenders.aspx Tenders must be submitted via email to bidsubmittal@bel.com.bz no later than 4:00 p.m. on August 26, 2021.

The email subject should include the bid number located on the respective bid form.

For more information or queries, send email to bidsubmittal@bel.com.bz Cost incurred for preparation of the tender document is the sole responsibility of the bidder.

The lowest or any tender will not necessarily be accepted.

Minister Mai indicated that extension officers play a crucial role in the success of agriculture, and that the talent pool at the Ministry must be put to effective use to get farmers the best service possible.

Present were Chief Agriculture Officer Andrew Harrison, Head of Extension Clifford Martinez and all District Agriculture Coordinators, as well as representatives if partners in development.

8 AUG

2021

The Unseen Enemy

By Bill Lindo Belize City, July 28th 2021: Most Belizeans, except those in the shipping sector have no clue as to the unseen enemy facing Belize and most of the world – hyper-inflation.

Hyper-inflation means out-ofcontrol price increases or excessive increases of prices in an economy. Belize is currently facing a rapidly increasing rate of inflation, but not hyper-inflation, not yet. When the monthly rate of increase is above 25% we say it’s hyper-inflation. At the current rate, we can expect some level of hyper-inflation by the end of this year.

According to the Statistical Institute of Belize (SIB) the June 2021 rate of inflation was some 3%. The biggest increases were in diesel fuel with a 43.4% increase and some food items such as rice at 11.9% and pig-tails at 26.1%. But as time goes by, price increases are expected because of the global trends being observed.

And the biggest problem out there is shipping, especially from Asia.

The just-in-time concept of supply chains have wreaked havoc in global supply chain distribution. Normally, a container takes one, or at most, two days to be loaded on a ship bound for Central America, North or South America, Europe and Africa from Asia.

Today, it is four or more weeks lead time and the prices since December last year have increased by more than 2.47 times. A 20 ft. (TEU) has gone from USD $4,500 to over USD $11,150. As an example, take a shoe made in China (China manufactures 73% of all shoes made in the world).

Let’s say that shoe retails at $250.00.

In the past the freight cost was about $43. Now it is nearly $100. To keep his margin, the retailer must increase his price to $420.00.

Belizeans import some 70% of the goods that we consume. So, it means that higher prices will be the norm for the next few months. Steel is up over 36%, plywood is up some 72%, animal feed is up over 30%, and general food items over 20%. Semiconductor chips are in very short supply and prices are up over 56%. Today, it’s very difficult to obtain new cars, trucks, tractors and combines due to the semiconductor shortage. And last week, rubber became the latest item in short supply, especially natural rubber, which must be used for speciality goods, such as aircrafts.

Today, especially the West is in what is called an “Inflate and Die Trap”.

The higher the rate of inflation goes, the bigger the shock to the economy needed to bring inflation under control. And this is not limited to just homeowners or the stock markets.

The biggest borrower in the world is the United States government. And the biggest lender in the world is the United States Federal Reserve (Fed or Central Bank). Thanks to Fed buying, a 10-year Treasury note – the building block of all federal debt is now trading at 1.25%. But last month CPI (inflation rate) was 5.4%, which means that yield of 1.25% is negative by 4.15% or

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THE BELIZE TIMES

415 basis points. When bond buyers demand a real return (above inflation) the fun will be over as interest rates would quadruple and the stock markets of the advanced countries will collapse. Suddenly, the new Biden stimulus (money-printing) would be history and those USA “toppers” that pay people above the minimum wage for not working would be history.

Do we remember the United States in 1980, when Paul Volker took prime interest rates to 20% to control inflation? Must we suffer to bring inflation under control? Can there be an orderly exist from inflation? The simple answer is yes. But it is not easy and it takes a lot of hard work and patience, which today is difficult because of our culture of instant gratification.

For several years, I have been writing and speaking about a version of capitalism that most people are not aware of. In the American System, money and its supply is a public utility – for the common good and our posterity, thus inflation is kept under control as reckless money printing is subdued. In the nineteen century, it was known as the American System or School of Political Economy. In Belize it was known as the Mixed Economy of George C. Price.

Those who are interested in learning about the American School or American System of Economics should read the works of Alexander Hamilton; Mathew Carey and his son, Henry Charles Carey; E. Peshine Smith; Andrew Steward; William C. Jarvis; Friedrich List; Henry Clay; Horace Greeley; William Elder; Robert E. Thompson; Simon Newcomb; Simon Patten and John William Draper.

The eight major concepts of the American School are: a. Exploiting nature rather than men b. Tariff Protection of local agriculture and manufacturing as free trade has always benefitted the strong at the expense of the weak. c. High wages to workers, because as E. Peshine Smith, wrote: “In order to make labour-cheap, the labourer must be well-fed, well-clothed, welllodged, well-instructed…” d. Money creation is a public utility and should be under the control of elected representatives of the people, not controlled by private individuals for private gain and control. e.

The theory of Diminishing Returns is not valid to physical reality. Technology and innovation always causes new methods to enter production, and, thus, profits and wages don’t diminish but instead lead to higher productivity and thus higher wages to workers. f. A view of soil fertility and agricultural productivity as a product of capital investment. Ricardian rent and trade theory assumed that the addition of chemical fertilizers to stop the “mining” of the soil by plantation agriculture was of no consequence. As a note of history, it was not the farming sector that supported the creation of a Department of Agriculture in Amer-

ica. Rather, it was industrial protectionists who argued that the dominant form of market crop production being done in the United States – plantation export agriculture – was economically destructive. The new Department of Agriculture reached its high points under Abe Lincoln and Henry Carey, and, again, under Franklin D. Roosevelt and Henry A. Wallace. g.

Public infrastructure as a means to lower costs in an industrial society by introducing new methods of production, and the public support

of research and development. h. Government intervention in an economy. Government must put a bridle on corporate bodies, and must establish the pursuit of happiness as a natural right of citizens.

In Belize, this principle is enshrined in the PUP Constitution as a sacred duty of government to create full employment and completely end poverty.

In the late 19th century, two countries, Germany and Japan turned to the United States for help in establishing the American System in their countries. E. Peshine Smith went to Japan and Fredrick List went to Germany. By 1905, Continued on page 22

Notice

Series 5 Debenture Redemption Belize Electricity Limited hereby gives Notice of its Intention to Redeem All Series 5 Debenture(s) at $100 per debenture on September 30, 2021 (“the Redemption Date”) at the Company’s Corporate Headquarters, located at 2 ½ Miles Philip Goldson Highway, Belize City Belize.

Redemption is pursuant to section 4.4 of the Principal Indenture dated March 30, 1998, between the Government of Belize, BEL and the Central Bank of Belize, and section 4.1 of the Supplemental Indentured #4 dated October 23, 2012.

All Interest thereon shall cease from and after the Redemption Date on September 30, 2021.

To claim your debenture, please submit a copy of a valid identification and your respective banking information to debentures@bel.com.bz.

Kindly contact the Securities Officer for more information. Queries may also be directed to: Securities Officer Finance Department Belize Electricity Limited 2 1/2 Miles Philip S. W. Goldson Highway Phone: 501.227.0954 Ext: 1512 | Email: debentures@bel.com.bz.

22

THE BELIZE TIMES

The Unseen Enemy

Continued from page 21 both countries had become major industrial world powers. In the 1950s and 1960s, South Korea and Taiwan used the American System to develop their countries into major industrial countries.

And today, the Chinese are using the American System to turn China from one of the poorest nations into the second largest industrial nation-state in just 40 years. The irony is that both the Republic of China (Taiwan) and the People’s Republic of China (PRC) celebrate Dr. Sun Yatsen as their modern founder. It was mostly the ideas of Sun Yat-sen that both followed to turn themselves into industrial power-houses. Sun Yatsen was educated in USA’s Hawaii

by Samuel Damon and others who supported the Henry Carey School of economics. Sun Yat-sen’s major work “Three Principles of the People” is explicit in its support of the American System.

The Chinese will usually say they are communist, but that’s not entirely true. No real communist would allow capitalism and the many billionaires now present in China. In fact, reading into President Xi Jinping’s works, he says that today’s China is governed by a socialist system with Chinese characteristics. If one studies China’s economy, one would come to the conclusion that the eight principles outlined above are exactly the principles followed by the Chinese government. The major difference is that the American System writers were all supporters of full democracy. China has democracy at the local level, but at the province and national levels, only one political party is allowed – the Communist Party of China.

The current PUP government in its manifesto, PlanBelize committed to reintroduce George Price’s Mixed Economy to not only defeat inflation but to create full employment and completely end poverty in Belize.

PlanBelize promises Belizeans that this PUP government will build 10,000 + houses, give over 60,000 lots and farm lands to first-time land owners, and create more than 50,000 new permanent jobs at high wages ($5/hour to $ 10.50/hour) in order to defeat poverty. Over 62% of our citizens now live in poverty. That is not acceptable for George Price’s PUP and should not be acceptable to any Belizean. This must end. Further, the process of ending this unforgivable situation is going to deal a heavy blow to inflation, especially imported inflation. Two, perhaps three birds will be killed with one stone.

PlanBelize details exactly how the above interrelated commitments will be met. It includes, • 2,000 new manufacturing jobs for Belize City, including jobs for youths.

• 2,000 new manufacturing jobs must be created in the district towns. A total of 5,000 manufacturing jobs for the nation-state each year after the general elections.

• 1,000 military service jobs per year, National Security requires

silence on details.

• 1,000 service sector jobs country-wide especially in education, health and research.

• 2,000 Infrastructure jobs constructing canals, roads, buildings, country wide.

• 2,000 new family farms in all districts of Belize.

The late Leroy Taegar always said – “The land is the bank”. Remember, Dr. Taegar was educated in the United States of America with a classical education before he went to specialize as a medical doctor in Trinidad and Tobago. April 4th 1769, one of the main founders of the United States of America, Ben Franklin wrote: “There seems to be but three ways for a nation to acquire wealth.

The first is by war, as the Romans did, in plundering their conquered neighbours. This is robbery. The second by commerce, which to be profitable requires cheating. For example, if we give and receive an equal amount of goods and services through trade, there is no profit other than that obtained in our own production cycle.

The third by agriculture is the only honest way, wherein man receives a real increase of the seeds thrown into the ground, in a kind of continual miracle wrought by the hand of God in his favor, as a reward for his innocent life, and virtuous industry.” – The Writings of Benjamin Franklin, Vol. V, Haskell House Publishers Ltd, New York 1970.

Let’s examine Ben Franklin’s writing by using corn as an example. A farmer puts some twenty (20) pounds of corn seeds in the ground and after three months that farmer gets back not his twenty (20) pounds, but three thousand (3,000) pounds of corn. Where did the extra two thousand nine hundred and eighty (2,980) pounds of corn came from? This increase of 149 times came from agriculture through which we plant the seeds and create new wealth as if by a miracle. But what is the miracle?

It’s the utilization of human labor that took unimproved land and creating real wealth by using one’s brains – by imitating the Word became Flesh (Jesus the Christ). Manufacturing is a continuation of agriculture. In fact, 80% or raw materials for manufacturing comes from agriculture.

On March 6th 1995 this writer, wrote in his book – ABC’s of Economics, “The sole source of wealth is the rise in the productivity of human labour effected through technological progress.” Make no mistake, money is not wealth. Business principles are not economic principles – and economic principles ultimately govern over business principles, especially, par exchange. Businessmen make a psychological mistake and believe that profits are predatory, instead of necessary for the welfare of the nation-state, for the whole.

Thus, we end up with an attack by businessmen on the concept of parity – the necessity of parity between agriculture, manufacturing and the services, and the banker’s love affair with debt, which always ends up in bankruptcy. Lenders create money

out of thin air so that borrowers can produce at the expense of the entire community. No money is created to make distribution possible. Thus even Winston Churchill was forced to write that the economists with all their fancy theories could not solve the demand or consumption problem — Amid These Storms, by Winston Churchill, London (1932). This business of creating new money from thin air for one sector of the economy always results in the depression of economies. Today, the massive stimulus being seen globally has resulted in the 1% getting 70% of all new money creation, and the 99% getting the remaining 30%. PlanBelize will fix this problem.

But establishing farms, process-

8 AUG

2021 ing the products of the farms and ranches, and mining the earth takes time. Crops need time to grow. Machines and factories must be built and this too takes time. And as they say, “while the grass is growing, the cow will starve”. Political opponents of the PUP will make “hay” while infrastructure is growing, and mining and training of workers are taking place. The politicians must explain the process and the necessity of patience: the tree that is planted today provides the shade we need for tomorrow. Transforming the Belizean economy will take time but will ultimately enable us to defeat both enemies seen and unseen. Remember, man is created in the image of his Creator!

US Embassy in Belize: FB Post

We couldn’t be more proud of Simone Biles! Not only did she steal our hearts again this year, but she snagged bronze for #teamUSA in the balance beam final at the Tokyo Olympics today. Simone remains one of the most accomplished gymnasts in history!

Outside the arena, at home Simone volunteers at a food distribution center to help hurricane victims and regularly speaks out on social justice issues such as gender inequality, racism, and abuse of female gymnasts.

Did we mention that she’s also Belizean-American?!

8 AUG

2021

THE BELIZE TIMES

US employers ratchet up the pressure on the unvaccinated

By Alexandra Olson, AP Business Writer For months, most employers relied on information campaigns, bonuses and other incentives to encourage their workforces to get the COVID-19 shot. Now, a growing number are imposing rules to make it more onerous for employees to refuse, from outright mandates to requiring the unvaccinated to undergo regular testing.

Among employers getting tougher are the federal government, the state governments of California

and New York, tech giants Google and Facebook, the Walt Disney Co. and the NFL. Some hospitals, universities, restaurants, bars and other entertainment venues have also started requiring vaccines.

But the new measures are unlikely to affect many of the millions of unvaccinated Americans. Many of the companies that are requiring shots have mostly office workers who are already largely vaccinated and are reluctant to work alongside those who aren’t.

In contrast, major companies that rely on low-income blue-collar workers — food manufacturers, warehouses, supermarkets and other store chains — are shying away from mandates for fear of driving away employees and worsening the labor shortages such businesses are fac-

ing.

Tyson Foods, for instance, said about half of its U.S. workforce — 56,000 employees — has received shots after the meat and poultry processor hosted more than 100 vaccination events since February. But the company said it has no plans to impose a mandate to reach the other half.

Walmart and Amazon, the country’s two largest private employers, have also declined to require its hourly workers to get vaccinated, continuing to rely on strategies such as bonuses and onsite access to shots. But in a potentially powerful signal, Walmart said employees at its headquarters will be required to get vaccinated by Oct. 4.

The biggest precedent so far has come from the federal government, the nation’s largest employer. President Joe Biden announced last week that all federal employees and contractors must get vaccinated or put up with weekly testing and lose privileges such as official travel.

The federal government has said it will cover the costs of the weekly tests. As for other employers, in-

23 surance may pay for such testing at some workplaces but not others.

Biden’s decision could embolden other employers by signaling they would be on solid legal ground to impose similar rules, said Brian Kropp, chief of research at consulting firm Gartner’s human resources practice.

But Kropp said some companies face complicated considerations that go beyond legalities, including deep resistance to vaccines in many states where they operate.

Retailers like Walmart might have a hard time justifying vaccine requirements for their workers while allowing shoppers to remain unvaccinated, Kropp added. Stores have mostly avoided vaccine requirements for customers for fear of alienating them and because of the difficulty in trying to verify their status.

In surveys by Gartner, fewer than 10% of employers have said they intend to require all employees to be vaccinated.

But a shift is building amid frustration over plateauing vaccination rates and alarm over the spread of the more contagious delta variant. As of Sunday, 70% of American adults had gotten at least one shot, missing Biden’s goal of 70% by the Fourth of July, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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THE BELIZE TIMES

8 AUG

2021