Sunday, February 27, 2011
THE BELIZE TIMES
Something is happening and you don’t know what it is, do you, Mr. Barrow!? The struggle for freedom and self-determination in Belize began as a movement of people who were quickened to action by the oppressive conditions prevailing in the colonial system. Soon a peoples’ committee was formed to guide and channel the energy of this movement of liberation. The members of this peoples’ committee on the 29th September 1950 then took the decisive step to form the first political party in Belize – the People’s United Party which pledged from its very beginning to achieve the independence of the nation through a revolution that would be peaceful, constructive and Belizean. That mission was accomplished led by the Father of the Nation the Rt. Hon. George Price on September 21st 1981. Today as we approach the 30th anniversary of our nationhood, we are living in a country beset by many serious problems; the highest rate of crime and violence in all our recorded history; we are witnessing the cruelest, harshest and bloodiest times in our lifetime; rampant unemployment and growing poverty have germinated a lot more street beggars all over our cities and towns; food and gas prices escalate while wages remain stagnant; for the corrupt and greedy few at the top of the political pyramid, their families, friends and cronies, it is the best of times, for the vast majority – the workers, farmers, fishers and the neglected and marginalized poor and sick, it is the worst of times. It would be easy to throw up our hands in utter desperation and despair. “It’s as though the people…have been rounded up and loaded onto two convoys of trucks (a huge big one and tiny little one) that have set off in resolutely opposite directions,” writes Arundhati Roy. “The tiny convoy is on its way to a glittering destination somewhere near the top of the world. The other convoy just melts into the darkness.” Never before has there been such stark inequality in our society. “You are either with me or against me,” says Barrow and the UDP. They have polarized the Belizean people beyond recognition. If you are not “red” you might as well be dead. Poor single mothers who served as school wardens under the PUP are fired en mass as “collateral damage.” Business firms suspected of being PUP friendly are squeezed and denied any sales from government departments on the direct instructions of the Prime Minister or his Ministers. It became blatantly ludicrous at a UDP endorsement convention when a businessman, now exposing himself as being pathetic, with a small hardware shop had to prostrate himself before the UDP Minister of Works in order to get crumbs from the Minister’s table. The tragedy is that like the harlot of ages that weakling of a businessman will soon be booted out and discarded after they have no more use for him. Enough of this bowing and scraping, bootlicking and cringing. Belizeans are awakening. Change is coming. The movement of liberation is still very much alive in the heart and soul of the Belizean people. We see it in the environmental activism. We see it in the social justice initiatives. We see it in the indigenous culture and nationalistic resistance to unbridled globalization. We see it in the movement against off-shore drilling for oil or against big foreign interests taking control of and dominating the cruise tourism tendering or tour guiding business. We see it in the indigenous call against drilling for oil in protected areas in Toledo where the Maya have received legal recognition from the Supreme Court as having collective and individual rights in the lands and resources that they have used and occupied according to their customary practices. It is noteworthy that the Chief Justice in that case also ordered the Government to cease and abstain from any acts affecting the use and enjoyment of those rights of the Maya in the villages of Santa Cruz and Conejo in Toledo “unless such acts are pursuant to their informed consent and in compliance with the safeguards of the Belize Constitution.” So our pompous arrogant Prime Minister may pontificate as much as he like that drilling will take place, but Mr. Gregorio Cho’c has every right to demand that full consultation must first take place with the residents of the area, all environment compliance plans approved, and the “informed consent” of the people obtained before drilling for oil can take place. Just as how the Mennonites of Spanish Lookout are entitled and have been receiving a share of the royalty for the oil found on their land, so too the Maya of Toledo will no doubt claim their share of the royalty if and when oil is found on their land. Yes, Mr. Prime Minister, something is happening and you don’t seem to know what it is. Too many things are going wrong and all the Prime Minister can do is to put his hand on his furrowed brow and in pained expression indulge in selfpity and try again to fool the people with get another false promise. Things are coming to a head. The various strands of the movement are converging. Many are frustrated and deeply disappointed, if not outraged, by the ongoing political corruption, incompetence and lack of service delivery in the entire public service at the local government level (City Council) as well as the Government in Belmopan. Change must come!
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THE BELIZE TIMES
Rejected goods, Mark King, makes up with the UDP Belize City, February 21st, 2011 The battered, beleaguered and up to two weeks ago broken-hearted Mark King has appealed, begged, and who knows what else, his way back into the good graces of the elite UDPs. Two weeks ago King’s bid to run on the UDP ticket in Lake Independence was rejected. He immediately bawled, cried foul, cursed the party for their “undemocratic principles” and for having said absolutely-not to a “good” candidate, and threatened to reveal the loads of dirt he had on them. King was on target about undemocratic, as the UDP has a long history of suddenly kicking out candidates (ask Anne Marie Williams, Fuller), but to think that a good candidate (as in himself) was being blocked from rising to some greatness he was dead wrong. It appears that the threat to expose the party’s dirty laundry worked, because over the weekend the UDP central executive met in Belize City and had a sudden change of heart. King went from being rejected goods to something like a freshly wrapped stale fish. But even though King can now lick his wounds, wag his tail, and look forward to another day with very little whimpering, the truth is that he is an incredibly dangerous figure. Mark King is a walking time-bomb with an easy explosive trigger. King has done much harm to his reputation under a false pretence that he is doing himself a favour. Like the patient believing self-inflicted pain is alleviation for his wrongs, King has been lashing
PUP on Chavarria and Braddick February 23, 2011 The National Executive of the People’s United Party issues the following clarification on the disqualification of Leonardo Chavarria and Jose Braddick as candidates in the upcoming conventions in Toledo East and Toledo West. 1. On February 15, 2011, the Order of Distinguished Service met to interview applicants from Cayo North, Toledo East and Toledo West. 2. Following the interview the ODS Chairman submitted written recommendations for each constituency. Among the recommendations were the disqualification of Leonardo Chavarria and Jose Braddick as candidates. 3. On February 18, 2011 Mr. Chavarria and Mr. Braddick were informed in writing of the ODS decision and the reasons for the decision. They then had two days to appeal the decision to the National Executive. Neither of them appealed. Instead they chose to protest against the Party and its procedures and make wild and unfounded accusations against the leadership. The National Executive refrains at this time from making public the reasons for the disqualification of both persons, except to say they were in accordance with the criteria for standard bearers approved by the Party.
himself on the back throughout a number of his acts. From disrespecting the halls of the National Assembly by walking on the railing during a House session, to attacking his own party colleagues – King’s only ambition was to gain for himself. While the UDP probably feels it can gain points by re-admitting King into the race for Lake I, one standing UDP politician shaking her head at the decision is Mayor Zenaida Moya. In 2009, confronted by one of her Councillors gone wild, Moya was quite candid about what she thinks of him. “It is from Mark King alright, this is a person weh from the onset noh hold any credibility, couldn’t even vote fi ihself at the onset. From the time he got the gun, knocking somebody with a gun, walking in the National Assembly on the rail, this is somebody whe noh to right. He got
elected, couldn’t even vote for himself, couldn’t even vote for me, he got elected nonetheless okay. This is the same Mark King that wanted to go into Lake Independence and oust Vandley Jenkins from the Lake Independence standard bearer seat that he had because he didn’t want to be councillor, he wanted to be the Lake I Rep. Now he mi done get ih thrashing and ih mi wah go back in deh fi get another thrashing. Let no ghost fool you, this man wish that he was where I am and he wish that he could be who I am. So dah Mark King you know, dah Mark King.”
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Mediation eases tension at San Jose Government School Orange Walk Town, February 21st, 2011 By Carmelita Perez A protest calling for the removal of the San Jose Government School principal has subsided after the Ministry of Education entered the picture to mediate the dispute. A meeting was called on Friday by the Ministry of Education, after the parents had held a protest, demanding the removal of Principal Alfonso Yah, due to alleged financial irregularities. Over 95 parents had signed a petition asking for Yah’s removal, which served as ammunition to their agenda. At Friday’s meeting, Orange Walk District Education Officer Carla Alvarez successfully reduced the tension, after it was agreed that the Ministry would conduct a thorough investigation, and implement a number of changes. Mrs. Alvarez told the BELIZE TIMES a preliminary investigation has revealed that there are several discrepancies in the way the school’s affairs are conducted. While she chose not to comment if Principal Alfonso Yah will be removed from his post, she said integral changes will be put in place on March 1st. We understand that some of the changes include the formation of a Parent/Teachers Association and new regulations for the school’s snack shop.
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THE BELIZE TIMES
Sunday, February 27, 2011
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THE BELIZE TIMES
Indigenous Ecuadoran woman humbles US oil giant
RUMIPAMBA, Ecuador (AFP) – She has no legal training, and doesn’t speak the Spanish that dominates government in Quito but indigenous villager Maria Aguinda helped bring a landmark judgment against US oil giant Chevron for polluting the rain forest she calls home. The diminutive grandmother whose modest home sits near marshes clogged for decades in sticky oil has been at the heart of the Davidand-Goliath case, and spoke out after Chevron was slapped last week with a $9.5-billion fine, among the heaviest ever handed down for environmental damage. “Before I die they have to pay me for the dead animals, and for what they did to the river, and the water and the earth,” the 61-year-old Aguinda told AFP at her home in Rumipamba, a town in remote Orellana province where pollution caused by 30 years of oil drilling and petroleum accidents had become a sad fact of life. Texaco operated in the area between 1964 and 1990, and was bought in 2001 by Chevron, which inherited Texaco’s legal nightmare. “Mary Aguinda et al” are the opening words of the suit launched in 1993 on behalf of 30,000 residents of Orellana and Sucumbios provinces, in which they charge Texaco dumped billions of gallons of toxic crude during its opera-
Agric Show set for April 29th to May 1st Belmopan, 15th February, 2011 The National Agriculture and Trade Show Committee met on the February 14th 2011, as part of its on-going preparation for this year’s show. The Show will be held on the 29-30th of April and the 1st of May 2011. The theme for this year’s show will be “Agriculture: Securing the Future for a Better Belize.”
tions, fouling rivers, lakes and soil and causing cancer deaths in indigenous communities. Aguinda said she believes her husband and two of his 10 children died from effects of the pollution, which rights group Amazon Watch says has affected an area the size of the US state of Rhode Island. Several of her family members “have skin problems, like fungus,” Aguinda said as she lifted her granddaughter’s foot off the dirt floor to show an outbreak on her leg. Chevron blames state-run Petroecuador, with which Texaco formed a consortium from 1972 until the US firm departed in 1992, of not doing its part in the clean-up agreed with the state. “When Texaco came we never thought they would leave behind such damage, never. Then it began to drill a well and set up burn pits,” she said, helped in translation by her son William Grefa. “It changed our life: hunting, fishing, and other food, it’s all finished.” She skeptically eyes the ongoing cleanup of a marsh just meters from her house, where workers dressed in oil-stained yellow overalls dredge thick black ooze into suction pipes. Aguinda said the spill is leftover from a Texaco storage pool which overflowed into the marshes during 19871990 operations of the Auca South 1 well about 200 meters (656 feet) from Rumipamba. Texaco performed operational repairs in the area in the 1990s, and oil extraction continues in the region, according to Grefa. Chevron, which has called the judgment “illegitimate and unenforceable,” has asked a judge in Ecuador for clarification of the ruling as it seeks to appeal. The court last week announced a penalty against Chevron of $8.6 billion with an additional 10 percent for environment management costs. The plaintiffs, too, plan to appeal, saying the ruling fails to adequately compensate for certain damages and illness. They were seeking more than $27 billion in their suit.
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Sunday, February 27, 2011
Sunday, February 27, 2011
THE BELIZE TIMES
Strictly Personal Barrow is bogus
By glenntillett@yahoo.com It is bad enough that Senator Paul Perriott has been betrayed and sentenced to political execution by the Barrow administration but that they have also betrayed his wife Christine makes it a cruel double-double. In my mind’s eye I can still see Dean Barrow, Net Vasquez, et al riding on the tidal wave of popular discontent by positioning themselves at the center of the controversies, particularly the sturm und drang that had enveloped the then Belize Telecommunications Limited during the
He points out that during those halcyon days of protest he was often personally advised and counseled by Dean Barrow and Net Vasquez.” last term of the Musa administration. Paul and Christine is a handsome couple, well liked and very respected, and widely admired not only for their storybook romance, high school sweethearts who married and settled down to raise their 3 children, but for their socio-politico activism. No one, as far as I know, have ever accused them of being less than hard working, determined, smart and committed Belizeans – the traits we would want more of our people to emulate. At one point they seemed not only to have found a place in the consciousness of Belizean society as celebrities in their own right, but they had also found a place in the hearts
of many as “good” people. Even their detractors and critics would ruefully admit that. On June 11, 2010 when Justice John Muria ruled that Christine Perriot had been wrongfully terminated from her 17 year long employment at BTL, and awarded her $350,000, a friend of mine shed tears of joy on her behalf. At the time I argued with Vaughan Gill on our radio show that the awarded was excessive, but he was adamant that it was just and deserving. At the time he reminded me that both former Attorney General and then Labor Minister Francis Fonseca and then Prime Minister Said Musa had condemned her termination and had fought for her re-instatement. It seemed that all’s well that ends well since it was announced somewhere, perhaps in a media interview, that BTL would NOT be contesting the judgement. It seemed the end of a long, hard fought against-steep-odds battle for this feisty woman, who had been very much in the public eye it seems since April 2004 when she made a wrong turn on Dolphin Street while leaving an inter-office softball game, and a police officer and a M16 toting BDF solider tried to commandeer her vehicle. But it was because of the protests of 2005 that the power couple of Paul and Christine Perriott became the poster people for what many people thought were the people power movement that would oust the PUP. Following the sale of BTL to Jeffery Prosser and the Government of Belize’s recovery of the company in early 2005, the Perriotts were at the head of the effort by BTL employees to own a piece, if not all, of the company they had built. Their agitation served as the catalyst for wider demonstrations of discontent, and even though at the end of the day they were to eventually end up with a nearly 23% equity stake in the company, albeit in a trust, they were hardly satisfied. It is ironic today that Paul Perriott points to his attending a meeting with the BTL Employees Trust principals, to inquire into the Trust, as the catalyst for his exile from the company by his former allies, the Barrow administration. He points out that during those halcyon days of protest he was often personally advised and counseled by Dean Barrow and Net Vasquez. On February 27th, 2007 when BTL fired Christine Perriott, before the sun had set the UDP had issued a release condemning her firing, and vowing to stand by her. The following day Dean Barrow went on record, after being sought out by Channel 7, to say: “we are in complete solidarity with Mrs. Perriott.” Lois Young was the attorney of record to take Christine’s fight to
the Supreme Court, and was much aggrieved when BTL’s attorneys forced her off the case because she had previously been the company’s secretary/attorney. On the day Christine’s record breaking award was read, Lois Young was back representing BTL, but seemed unperturbed by the judgement. On October 28th, 2010, Youngs Law Firm quietly filed an appeal on behalf of BTL, asking for the order to be set aside or that the award be varied or returned to the Supreme Court for reassessment because it was excessive. Today neither Paul nor Chris-
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tine Perriott is an employee of Belize Telemedia Limited under the Barrow administration they fought to help bring to power. They put more than their bodies on the line for the company and their colleagues, risking even their very family’s home and future. Today BTL employees do not own a single share in BTL, and Christine Perriott has yet to see even a single cent of the money awarded to her. Instead she almost lost their possessions to a Court ordered garnishment for an unpaid judgement stemming from her case. The betrayal must cut deep. Barrow is bogus.
Sunday, February 27, 2011
THE BELIZE TIMES
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To Drill or Not To Drill… Is that Really the Question? By Carolyn Trench-Sandiford – Deputy Party Leader People’s United Party - Belize
The National Executive of the People’s United Party has agreed to support a Petition to the Governor General and Government of Belize which calls for Belizeans to be given the opportunity to decide whether there should be drilling for oil in the coastal or marine and offshore areas and protected areas of Belize, both including national parks, forest, marine and wildlife sanctuaries, reserves and archeological sites, and all having been declared for protected status in accordance with the respective law. Prominent in these areas is our national treasure, the second longest in the world and the longest in this hemisphere, the Belize Barrier Reef. This petition is in accordance with the Section 2 (1) (b) of the Referendum Act, Chapter 10 of the laws of Belize RE 2000, which was brought into effect on September 21, 1999 by the People’s United Party government, as a component of its reform mandate of broadening and deepening democracy. However, the petition can only be successful if 10% of the total registered voters of Belize sign on to it. Thus, 17000 signatures are needed. Thereafter, the process entails the Governor General referring the petition to the Chief Elections Officer for the verification of the signatures, and for the Chief Elections Officer to provide a certificate to this effect. Once this is completed, the Governor General then issues a Writ of Referendum in accordance with the said law, similarly as he would do for an election, for the referendum to be conducted. Registered voters will then get the opportunity to vote. Our Party is committed to garner as much signatories as possible to contribute to this noble endeavor. The offshore coastal and protected areas of Belize are known to contribute approximately 800 to 900 million dollars each year to the Belizean economy through fishing, tourism and other services. Besides providing employment for approximately 3,000 fisherfolk and 20,000 tourism industry workers, they are also the main source of food supply, medicine and housing materials for many communities, and as such are of intrinsic social and cultural value to Belize,
and because of a shared global environment, of scientific and biological value to the world. These areas are also known to possess untapped bio-prospecting potential value, which are immeasurable, and if properly managed, can continue to support the Belizean way of life for generations to come. They are integral to the survival of Belize. On the other hand, the total revenue from oil exploration and extraction as of September 2010 was $821.7 million dollars. Of this, $647.60 or 79% is retained by the oil company, and $174.1 or 21% is the government’s intake by virtue of taxes. While the oil industry currently employs approximately 300 persons, the potential for additional oil revenue is also great. However, oil is a non-renewable resource. It can only be retrieved and sold once. Oil exploration and extraction, whether in the offshore and protected areas or otherwise, have benefits as well as risks, the latter including oil spills, and the disruption of a community way of life, which can damage the environment and destroy our economy and livelihood, as well as cultures and traditions. It is therefore important that all Belizeans discuss, debate and weigh these risks and benefits in a healthy and constructive way, so that we can make an informed decision as to whether oil exploration and extraction should take place in the offshore and protected areas, having heard all the facts, the evidence and the arguments. But perhaps it is even more important that the discussion be a component of a larger discourse that defines the overall national development strategy for our country, which is to fulfill the purpose of our Party; to create a new Belize to bring to all Belizeans a better life and a just share of our national wealth. Oil is but one resource and the exploration and extraction of it is but one economic activity that can generate wealth for our people. As it is, are our people receiving their just share of this and other wealth generating resources? Those other economic activities that also generate wealth must be placed under a similar scrutiny, and other options for wealth creation explored. But perhaps the most important component of this discourse must be that the voice of our people must no longer be for crumbs to fall, but rather for a piece of the pie, for us and generations to come, for there can be no social progress or justice without wealth creation and economic justice. For this to occur, any decision we make about oil and any of our country’s resource must be grounded in our Par-
ty’s core values of social, economic and environmental justice, and must be not only for the short term, but also for the long term interest of our children and generations to come, as only so will we break the cycle of perpetual subjection
of our people, of creating a new political, economic and social order, for Phase II of the revolution, and only then will a NEW BELIZE be born, which will bring to all Belizeans a better life and a just share of the national wealth.
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THE BELIZE TIMES
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Exposing the UDP lies By Milo Paz Chairman, PUP Belize Rural South Executive Committee Today as I sit down to write, I wonder how is it that we the people of Belize Rural South allowed ourselves to been taken for a ride? I am sure that you have realized that the Town Council elections are just 12 months away and it is clear that the UDP has done NADA for us over the last two years. I will assure you however that the piñata is being filled right now and don’t be surprised if you start seeing that the construction of roads start, free money circulating around town and all the free, free, free propaganda that will be put to the electorate of Belize Rural South constituents. My fellow Belizeans, under the affairs of this town went to the drains after they took office over 8 years ago. With all the good that was promised, I want to believe that it was done with good intentions to make our beloved Island a better place to live. But here is the trick, the PUP was too conservative in developing the town and UDP promised miracles. It is shocking to learn now that all the land left in the hands of the UDP has now been sold for personal gains. Through the sale of land, the Town Council became the largest real estate company on the Island and people
applauded them because the Mayor claimed that funds from the sales would be used to repair streets. Now we are learning that a private investor is paying millions in debt, on behalf of the Town Council for the streets all in exchange of special interest. The rip-off going on at the Boca Del Rio Bridge toll must also be exposed. When tickets are sold to motorist, the collectors get back the receipts because they are able to resell it 3 or 4 times a day. When we ask for a financial report, all we get is political gimmicks. Look at the councillors that don’t have a job, all they do is drive around town like vultures looking at what or whom they can get shake down to ensure that monies are in the coffers for their stipend payment. Ladies and gentlemen we in the PUP don’t have to sit down and try to win on the failure of the UDP. Our strength lies on the constructive solutions we give to the problems that are facing the town council. It is important that the town council look at its revenue and collection base so that they know exactly how much is being collected from taxes. As a political party, we will soon come up with proposals and actions to ensure that our town becomes the successful community it once was for all and not just for a chosen few. We want to make the
island of San Pedro better and a prosperous one. We in the PUP strongly believe that when elected to office, we will not raise any tax especially when it comes to property tax. We will ensure that charges on property taxes are on a more level playing field for all so that at the end of the year, we will not have 50% of the people not paying them. We strongly believe that construction fees should be lowered instead of increased like the UDP did. We be-
lieve that as a local government, we need to stimulate our local economy in an effort to create more jobs opportunity for our town. We don’t want to promise that as soon as the elections are over we will start the Boca del Rio road and deceive our works to apply for jobs in an attempt to gain vote, only to find out it was an outright lie. Ladies and gentlemen we are only a few months from Town Council Elections which will decide who our next Town leaders will be. Please, think carefully.
Sunday, February 27, 2011
THE BELIZE TIMES
Reid By G. Michael Reid One might imagine that in retrospect, our Prime Minister would have to consider his most recent performance one of his worse ever. On Wednesday last, Mr. Barrow called a press conference to recap the highlights of his first three years in office and reveal his floor plan for the next two. Many who attended or listened in on the radio came away with a lot of questions and very few answers. As far as accomplishments, Mr. Barrow really does not have much to point to. He conceded that the sugar industry was experiencing a major setback, despite a recent ten million dollar bailout. The tourism industry is in turmoil and in that regards, Mr. Barrow revealed that he really didn’t “know what was going on there”, except that there appeared some game of “musical chairs.” For now, it seems that the Belizeans trying to make a living from that industry are the “odd man out” and are scrambling desperately to find an empty chair at that table.
According to Mr. Barrow, a political party must “campaign in poetry but govern in prose”. According to the Prime Minister, “when you are in opposition, you make all kinds of promises…” Let us hope that the people of Belize are taking heed.” Another of Belize’s vital industries, citrus, is still very much on edge and as Channel Seven succinctly puts it, “antagonism… seems to only be intensifying”. Mr. Barrow seems to be pulling a Pontius Pilate on that one and would only say that while he would “say nothing unkind about lawyers… once they get involved I think you can kiss the chances of any amicable solution goodbye.” One would think that Mr. Barrow knows a thing or two about the way lawyers operate. It goes without saying that it was no
consolation to the many small farmers involved in that industry who have been operating under a veil of uncertainty for the longest time. While the press conference itself did not reveal much in terms of goals and accomplishments, the follow-up questions exposed its own impeachment. While I have been often critical of the so-called main stream media for customarily petting and powdering politicians, in particular those of this administration, last Wednesday’s line of questioning was spot on and relevant. In characteristically arrogant and belligerent form, Mr. Barrow responded to most questions with a scowl and a scold to those who dared question his royalistic prerogatives. Yet, to their credit, the journalists pressed on and even those hitherto allegiant to his every whim and cause, backed him in a corner and confronted him on the tough issues. Mr. Barrow was pressed about his cabinet’s decision to grant his own nephew over a million acres of prime estate for use in exploration for oil. When confronted with the fact that the area had no less than fourteen protected areas, Mr. Barrow pled ignorance and proceeded to shift the blame to “the minister and his experts.” Mr. Barrow dismissed the charge of nepotism and concluded by defiantly stating that there was “not a damn thing wrong with that process and that is a position by which I stand.” With all due respect Mr. Barrow, just about everyone else sees something wrong with this process and that is a position by which we will also stand. Mr. Barrow was also pressed on the recent situation at the Phillip Goldson International Airport where two pilots climbed aboard a seized drug plane and flew it out of the country without permission or clearance. In a flippant response, Mr. Barrow seemed surprised that anyone would be at all concerned about that issue. “Wasn’t it their plane?” asked Mr. Barrow. Well indeed, it just might have been; the original owners even. There does exist specific process and regulations however, and given the on-going concern about terrorism, Mr. Barrow might have been better given to an aura of exigency. GOD forbid, that aircraft had taken off and crashed into some populated area or worse yet, into one of our foreign embassies. It would have resulted in a crisis of mammoth proportions but according to Mr. Barrow, “what harm was done?” Mr. Barrow was asked a pretty straight forward question and one that has been on the minds of most Belizeans. Are we better off today than we were three years ago when his government took office? A recent poll conducted and published by the Amandala newspaper found that seventy percent of those polled did not think so. Cost of living has risen astronomically and crime is totally out of control with more murders per capita than even the most dangerous places on earth. Respect for any kind of authority is close to none and corruption has become the normal order of the day. The UDP continues to govern in the rear-
view mirror, still casting blame and finding faults on the last administration. In an interview with Adele Ramos and published in last week’s Amandala, Mr. Barrow was a bit more candid admitting that “there are many areas in which we fall short” and that there are “definitely people who register dissatisfaction.” When presented with the results of the poll Mr. Barrow’s response was that, “the only poll that matters is the poll which takes place on Election Day.” According to Mr. Barrow, a political party must “campaign in poetry but govern in prose”. According to the Prime Minister, “when you are in opposition, you make all kinds of promises…” Let us hope that the people of Belize are taking heed. Belizeans will have to start holding politicians and political parties to their promises. We elect them based on what they say they are going to do and must
25 find a way to hold them to these promises. The PUP has been in the process of selecting its standard bearers to contest the next general elections. From all indications, the UDP will once again prove to be just a “one term government.” To their credit, the PUPs have always been more realistic and committed to their manifesto of promises. Without vigilant scrutiny and compulsion however, politicians will continue to wiggle out of their obligation and duties. We the people must find a way to keep them honest and we must demand fair value for our money. A courageous and objective media makes the job much easier and their performance at last week’s press conference goes a long way toward restoring hope. Mr. Barrow’s performance was pitiful but the media came away smelling like a rose. Long live the free press! Send comments to gmikereid@hotmail.com.
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THE BELIZE TIMES
Sunday, February 27, 2011
BFLA hopes to raise health awareness with new initiatives
You Are What You Think, Part 4, The Final Chapter
Welcome to part four of our journey to examine the different mindsets or patterns of thought as it relates to the rich, the middle class, and the poor. Keep in mind that being rich, poor, or middle class is not an accumulation or the lack of wealth, but rather an accumulation or lack of mentalities. Many things form our mentalities. These include the environment we grow in, our culture, our religion, our family, education, exposures and also our traditions. To change the way we think would therefore require consistent pounding at what would have now become ‘mental hardness’! This is not an easy task and sadly many of us find ourselves eventually deep in the Lord Ridge Cemetery with our possible successes and accomplishments buried away. In this week’s session we are closely examining the mentality of the rich worker in the scripture of Matthew 25. The three servants were given money according to their ability. The poor receiving the least was afraid, wicked, and slothful according to verse 25 and 26. The middle class received a little more and went and won his profits. Finally we look at the rich employee. In verse 16 we find the actions of this servant being described with a word completely different from the other two servants. It says that he went and (traded) which in the Greek means to toil, to be engaged with! He functioned on a completely different level than the other two and this was confirmed in verse 15 where he was given the most money according to his ability! Let’s look at four behaviors of those with a rich mentality as I would like to expand on some things that the scripture given here suggests. One: A rich man spends his resources on assets and not liabilities. He tries never to purchase things that won’t make him money. No spontaneous spending!! Don’t get me wrong but a car, for example, although it is a necessity in Belize it can be either an asset or a liability. If we use our car to get from point A to B it is more a liability (draining money and resource from us), and we sometimes need to weigh whether or not we would keep it or use the bus, bicycle etc. If we purchase a vehicle and lease it out as a taxi or tour transportation vehicle, it now becomes an asset making us money rather than draining out money. In our reference scripture, this transaction is termed “traded”! Two: A rich man looks for businesses. He doesn’t look for someone to work for when he enters a country although he may do so to sustain himself for a short while. Rather he looks for business opportunities!! In other words, if you have a rich mentality, then more than likely the job you currently have is just a ‘training ground’ to cover you until you get on your feet! If you look closely, you’ll see that the amount given to the servant and his ability to trade is evidence that soon he will be able to go on his own and make his own business! Three: A rich man does not eat his seed. Just imagine this, oh by the way ladies please don’t be mad at me as when I use the term ‘man’ I’m speaking human, both male and female although my personal pronouns may seem of the masculine nature. Imagine a rich man desires to start a gaming business. Now he has bought a little game machine that you put a dollar in to play your arcade games. It costs three hundred dollars. After three months he makes three hundred from the machine. Unlike the poor who would buy a two hundred and fifty dollars tennis or even the middle class who would pay down on a twenty five inch television, this rich man would purchase another machine. Now he makes six hundred dollars, so he buys two more machines. This continues so much that he is able to make thousands in a week’s time based on his investments! Four: A rich servant is not afraid to make calculated risks! Please notice the word ‘calculated’! You don’t jump and then look down to see if the pool has water! That is more like stupidity! The poor borrow to eat and pay cable bill, the middle class borrow to purchase a boat, a house, or car, while the rich man borrows to start a business! In this light I will close with one thing that puzzles me about our country. The bottle neck and slow process it takes to acquire a piece of property is astounding. As I mentioned in a previous article it takes people from other countries, where to find a piece of land is like digging for gold, to come and see its value in our nation. I hope that our people will see this value and take advantage of it. Our system to obtain land takes too long but there are many opportunities to purchase if you have the finances. A rich man in this case would ‘borrow’ to purchase a land for future business. Man, there are people making big money by leasing out land they own to businesses. Remember, unlike most other things such as antiques, and apart from humans, land is one of the very few things that appreciate in value over the years. I encourage you, take a sledge hammer and begin to whack away at the mentalities, attitudes, and behaviors that causes us to have the poor mentality. Remember it’s not what you have or don’t have but it’s rather your mentality that makes you poor, middle class, or rich! Until next week God bless!!
Belize City, February 14, 2011 On Friday, February 11th 2011, the Belize Family Life Association launched a new countrywide competition titled “It’s All One Health & Wellness”, which is directed at the youth in Belize. This competition consists of three parts. The first part of the competition is for the general public ages 14 to 21 to submit a logo depicting good healthy lifestyles and attitudes and promote health and wellness as one concept. The 1st prize is $500, 2nd prize is $300 and 3rd prize is $200. The second part of the competition is aimed at the Primary School level. Each school is asked to come up with a wellness program focusing on physical education, health education, healthy school environment, nutrition services, and healthy promotion for staff and family/community involvement. The school must first complete and submit concept form describing program and activities. Secondly they must keep a health journal for 30 days. The winning school gets $1,000 towards their school program, cleaning supplies and sporting equipment. The last part is the knowledge or quiz which is aimed at the secondary
schools. This section is to test knowledge on sexual and reproductive health and rights, hygiene and nutrition. This section is called “3 minutes 4 Healthy Living.” It is divided into 3 parts, the first being three minutes for healthy living challenge, the second which is a one minute health challenge and the last is the school environment checklist. This competition will be done on site in each school that has signed up. BFLA has developed this competition in order to increase awareness of the importance of maintaining good health and promote healthy living among young people and their families. It also aims at involving and motivating students and educational institutions across Belize. At the initiative’s launching, BLSA also mentioned a new event that will be introduced in March, called “Take your kids to school week”. The new initiative will see fathers taking their child/ children to school so they too can enjoy the screaming, fighting and all the joys of taking a child to school early in the morning. To enter the competition interested individuals can contact BFLA offices across the country. The Belize City office’s contact is 203-1018.
Sunday, February 27, 2011
THE BELIZE TIMES
Labour movement be warned! Labour Amendment Bill – a date rape or a poisoned chalice?
The recent labour dispute between the Social Security Board and the Christian Workers Union is a clear indication of the hard-headedness of the government-appointed Social Security Board. By extension it also puts on display the hypocrisy of the government in dealing constructively and comprehensively with labour issues. They continue a seductive flirtation with some trade union leaders to hoodwink them and to keep them in bed. Meanwhile, the alarming increase in unemployment - the highest it has been in decades, a reported increase in the illegal trafficking of persons and the growing cases of child labour, are all being swept under the rug. The People’s United Party has always been the champion of the labour movement in this country. The records show that all the gains by the labour movement in Belize have been under successive PUP governments. It was in the year 2000 that the PUP gave full legitimacy to trade unions in Belize with the enactment of the Trade Union and Employees Organization Act. For the first time, all employees have a right to become members of recognized trade unions. It was also a PUP government that facilitated constitutional amendments to allow trade unions to have a seat in the Senate. Now we see what is happening. Mr. Barrow is reneging on the promise to allow representation on the Senate by the environmental community. This is because they continue to challenge his government’s reckless disregard for environmental laws. The actions of the Barrow government have brought into disrepute Belize’s track record on the environment including the possible delisting, by UNESCO, of Belize’s barrier reef as a world heritage site. The matter of allowing a seat in the Senate for the environmental community is now being challenged in the courts by environmental organizations. This is because the Prime Minister has reneged on a commitment he made, through an amendment to the Constitution, to facilitate this move. This is one in a series of other misgivings by an administration which appears to be clueless on matters of good governance vis-vis their penchant for vindictiveness and dirty
politics. Trade Unions should be warned. Aside from those who are sleeping in Mr. Barrow’s sleep number mattress, there have been very little acrossthe-board consultations with legitimate trade union leaders across the length and breadth of this country on this hodgepodge Labour Amendment Bill. If this Bill passes the National Assembly, it will have farreaching negative effects on employers, business, investments and the very workers it is trying to seduce. Besides, the time it took the government to take a piecemeal approach to fixing the Labour law could have been better used to draft a new and better Bill that could have guaranteed more equity for both employers and employees. Labour experts who have looked at this Bill, which was recently table in the House of Representatives, have said that it should be returned to the drawing board. The piecemeal approach to improving the Labour law has been described as trying to darn a very rotten garment. It tears with every attempt to fix it. Other issues of concern raised about the Bill are that it is too lopsided and serves as a disincentive to business and investments; that it creates bad-faith between employers and employees; that it is skewed in relation to contracts; that it does not take into consideration the probationary period of employees; and that it is taken from the Swedes’ model which is certainly not relevant to the needs of developing countries. It also appears to be a cut and paste exercise from a draft Caricom model draft Labour Bill which is already under fire by regional trade unions. They are saying that this model applies to developed countries and therefore, in many instances, does not apply to the region. We understand that the National Trade Union Congress of Belize (NTUCB) was not properly consulted at the national level and that they had very little inputs apart from crossing the ts and dotting the Is without understanding the deeper implications. Trade unionists, employers and workers would be well advised that they could be experiencing a date rape or drinking from a poisoned chalice. You know what has happened after the fact!
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THE BELIZE TIMES
Sunday, February 27, 2011