October 18 2009.indd

Transcription

sunday, October 18, 2009
The
The Belize Times
1
Belize Times
The Truth Shall Make You Free
SUNDAY OCTOBER 18, 2009
Issue No. 4664
$1.00 www.belizetimes.bz
‘Under-depositing’ at UB?
Board Claims It Was Misinformed About the Money
As we go to press tonight, we
do so with the distinct impression
that there is something not quite
right going on behind closed
doors at the University of Belize.
Today, at a press conference held
at the Belmopan Convention
Hotel, the UB Board Chair and
Minister’s Representative Imani
Fairweather Morrison made
a stunning , unexpected and
frankly baffling claim. According
to Mrs. Fairweather-Morrison,
the Board has decided to back
Faber Eats Crow on Teaching
Services Commission
Eating crow (archaically, eating
boiled crow) is an English-language
idiom meaning humiliation by
admitting wrongness or having been
proven wrong after taking a strong
position.[1] Eating crow is presumably
foul-tasting in the same way that being
proven wrong might be emotionally
hard to swallow.
The ego of Patrick Faber may
not allow him to admit this publicly,
so while he’s taking a break to find
some spin which will make him look
good, the Belize Times thought that
we should break the news. Reliable
sources have revealed that in the
face of massive opposition from
the Catholic Church to the Teaching
Services Commission in its proposed
form, Minister of Education Patrick
Faber has had to go back to the
drawing board. The Minister had
previously stated that he intended to
take the amendment to the Bill to the
House this month, but that agenda has
been pushed back at least to the end
of the year.
On September 14, the Minister
and representatives met with the
(Continued on page 31)
BNTU Shakeup after
Commission Snafu…
George Frazer
Hon. Patrick Faber
down, at least for the time
being, from its decisions to
freeze teacher’s increments and
increase tuition – but that’s
not the stunning part, really.
Mrs. Fairweather-Morrison
went on to state that they
were ‘misinformed’ about
the financial situation of the
University of Belize.
For the past week, since
information was sent out
from the Board that teachers’
Jaime Panti
The Belize Times has been Services Commission. Even before
reliably informed that there is a the release from the BNTU came out,
countrywide shakeup in the Belize General Secretary George Frazer had
Bishop Dorick Wright
National Teachers Union (BNTU) called into the UDP’s WAVE Radio to
Bishop’s Commission for a meeting after the leadership issued a release on express the BNTU’s support of the
which lasted almost four hours. At September 7 endorsing the Ministry Commission, so the release came as
the end of that meeting, Faber was of Education’s proposed Teaching no surprise to us.
forced to back down off his ramrod
stance and to ask the Commission to
submit their input for inclusion in the
Teaching Services Commission. The
Catholic Church heads the nation’s
largest school management, and had
publicly and aggressively denounced
Reprinted from Altermedia.info
the Teaching Services Commission as
with Damon Thompson, a native
by James Buchanan
proposed by Minister Faber. The Belize
of Belize. Belize is one of the most
On
Thursday,
October
8th,
Kathy
Times understands that the Church
launched a massive campaign against Rosen was trying to finish a chemistry backward nations in Central America
the Commission, speaking against it lab at UCLA. Another student in the and it’s very difficult to believe that
during Mass and even handing out class, Damon Thompson stabbed Thompson with his low forehead and
her five times with a six inch kitchen prognathous jaw was even remotely
pamphlets to parishioners.
I t mu s t b e a p a r t i c u l a r l y knife, he had brought with him that qualified to attend a quality university
humiliating experience for Faber, day, and then slashed her throat. The in the US. No doubt some poor White
who took to the airwaves himself to assault took place in front of 30 kid had to be kicked aside to make
promote the Commission, and was people. Thompson then dropped the room for this creature.
To add insult to injury, news has
heard to say that he was going to knife and walked away. Students and
come
out that Thompson had shown
a
teacher
rushed
to
her
aid
as
a
great
push it through, ‘come hell or high
signs
of
severe mental illness, accusing
quantity
of
blood
spilled
out
from
water.’ The Belize Times will follow
his
professors
of saying derogatory
the
wounds.
Her
eyes
rolled
back
in
this story as Faber waits for input
from the Bishop’s Commission into her head and she turned pale as they things about him during exams even
though no one else heard any of the
the Teaching Services Commission applied pressure to the wounds.
remarks that he claimed to hear. One
Lab
classes
at
UCLA
often
assign
which is now decidedly on the backnews article notes “A UCLA professor
people
to
work
in
teams,
and
Kathy
burner.
had the misfortune to be teamed up
White Girl Viciously Stabbed at
UCLA by Black Student from Belize
2
The Belize Times
Sunday, October 18, 2009
THE SOCIAL SECURITY
TIME
FOR
A
CHANGE
TIME BOMB
Passed into law by the PUP administration in 1979, Social Security
is a compulsory national workers insurance program that began collecting
premiums and awarding benefits in 1981. As of the end of last year, there
were 85,123 actively insured subscribers, about 74 of every 100 workers in
the country.
Based on the scale of salaries, both employers and employees are required
to contribute a total of eight cents of every dollar to a Social Security Fund.
In turn, the Fund compensates workers for sick days, for maternity leaves,
for disablement and death, and for retirement. Social Security is an umbrella
that keeps workers dry when the inevitable rainy days arrive.
Since its inception and as its contributors have swelled, Social Security
has ballooned to an asset base of some $359 million. By the very nature of
the insurance business, much of Social Security’s assets are carried in cash.
The Fund’s bulging accounts, piloted by politicians and their sometimes greedy
gofers, have invariably been gnawed and bitten, even as contributors complain
about the pittances that pass as benefits. Notwithstanding these blemishes,
Social Security’s safety net has insured tens of thousands of Belizeans against
the vicissitudes of the capitalist socio-economic system. The Social Security
umbrella, for example, covered 5,200 workers who collect retirement, invalidity
and survivor’s pension; more than 2,800 workers injured on the job received
$3.8 million in benefits last year; almost 4,000 new mothers will be sheltered
with maternity allowances and grants this year. By any measure, the Fund
offers enviable protection.
Unfortunately, the latest financial statements from Social Security
reveal that the Fund now teeters on the edge of insolvency. Unless sweeping
adjustments are immediately enacted, workers will soon draw a bounced check
from this account.
The contours of insolvency are conspicuous. Last year, contributors
paid in some $57 million to the Fund. Workers in turn received $49 million
from the various benefit branches. That left a surplus of around $8 million.
So far - so solvent. But then, there remains the cost of administering Social
Security, a factor that snatches a scandalous $21 million per year. The resulting
$13 million deficit is only bridged because of Social Security’s $25 million
from investment income, leaving a measly $12 million in overall net income
for 2008.
The 2008 net income was 36 percent below the $19 million achieved
in 2007. If contributions and benefits rise at the 2008 levels, by nine and 23
percent respectively, and if investment income stalls – an optimistic forecast
given its 19 percent nosedive in 2008 – then Social Security will suffer its first
net loss in 2009. And in each ensuing year, this loss will mushroom, wiping
out the entire fund by 2015. Along this terminal trajectory, one fifth of Social
Security’s reserves, some $55 million will be devoured by recurrent deficits
even before the next general elections are due.
Unless, then, it is the UDP’s aspiration to be indicted by history as an
abettor to the collapse of Social Security, their administration is obligated to
smother the fast-burning fuse on the Social Security time bomb.
The recipes on the rescue menu are not many. Contributions will need to
be increased from their current level of eight percent of insurable earnings.
The ceiling on insurable earnings – that portion of a worker’s salary that is
eligible for Social Security deduction – will also have to be raised from its
current level of $320 per week. While the last increase in contributions was
shared equally between employer and employee, any new increase will have
to be borne exclusively by employers, given the battered state of the Belizean
workers. Paring benefits is an option that will be violently resisted.
In addition, Social Security must slash the loathsome level of its operating
costs. Forty three cents of every dollar contributed by workers to the Fund in
2007 was spent on operating costs, including salaries and benefits. In 2008, the
figure was $21 million or 36 cents of each dollar in contributions chugged by
operating costs. Such costs seethe with negligence. They ought to be capped
by regulations and violators penalized.
Social Security, as the country largest institutional investor, must also
secure a higher real rate of return on its portfolio of investments. The absolute
minimum should be the equivalent of the benchmark of interest rates paid by
the commercial banks on deposits, which has hovered around a seven percent
annual rate. For 2008, Social Security actually lost one cent, in real terms, for
every dollar in its $329 million basket of reserves. Had such a loss occurred
at so prominent an institution in the private sector, a shareholder revolt would
surely have swept away forever those responsible for the mismanagement.
The UDP will contend that the present fortunes of Social Security are
not their doing. But such schoolboy excuses are irrelevant to the welfare of
the workers’ insurance program. Disclaimers are not allowed in this cyclical
game of governance. The future of the Fund surely belongs to this UDP
administration. There is not a moment to waste in the mission to rescue Social
Security. Mr. Barrow and his administration must act resolutely and act now.
Dear Editor
On the 18th March, 2007 it was the Village Council Election and the
UDP was victorious and most villagers in San Jose Succotz were excited and
happy for the change after fifteen long years. All went well in the beginning
but when it came to action the leaders were kind of weak and uncertain in
their ability to handle the situation. During the first Fiesta it was evident
that these leaders were not the kind of men the villagers had hoped to have
as administrators.
It is true that they are young but clearly they lack the leadership ability
everyone had expected.
With only five months to go for new elections the Council is dead
and completely inactive - no action by the Chairman, no monthly or annual
meetings, no financial reports and no report to the people. It appears that
these young guys just contested the election for fun and entertainment with
no real serious intention or plan of action for the community.
The Chairman is studying at the University of Belize with entirely no
interest in the village. For the Fiesta and September Celebrations he handles
everything by himself assisted by his sisters and no member or villager gets
to know how funds are obtained and how it is spent. Village affairs seem to
be run as private businesses for their own interest with complete disregard
to the community.
For the past decades residents of San Jose Succotz have been a brave
and courageous people. Many of the previous Councils throughout the years
were not perfect. Some were inept, incompetent or corrupt but this one is
outright impotent and outright corrupt. These young fellows have disregarded
and disrespected the senior citizens with no shame at all. We are a group
of young and old citizens watching and awaiting the time for change for a
better community.
It also appears that no one in the Rural development Department or
whoever cares about the behavior of the village chairman for he seems free
to do and go about as he pleases. The craft vendors by the river have been left
without charging or collecting the fees that could provide for the maintenance
of the riverside and other areas. The Village Funds that come from the
revenue from resorts, hotels, clubs and bars is unknown to anyone except
the Chairman - no hints or information or reports on this very important
matter. Let’s suppose this young guy was not a Catholic religious teacher.
There are a lot of things that will be coming up for our village deserves
better. For instance there is a foreigner who has been building his mansion
by the highway. This man with complete disregard and disrespect grabbed
public land and street spaces on the three sides of the mansion - part of the
right of way of the highway, the west side of the entrance of main street
and to the west, part of the street which he has almost blocked with walls
with a narrow passage with steps.
This is an outright disrespect and contempt of the dignity of our brave
and proud people. This action should be the last blow to our national dignity
at the hands of the Village Council and its impotent Chairman. The least
our people would deserve is that this young fellow resigns because with all
this mess things will never improve.
Our village has stood high and proud throughout time and we are ready
for a change.
Group of Concerned Citizens.
THE BELIZE TIMES
EDITOR
DESKTOP PUBLISHER
Lucilo E. Alcoser
Mike Rudon
TYPIST
OFFICE SUPERVISOR
Rachel Arana
Fay Castillo-Mckay
PRINTING/PERSONNEL
SUPERVISOR
Doreth Bevans
Printed & Published By
The Belize Times Ltd.
#3 Queen Street
P.O. BOX 506
Belize City, Belize
Tel: 224-5757
Editor: 671-8385
Fax: 223-1940
PRINTER
Oscar Obando
The Belize Times
If Da No Soh…
Poor Philloughby…
New UDP Gas Station…
Just in case you think we may
be fabricating just a bit, here’s the
picture to show you our special ‘bally’
Philloughby sinking down in his seat at
Guess there hasn’t been much
publicity about it, but this columnist
has received word that there’s a new
gas station in town. The ‘new’ station
is supposedly located at the BTL
compound on St. Thomas. Damn
these UDPs will find any way possible
to hustle. Looks like the fuel tank at
BTL is used for BTL employees during
the recent UB protest. Superboy was
there acting like everybody’s favourite
best friend and took his customary
seat right at the front where he was
sure the cameras would get a good
shot. But damn, the bwoy get shame.
See, one of the speakers who didn’t
see Philloughby there was angry at the
arbitrary decision by the Board of UB
to raise tuition, and likened that action
to that of the ‘stupid Councilor from
Belize City who wanted to sell City
Hall.’ Man the whole crowd of students
had a good laugh at that one. Bout the
only person who didn’t laugh was our
boy Philloughby, who was busy sinking
down in his seat in shame. I wonder
when Superboy will get the sense that
he is nothing more than everybody’s
pet clown…If Da Noh Soh!
Lost & Found…
Last week Minister of State Edmund
Castro was frantically searching for
his official National Assembly ID
and couldn’t remember where he’d
dropped it. Well, we’re sure happy to
shed some light on that and help out
our buddy Clear the Land. Seems like
the Minister was in a certain, shall we
say ‘pay by the hour’ establishment on
the Northern Highway, and during the
shenanigans his ID slipped out of his
pocket and into our grasp. So there
you go, my friend – if you need back
the ID please feel free to call into our
offices and we will return it to you.
And that’s our good deed of the day.
On another note, it seems like Castro
is tired of getting busted by his wife
and daughter so he’s headed on to
new pastures. The gentleman and his
special Dragon Unit driver were seen
coming out of a popular Orange Walk
nightspot at 3:00am Saturday morning.
And in case you wanted to know, he
was in his government vehicle. Doesn’t
it just put joy in your heart to know that
you get to pay the fuel so the Minister
can party in OW? If Da Noh Soh!
the week, and on the weekend ‘special’
UDP personalities like Juliet Thimbriel
mosey on up in their fancy SUVs and
just top up the lil’ baby. If you don’t
believe it, hang around the compound
over the weekend and see for yourself
– oh, and be sure to tell Juliet I said
hello…If Da Noh Soh!
La Casa Chica…
When I’m right I’m right, and when
I’m wrong I’m sure as hell man enough
to say I’m wrong. For the longest time
I’ve been saying that the electrician
cum minister of health hasn’t done
one thing in Corozal for anybody. My
apologies, Pablito! I have been reliably
informed that a street has been opened
parallel to College Road right off the
Education Centre in Corozal Town.
But to every good there is a bad. It
seems that this street was opened
to accommodate only one person, a
‘special friend’ of the Minister, shall we
say. On that new street a new house is
being built for that ‘special friend.’ But
no worry bout nothing, Pablo! At the
very least people can’t say that you did
absolutely nothing for anybody. Oh, by
the way, people are also saying that the
money being used to build the house is
from the Venezuela Grant. Can we get
a response, please?If Da Noh Soh!
Pablo under fire…
This columnist has also been
reliably informed that residents in
Corozal are gunning for Pablo’s head.
See, the electrician minister has been
busy taking away lots from people in
Corozal Town and surrounding areas,
so he already isn’t the most popular
fellow on the block. But people felt
that it was a slap in the face when
Pablito was asked to judge the recent
Miss World pageant, and he offered
up a house and lot to the winner. Now
residents are saying that the lot being
given away is one which was taken
from a young couple in Corozal and
they’re not happy about it…If Da
Noh Soh!
3
the SSB Board, the appointment to
the BTL Board, the diplomatic UN
posting, the assignment as AttorneyGeneral and the looming promise
of a permanent posting as Attorney-
Blades Construction
Don’t let the title of this column
fool you – when we seh da soh, you
can just about take it to the bank.
Remember just a few weeks ago we were
talking about UDP Senator Roosevelt
Blades and saying that he was in charge
of disbursing the Venezuela grant
General. Nope, it’s just not enough.
This columnist has learned that Lice
has been retained as the attorney for
the City Council. Jeez. What more can
Lice get? How far does the affection
of her husband the PM extend? If Da
Noh Soh!
Catfight at BTL…
funds in Corozal Town? Remember
when we said that he had plans to
open a construction company and
that all materials would then need to
be bought from that company? Well,
this columnist has been informed that
there is a new Blades Construction
Co. in town. That’s right. We’ve also
been informed that all materials and
construction supplies must be bought
from that company. Shame on you
Senator…If Da Noh Soh!
EIAs for Sale…
Months ago Rommel Berges was
going about bragging that he is Gapi
Vega’s bagman and when Gapi is in
Belize City he sleeps at his house. And
apart from being sleep-mates, Rommel
also bragged that if anybody wanted
any land transaction ‘expedited’ they
had to go through him and for a small
‘contribution’ he could ensure that
his buddy Margarito would push it
through. Well, it seems that the whole
‘expediting of transactions for a small
fee’ thing runs in the family, cause this
columnist understands that Rommel’s
brother, UDP Campaign Manager
Karim ‘Crimson’ Berges, is now going
around telling developers that for
the small consideration of $10,000,
Environmental Impact Assessments
(EIAs) can be finessed through the
system with nary a murmur….If Da
Noh Soh!
Greedy Lice…
Lawd, it seems that the old adage
that the greedy rich are never satisfied
is very, very true indeed. Looks like
first wife second lady ‘Lice’ didn’t get
enough with the millions in fees, the
Queen’s honour, the appointment to
Well it didn’t take long for tempers
to flare up at BTL, and we’re not
talking about the employees, cause
that’s a horse of a totally different
colour. Nope, we’re talking about
‘Lice,’ the first wife second lady, and
CEO Karen Bevans, who is allegedly
a close friend of the second wife first
lady. Don’t get too comfortable in your
post, CEO, cause we understand that
Lice is already whispering sweet and
sour nothings into the ears of her ex,
and we know that what Lice wants,
Lice gets…If Da Noh Soh!
And finally…
Rumours from some very credible
sources are indicating that Net
Vasquez’s Channel 7 is in the midst of
a complete equipment and computer
upgrade. And that is not all that is
being indicated…the word is that BTL
equipment and BTL resources are
‘supporting this upgrade. Please Net,
say it ain’t so…If Da Noh Soh!
Late Breaking News…
Late news reaching this journalist
as we go to press is that the creators
of Superman have instituted a lawsuit
against Councillor Phillip Willoughby.
Apparently the comments of
Willoughby where he proposed selling
City Hall and nationalizing BML were
brought to their attention and they
noticed that Willoughby was wearing
his trademark Superman hat. We
understand that the basis of the suit is
that Willoughby is damaging the image
of Superman and is bringing the high
standards of the Superman Brand into
serious disrepute….If Da Noh Soh!
4
The Belize Times
Questions to Ministers
Would the Prime Minister and
1
Minister of Finance please say when
From the Desk of the Party Leader
2
Let us fix this
together…
3
At last week’s House meeting, the government passed the proposed
amendments to the Evidence Act and the Indictable Procedures Act. In
layman’s terms, these amendments will allow witnesses to give evidence to
the Police without having to personally appear in court. This is the result
of a frustrated judiciary that is seeing too many criminals walk free because
of witness intimidation. The lingering question is however: will this help
to address crises?
The government itself seems unconvinced. The Attorney General
in his presentation in the House said that crime continues to spiral out
of control and that something must be done about it. The Minister of
Education agreed and went on to list all the initiatives being undertaken in
his ministry to try and address this issue.
The confusion occurred when the Minister of National Security
contradicted his colleagues and announced that crime was going down,
and then proceeded to read off a list of questionable statistics.
Unfortunately, the stark reality is that where crime is concerned, we are
more vulnerable than ever. Last year there were 103 murders in Belize. So
far this year, 80 persons have been murdered. And it gets worse.
On a busy street in Belize City, two primary school students coming
home from class were shot. Two weeks ago, a 14 year old Wesley student
was viciously murdered in Belize City. In Caye Caulker a well-known
businesswoman was killed in a most gruesome manner. In Corozal, a
UDP activist was also brutally murdered in his home. And in Orange Walk
Town, near my own backyard, an enraged boyfriend cruelly killed a young
mother.
This year government is spending $97 million on National Security,
$14 million more than it will spend on healthcare. With the exception of
Education and debt payments, the government will spend more on national
security than all the rest of ministries combined. In the meantime, in the
streets the situation is getting worse.
So, it is not that the government has not been spending money to fight
crime in Belize. It is just that government has been unable to attack this
problem in a holistic manner. Late last year, when I spoke at the National
Assembly about crime, I said that all of us must do our part to root crime
out of our communities.
I proposed that government spend the money where it will be most
effective. The police must have the right equipment, and can have a more
visible presence in the hotspots. Also we need to strengthen the prosecution
branch. So many times you hear people complain that cases are not being
heard because there are not enough prosecutors. We still need the crime
lab that has been much debated not only in the National Assembly but
also in the streets. After so many years we are still waiting for a proper
crime lab.
While going after the criminals, we must also attack the root causes of
crime, i.e. poverty. Everyone must accept that we cannot live in a country
with so much inequality. Until we change this, Belizeans will continue to
lose the fight against crime and eventually, law abiding citizens will become
prisoners in their own homes.
Additionally, government should work with the private sector to create
jobs, provide access to quality education, affordable healthcare and funding
to reach out to the poor and vulnerable in our society.
Also the Belizean society must assist more. Parents need to be more
vigilant and active in the lives of their children. Those who have the capacity
to do so need to volunteer as mentors; through their actions they can set
good examples for our children.
For many years we have been hearing Belizeans complain and lament
about crime in our society. The time for complaining and lamenting must
now be changed to a time of action. We are all in this fight together. What
is at stake is our families and this beautiful country. Are you prepared to
do your part? Will you stand up for Belize?
4
he will bring a supplementary request
to the House for the $100million
shortfall in the budget which was
presented by the Government?
Would the Minister of Works be
willing to inform the nation how
many streets and roads were paved
during the dry season, since it makes
absolutely no sense for work to be
done during the rainy season?
Would the Minister of Health, if
he has any clue, please inform the
nation of the accurate number of
cases of dengue, malaria and swine
flu in the country? And could the
Minister shed some light on the
whereabouts of his CEO, Dr. Peter
Allen, who seems to have gone
missing?
Would the Minister of National
Security be able to give an update
on the investigation into the death
of cane-farmer Atanacio Gutierrez
at the hands of the Police force,
since it happened more than eight
months ago and his widow and six
children need some answers and
some assistance?
The Belize Times
UDP Politics as usual
‘Pregnant pills’ fiasco…
At the end of last week, the news broke that 40 boxes
of so-called pseudo-ephedrine had been found in the home
of a man from the south-side of Belize City. Then when the
dust cleared just a little, it was revealed that the pills were
actually vitamins for pregnant woman. When the dust cleared
just a little more, it was revealed that the boxes of pre-natal
vitamins are the property of the Ministry of Health, and had
been stored in this private home for the past two months.
So on the surface of it, this thing doesn’t look to be illegal,
but could somebody please explain why there are 40 boxes
of vitally essential vitamins for pregnant women sitting in a private home for the
past two months? Can somebody explain why those pills have been forgotten for
two months while there is a terrible situation with anemia in pregnant women in the
south of Belize? Something is very, very wrong with our health system in Belize. Is
the Prime Minister waiting for mass casualties before he makes a move to right what
is wrong in health?
No slides…no dengue
Despite mass outbreaks of ‘flu’ throughout the country of Belize, the Ministry
of Health, when it has bothered to say anything, is reporting very, very low
incidences of dengue. But what many people don’t realize is that the reason for this
‘under-reporting’ is that the public sector labs are completely out of slides to take
samples and thus, no dengue. It would be interesting to check with the SSB and
analyze the claims for sickness benefits. Maybe then Belizeans would understand
the sheer scope of the dengue outbreaks as recorded by lost productivity and manhours. The negative impact to our economy is far greater than we think. What is our
vector control unit doing? Where are the five spray trucks and teams sent from our
northern neighbor to assist us? Our government is unable to deal with even a simple
thing like the vector control program. And while the outbreaks continue, there is a
lack of basic medication at the public hospital. At the Western Regional Hospital,
children with flu-like symptoms are given an injection of Voltaren and sent home. At
the Corozal Hospital, they’re not even that lucky. All they’re given is a prescription
before they’re sent home. Mr. Prime Minister, we need help!
Judiciary under attack….
The integrity of our Judiciary and the judges themselves
are under attack from this Barrow administration. That’s
plain to see, although if you’re a masochist and listen to
WAVE in the morning, their version is that the AG is under
attack from the Judiciary. Anyway, go figure. The point of
this short piece is that the Prime Minister’s double-speak
at the House meeting last week was so blatant that it was
frightening. When the matter of the AGs attack on the
Judiciary and the Judiciary’s UNPRECEDENTED and
fiery release, the Prime Minister jumped up in defense of
the AG, fully aware or so it seemed of the entire brouhaha. But just hours after, as
the PM was interviewed by the media, he bald-facedly claimed that he could not
comment on the Judiciary’s release because he hadn’t seen it or heard anything about
it. Now can you fathom that? For reasons of clarity, let me say at this point that I
think the PM is a liar. But let’s choose the other door, and believe for a second that
the PM really did not see the release, which at that point had been in wide circulation
for two days. See, the release from the Judiciary is not a little thing. It’s not some
unimportant outpouring from some obscure organization. This is the Judiciary, the
law of the land, accusing GOB of orchestrating an attack against its integrity. So the
PM expects us to believe that nobody felt that it was important enough that he be
informed. Nobody in his family or political circle or even his brother who is a justice
of the Supreme Court felt that it was important enough that he should know about
it. Anyway, enough said! PM, you better try selling that story somewhere else.
A failed state…
After the Minister of National Security’s stunning
declaration on national television that crime is down and
we are doing well, it would not be surprising to learn
that Dean Barrow also thinks that all is honky dory in
Belize. But the reality among us right thinking persons
out here is that Belize is now for all intents and purposes
a failed state. If you need any persuading, just look at the
tourism statistics. And if statistics are not your thing, talk
to people in say, the hotel industry or the construction
industry. Things are bad, really bad. Occupancy in hotels
and resorts is at an all time low. Many, many people have had to be laid off. In
Placencia, resorts like the Inn at Robert’s Grove had to close its doors in the off
season for the first time. And there are many other indicators. American Airlines has
now discontinued its Tuesday flight into Belize. Talk to the people at the Radisson
Fort George. Their motto of ‘Si Se Puede’ is rapidly turning into ‘Ahorita No Se
Puede.’ It’s no laughing matter. BTB’s revenue is down by 18%. The banks are
foreclosing on some really big companies which I won’t name at this time, but which
employ hundreds of Belizeans. The economy is in peril. The cost of living continues
to go up. Inflation is up while salaries are down. Fuel will be going up this weekend
again. BWSL plans to raise its rates by 25%. Like an alcoholic with any hope of
recovery, the Prime Minister will first have to admit that there is a serious, serious
problem. So far he and the rest of his administration still seem to have their heads in
the clouds. That’s a long way up, and the fall back to earth is sure to be a nasty one.
The 21 pledges…
After 20 months under a UDP administration, this columnist urges all Belizeans
to get a copy of the 21 commitments presented to the Belizean people by the UDP
on January 8, 2008. Don’t take our word for it. You look at them and you decide
5
for yourselves if this UDP Government has made good on those commitment. As
I write this with the list of pledges in front of me, I can point to only two things of
the 21 which have been accomplished to a certain extent. We deserve better than
that.
A dangerous precedent…
For many weeks now this columnist has been observing something which
reeks to high heavens, but which seems to have gone largely unnoticed. I refer to
UDP crony Alberto August, who has been placed in charge of the Elections and
Boundaries Department. That’s right, the Elections and Boundaries Department
which manages perhaps the most important process in the country. Some attempt
was made at first to give August the benefit of the doubt and to trust that he would
put his partisan-ship aside but no such luck. Instead, August is a regular caller to
the talk-shows where he bashes the PUP in the vilest of terms. See now, I have a
problem with that, and it should be an obvious one. The head of the Elections and
Boundaries Department, while free to vote for whichever party he chooses, must at
all time carry out his responsibilities with impartiality and integrity. It is obvious that
Alberto August is not able to do that. It is obvious from his blatant politicking that
whenever elections roll around, he will put all his energies into making sure that his
government and party is elected. And by the way, Alberto August also publishes a
newspaper called the Cayo Star, which is blatantly pro-UDP. I checked it out on the
website a few days ago and noticed that the rag sported four (4) full page ads from
the Elections and Boundaries Department. Can anybody say conflict of interest?
I fall to pieces…
The title of the old Patsy Cline song is particularly
pertinent as I watch the news tonight and see UDP
minister Mike Finnegan blasting away with all guns
at his Cabinet colleague Carlos Perdomo. Apparently
Perdomo took away land from one of Finny’s
constituents and Finny let him have it on national
television. That’s significant in itself, but it’s even
more significant when taken in context. See, Finny and
Perdomo should have been able to handle the matter
behind closed doors. It shouldn’t have gotten to the
point of Finny challenging and insulting Perdomo
in the public forum. There’s something screwy in
the UDP for sure. The signs are all there to be seen.
Remember Sedi talking about out of control crime while Perdomo claims that crime
is down. Then there’s Sedi’s brother and confidante blasting Barrow and Perdomo in
public. And there’s more, much more – signs of the stress fractures within the UDP.
So what we’re looking at here is a failed state run by a failed administration – and
that proverbial creek without a paddle.
Hypocrite of
the Week
The recipient of this week’s
‘special’ honour had already been
chosen, but a sterling performance
on Thursday by Minister Michael
Finnegan kicked him up to the top
spot. Most eyes must have been glued
to the television during the news when
Finnegan accused his brother minister
Carlos Perdomo of doing an illegal act
and victimizing a Belizean. Those same
eyes must have opened wide in shock
when Finnegan claimed that he would
personally pay for legal action against
his own Cabinet colleague. So why does
that make Finnegan a primo hypocrite,
you might ask?
The fact is that since this UDP
Government took over, hundreds
upon hundreds of Belizeans have been
victimized. Hundreds upon hundreds
of Belizeans have had their land taken
away. The Government gazette is chock
full of land which has been taken away.
In one week alone, more than 110
pieces of land were taken away by the
UDP in Corozal. One single mother in
St. Margaret had her land taken away
for reason of non-development of
the parcel, although she had already
constructed a house and had planted
out the lot. And that is only one of the
many horror stories.
At no time when all these things
were happening did Minister Finnegan
open his mouth. At no time did
Finnegan step forward to say, ‘listen
man, this is wrong!’ At no time did
Finnegan step in to defend any one of
the hundreds of Belizeans who had
their piece of the jewel stripped away
by a cold and malicious UDP.
Now though, because the
person who was victimized is a UDP
supporter, and because the person is a
voter in Mesopotamia, and because the
media spotlight is on him, Finnegan
has come out roaring like a lioness in
defense of her cub. But that doesn’t fly
with Belizeans who know the reality of
serious victimization of the masses by
the UDP.
For his pappy-show dramatics in
the media circus, Finnegan has certainly
earned his stripes at the Belize Times
Hypocrite of the Week.
6
Guest
The Belize Times
JUSTICE OR JUST ANOTHER GIMMICK??
On Friday, October 9th, 2009, the Evidence Amendment Bill 2009 and
the Indictable Procedure Amendment Bill 2009 were presented in the National
Assembly by Attorney General Wilfred Elrington. In his introduction,
Elrington said that “This is piece of legislation which will allow the statement
given by a witness who is in fear of going to court to give evidence, who is in
fear for his life to go to court to give evidence, to allow that evidence contained
in the statement to be admitted at the trial of the accused person”.
In a remarkable fit of pious self-serving candor, the AG said “It is a bill
which we had to come up with because, as has been stated more than once in
this House by the Honorable Leader of the Opposition and other members on
this side, the country is really in the grips of serious violent crimes, criminals,
north, south, east and west are wreaking havoc, creating fear and terror among
the entire citizenry of the country
Leaving aside for the moment as the issue as to why the Minister of
National Security cannot “come up” with ANYTHING to deal with crime,
let’s examine the change and why it was made. Apparently, the AG believes
that the change in the law “will bring justice in cases where witnesses fail to
appear or suffer from temporary amnesia at trials”.
The proposed amendment to the Indictable Procedure Act is a change to
section 123, which allows for depositions to be admitted into evidence in the
trial of an accused in the Supreme Court, without that witness appearing in
person at the trial and testifying before the jury and accused, and also without
being cross examined. The amendment of section 123(2) now provides for
the insertion of words at the end of that section as follows: “or by reason
of fear of death or bodily injury, to him or to a member or members of his
family, is unwilling to give or to continue to give oral evidence.”
Section 123(1) of the Act provides that the deposition of any person may
be used at the trial of an accused in the Supreme Court, if certain conditions
are satisfied under 123(2) and providing the court is satisfied that the accused
will not be materially prejudiced by the reception of the deposition at trial.
The first qualification to note is that a deposition (which is a statement in
writing which is given by a witness at a preliminary inquiry) who is, unwilling to
give or to continue to give oral evidence because of fear of death or injury to
himself or family, will not automatically be admitted into evidence. It only may
be admitted into evidence. This means that the admission of the deposition
into evidence is discretionary and left up to the trial judge to decide whether
the deposition should or should not be admitted into evidence.
Secondly, it is important to note that all the proper conditions for
making a deposition will have to be fulfilled. A witness will have to state his
name and address on a written statement, and will have to sign it before a
Magistrate or Justice of the Peace and state that it is it is true to the best of
his knowledge and belief and that he made the statement knowing that if it
were tendered in evidence he would be liable to prosecution, if he willfully
stated anything in it which was false or which he did not believe to be true. If
any of these conditions was left out, then such a statement would not qualify
to be introduced at trial without the maker being present.
Third, it must be stated that the written statement will still be given to
the accused or his attorney as part of pre-trial disclosure. The witness will
still have to appear at the Magistrates Court for the PI (Preliminary Inquiry) in
front of the accused; and state that he is the maker of the written statement,
that he lives at the said address, that he signed the statement in front of a JP
or Magistrate, and that it is the truth.
Realistically, will anyone who is afraid of death or bodily injury to himself
or to family go through with all this procedure for making a written statement
in the first place?
Did the AG really understand his own law and how it would actually
operate? The answer has to be a clear no. In fact, Senior Attorney and Member
for Fort George had to “school” the AG (who is the titular ‘head’ of the
Bar Association), and proposed a needed change in the AG’s proposed IPA
amendment law, in order to prevent challenges by Attorneys on the basis of
its unfairness and unconstitutionality. The AG who tried to claim that the
proposed law was similar to one passed in Jamaica in 1995, not only could
not say how the law had helped Jamaica, but he also was forced, on the floor
of the House, to make changes to his proposals in order to prevent such
challenges.
Like section 123 of the IPA, section 105 of the Evidence Act allows for
the statement of a prosecution witness to be admitted into evidence without
the need for that witness to attend trial and testifying but only in certain
circumstances – that it have a certificate of truth and be signed by the witness
in the presence of a Magistrate or JP. The difference is that section 105 can
be used to have statements admitted in ANY criminal proceedings, whether
in the Magistrate’s Court or the Supreme Court. This act makes provisions
for an accused in a criminal trial to have enhanced rights where a statement
is admitted into evidence pursuant to that section.
So, if witnesses are to have limited rights to have written statements
received in a trial instead of giving oral evidence, then accused persons must
by law be given the right to have enhanced safe guards to their rights. This
could very well have the added effect of blunting whatever little utility this
particular tool has. Indeed, in the Senate, the government senators were
forced to fall back on saying that changing the laws in the form of these
Bills, is worth it, if it only helps “one person”. Since when do lawmakers
legislate for a metaphorical individual??
It is abundantly clear that the Barrow government is completely unable
to seriously manage the crime crisis. The Minister of National Security is
busily focused on his own posterior with his 360 Degree Vision Plan. The
AG has not a clue what to do, and labors like the proverbial mountain for
what? Instead of justice, the AG is promoting just another gimmick
The questions at the end of the day asked by the Honorable John
Briceño are the right ones - will the proposed amendments assist in an
increase in the conviction rate for prosecution of cases or assist in seeing
a decrease in crime? What will be the result in a year? . The evidence is
overwhelming – it is a gimmick, a small manual screwdriver where power
tools
are needed.
Sunday,
January 23, 2000
The Belize T
The proposed amendments are nothing but crepe paper window
dressing. They will not serve to fight the horrendous crime wave; they will
not take the place of the Police doing their work. They will not inspire
much confidence in our terrified communities, and worse, will probably
not even help the DPP’s office in getting citizens to overcome their fear
in testifying.
The AG has labored, and the fruits of his labor are two blind mice.
Not Justice. Just another Gimmick.
“QUOTE FOR THE WEEK”
don’t quit
When things go wrong,
As they sometimes will,
When the road you’re trudging seems all uphill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit –
Rest if you must, but don’t you quit.
Life is queer with its twists and turns,
As every one of us sometimes learns,
And many a failure turns about
When he might have won had he stuck it out.
Don’t give up though the pace seems slowYou may succeed with another blow.
No
“
ha
Co
Oc
Th
Success is failure turned inside out –
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
And you never can tell how close you are,
It many be near when it seems so far;
So stick to the fight when you’re hardest hit
It’s when things seem worst that you mustn’t quit.
Persistence is a decision. It is a commitment to finish what you start.
When we are exhausted, quitting looks good. But winners endure.
Ask a winning athlete. He endures pain and finishes what he started.
Lots of failures have begun well but have not concluded anything.
Persistence comes from purpose. Life without purpose is drifting. A
person who has no purpose will never persevere and will never be
fulfilled.
SHIV KHERA
P
P
The Belize Times
ECONOMIC COLLAPSE
IN SAN PEDRO
The
Whip
Academia
The pseudo intellectual ser vants of the reds
They took the reins of the students flame
In the years of the judgement of the blues
The scholars creating havoc in the streets
Following the call of the false philosophes
They, the indentured souls of the red prophecy
Have been deceived by the powers that be
And in turn have damned the future of the youth
Their solution of blaming the past regime of blues
Solves not the sins of their gross short-sightedness
The reds never place their stake for progress
on education and development of the populace
They only believe in cutting costs and raising levy
And care not if you will or not obtain your grace
And they do so with no remorse and full constraint
Stagnation of the economy has hit San Pedro hard.
Isabel Vasquez
Walking down the streets of
San Pedro this week, the usual buzz
and banter of La Isla Bonita seems
somewhat subdued, if not silent. It
seems that while the global economic
climate may be (arguably) improving,
things on the Belizean Cayes are as
desperate as ever.
Hotels are reporting lower
than ever occupancy rates (except
for Ramon’s, which is surprising
given the hurried attitude one of
its management staff has acquired
towards public enquiries). And even
those tourists that are still heading
to San Pedro (despite the global
downturn in tourism) are cutting
back on expenses, including golf
cart rental, excursions, fishing trips
and diving expeditions, which all
has a huge impact on the economy
and ambience of Belize’s top tourist
destination. Several shops and
premises – even those on Front
Street – are working on limited hours,
even more so than the low-season
usually warrants. From delicatessens
to wood-carving specialists, from
musicians to tour-guides, it seems
only a lucky few have escaped near
financial catastrophe this year. And
with more than two months until
the peak tourist season is scheduled
to commence, several business
owners are concerned that their
financial situations may not carry
them through until trade improves.
Even worse is the ingrained fear that
the upcoming tourist season may
prove as disappointing as the last.
T h e i s l a n d ’s n u m e r o u s
supermarkets have reported dropping
sales, suggesting that even basic
grocery shopping is taking a hit,
which points towards further social
decay as people are apparently
struggling to meet even their daily
nutritional requirements. Yet with
prices soaring across the country
for basic staple foods, and San
Pedro’s inflated prices due to added
transportation costs, there is little
wonder that people are ‘making do’
with the most basic of foodstuffs in
order to stretch their dollar a little
more in these hard times.
As if that were not enough,
politically-ignited problems between
the two major water taxi service
providers over recent weeks has
raised tensions between competing
company employees, who are each
required to hustle trade for their
respective companies, regardless
of the limited number of potential
t r ave l l er s within their midst.
That aside, the third major water
transport company on the island, The
Thunderbolt, which runs passengers
between Corozal and San Pedro, has
been required to reduce its schedule
by half due to insufficient customer
demand, and now offers a mere
one trip a day. This is just one such
company that now has equipment
(and staff) for which there is no job,
which creates even greater strains
on already floundering budgets and
fading spirits.
C o n s t r u c t i o n , w h i ch wa s
booming on the island, continues to
flounder as more and more menial
labourers are sent home for the
duration of the economic crisis;
this has subsequent negative effects
on towns such as Orange Walk
and Dangriga which then suffer a
population boom as its young male
labour force returns home and join
literally hundreds of other jobseekers roaming the streets (to very
little avail, and very little sympathy
from the government).
There were all sorts of opinions
permeating from various strata of
San Pedrano society this week: that
the authorities have been naive in
depending on tourism too heavily for
too long; that the chain reaction of
unemployment, desperation and crime
is to be expected when Belizeans are
forced to endure such longstanding
economic crises; and that it is time
the government accepted their own
ineptitude in carrying Belize forward
into a positive future, and let more
capable leaders rule.
And that is the source of our quandary
Many shall have to relinquish their study
Many a tutor shall join the unwaged
‘Tis senseless toil of the red barons
And their Ser vile fools in Academia
The scholars must steadfast hold
Their rights above all must flourish
Be not guided by the same old heads
Be not fooled by char ming red tongues
Follow the path of reason, steam ahead
Resistance must be the game to play
Civil unrest must be the order of the day
The master of the games is yet to see
That like him others too can blustery be
His day of reckoning has just begun
No more shall he make fools of youth
He promised all better days and better times
But now is charging dollars instead of dimes
And he is enforcing this with a force so br ute
The voices of the ser vile ones have gone mute
Scholars will have to lead the cry for battle
To face the predicament they now tackle
And all and sundry will have to join the rattle
Against the baldy one and the red oppressor
Or sooner or later all shall victims be of his razor
At the end of day triumph shall be theirs
Notwithstanding the lethal forces of the reds
Without sacrifice there is no story, there is no glory
Some brothers shall fall that others may proceed
That is the price that will be paid in order to succeed
Only then shall the virtues of academia
Finally come to that great splendour
On having overcome the anaemia
That has made us wonder
That it is so sombre
Health of the Ministry
Tropical plagues take their toll
On the people of the nation state
Indeed the very tyrant it is told
Has felt the fever, his health abate
Mexican brothers came to rescue
In special tr ucks they came to spray
Baldy’s home their first and only cue
And someone then had them sent astray
So that has made no change
Day by day the people suffer
No one seems to be in charge
No one there to steer the r udder
The man in charge is more concerned
With making way for his second home
Forgets he, the nearby swamp
Full of flies, will make him cramp
A little whiff of pesticide is all we ask
He seems unable for this simple task
Would he do it for the children’s sake?
It’s the people’s very health at stake
Some vitamins for a pregnant mother
Dear minister is that such a bother?
Why allow the hustle, and all delay
Why are our pills at a private stay?
Tired doctor, tired nurse
Fr ustrated and about to strike,
Hospital ser vice getting worse
Is this minister a psyche or just per verse?
Perhaps with one family and not two
He’d find time and his work just do
7
8
The Belize Times
hard hitting
ONLY IN BELIZE
Separation of powers is the
political doctrine under which the
executive, the legislative and the judicial
branches of government are kept distinctly
separate so as to prevent abuse of power.
For two years, Belizeans have watched as
our country has undergone a dangerously
rapid transformation from a peaceful,
democratic state to one that now has all
semblance of a full blown tyranny.
Where else in the entire world do
we see a Head of State appoint his brother
to the highest judicial seat in the land? Yes,
Mr. Denys Barrow may be very qualified
for the job, but when the highest member
of the legislature appoints his brother
to the highest level of the judiciary, the
local and international community starts
to question the direction that Belize is
heading.
The whole concept of separation
of powers is to ensure that there is not
a concentration of power by any one
branch, and furthermore it is supposed
to provide each branch with weapons to
fight off encroachment by the other two
branches.
But not here! Not in Belize.
Our executive and judicial branches
of government have come under an
unprecedented attack from a leader that
has seemingly gone totally mad. Our
first taste of dictatorship came when
our Head of State abandoned his elected
post on the “legislature” and took on
the “executive” roll of the DPP, and
announced that former Prime Minister
Said Musa would be arrested on trumpedup political charges. Prior to Barrow’s
pronouncement the public had not heard a
peep from the supposedly “independent”
office of the DPP.
Then before we knew it, he struck
again. Just a few weeks ago the Mayor of
Belize City condemned our Head of State
when she declared on National TV that
Dean Barrow was anatomically challenged
for putting a political hit on her while she
was in the delivery room. The Mayor
made it emphatically clear that our Head
of State was once again interfering in the
executive branch of government since he
appeared to know before the DPP that
the Mayor was going to be criminally
charged.
In both cases, the air reeked of an
elected official gone distastefully astray,
over-stepping his boundaries with total
disregard for the doctrine of separation
of powers.
But unfortunately for us, it did
not end there. Public confidence would
once again be shattered when following
closely behind Dean was a bemused Sedi
Elrington, who has taken misguided aim
at our judiciary, even publicly declaring
his personal choice for the next Chief
Justice of Belize.
The whole point of having an
independent judiciary is not to have the
judge’s feel like their jobs are at stake,
stupid!!! Why enter into electoral politics
in a democratic nation if you have no
intention of observing the sanctity
and sovereignty of all branches of our
government?
Barrow and Elrington
might have also found it amusing when
they gave a Supreme Court Justice a
six month contract, but don’t get them
wrong for one minute – these two trained
attorneys are well aware that such a move
is a direct threat to our Justices, who
are supposed to have security of tenure
so as to ensure freedom from political
interference.
This most recent attack on the
current Chief Justice and other Justices
has been the UDP’s biggest blunder in
their term in office. As US Supreme
Court Chief Justice William Rehnquist
once said, the judiciary’s independence is
“one of the crown jewels of our system
of government”.
But trained attorneys such as
Sedi Elrington and Dean Barrow don’t
seem to share the same view. It has now
become abundantly clear that Dean and
Sedi are content in sailing our treasured
democracy into the sunset; and as Crazy
Glue himself has said, these characters
will land us right on top of the reef.
Even if we were to somehow forget
that Dean Barrow paid his ex-wife millions
in taxpayer dollars, we cannot forgive him
for destroying Belize’s democracy. Even
if we were to turn a blind eye to the fact
that Dean Barrow hand-picked his son to
collect a handsome paycheck from BTL,
we cannot forgive him for this erosion of
public confidence.
Belizeans have had enough of
Barrow’s poor decisions. We have had
enough of him making his wife and son
wealthy people, while the rest of us suffer.
The people of Belize have had enough of
his destructive policies and demand of
him that he resigns immediately from his
executive post, his legislative post, and his
judicial post! To Dean Barrow we say:
this is not BTL! It’s not all about you!!!!!!
The Belize Times
hard hitting
Through the Looking Glass…
By: Mike Rudon Jr.
“Before September we were
doing really well. As you know,
presently, even though the nature
and types of murders, shooting with
kids around and like that has again
frightened us, murders on a whole
from January to September are down
by six or seven. So we’re doing much
better.” – Minister of National
Security Carlos Perdomo
Last night I watched the news
and saw a girlfriend struggling to
hold on to her composure as she told
the story of the last time she saw her
boyfriend before he was gunned down
in the streets. I saw the mother of that
same dead boy with tears running down
her face as she described lying down
on the street next to her lifeless son
and being able to fit five fingers inside
Hon. Carlos Perdomo
Eddie Neal - Murder Victim
the hole in the back of his head. In her
grief the mother vented her fury and
anguish on a neighbor who refused to
open the door when her son ran there in
an attempt to escape death. She said that
Marion Plunkett - Grieving Mother
the killer would ‘at least’ have had to kill
all of the people in that house instead of
only her son.
I listened to the news of an
elderly couple in Hattieville, who were
9
visited by the scourge of criminal hate
within the privacy of their homes. They
were bound and gagged and suffered
the indignity of having their possessions
taken away from them. Then the woman
suffered perhaps the ultimate indignity
of being raped by those who invade
their home.
I listened to the news of a father
arriving to the supposed sanctuary of
his home with his step-daughter at the
end of the day, only to be met by armed
assailants. They trespassed in his home,
tied up those inside and then sexually
molested the stepdaughter. If it were
me, as the father of 4 daughters I would
have died in an attempt to save her from
harm. And if that were not possible, I
would go after the person who hurt my
little girl and if that didn’t pan out I would
then turn my sights on the man who was
given the responsibility of ensuring the
security and safety of Belize’s citizens.
See, the thing is that Carlos Perdomo
apparently spends much of his time
indulging other appetites instead of just
doing his damned job, and Belizeans
simply won’t put up with it any more.
The desperation on the streets
of Belize has reached frightening levels.
The frustration and fear on the streets
of Belize reached crisis levels months
ago and are still rising. Law abiding
citizens don’t know what to do or where
to turn. The Police Department, our
frontline of defense, our soldiers and
protectors seem to have no clue and
certainly have no guidance. In fact, the
only people who seem to know exactly
what to do and how to get the job done
are the criminals. As sad as that is, it’s
the truth.
We’re all taking a serious beating
in Belize and that’s plenty bad enough.
But you know what really pisses me off,
and that may be the understatement of
the year? When the Minister of National
Security can sit in front of the nation
and say that things are good, and crime
is down and that we out here have our
stats wrong. Man what the hell is wrong
with Carlos Perdomo? If I chose to get
real personal here I might say that his
unbelievable ignorance can be attributed
to alcohol-induced dementia, but it’s not
about getting personal. This has nothing
to do with Carlos the man. This has to
do with the Minister, the policy-maker,
the head of the Police Department. Who
the hell else can we look to when things
are going so wrong? We are in serious
trouble here, way down at the end of
that proverbial creek without a boat or a
paddle and with rapids dead ahead. Can
it be said any clearer than that?
To make a long story short and
to hammer in just how bad things are,
let’s look at it this way. The man in
charge of the Police is saying that all
is well and good in Belize and crime
is down. His colleague the AttorneyGeneral is saying that crime is out of
control and the Prime Minister is saying
absolutely nothing. Actually, the trials
and tribulations of our small nation have
the makings of a classic soap opera. The
thing is, when actors ‘die’ in soap operas
they move on to other soap operas and
other movies. When you die in Belize,
the blood is real and there’s no second
scene.
10
The Belize Times
Food for Thought
Do you want the bad news, the
bad news or the bad news?
On this 13th day of October,
2009, it seems like the news is all bad
for our small nation which we try to
sell as our little slice of paradise. The
truth is – Belize hasn’t been a paradise
for some time now. At the risk of
being accused of blatant politicking, I
would go so far as to say that things
started going really downhill after the
UDP took office in February of 2008.
I’m willing to take the risk because
while I can be accused of politicking, I
can’t be accused of lying. He who feels
it knows it, and Belizeans who are
living the life and feeling the pressures
today know that my words are real and
bear substance. Just ask the poet who
coined the phrase – life haad out ya –
and he would be the first to tell you
that life out ya today is the haadest it
has ever been.
And perhaps the only thing
worse than living life in Belize today
faced with crippling challenges, is the
realization that things aren’t getting
any better and will likely get a lot
worse. There is no light at the end of
the tunnel – just a signpost with the
glaring red words – Buckle Up – Rocky
Road Ahead.
This morning on the news, for
example, there were reports on three
home invasions – one in Hattieville
and two in San Pedro. We understand
that in two of those cases the victims
were raped. There was also news of a
possible strike by teachers at UB, who
have been told that despite the cost of
living going up, up, up, they may need
to freeze their wages for three years.
And that’s just the bad news for the
teachers. Students at UB have also
been told that fees will go up. And
the water company which is owned
by GOB is asking GOB to allow it
to raise charges by 25%. The Belize
City Council is also bankrupt, so city
residents can forget about getting any
services from that sector. The Mayor
of the City is facing criminal charges in
Court. There are full blown outbreaks
of swine flu, malaria, dengue and
hepatitis A. Infants are dying in our
public hospitals because there is a lack
of basic equipment. GOB and the
Church are fighting over the proposed
Teaching Services Commission. GOB
and the Unions are fighting over all
sorts of things. GOB and the Judiciary
are fighting. Criminals are walking free
because of inadequate prosecution.
Tourism figures are way down,
resulting in the closing of doors and
unemployment. The Kendall Bridge
is still just a vague hope, meaning that
the South is cut off whenever it rains.
And this is just a little peek into all that
has gone and is going wrong – just a
little teaser, so to speak.
Every newscast every day is
filled with negatives – every newspaper
is chock full of the latest murders, rapes,
jacking or political scandals. When it’s
not about crime or politics, it’s about
rising costs and decreasing services and
benefits. Every indicator both foreign
and local is blaring the alarm, banging
the gong. Belize is more corrupt now
than it was last year, according to
Transparency International. Belize’s
Human Development Index rating has
gone down, according to the latest UN
stats. Investor confidence is at an all
time low. Our industries are in crisis.
Unemployment is up. Inflation is up.
Tourism revenues are down. Belize is
the #1 murder hotspot in the world,
says the Economist. The US State
Department is sending out the warning
to Americans who want to travel to
our shores.
If this isn’t a dire picture then
I don’t know what is. It’s certainly a
far cry from the days of Dean Barrow
trumpeting from the pulpit that he
would lower the cost of living no
matter what. If there is any Belizean
(with the exception of the Barrow
family past and present) who says that
things are better now than say, two
years back, then I can say only that
that Belizean has been afflicted with
some sort of dementia.
From Corozal to Toledo,
Belizeans are crying out for succor,
and the only answer from the UDP
government is a resounding, deafening
silence. For far too many Belizeans,
there is no good news in the nation
today, no option of a positive note.
The fact that the Prime Minister of this
nation seems unaware of the crippling
hardships which are facing Belizeans is
nothing less than a sign of the divide
between an arrogant millionaire who
knows no personal hardship and many
thousands of Belizeans to whom he
made a commitment to serve without
fear or favour – a commitment
which has now been rendered as
worthless as the administration which
is leading Belize and Belizeans into
unprecedented depression.
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The Belize Times
11
Food for Thought
Day of Reckoning Not Far Away…
Over a hundred sanitation workers
returned to work on Friday, October 9 after
almost two weeks on strike. They were not
on the picket line in front of City Hall on
North Front Street trying to bring the Belize
City Council to its knees with ridiculous
demands for better working conditions,
wages, and benefits. Actually, they are not
even employees of the Council.
The workers were on strike in protest
against Mayor Zenaida Moya Flowers’s failure
to make weekly payments to their employer,
Belize Maintenance Limited, the company
responsible for keeping the city’s streets,
drains, and public areas clean. As a result
of the continuous non-payments, they were
unable to collect their full salaries for work
already completed with some being owed as
many as eight weeks.
The irony of the situation is that
while the workers, mostly single mothers,
were not receiving their minimum wage
checks, Mayor Flowers and her Councilors
were still collecting their handsome salaries
and perks, thanks to the taxes paid in by the
hard working city residents. To top it off,
there are also some Councilors who also
collect handsomely from their cushy jobs
with central government. Truly, they do not
know what it is to work for every penny of
their checks.
Meanwhile, the workers could not
pay their rent, utility bills, Courts bill, cable
bill, pawn shop interest, send their children to
school, or feed their children. Repossession
notice, eviction notice, disconnections, and
hungry children crying themselves to sleep
became the norm for many who had nowhere
to turn for relief not even to the high powered
government ministers of Southside Belize
City who were uncharacteristically mum
during the strike.
It also seems that the Council was
trying to strong arm BML to accept their
terms of payment even after the owners of
the company had dug deep into their pockets
on many occasions to meet their payroll.
Ignore Councilor Responsible for Garbage
Phillip Willoughby’s feigned empathy for
the workers and absurd suggestions such as
selling City Hall and the Commercial Center
to cover the Council’s mounting debts; these
were mere attempts to draw attention away
from its gross ineptitude.
And once again, the Council has
made a firm commitment to a payment plan
saying that it would cover its debts whenever
the tourist season kicks into high gear. This
is the period when it collects the chunk of its
revenues. But there is no guarantee that it will
meet its intended target, especially with the
global recession affecting tourism worldwide.
Moreover, this is not a viable solution for
clearing its debts and to ensure the regularity
of payment in the future. It has not worked
before.
All would agree that the Council is
working with limited resources, but it seems
that honoring its sanitation contracts is not a
priority. This was not the first strike by BML
workers to get the attention of the city leaders
although in mid October 2006 the still single
Mayor Moya boasted that the Council would
save $2.5 million a year from renegotiated
contracts with BML and the now defunct
Sanitation Engineers Limited.
Yet, the Council owes BML close to
$800,000 this year alone and approximately $3
million over the life of its contract. And we
are not even talking about the amount owed to
Belize Waste Control Limited and the Belize
Social Security Board. It is clear that Mayor
Flowers knows little about public finance and
is showing that she is incapable of running
the country’s largest municipal government.
Indeed, the Council has been racked
by financial scandal after financial scandal
that centers on Mayor Flowers’s penchant
for awarding close family and friends with
lucrative contracts despite the lack of funds
to meet payments. But none has been bigger
than the close to $300,000 still unaccounted
for in Mayor Flowers and her finance officers’
fraudulent “under depositing” scheme.
To make matters worse, the Auditor
General’s Office has provided evidence
that Mayor Flowers and the incumbent
Councilors Laura Esquivel, Leila Peyrefitte,
Dean Samuels, Willoughby, and Wayne Usher
plundered the Council’s funds when taxpayer
monies were siphoned off to their reelection
campaign to pay diehard United Democratic
Party supporters.
It is clear that the Council did not
use the money budgeted for the sanitation
contracts on other areas of service either.
It has neglected the city’s infrastructure and
cannot perform the basics. This has led to
the city continuing in a downward decaying
state.
On those days that the workers were
on strike, the garbage piled up across the city
and sat and rotted on the street sides. The
flies and the putrid smell were unbearable
in this heat. Also, stray animals overturned
the garbage containers spreading the rotten
garbage all over the streets. It seems that the
Council is not aware that garbage collection is
essential to public health.
In addition to the garbage, residents
have to put up with clogged drains, tall grass
and bushes, potholed streets, flooded streets
whenever it rains, and public buildings that
have been left to fall into a state of disrepair.
The city is fast becoming an eyesore, and it
is the first impression that tourists take with
them of our country.
The day of reckoning for Mayor
Flowers and her Councilors will not be
long in coming, and those persons who will
ensure that they are kicked off their pedestals
and booted out of City Hall will be the very
sanitation workers who have been treated with
such disdain. It will be these very persons
who have been treated worse than the garbage
that they collect off the streets. Indeed, what
comes around goes around, Zenaida!
12
The Belize Times
Nation Under Siege
RAPE/ROBBERY
A 40 year old woman of
Belize City reported to Police that
on Wednesday October 7, sometime
between 7:30pm and 8:00pm whilst
walking on Chancellor Street she was
approached by a male person (of dark
complexion, with dread hair style, and
a bushy beard) on bicycle. The man
(dressed in a khaki in color short pants
and a white T-shirt) held her up at gun
point and demanded her jewelry and
cellular phone which she handed over.
The culprit then proceeded to have
sexual intercourse with her against her
will, thereafter making good his escape.
Following leads Police investigators have
detained a suspect pending investigation
of Rape and Robbery.
AGGRAVATED BURGLARY
A 53 year old domestic of
Belize City reported to police that on
Wednesday October 7, about 3:00am
whilst asleep in her one bedroom house
she was awakened by the sound of the
door opening then saw a tall slim male
person of dark complexion enter with a
piece of wood in his hand. The man hit
her several times on head then assaulted
her indecently and attempted to rape
her. Thereafter, the culprit took away a
cellular phone and cash from her purse
and left. Quick Police response has led
to the apprehension of a suspected
expected to be charged later today.
MURDER
Police are investigating a murder
which occurred on the 12/10/09.
About 9:30pm Police visited #6491
Central American Boulevard and North
Creek, Belize City where they observed
the lifeless body of Eddie NEAL, 27yrs,
of #3150 Supal Street, lying face down
with an apparent gunshot wound to the
left side of his back and right side of the
back. Initial investigation revealed that
NEAL was approached by two male
persons who fired several shots at him
causing the fatal injuries.
AGGRAVATED BURGLARY
Police are investigating an
aggravated burglary which was reported
by a married couple in the Belize
District who reported that about
2:00am on the 12/10/09, whilst at
home with his wife he was awaken by
a sound in the bathroom and upon
making checks he saw a male person
dressed in dark clothing and stocking
over his face who pointed a firearm at
him. The male person tied them in their
bedroom and stole assorted electrical
house hold items, (1) Stun Gun and
(1) Timex Watch. The person then
escaped in a red in 1999 Chevy Blazer
vehicle (LP#AYCW437) belonging to
a friend.
RAPE
Police are investigating a rape
which was reported by a 60 year old
woman of the Belize District who
reported that at about 2:00am on the
12/10/09, whilst at home with her
husband she awaken by a light flashing
in the bathroom and upon making
checks someone pointed an object
resembling a gun at them. After robbing
them the culprit then raped her and
made good his escape. Police are on a
serious manhunt for a suspect – known
to them – to bring the perpetrator of
this heinous crime to justice.
SHOOTING INCIDENT
Police are investigating a shooting
incident which occurred on 10.10.09
involving a police officer who reported
that whilst conducting foot patrol in the
Rocky Road Area, he heard what sounded
like a single gun shot coming from the
direction of Wagner’s Lane. He saw one
Jason Joseph riding a bicycle and ordered
him to stop, however, he ran away. The
Officer set chase and upon turning
right into Plues Street, Joseph turned
around and fired a single shot at him but
missed. The Police then returned fire
but the suspect escaped unhurt. Joseph
is presently being sought in connection
with this incident.
AGGRAVATED BURGLARY/
AGGRAVATED ASSAULT/
INDECENT ASSAULT
Police are investigating the report
of an alleged Aggravated Burglary which
occurred on 10.10.09 in Roaring Creek
Village where a 28 year old Businessman
reported that on 10.10.09, upon arriving
home with his wife and step-daughter, (3)
dark complexion male persons wearing
masks, armed with firearm approached
his vehicle. The men then ordered them
into the house, his step-son who was
inside opened the door. One of the men
then charged at him and pistol whipped
him. The men then ordered them to lie
on the floor then two of the culprits
took the step-daughter and sexually
molested her. They were then robbed
of their jewelries and cell phones all to
a total value of $2,564.00bcy. The men
then made good their escape. Police
investigation continues.
SUSPICIOUS DEATH
Police are investig ating an
apparent Suicide which occurred at the
Kolbe Foundation on 09.10.09. On
09.10..09, Police visited Tango-10, cell
1-B where they saw the lifeless body of
Alfonso Eck lying on the floor with an
injury to the back of his head. Lorenzo
Smith reported that whilst asleep inside
the cell, he woke up and saw his cell mate
Eck hanging from a blanket around his
neck. Smith stated that whilst assisting
in taking down the body, Eck hit his
head on the side of the bed causing the
said injury. The body was transported to
the K.H.M.H. where it was pronounce
dead on arrival. Police investigation
continues.
AGGRAVATED BURGLARY
Samuel Benguna, 26 yrs, currently
residing at 2 ½ miles Northern Highway,
Belize City and Ismail Conteh, 24 yrs,
reported that on 12.10.09 whilst inside
their apartment someone knocked on
their door. Upon opening the door three
male persons with rags tied on their faces
(two armed with knives and the other
with a handgun) forced themselves inside.
They were placed to the floor and were
tied. The culprits then robbed them of
computers, cellular phones and $4,200.00
in cash. Police are investigating.
ARSON
On 13.10.09 about 3:45 am Police
visited #3226 St. Jude Street where
Devon Garcia, 22 yrs, reported that his
gold in color Toyota Camry car (L/P
C33977) was set on fire. The inside
of the vehicle was completely burned
and estimated damage is $3,000.00 bcy.
Police are looking for Junie Gordon for
questioning.
MISSING
AGGRAVATED BURGLARY/
AGGRAVATED ASSAULT
A 13 yaer old of San Pedro Town
visited the Police Station along with her
mother and reported that on 11.10.09
about 5:45 am whilst at home she was
awakened by someone touching her.
The intruder then placed a knife on her
throat. Police arrested a 16 year minor of
DFC Area for Aggravated Burglary and
Aggravated Assault.
SHOOTING INCIDENT
Po l i c e a r e i nve s t i g a t i n g a
shooting incident which occurred on
the 14/10/09. About 9:38pm Police
visited the KHMH Trauma Room where
Kenrick LONGSWORTH of a Belize
City address was seen with gun shot
wounds to the right side of his pelvic
with
area and the lower abdomen. Initial
investigation revealed that about 9:30pm
the victim was standing at the corner
of Victoria Street and Lovely Lane in
Belize City when a young man fired
several shots at him causing the injuries.
Police are investigating and are looking
for a person of interest in regards to
this incident.
ROBBERY
Police are investigating a robbery
which was reported by Anna MIRANDA
of Orange Walk Town who reported that
on 14/10/09, about 8:30pm whilst at
her business place (Margaritas bar) an
unknown Hispanic male person armed
with a firearm entered and demanded
money. She then handed over her
cellular phone and $500.00 in cash.
jazz
vibes
Dolores
every Wednesday night
8pm to 10pm
Vibes Radio
90.5 FM & 102.9 FM
The Belize Times
13
COURT NEWS
Former PC Acquitted Of
Carnal Knowledge
Former police constable Juan
Pop, 24, who was convicted of carnal
knowledge and was sentenced to 12
years, became a free man today
when the Belize Court of Appeal
allowed his appeal and quashed his
conviction and sentence. Pop, on
March 3, 2009, was convicted of
having sex with a 13 year old girl
at the Dangriga Police Station while
he was working there as a Diarist.
The incident occurred on May
23, 2007. The girl at the time was
being held overnight at the Police
Station and she was to be taken
to the Youth Hostel the following
Juan Pop
day. According to her testimony,
Pop took her into the room where
detainees are charged and had sex
with her.
Pop’s appeal succeeded on
the ground that the trial judge
should not have left the case to
the jur y because the evidence
of identification was of a poor
quality. His attorney, Lionel Welch
submitted that no identification
parade was held and the girl had
testified that she saw Pop three days
before the incident but she did not
say for how long.
Pop spent 6 ½ months of his
sentence before he won his appeal
and his freedom.
He said he plans to reapply for
his job as a police constable.
New Trial for
Jose Hueso
on Carnal
Knowledge
Conviction
Jose Hueso
A retrial was ordered by the
Belize Court of Appeal yesterday
for Jose Hueso who was convicted
and was sentenced to 12 years for
each count of carnal knowledge with
the stipulation that the sentences
are to run concurrently. Hueso
was remanded into custody until
the January 2010 session of the
Supreme Court when his retrial will
be held.
T he incident occur red on
January 13 and 14, 2006 at Las
Flores, Belmopan. The complainant,
who was 11 years old at the time,
had testified that Hueso had sex
with her on both occasions. Hueso
was convicted on July 18, 2007 and
was sentenced by Justice Herbert
Lord.
Hueso’s attorney, Orlando
Fernandez, had appealed on the
grounds that prejudicial statements
were made by one of the witnesses
when she gave evidence at the trial
and the trial judge did not direct
the jury in relation to the accused
of his right to ask that the jury be
discharged. But the appeal did not
succeed on that ground.
The Cour t itself looked
closely at the summation made by
Justice Lord and found two grave
irregularities. One of them was that
he suggested to the jury that there
was certain evidence that supported
the victim’s version which in law
was not capable of supporting it.
The second irregularity was that
he suggested to the jury that they
could use the fact that the accused
did not give evidence, against him
when arriving at a verdict.
Based on those irregularities
the Belize Court of Appeal ordered
a retrial. The Director of Public
Prosecutions Cheryl Lyn BrankerTaitt represented the respondent.
14
The Belize Times
COURT NEWS
“Holmes”
Charged
With
Rape and
Robbery
Kareem Williams
BELIZE CITY, Wed. Oct.
14, 2009
Kareem Williams a.k.a.
“Holmes”, 25, a resident of Supal
Street, was charged with rape
and robbery when he appeared
yesterday in the #5 Magistrate’s
Court. No plea was taken from
him because rape is an indictable
offence. He was denied bail by
Magistrate Albert Hoare and he
was remanded into custody until
November 18.
The incident occurred
between 7:30 p.m. and 8:00 p.m.
on Wednesday, October 7. The
complainant, a 40 year old woman,
reported to the Police that she
was walking on Chancellor Street
in West Landivar when she was
approached by a bearded man
with dreadlocks riding on a
bicycle. She said the man was of
dark complexion and he wore a
khaki short pants and a white
T-shirt. The woman told Police
that the man put a gun to her
head and demanded that she
hand over all her belongings.
She said she gave the man her
gold chain, her gold ring, her cell
phone and her black cap.
But although she complied
with the gunman’s demands, he
dragged her into some bushes
a n d r a p e d h e r, t h e wo m a n
reported. Based on a description
she gave to the Police of her
assailant, Williams was arrested
and charged.
Taxi Driver Charged with
Theft Of Smart Cables
2009
BELIZE CITY, Wed. Oct. 14,
Ronald Johnson Jr., 25, a taxi driver
of Electric Avenue who allegedly stole
telecommunications cable wires valued at
$17,249.93 from Speednet, was charged
with theft when he appeared yesterday in
the #2 Magistrate’s Court. Johnson pled
not guilty to the charges.
Senior Magistrate Dorothy Flowers
offered him bail of $3,500 and adjourned
his case until November 23.
The incident occurred between
October 8 and 9 at the Smart storeroom,
located at #397 Buttonwood Bay
Boulevard. Around 9:00 p.m. on
Ronald Johnson
October 9, Urbelina Chun, 40, the
Human Resources Officer at Speednet,
requested assistance from the Police after
she discovered that thieves were stealing
the cable wires from the compound. The
Police reported that when they arrived at
the scene they saw Johnson and another
man coming through the gate of the
compound. The second man escaped but
Johnson was captured and put in Police
custody.
The Police also seized a black
Toyota Corolla four door car with no
license plates which they believe was used
to transport the stolen cables. None of
the items have been recovered.
The
The Belize Times
Belize
Times
l
o
ñ
a
p
En Es
DOMINGO OCTUBRE 18, 2009
Issue No. 4657
$1.00
www.belizetimes.bz
15
The Truth Shall Make You Free
¿Quieres las malas noticias, las malas
noticias o las malas noticias?
En este día 13 de octubre del
2009, parece que las noticias son del
todo malas para nuestra pequeña
nación, que nos intentan vender
como nuestro pequeño trozo de
paraíso. La verdad es – que Belice
no ha sido un paraíso desde hace
ya algún tiempo. Arriesgándome
a ser acusado de politiquería descarada, iría tan lejos y decir que las
cosas comenzaron a ir realmente
cuesta abajo después de que el UDP
asumió el cargo en febrero del 2008.
Estoy dispuesto a asumir el riesgo
porque si bien puedo ser acusado de
politiquería, no puedo ser acusado
de mentiroso. El que se siente que
lo sabe, y los beliceños que viven
la vida y sienten la presión de hoy
saben que mis palabras son reales
y profundas. Simplemente como el
poeta que creo la frase – La vida esta
dura aqui afuera - y él sería el primero en decir que la vida aquí afuera
esta mas dura que nunca antes.
Y tal vez la única cosa peor que
vivir la vida en Belice mientras uno
enfrenta hoy desafíos paralizantes,
es la constatación de que las cosas
no mejoran y es probable que empeoraran mucho mas. No hay luz al final del túnel - sólo un cartel con las
palabras en flagrante rojo – Ponte el
cinturón – camino rocoso al frente.
Esta mañana en las noticias,
por ejemplo, hubo un informe de
tres invasiones de hogares - uno en
Hattieville y dos en San Pedro. Entendemos que en dos de los casos las
víctimas fueron violadas. También
hubo noticias de una posible huelga
de los profesores de la UB, quien
ha dicho que a pesar del costo de
la vida que sube, para arriba, arriba,
pueden necesitar congelar sus salarios durante tres años. Y eso es sólo
la mala noticia para los profesores.
Los estudiantes de la UB han dicho
también que las mensualidades subirán. Y la compañía de agua que es
propiedad del Gobierno de Belice
piden al Gobierno de Belice que pueda aumentar sus tarifas en un 25%.
El Consejo de la Ciudad de Belice
también está en quiebra, por lo que
los residentes de la ciudad pueden
irse olvidando de conseguir los servicios en ese sector. La alcaldesa de
la ciudad enfrenta cargos criminales
en la corte. Hay brotes de la gripe
porcina, de malaria, de dengue y de
hepatitis A. Los niños están muriendo en nuestros hospitales públicos, porque hay una falta de equipo
básico. El Gobierno de Belice y la
Iglesia están peleando por la propuesta de la Comisión de servicios
de enseñanza. El gobierno de Belice
y los sindicatos están peleando entre
ellos por todo tipo de cosas. El gobierno de Belice y el Poder Judicial
se están peleando. Los criminales
andan sueltos por culpa de los procesamientos inadecuados. Las cifras
del Turismo están muy por abajo,
resultando en el cierre de negocios y
el desempleo. El puente Kendall es
todavía sólo una vaga esperanza, lo
que significa que el Sur se encuentra
incomunicado cada vez que llueve.
Y esto es sólo un vistazo, un poco
en todo lo que ha ido y va mal - sólo
una ojeada, por así decirlo.
Todos los noticieros cada día están llenos de noticias negativas - todos los periódicos están repletos de
los últimos asesinatos, violaciones,
secuestros o políticos. Cuando no se
trata de la delincuencia o la política,
se trata del aumento de los costos
y la disminución de los servicios y
beneficios. Todos los indicadores,
tanto extranjeros como locales están sonando la alarma, golpeando el
gong. Belice es más corrupto ahora
que el año pasado, según Transparencia Internacional. El Índice de
Desarrollo humano de Belice se ha
reducido, según las estadísticas más
recientes de las Naciones Unidas.
La confianza de los inversionistas
está en su punto más bajo. Nuestras
industrias están en crisis. El desempleo está muy arriba. La inflación
está muy arriba. Los ingresos provenientes del turismo se han reducido. Belice esta en el puesto # 1
de asesinatos en el mundo, dice el
economista. El Departamento de
Estado de los EE.UU. está enviando
ese aviso a los estadounidenses que
quieren viajar a nuestras costas.
Si este cuadro no es grave entonces no sé que lo es. Es ciertamente muy lejano de los días en que
Dean Barrow anunciaba desde el
púlpito que iba a bajar el costo de
la vida no importaba qué. Si hay alguien en Belice (con la excepción de
la familia Barrow pasada y presente)
que dice que las cosas están mejor
ahora que digamos, dos años atrás,
entonces sólo puedo decir que Belice, ha sido afectado por algún tipo
de demencia.
De Corozal a Toledo, Belice está
pidiendo a gritos socorro, y la única
respuesta del gobierno del UDP es
un rotundo silencio ensordecedor.
Para la mayoría de los beliceños, no
hay buenas noticias en la nación el
día de hoy, no hay opción de una
nota positiva. El hecho de que el
Primer Ministro de este país parece
no darse cuenta de las dificultades
que se enfrentan al paralizar a los
beliceños, es nada menos que una
señal de la división entre un millonario arrogante que no sabe
de las dificultades personales y
muchos miles de beliceños con
quienes hizo un compromiso para
servir sin temor ni favor - un compromiso que ahora se ha quedado
tan inútil como la administración
que está hundiendo a Belice y a
los beliceños en una depresión sin
precedentes.
Si no es así...
La Casa Chica...
Cuando estoy en lo correcto estoy en lo correcto, y cuando me equivoco estoy
seguro de que soy hombre suficiente para admitir que estoy equivocado. Durante
mucho tiempo he estado diciendo que el electricista convertido en ministro de
salud no ha hecho una cosa en Corozal para nadie. Mis disculpas, Pablito! He sido
puntualmente informado de que una calle se ha abierto en paralelo a College Road
cerca del Centro de Educación en la ciudad de Corozal. Pero para todo lo bueno
hay algo malo. Parece que esta calle se abrió para dar cabida a una sola persona,
un "amigo especial" del Ministro, digamos. En esa nueva calle hay una nueva casa
que se está construyendo para el "amigo especial". Pero no hay nada de combate,
no te preocupes, Pablo! Al menos la gente no puede decir que usted no hizo
absolutamente nada para nadie. Ah, por cierto, la gente está diciendo también
que el dinero que se utiliza para construir la casa es de la donación de Venezuela.
¿Podemos obtener una respuesta, por favor? Si no es asi...!
Pablo bajo fuego...
Este columnista ha sido informado de fuente fidedigna que los residentes en
Corozal están a la caza de la cabeza de Pablo. Véase, el ministro electricista se ha
ocupado de quitarle sus terrenos a mucha de la gente en la ciudad de Corozal y
de las áreas circundantes, de modo que ya no es el tipo más popular de la cuadra.
Pero la gente sintió que era una bofetada en la cara cuando a Pablito se le pidió
que fuera juez en el concurso reciente de Miss Mundo, y el ofreció un lote y casa
para la ganadora. Ahora los residentes dicen que el lote que se regalo es uno que
fue tomado de una joven pareja en Corozal y no están muy felices por ello... Si
no es así...!
Blades Construcción
No dejes que el título de esta columna te engañe - cuando yo digo que es así,
es así, tan seguro que puedes llevarlo al banco. ¿Se recuerdan que sólo hace unas
semanas estábamos hablando del senador UDP Roosevelt Blades y dije que él era el
encargado de desembolsar los fondos de la subvención de Venezuela en la ciudad
de Corozal? ¿Recuerdas cuando dije que había planes para abrir una empresa de
construcción y que todos los materiales que luego tendrían que ser comprados a
esa empresa? Pues bien, este columnista ha sido informado de que hay una nueva
Blades Construction Co. en la ciudad. Eso es correcto. También hemos sido
informados de que todos los materiales y suministros de construcción deben ser
comprados de esa compañía. ¡Qué vergüenza ... Senador!! Si no es asi..!
16
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LA BOMBA DE TIEMPO
DEL SEGURO SOCIAL
Convertido en ley por la administración del PUP en 1979, el Seguro Social es
un programa nacional obligatorio de seguro para los trabajadores que comenzaron a
cobrar primas y la concesión de beneficios en 1981. A finales del año pasado, hubo
85.123 suscriptores asegurados activos, de unos 74 de cada 100 trabajadores en el
país.
Basado en la escala de sueldos, los empleadores y los empleados están obligados
a aportar un total de ocho centavos de cada dólar a un Fondo de Seguridad Social.
A su vez, el Fondo compensa a los trabajadores por los días de enfermedad, por
licencias de maternidad, por invalidez y fallecimiento, y para la jubilación. El Seguro
Social es un paraguas que mantiene a los trabajadores secos, cuando los días de lluvia
inevitable llegan.
Desde su creación, sus colaboradores han aumentado, y el Seguro Social se ha
disparado a una base de activos de unos US $ 359 millones. Por la propia naturaleza
del negocio de seguros, la mayor parte de los activos del Seguro Social se realizan en
efectivo. Las cuentas abultadas del Fondo, dirigidas por los políticos y sus mandaderos
a veces codiciosos, han sido invariablemente roídas y mordidas, incluso cuando los
contribuyentes se quejan de las miserias que reciben como beneficios. A pesar de estas
imperfecciones, la red de seguridad del Seguro Social ha asegurado que decenas de
miles de Belicenos hagan frente a las vicisitudes de la situación socio capitalista del
sistema económico. El paraguas de el seguro Social, por ejemplo, ha cubierto 5.200
trabajadores que cobran jubilación, de invalidez y la pensión de viudedad; más de
2.800 trabajadores lesionados en el trabajo recibieron $ 3,8 millones en beneficios el
año pasado, casi 4.000 nuevas madres serán protegidas con subsidios de maternidad
y las subvenciones de este año. Por cualquier medida, el Fondo ofrece una protección envidiable.
Lamentablemente, los últimos estados financieros del Seguro Social revelan
que el Fondo ahora vacila al borde de la insolvencia. Al menos que ajustes serios
sean inmediatamente implementados, los trabajadores pronto sacará un cheque sin
fondos de esta cuenta.
Los contornos de la insolvencia son notables. El año pasado, los contribuyentes
pagaron unos US $ 57 millones para el Fondo. Los trabajadores a su vez recibieron
49 millones dólares en beneficios diversos. Que dejó un superávit de alrededor de $ 8
millones. Hasta el momento - de modo solvente. Pero entonces, sigue siendo el costo
de administración del seguro Social, un factor que arrebata unos escandalosos $ 21
millones por año. El resultado de 13 millones de dólares de déficit es sólo soportado
por los $25 millones de dólares de ingresos de inversión, dejando un miserable $ 12
millones en ingresos netos en el año 2008.
En el 2008 el ingreso neto fue de 36 por ciento por debajo de los 19 millones
dólares alcanzados en 2007. Si las contribuciones y los beneficios fueron en aumento
de los niveles del 2008, a los nueve y 23 por ciento, respectivamente, y si se estanca
el ingreso de inversiones - una previsión optimista dada la caída en picada del 19 por
ciento en el 2008 - el Seguro Social sufrirá su primera pérdida neta en el 2009. Y en
cada año subsiguiente, esta pérdida ira eliminando el fondo de inversión para el año
2015. A lo largo de esta trayectoria terminante, un quinto de las reservas del Seguro
Social, unos US $ 55 millones serán devorados por el déficit recurrente incluso antes
de las próximas elecciones generales.
A menos que sea la aspiración del UDP de ser acusado en la historia como ser
el cómplice del colapso del Seguro Social, su administración está obligada a sofocar
la combustión rápida de la mecha de la bomba de tiempo del Seguro Social.
Las recetas en el menú de rescate no son muchas. Las contribuciones deberán
ser mayores de su nivel actual de ocho por ciento de la remuneración asegurable. El
límite máximo de la remuneración asegurable - la parte del salario de un trabajador
que es elegible para la deducción del seguro social - también tendrá que ser levantado de su nivel actual de $ 320 por semana. Mientras que el último aumento de las
contribuciones se repartirá a partes iguales entre el empleador y el empleado, un
nuevo aumento tendrá que ser soportado exclusivamente por los empleadores, dado
el estado maltratado de los trabajadores de Belice. Recortar las prestaciones es una
opción que se resistieron violentamente.
Además, el Seguro Social debe recortar el nivel de sus costos de funcionamiento.
Cuarenta y tres centavos de cada dólar aportado por los trabajadores para el Fondo
en 2007 se destinó a gastos de funcionamiento, incluidos los sueldos y beneficios.
En 2008, la cifra fue de 21 millones de dólares o 36 centavos de cada dólar de las
contribuciones ahorcados por los gastos administrativos. Estos costos hierven con
negligencia. Que deben ser cubiertos por la reglamentación y el sancionamiento de
los infraccionarios.
El Seguro Social, como uno de los más grande inversionistas institucionales del
país, también debe garantizar una mayor tasa real de rendimiento de su cartera de
inversiones. El mínimo debería ser el equivalente a la referencia de tasas de interés
pagadas por los bancos comerciales a los depósitos, que ha rondado en torno a una
tasa anual de siete por ciento. Para el 2008, el Seguro Social en realidad perdió un
centavo, en términos reales, por cada dólar en su canasta de 329 millones dólares de
las reservas. Si tal pérdida se produjo en una institución tan importante en el sector
privado, una revuelta de accionistas seguramente habría arrastrado para siempre a los
responsables de la mala administración.
El UDP sostienen que la fortuna actual del Seguro Social no es de su hacer. Pero
sus excusas de colegiales son irrelevantes para el bienestar de los programas de los
trabajadores de seguros. Descargos de responsabilidad no se permiten en este juego
cíclico de la gobernanza. El futuro del Fondo sin duda pertenece a esta administración
del UDP. No hay un minuto que perder en la misión de rescatar al Seguro Social. El
Sr. Barrow y su administración deben actuar con decisión y actuar ahora.
Es tiempo para el cambio
Estimado Editor
El 18 de marzo del 2007 fue la elección del Consejo de aldeas y el
UDP obtuvo la victoria y la mayoría de los pobladores de San José
Succotz estaban emocionados y felices por el cambio después de
quince largos años. Todo iba bien al principio, pero cuando se trata
de la acción, la clase de dirigentes fueron débiles e inciertos en su
capacidad para manejar la situación. Durante la primera Fiesta, fue
evidente que estos líderes no eran la clase de hombres que los aldeanos
tenían la esperanza de tener como administradores.
Es cierto que son jóvenes pero es evidente que carecen de la
capacidad de liderazgo que todos esperaban.
Con sólo cinco meses faltantes para ir a nuevas elecciones, el
Consejo está muerto y completamente inactivo - ninguna acción por
parte de el Presidente, no hay reuniones mensuales o anuales, informes
financieros y no informan a la gente. Parece que estos muchachitos
persiguieron las elecciones solo por diversión y entretenimiento sin una
intención seria, real y sin algún plan de acción para la comunidad.
El Presidente está estudiando en la Universidad de Belice, con
intereses no del todo en el pueblo. Para la fiesta y las celebraciones de
septiembre, manejo todo por sí mismo con la ayuda de sus hermanas
y ningún miembro o aldeano llega a conocer cómo los fondos se
obtienen y cómo se gastan. Los asuntos de la aldea parecen funcionar
como empresas privadas para su propio interés, con total desprecio
a la comunidad.
Los residentes de San José Succotz en las últimas décadas han sido
un pueblo valiente y orgulloso. Muchos de los anteriores Consejos
a lo largo de los años no eran perfectos. Algunos eran ineptos,
incompetentes y corruptos, pero estos son absolutamente impotentes
y absolutamente corruptos. Estos muchachos han hecho caso omiso
y la falta de respeto a la tercera edad sin vergüenza. Somos un grupo
de ciudadanos, jóvenes y viejos mirando y esperando el momento del
cambio para una mejor comunidad.
También parece que nadie en el Departamento de desarrollo rural o
quien se preocupe por el comportamiento del presidente de la aldea ya
que parece libre de hacer y dedicarse a lo que le plazca. Los vendedores
de artesanías a la orilla del río se han quedado sin cobrar o cobrar los
honorarios que podría aportar para el mantenimiento de la orilla del río
y otras áreas. Los fondos de las aldeas que provienen de los ingresos
procedentes de los hoteles, bares y clubes han desaparecido y nadie
sabe de ellos, excepto el Presidente - no hay indicios o información
o informes sobre este asunto tan importante. Supongamos que este
muchacho no era un profesor de religión católica.
Hay un montón de cosas que vendrán a nuestro pueblo que merece
algo mejor. Por ejemplo, hay un extranjero que ha construido su
mansión a la orilla de la carretera. Este hombre con total indiferencia
y falta de respeto de la tierra tomó las calles y espacios públicos en
los tres lados de la casa - parte del derecho de vía de la carretera, del
lado oeste de la entrada de la calle principal y hacia el oeste, parte de
la calle que casi se ha bloqueado con paredes con un paso estrecho
con escalones.
Se trata de un irrespeto absoluto y el desprecio de la dignidad de
nuestro pueblo valiente y orgulloso. Esta acción debe ser el último
golpe a nuestra dignidad nacional a manos del concejo de la aldea y
de su Presidente impotente. Lo menos que nuestro pueblo se merecen
es que este jovencito renuncie, porque con todo este lío las cosas
nunca mejorarán.
Nuestro pueblo se ha mantenido alto y orgulloso con el paso del
tiempo y estamos listos para un cambio.
Grupo de ciudadanos interesados.
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Pasos hacia el mejoramiento en Guinea Grass
dinero para comprar los elementos
básicos necesarios para las clases de
STEPS. Él está buscando una donación nominal de 10 dólares por donante, pero él estará feliz de aceptar
donaciones de cualquier cantidad.
Él también tiene la esperanza de
ser abordado por otras partes interesadas que pueden ofrecer el apoyo
de tutor en el aula, o que puedan
estar interesadas en la prestación
de talleres para sus alumnos. Cualquier persona interesada en saber
más acerca de estos cursos de valor
incalculable, y otras ideas del Sr.
Uk, se pueden poner en contacto
con el Sr. Uk en la aldea de Guinea
Grass.
El Bejuco
La Universidad de Belice
Elizabeth Pridgeon
La semana pasada, una nueva
iniciativa se empezó en Guinea
Grass en Pasos acrónimos (alumnos
tutorados: Educación Estándar de
desempeño). Es un programa diseñado para ayudar a que los niños
de primaria logren una mejor comprensión del idioma Inglés, a fin de
poder realizar mejor su potencial en
la vida posterior. El programa entero
- desde el comienzo de la iniciación
- ha sido generado por un residente
de la aldea: El Sr. Julio Uk.
A raíz de su enseñanza superior en los Estados Unidos, el Sr.
Uk viajó alrededor de la región de
América Central enseñando inglés
como Segunda Lengua en varias
escuelas privadas de gran prestigio. El año pasado, el Sr. Uk volvió
a su pueblo natal, Guinea Grass, y
decidió establecerse permanentemente en Belice. Inicialmente, trabajó con la ONG Human People
to People, que promueve la jardinería orgánica a unos 200 miembros
registrados dentro de los límites del
pueblo. El sr. Uk fue responsable de
la distribución de semillas y equipos,
y para la organización de talleres y
seminarios, incluso en las escuelas
rurales. Su exposición a la vida de
los niños del pueblo le animó a participar con iniciativas que trabajaran
para el beneficio de los niños, que
han sido en gran parte ignorados
por otros programas de desarrollo
social.
Su primera idea en 2008 fue
crear el club de construir, para centrarse en la creación de capacidades
humanas mediante la educación.
Pese a la creación de un marco de
esta iniciativa, encontró sólo un
apoyo limitado de las autoridades
locales del pueblo, y por lo tanto
las ideas y los planes de trabajo para
este programa no llegaron a buen
término.
Un poco desanimado por la
respuesta de la comunidad ante su
buena voluntad, a principios de este
año propuso entonces al consejo de
la aldea una serie de de Programas
de Educación de seguridad publica,
con especial hincapié en la seguridad vial para ciclistas. Sin embargo,
aunque el Sr. Uk siguió todas las rutas respectivas para dar a conocer
su idea al consejo de la aldea, sólo
la presidenta del consejo parece estar interesada en el proyecto, y no
ha habido ningún seguimiento por
parte de el grupo a pesar de la continua distribución de información e
ideas por parte de el Sr. Uk.
Fue este fracaso final que ánimo al señor del Uk a participar de
un programa educativo como un
particular, porque se dio cuenta que
para alcanzar los objetivos de sus
programas, tendrían que trabajar
aparte del consejo de la aldea. La
semana pasada, después de semanas
de preparación, el Sr. Uk finalmente
abrió las puertas de sus improvisadas aulas de STEPS a los jóvenes de
la aldea, y la primera semana asistieron 34 niños, que van desde el
nivel académico de la Norma I a la
Norma III. El Sr. Uk ofrece clases
extras y apoyo lingüístico a los estudiantes para ayudarlos y alentarlos a
un mejor dominio del idioma Inglés,
y para prepararlos para el cumplimiento de los objetivos de la BJAT:
Belice Junior Achievement Test.
El Sr. Uk también tiene la intención de establecer un grupo de
padres una vez por semana, para
discutir los objetivos del programa
y los logros con los padres de sus
alumnos, y ofrecer asistencia en la
educación de Inglés para adultos
también, que siente puede ser la raíz
de los problemas lingüísticos actuales en Guinea Grass.
Mr. Uk esta en búsqueda de negocios y patrocinadores para donar
Persiste el gobierno en su
intención de cortarle la subvención
a la Universidad de Belize. Y ahora
que los cálculos se han hecho se
ha propuesto subir las tarifas de la
distinguida institución en un 500%.
Esta no pasa ni con salivita. Y los
estudiantes universitarios se preparan
para la gran batalla en contra de esta
propuesta.
¡Adelante Juventud! La educación
es primera. Tanto ministrito ineficaz,
paseándose en vehículos todo-terrenos
y de lujo mientras que al estudiante le
exigen más pago. Tanta corrupción en
los Hospitales. Tanta Corrupción en los
concilios municipales. Tanto transe
en el ministerio de Recursos Naturales.
Tanto desmadre en el Ministerio de
Educación con el ministrito ese, que
no contento con interferir con el
sistema primario y secundario, ahora a
la par del eunuco quieren exigirles a los
estudiantes del tercer nivel mas paga...
Precisamente ahora que la cosa esta
amolada por falta de trabajo, desolada
con la falta de pisto, choreada por los
transaros descabellados del Gobierno
del Partido rojo…
Muchos jóvenes tendrían que
abandonar los estudios. Es una
vergüenza. Tan inmensa. Solo alguien
sin sentido y otro sin cojones se
atreven a dicha propuesta…
Problemas por Doquier..
El dengue incrementando, la
malaria aumentando, los mosquitos
por doquier chupando, y Pablito por
’ay nomas pendejeando…
Hay que fumigar Pablito y si no
hay malathion, licua guayabas, con el
tufito nos conformamos…
Las dos primeras damas
batallando, en la Telemedia la bronca
estallando… en la esquina de la dama
de turno la nueva jefa de BTL, su gran
amiga , en la esquina de la marchita,
la fiel nueva jefa de mercadeo. En
pelea de mininas, lo mejor es mirar
de lejos…
Net el vejete como arbitro
apartando…
Las vitaminas prenatales escondidas
en casa clandestina, mientras nuestras
mujeres embarazadas de anemia
sufriendo, el ministrito mentecato
riendo que allí las estaban guardando ¿o
será que alguien se las estaba clavando?
La zona libre muriendo, los rojos
a los comerciantes exprimiendo. Los
trabajadores la chamba perdiendo…
La industria cítrica sufriendo, el
gobierno a sus secuaces imponiendo,
Henry sigue defendiendo…
En la isla bonita el turismo
decayendo, el crimen subiendo…
El miedo escalando, las penurias
comenzando…
Homicidios por doquier, las fuerzas
de seguridad impotentes, el pueblo
perplejo, todo es tan confuso.
A 20 meses de promesas falsas, el
pueblo vive en incertidumbre. El trabajo
escaso, el pago raso rasito apenas da
cambiado en pesito…
La industria cañera pujando, los
cañeros siempre recordando la paliza que
el pelón les termino dando… las ganas
de rebelión aguantando… cualquier
rato terminara reventando…
El ministro Tiburcio de plano que
sigue chupando… dice que el crimen
está bajando… será la goma que le
está dando.. Pronto la cruda realidad le
estará pegando…
Vendamos el city hall, vendamos el
mercado, paguemos a la gente, al fin y
al cabo al que se lo vendamos al rato se
lo quitamos…
Por cierto donde andará el idiota
ese, que alcalde quiere ser pese a quien
le pese…
De la contienda de las chelas ha
resultado revuelca de botellas, que de
dos gallos rojos se revienta, el vencedor
será el que más plumas al pelón pa’ la
campana le avienta.
Chiste de la semana
Maestro:
¿Cuál es la diferencia entre el jefe
pelón y un arbolito de navidad?
Pepito:
Al arbolito de nada le sirven, pero si
tiene bolas….
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NATION BUILDERS
LYDIA VILLANUEVA
Elizabeth Pridgeon
There are frequent talks of how
Placencia has changed beyond all
recognition over recent years, from a
small fishing village to an international
destination on the tourist map, and a
popular residential retreat for North
American ex-patriots. Few people have
been as positively involved with the whole
process of change as Lydia Villanueva,
who has proved an invaluable human
resource and community contributor on
the Peninsula. It is for this dedication
and hard work that this week, Lydia
Villanueva deservingly receives the Belize
Times title of Nation Builder.
Lydia was born in Monkey River,
raised in Independence and arrived
in Placencia as a young independent
adult, aged 18 years. At the time, her
parents were employed in Maya Beach,
to the north of Placencia, and Lydia
accompanied them to work for several
years to assist with secretarial duties in
the office. Once settled in Placencia,
however, Lydia found work nearby in The
Cove, which later became the Turtle Inn,
where she was a talented Head Chef for
the resort. Upon marriage to a village
fisherman, Mr Conrad Villanueva, Lydia
settled into domestic duties and mothered
six children.
Throughout the schooling of her
children, Lydia was an active committee
member for the school, volunteering as
treasurer for many years, and accepting
nomination as Chairperson too. But her
involvement in the improvement of her
local community far exceeded her work
with the school. She devoted much of
her time to working with youth groups
for the Anglican Church, arranging and
supervising numerous activities including
game nights, sleepovers, dance clubs, and
sports activities. Lydia is well aware that
parents’ responsibilities for entertaining
their children are being neglected across
the country, and she reminisces of a time
when parents would play ball or hopscotch
with their children in the evenings, rather
than leaving their offspring to wander the
streets and fall into trouble. Undoubtedly,
Lydia followed the more old-fashioned
principles of parenting, which accounts
for her children’s professional success in
adulthood.
During her time working for the
betterment of the village, Lydia became
well known throughout the community,
and was elected to serve on the village
council for the best part of twenty
years. She was a prominent member
of the committee when they undertook
the repair and extension of the village
sidewalk (which now, ostensibly, is one of
the longest continuous sidewalks in the
world), she was elementary in establishing
potable water for the village (and indeed,
was a long-standing member of the
village Water Board, which accounts for
the village’s pristine record for water
distribution and supply). Her respect of
the natural environment prompted the
encouragement of the village community
to petition for a new rubbish dump when
the old premises, in the centre of the
village, far exceeded the capacity of the
site, and this activism also produced a
successful result. As a member of the
Belize Tourism Industry Association
(BTIA), Lydia understood the importance
of improving the village as a holistic
entity first, in order to prompt improved
tourism later.
Lydia was always aware that damaging
and disrespecting the environment
was not only counterproductive to the
tourism industry, but also harmful to
the local community too, and in the late
1980s the diminishing fishing yields were
already supporting her hypothesis. And
so in 1990, as a means to supplement her
husband’s dwindling income, the couple
opened a small guesthouse, which became
“Lydia’s Guesthouse” after her husband’s
untimely passing in March 1998.
A budget option on the Peninsula,
Lydia offers excellent value accommodation
underlined by environmentally friendly
practices, which she says are well respected
by her guests. In 2005, she enrolled her
premises in the Environmental WalkThrough program, which enabled her
to learn and adopt various sustainable
practices including recycling initiatives,
environmentally-friendly waste-water
treatments, and improvements to the
energy efficiency of the guesthouse.
Lydia is well aware of the worsening
problems on the Peninsula with flooding
and drainage, and she believes that
excessive development nearby (using
harmful practices such as dredging) is
responsible for this deterioration. She
is a fervent follower of development
proposals, and is a regular attendee at
community meetings, such as that held
by representatives from the Department
of the Environment last month.
Yet Lydia’s phenomenal contribution
to her community doesn’t stop there.
For the past five years, Lydia has been
an active Rotarian, thoroughly enjoying
her enhanced ability to assist those less
fortunate than herself. Her most recent
project was assisting in the donation of
dictionaries for Standard III students
along the Peninsula and to villages as
far beyond as Monkey River. She is
always one of the first to volunteer for
any community initiatives, and last St.
George’s Caye Day she assisted with
preparing vast pots of rice and beans,
chicken and potato salad to donate to the
village’s primary school children.
She has decided to step down
from several committee boards in the
village since the involvement of her
children in various community decision
making processes. Although she remains
passionate about several issues, she
Sunday,
believes
thatJanuary
it wouldn’t23,
be 2000
democratically
acceptable to exert her authority alongside
her children, as together they would
become lead decision-makers in the
village [UDP politicians please take
note].
One of her few unrealised ambitions
is to improve the guesthouse’s profitability
in order to be able to financially assist her
sons in their tour guide company, Pelican
Tours, also based on the Peninsula.
There is no personal focus with Lydia,
for she is always thinking of improving
circumstances for other members of
her local community. Every community
could use a selfless resident such as Lydia,
and her status as a role-model would be a
fine template to young people across the
country who are searching for a ‘better
route’ in today’s troubled world.
Last month’s issue of the Placencia
Breeze described Lydia as “a delight,
full of hospitality and hard work”. And
that extends far beyond her role as the
manager of “Lydia’s Guesthouse”. In all
that she does, Lydia gives her best, and
of all the people nominated for Nation
Builder, Lydia certainly deserves to realise
her final ambition of further assisting
her children to be successful, responsible
citizens of Belize. It can only be hoped
that they – as well as other local residents
– take a leaf or two out of Lydia’s book,
for if anyone achieves half as much as
Lydia has through personal participation
in local committees, the community
would be a better place. And if each
The Belize Ti
community could follow this example,
Belize would certainly become a nation
built on stronger foundations to carry us
into the future.
PUBLIC AUCTION SALE: PROPERTIES
Belmopan, Cayo District
BY ORDER of the Mortgagees, Messrs. The Belize Bank
Limited, Licensed Auctioneer Kevin A. Castillo will sell the following properties in front of Parcel No. 5140 Doyle’s Delight Street,
Belmopan, Cayo District [Property of Mr. Isaac Longsworth] on
Wednesday the 21st October 2009 at 1:30 pm:
REGISTRATION SECTION
Belmopan
BLOCK
20
PARCELS
5460 & 5461
(Being two vacant lots [each 1393. 652 S.M.] situate East of Doyle’s
Delight Street, Belmopan, the freehold properties of Messrs. 64
Squares Publishing House Limited)
terms: strictly cash
KEVIN A. CASTILLO
TELEPHONE 224-4473
E-mail: [email protected]
The Belize Times
20
VOICES Village
from the
SAN JOSE NUEVO
Elizabeth Pridgeon
San Jose Nuevo, on the southern
outskirts of Orange Walk Town, is far better
known by the colloquial name of “Palmar”
referring to the abundant palms in the area
than it is by its official name. Yet it is its
official name that reveals the turbulent history
of the village, and a local chronology that
goes some way in explaining why San Jose
Nuevo has not fallen victim to the plagues of
contemporary society as much as elsewhere
in Belize due to an historical fostering of
community solidarity.
For centuries, a unique community of
Spanish-speaking Yucatec Mayas lived almost
off the radar of civilization in a village called
San Jose, in the remote Yalbac hills of rural
Orange Walk district. However, in the early
1930s the Belize Estate and Produce Company
(BEC) began a series of campaigns to forcibly
remove villagers, claiming that the land was
now private ‘company property’. The lacking
evidence of the company’s alleged ownership
of the land enabled villagers to resist the
pressure to relocate, but in 1936 the force
and ferocity of the campaigns strengthened,
and slowly families started drifting away from
the village in search of new ‘homes’, to places
including Santa Familia, Benque Viejo, San
Felipe, Guinea Grass, San Estevan and San
Roman Rio Hondo.
There were around 30 families for
whom the idea of upheaval and removal from
their native village was too strong, however,
and these people remained determined to save
their village even after all realistic hope had
faded. The company was powerful, politically
and financially, whereas the village had always
provided for itself and rarely even entered
local discourse, making it entirely undervalued
as a settlement. It seemed the government
even doubted the longstanding history of
the village, rather assuming it to be a recent
settlement made up of migrant arrivals from
neighbouring Central American countries.
The powerful BEC eventually won
the battle, and the residents were forcibly
removed from their homes with promises
of assistance, land and property at their final
destination in exchange for decent levels of
cooperation with the authorities. The villagers
were first trailed into Gallon Jug on foot,
from where they caught the logwood train
to Hillbank, and finally they were put on a
barge designed for raw materials and floated
downstream into Orange Walk, arriving at
the Barcadilla before being herded towards
the Barracks.
The ensuing weeks of being cramped
at the Barracks while final preparations
were made for their ‘new home’ were times
filled with distress, disease and death of the
villagers, which made the men unite and
decide to transform their parcel of land
themselves, rather than continue waiting in
vain for the fruitless promises of BEC and
the colonial government. This parcel of
land forms the modern-day village of San
Jose Nuevo, situated within Orange Walk
East, formed into an almost triangular shape
bordered by the Belize Road, the southerly
stretch of the Orange Walk bypass (opened
in 2004), and the creek that separates the
village from the neighbouring Louisiana area
of town. The establishment of the village
occurred during the summer months of 1936,
and by the beginning of October of that
same year, villagers had provided sufficient
facilities in order to move into the village on
a permanent basis.
From a village that was forcibly
contained within an area of bushland with
no services or facilities for a community,
San Jose Nuevo grew into the envy of many
nearby villages, through the sheer hard work
and determination of its residents. People
grouped together to build houses, one by one,
catering to the needs of every family in the
village; people cleared land to extend picados
to improve access within the village; people
built a bridge across the creek to extend the
infrastructure of Orange Walk town. And
most important of all, people never let the
village sentiment die, and never let the sense
of community solidarity flounder.
One such example of the continued
improvement of the village is the education
system. In its early days, the original San
Jose was incredibly developed in its level
of communication with the ‘outside world’:
several books that came from the original
settlement still boast international library
stamps from elsewhere in America, suggesting
that villagers were trading with international
merchants long before they were evicted.
What is more, the mere fact that villagers
chose to carry these books with them on their
hazardous journey to their new settlement
reveals an unflinching commitment to
education and respect for literacy, which is
especially impressive given the largely illiterate
population in rural Belize as a whole at that
time. It is no surprise that children among
the party were swiftly enrolled in classes at
La Inmaculada, despite the inconvenience in
inaccessibility.
By 1946, the community worked
together to build a wooden school in order
to educate their village youth within their
own confines. A few months later, the
school opened, catering to the needs of
25 village children. Until it was accredited
by the Ministry of Education, the school’s
teacher was paid a salary that was collectively
saved by the community which is further
evidence of the true spirit and goodwill
of the villagers of San Jose. Today, the
village school educates around 300 pupils,
and more still attend alternative educational
establishments elsewhere in town. The village
also boasts an impressive rate of children
who further their education by enrolling in
high school following their graduation from
Standard VI.
Similar values and determination were
seen when the local group La Preservacion
Maya formed in 2004, with the specific
intention of preserving San Jose Nuevo’s
ethnic heritage by promoting indigenous
foods, customs and dances at the Fiesta del
Pueblo, which has since become a widely
celebrated annual event. The event in 2006
was particularly celebrated as it marked the
70th year anniversary since the eviction from
the original site of San Jose. Last weekend
saw the 2009 annual celebrations, with dance
performances, entertainment, plentiful food
and scores and scores of visitors to the village.
This is seen as an especially poignant moment
for several families, particularly members of
the 11-or-so village elders who were part of
the initial migration of families, and for whom
the annual celebration is a stark reminder of
the hardships they suffered upon relocation.
It is these elders, however, who remain active
decision-makers in the community today.
In fact, the strength and authority
of the elders have been somewhat criticized
by authorities (not least the cur rent
administration) because the initial land
titles, ordered by the Queen and granted to
the village Alcalde, remain enforced to this
day. Thus leases and land titles are strictly
controlled by the elders of the village,
and on various occasions in the past when
government authorities have tried to reclaim
control of the land distribution process,
they have been confronted and defeated
by the vociferous community voice of San
Jose Nuevo.
All these glowing reports aren’t to
say that the village is a perfect haven of premodern life, however. It isn’t immune from
some of the problems of contemporary
society, but in no way is it victim to the extent
of most other villages and communities
which are suffering pitiful problems which
seem irreversible. Drug addiction, crime
and physical abuse are some of the most
grave inflictions of contemporary Belizean
society and although there is no denying
that they affect a minority in San Jose
Nuevo, villagers are thankful that the
village is distanced enough to prevent the
widespread influencing of Orange Walk
gangs on their youth. The underlying values
of education, employment and family keep
many of the village’s youth from straying
into the dangerous realms of crime, abuse
and addiction.
San Jose Nuevo has a remarkable
history of dignity and determination despite
crippling conditions inflicted upon them
by Eurocentric landowners. Yet it seems
even this adversity wasn’t great enough to
weaken the spirit of the community, and to
take away from it the moral values that it has
represented and replicated for generations.
San Jose Nuevo is a gem-like village, and
we can only hope that the frail and fading
elders will quickly nominate their successors
in order to ensure that San Jose Nuevo will
remain an anomaly to Belizean decay and a
flagship to Belizean development.
21
If I Can’t
Fix It,
Nobody
Can!
The Belize Times
AMBI’S DELI
Elizabeth Pridgeon
For many years, Ms Ruth Palacio has
been providing the community of Corozal
with a small grocery shop from her centrally
located premises on Number 1 Santa Rita
Road (just across from the bus terminal).
Last year, however, she used her business
head to create a new and even better service
BY KEISHA MILLIGAN
His father, Hubert Castillo, first operated the watch repair business for over 30
years. So as a child, Rudolph Castillo said
that he grew up around watches and clocks
that his father carefully and accurately repaired. He learnt a lot from watching his
father work and some days he would tag
along and help take care of the day’s timekeeping responsibilities. When he got days
off from school or had any spare time, you
would be certain that he would be with his
father, learning the trade.
After his father passed, he relocated the
watch repair business from Prince Street
and went to #35 Corner Dean Street and
East Canal, where he is still located today.
He named the shop “Castillo’s Watch Repair” and has been operating the business
for approximately12 years now.
He has a brother who comes in from
time to time to help him, but otherwise
he works alone. He can be found hard at
work from 9:30am -12:00 midday and from
1:30-4:30 from Monday thru Fridays. On
Saturdays he is not there, but his brother is
there to assist with all repair jobs.
The price to fix a watch varies, as it
depends on the brand and the extent of
the damage. The worse that usually happens
to a watch is when you leave in the battery
too long and it gets corroded, or when the
watch gets wet and it is not waterproof.
There are high quality watches on the
market now, but Castillo still has to work
with those that are not so durable. He recalled how in years past he had more work
and was able to turn over more money, but
says that today the jobs are not as forthcoming. He left his workplace once and had
other jobs, but eventually had to come back
to working for himself.
The economy is very slow, Castillo admits, but as his father made it, so will he.
When is asked if he could fix any
problem on a watch, he said smiling, “I
am not boasting, but if I can’t fix it, then
nobody can.”
for the townsfolk through opening her own
delicatessen.
Ms Ruth has enjoyed cooking from an
early age, when she used to help her mother
in the kitchen, and slowly she learnt many of
her favourite recipes. These she now puts
to good use, cooking fresh meet pies, bread
pudding, milk cake and cup cakes on the
premises on a daily basis. She also prepares
chicken sandwiches, tostadas, garnaches and
burgers to order, all sold at very reasonable
prices (such as 75 cents for a meat pie).
The majority of Ms Ruth’s customers
are regular clients from within the town, but
her location next to the bus terminal ensures
that she also enjoys a steady flow of travelling
customers too, who all commend her on the
quality and value of her goods.
Ambi’s Deli also provides a fresh
selection of home-made juices and soft
drinks, and in the future the enterprise looks
set to grow further as Ms Ruth intends to
introduce cooked food at mid-day, such as
rice and beans.
Ambi’s Deli is open from 7am until 6pm
Monday to Friday, and from 6.30pm until 9pm
on a Saturday. With a cosy interior with plenty
of seating for customers, plus quick service
for take-out customers, Ms Ruth guarantees
to provide service with a smile to all who
support her.
The Belize Times
Gospel CD release
The Belize Times
”
rt.
d.
A
VI
Melissa Mossiah
NOTICE
Tiffany Simpson
Sharondale Humes
BY KEISHA MILLIGAN
bitterness, unforgiveness and anger.
T he duo, Melissa Mossiah and
They both grew up in the world of music.
Sharondale
hope given
to enlighten
their fathers
were guitarists and they
Notice Humes,
is hereby
thatthetheBoth
company
named
world and share with them the word of Jesus learnt eventually. There is a beautiful picture
Christ through the release of their gospel on the cover of the CD, showing the ladies
CD, “Freedom 61:1”.
with their guitars in hands, as they both played
The CD, which is available in all the and sing on the CD. The background is one
major music outlets in Belize, including of the most scenic pictures of autumn that
Tambran’s, Stone Jam, and other branches you can find, tying in with the official name
and outlets countrywide, contains 10 for the duo, ‘Autumn Springs’, which has
alternative tracks and is going for a standard been together for almost 10 years. It is a very
price
$20.00.
The BELIZE
unique
name
and one might wonder
how they
hasofbeen
dissolved
andTIMES
struck off
the
International
Business
caught up with the duo at Belizean Artwork came up with it.
Companies Register with effect from
the 7th day of
yesterday and spoke a little with them.
Sharondale is Autumn and Melissa is
October,
2009.
All the songs
were written by Melissa. considered Spring. She loves the colors of
She wrote them over a period of years. One Autumn - that attractive brown, yellow and
of the oldest tracks on the CD was written gold color that the leaves turn. Additionally
Belize
Limited
theThe
year she
graduatedBank
from Edward
P. Yorke she adores leaves. In fact she would use them
High School. That song is titled, “Purify as artwork and make some rare creations that
my heart”. It begs God to remove all the will catch your eye. When you look in the
impure sins from her heart - things such as dictionary for the meaning of Autumn, is said
“VALMAR INTERNATIONAL
HOLDINGS S.A.”
22
that it is the beginning of a new spring. A time
when the leaves are like flowers blooming.
Spring is colorful, refreshing and that is
certainly Mel’s characteristics. She is always
cheerful and blooming with smiles.
As Autumn says, it is the beginning
of new things. This is one thing that they
had both always dreamed of doing - more
outreach to the world and she has been
blessed with the opportunity. They assured
me that this will be the first among many CD’s
that they intend to release.
When she thinks of her blessings form
the Lord she thinks of the verse, "Delight
yourself in the Lord and he’ll give you the
desires of your heart.”
Some other songs on the CD are, I
need your river, here I am my Jesus, let it
Rain and No One. Sharondale, who is now
married to a pastor and does outreach in
their communities and other areas, grew up
in the church as was singing Gospel at a very
early age, while Mel started singing Country
and reggae and was later introduced to Praise
and Worship around 1999-2001.
The CD is the fourth publication done
by Tiffany and Kendoyll Simpson, sister and
brother, who have their own business called
Belizean artwork and are still providing free
publications for Belizean artists and authors.
They now have an online store available
and can be called for free publications at
607-1088.
BY KEISHA MILLIGAN
Music is life. That is a very well
known saying. Today, I spoke with a man
who has love for music in the same way
he has love for life. Lennox Young, better known as DJ Tambran, told us how
he has been in the music industry on his
own for over 13 years.
DJ Tambran said that after he developed a passion and love for music,
he realized that he could make it on his
own. That is when he decided to go into
the record shop business and opened the
“Music Depot”, first at the upper flat
of the Commercial Centre. His booth
is now located at the lower flat of the
Commercial Centre, right at the foot of
the Swing Bridge.
He sells music for the young and the
old, and that was evidenced by the many
CDs lined off across the store. He sells
DVDs, but that is not really his thing, he
explained. Music is what he loves.
He has some artists like Sizzla, Vybz
Kartel, Movado, Buju Banton, Papa San,
Sherwin Gardner, Calypso, Aaron Neville,
Cece Winan, Barbara Jones, Kenny Rogers, Eddie Lovette, Barry White, George
Jones and Tammy Wynette – to name a
few. The prices of his CDs vary, he added,
but it starts at $5.00.
He makes specially requested CDs as
well or you can just request the artist of
your type and you’ll get what you want.
You can also call him at 227-0708 or visit
him at his shop from Monday to Friday
during the hours of 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
On Saturdays he is open half day.
Tambran said that his drive came
from watching his mother “on the grind”
and realizing that life was about hard
work. “At least to succeed in life, that is
what it takes. Back then, they were grown
up the ‘old school’ way. Nowadays, the
children want everything easy. They want
it to come to them,” Tambran said.
“If you have a drive, you can certainly
make it in business. You must know the
direction you want to take in life and have
some kind of goal that you are reaching
for. You cannot want everything in a
couple days. To succeed in business, you
must have patience and realize that riches
don’t come overnight. In any event, you
may only make it to survive barely in the
business, but you must not give up. Fight
the fight!” encouraged Tambran.
As he spoke of the conditions in Belize today, you could see that he was hurt.
“A grandmother is left behind to care for
her grandchildren. Eventually one grandson brings a gun into the home and she
is ‘bangles’ and taken to the Court. These
are things that need to stop. “Part of the
problem is that the money and resources
are not being used properly. They need
to get grass roots people to talk
with the youths. Not people who
have not been there, or done that.
How will they ever get through to the
youths?”
“The statistics are alarming and the
crimes are worsening. Something needs
to be done!” finished Tambran.
DJ Tambran - in the
business for over
13 years
LIBERTY STORE
38 QUEEN STREET
BELIZE CITY
IS PELASED TO ANNOUNCE OUR
AUTUMN
CLEARANCE SALE
PRINTED DACRONS 44”/58” 50% OFF
PRINTED POLYESTER CHIFFON VOILE 50% OFF
POLY/COTTON PRINTED SHEETING 96” $5.95 YD
MENS’ & LADIES’ SUITINGS 25% OFF
TABLE CLOTH MATERIALS 50% OFF
ALL HOME FURNITURE 25% OFF
ALL ELECTRONIC ITEMS 15 – 25% OFF
ALL BRASS ORNAMENTS 50% OFF
ALL KITCHEN APPLIANCES 15 – 25% OFF
OTHER GREAT DEALS:
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EMERSON BOOM BOX $69.50
MEMOREX BOOM BOX $79.50
KARAOKE WITH RADIO CD ONLY $89.00
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AM/FM RADIOS STEREO $17.00
CRANK UP RECHARGEABLE AM/FM RADIO
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(WE BUY, SELL, AND REPAIR ALL KINDS OF
FANS)
23
The Belize Times
The Belize Times
24
25
The Belize Times
Belize #1 Sports Page
Creative Marketing girls win Tropigas Beach
Volleyball tournament
Cricel Castillo volleys
the ball
Team Creative Marketing: Thara
Blanco and Barbara Cadle won the
Tropigas women’s Beach Volleyball
Invitational tournament organized by
the Belize Volleyball Association at the
Old Belize Museum over the Columbus
Day weekend, while Emma Hoare and
Gabriela Jennifer Perez placed 2nd and
Tanisha Encalada and Bobbie Lee Usher
won 3rd prize.
Five teams registered for the
tour nament and Game 1 g ot
underway on Sunday afternoon, with
Jasmine Anderson and Diana Carillo
beginning brightly enough with a 2115 and 21-13 win over Cricel Castillo
and Jenny Smedrat.
In Game 2, Blanco and Cadle
began their path to victory with a
21-13 and 21-8 blowout win over
Tanisha Encalada and Bobbie Lee
Usher.
In Game 3, Emma Hoare and
Gabriela Jennifer Perez also tasted
victory as they handed Anderson and
Carillo their first defeat. Anderson
and Carillo won the 1st set 22-20,
before Hoare and Perez won the next
2 sets 21-15 and 15-6.
In Game 4, Tanisha Encalada
and Bobbie Lee Usher bounced back
from their first defeat by Blanco and
Cadle to give Cricel Castillo and Jenny
Smedrat their ticket home: 21-14 and
21-16.
In Game 5 on Monday morning,
Blanco and Cadle continued with
their winning ways as they handed
Hoare and Perez their first defeat:
21-19 and 21-8.
In Game 6 on Monday afternoon,
Tanisha Encalada and Bobbie Lee
Usher eliminated Anderson and
Carillo, winning the first set 21-19.
Tropigas Beach Volleyball Girls
Jasmine and Diana won the 2nd set
21-16, but Tanisha and Bobbie Lee
won the 3rd set: 15-13.
In Game 7 of the semifinal,
Emma Hoare and Gabriela Jennifer
Perez eliminated Tanisha Encalada
and Bobbie Lee Usher 22-20 and
21-13 to advance to Monday’s
final.
In Game 8, Blanco and Cadle
won over Emma Hoare and Gabriela
Jennifer Perez: 21-19 and 21-16 to
take home the $300 1st prize. Hoare
and Perez claimed the $200 2nd
prize and Encalada and Usher took
home the $100 3rd prize.
The top teams sharpened
up their skills in preparation for
international events such as the
NORCECA Central American
championships next year.
Jenny Smedrat keeps the
volley alive.
Team Mirab wins Tropigas male Beach
Volleyball tournament
Martil Gongora attempts to
spike over Jamal Galvez
Team Mirab’s Jermaine Audinett and
Arvid Arnold won the Tropigas male Beach
Volleyball Invitational tournament organized
by the Belize Volleyball Association at
the Old Belize Museum over the
Columbus Day weekend, while
Oscar Arnold and Kleon Coleman
placed 2nd, and Raul Arnold and Jamal
Galvez won 3rd prize.
Eight teams registered for the
tournament and Game 1 got underway
on Sunday afternoon, with Raul Arnold
and Jamal Galvez winning over Victor
Hernandez and Martil Gongora. Victor and
Martil won the 1st set 21-15, but Arnold
and Galvez won the next 2 sets 21-14 and
15-8.
In Game 2, Shane Armstrong and
Sheldon Arnold won over Khalid Encalada
and Shane Gentle 21-14 and 21-19.
In Game 3, Oscar Arnold and Kleon
Coleman won over Karym Coleman and
Robbie Gongora, who won the 1st set 2118 before Arnold and Coleman took it away
21-13 and 15-10.
In Game 4 on Sunday afternoon, Jermaine
Audinett and Arvid Arnold won over Elton
Moore and Rodin Santos 21-6 and 21-12.
In Game 5 on Monday morning, Raul
Arnold and Jamal Galvez won over Shane
Armstrong and Sheldon Arnold, winning the
1st set 21-17. Armstrong and Sheldon won the
2nd set 21-18 before Galvez and Arnold took
the 3rd set: 15-10.
In Game 6 on Monday afternoon, Audinett
and Arvid Arnold won over Oscar Arnold and
Kleon Coleman 21-10, 21-13.
In Game 7, Victor Hernandez
and Martil Gongora eliminated Khalid
Encalada and Shane Gentle 21-15
and 21-7.
In Game 8, Elton Moore and
Rodin Santos blew away Karym
Coleman and Robbie Gongora 21-8
and 21-13.
In Game 9, Audinett and Arnold
won over Jamal Galvez and Raul
Arnold 21-16 and 21-8.
In Game 10, Oscar Arnold and
Kleon Coleman eliminated Martil
Gongora and Victor Hernandez 22-20
and 21-15.
In Game 11, Elton Moore
and Rodin Santos took out Shane
Armstrong and Sheldon Arnold 24-22
and 21-17.
In Game 12, Oscar Arnold
and Kleon Coleman advanced to
the semifinals by eliminating Elton
Moore and Rodin Santos 21-14 and
21-14.
In Game 13 of the semifinal,
Oscar and Kleon eliminated Raul
Arnold and Jamal Galvez, winning
the 1st set 25-23. Galvez and Raul
won the 2nd set 21-13, before Oscar
and Kleon outlasted them 16-14 in
the 3rd set.
In the final Game 14, Audinett
and Arnold took out Oscar Arnold
and Kleon Coleman 21-11 and 2118 to win the $300 1st prize; Oscar
and Kleon took home the $200
2nd prize. Galvez and Raul Arnold
claimed the $100 3rd prize.
The top teams sharpened
up their skills in preparation for
international events such as the
NORCECA Central American
championships next year.
Jamal Galvez picks up the spike
The Belize Times
26
Belize #1 Sports Page
Team Typhoon’s Jairo Campos wins 5th annual
Orange Walk Bypass Elite criterium
Team Typhoon’s Jairo Campos of Orange Walk won the 5th
annual Orange Walk Bypass Elite Criterium, organized by the Belize
Cycling Association on Pan American Day.
Some 46 Elite cyclists began the 6 lap circuit of the 10 mile
Bypass from the junction with the Northern Highway north of Trial
Farm to the bypass junction at the roundabout south of Orange Walk
town, a total distance of 60 miles. Campos clocked 2:29:19 over the
60 mile course to win the 1st place trophy and a $400 prize.
Campos won the sprint to the finish over Sugar City Stars’
Giovanni Choto, with Benny’s Megabytes’s Byron Pope taking 3rd
place, while Mexico’s Freddy Acosta took 4th place. Choto won the
$200 2nd prize and a trophy while Pope took home the $150
3rd prize and trophy. Acosta got a $50 4th prize and
a medal.
Team Santino’s Domingo Lewis and Ernest
Meighan were 5th and 6th respectively in 2:29:25.
Mexico’s Donizetti Vasquez was 7th, Team
Typhoon’s Nissan Arana pulled in 8th, and Team
Western Spirits’ Allen Castillo was 9th clocking
2:29:37.
Team Santino’s Darnell Barrow completed the
top 10, all of whom received a $50 prize and a medal.
His teammate Gregory Lovell was 11th, and Roger
Troyer of the Zamir Cycling team pulled in 12th.
Trophies were sponsored and presented by Hon. John
Briceño.
Wilbert Jones wins 5th annual Orange Walk Bypass Cat 4&5
criterium – Shalini Zabaneh wins Women’s criterium
16th overall. Jane Usher was 3rd.
Kenny Gladden clocked 1:23:20 as
he pulled in 10th overall: riders finishing
4th to 10th each received a $25 prize and
a medal.
Mexican rider Antonio Baas from
Chetumal’s Depredadores Cyling team
was 11th, Team M&M’s Liam Stuart was
12th, and Team Guinness’ Andrew Brown
was 13th.
Former Cross Country champ Charles
Lewis pulled in 15th, two time female
Cross Country champion Gina Lovell
was 16th and Team M&M’s Roque Matus
finished 17th. Trophies were sponsored
and presented by Hon. John Briceño.
Geon Hanson wins 5th annual Orange
Walk Bypass Junior criterium
Wilbert Jones
Team Pediatric Center’s Wilbert
Jones won the 5th annual Orange Walk
Bypass Masters’ Criterium, organized by
the Belize Cycling Association on Pan
American Day.
Some 17 Category 4 & 5 cyclists
along with 3 women: Shalini Zabaneh,
Gina Lovell and Jane Usher began the
3 lap circuit of the 10 mile Bypass from
the junction with the Northern Highway
north of Trial Farm to the bypass
junction at the roundabout south of
Orange Walk town, a total distance of 30
miles. Jones clocked 1:21:07 over the 30
mile course to win the 1st place trophy
and a $150 prize.
Team Guinness Smiling’s Ernest
“Dangalang” Thurton was leading with
a gap between himself and the main
peloton at the end of the first lap, but by
Shalini Zabaneh
the end of the 2nd lap, Thurton had been
reeled in by 2 other riders: Orange Walk’s
Team Typhoon’s Luigi Urbina and Jones
to form a 3-man breakaway.
Jones finished solo with Urbina 2
seconds behind to win the 2nd place
trophy and a $100 prize.
Team Guinness Smiling’s Philip
Dawson clocked 1:21:10 to win the
3rd place trophy and a $75 prize. His
teammate Sherwin Latchman clocked
1:22:14 as he won the sprint for 4th place
over Team Santino’s Kenneth Butler, who
took 5th and Vallan Symns took 6th.
Team Typhoon’s Ramon Morales
pulled in 7th, Team C-Ray’s Ray Cattouse
Sr. was 8th.
Team Sagitun’s Shalini Zabaneh won
1st female in 1:22:25, finishing 9th overall.
Gina Lovell was the 2nd female, finishing
Team Indeco’s Geon Hanson of
Belmopan won the 5th Annual Orange
Walk Bypass Junior Criterium, organized
by the Belize Cycling Association on Pan
American Day.
Some 20 cyclists began the 4 lap circuit
of the 10 mile Bypass from the junction with
the Northern Highway north of Trial Farm
to the bypass junction at the roundabout
south of Orange Walk town, a total distance
of 40 miles. Hanson clocked 1:43:41 over the
40 mile course to win the 1st place trophy
and a $200 prize.
Team Smart’s Eduardo Reyes of Orange
Walk was 2 seconds behind to win the 2nd
place trophy and a $150 prize.
Team C-Ray’s Christopher Andrews
clocked 1:43:51 seconds to win the 3rd place
trophy and a $100 prize.
Team Indeco’s Trevon Salazar clocked
1:44:08 to win a $25 prize and a medal;
while his teammate Tariq Cano clocked
1:44:11 to take 5th place. Daniel Choto,
riding unattached, pulled in to 6th place in
1:44:33.
Team Vega Crystal’s Deezan Spence
clocked 1:44:53 to place 7th, while Team
Smart’s Kelvin Tillett pulled in 8th in
1:44:55.
Juan Umana riding unattached was 9th
Geon Hanson
in 1:46:08 seconds: Team Vega Crystal’s
Aidan Juan rounded out the top 10, with
riders finishing 4th to 10th each receiving a
$25 prize and a medal. Team Indeco’s Erwin
Middleton was 11th, Team Vega Crystal’s
Austin Armstrong was 12th and Team
M&M’s Ryan Peyrefitte clocked 1:57:35 to
finish 13th. Trophies were sponsored and
presented by Hon. John Briceño.
27
Sunday, January 23, 2000
The Belize Times
Strictly Personal
Philloughby’s a
peeved punk
by [email protected]
I have gotten to see far more
of Phillip “Philloughby“ Willoughby
over the past few weeks, both up close
and personal and on the evening news,
than I probably ever had, and could
ever prefer. The young man loves
the spotlight of the media, and is as
relentless a microphone and camera
hog as I have ever seen.
As “The councilor responsible
for sanitation” Philloughby pursues his
media moment without any aplomb,
but in a determinedly wooden-headed,
lead-footed way. There is no quit in
him, and I suppose it as backhanded
a compliment as I can find to say
that he truly doesn’t care, he will
stand boastfully in much lesser light
from which many another politico
of considerable more gravitas would
shrink.
During the time that BML
workers were protesting in front of
City Hall, Philloughby was nightly
fodder for the evening newscast,
his sound bites mini-masterpieces
in unintentional comedy. At first his
seasonings of hilarity even seemed to
leaven the workers plight from their
too apparent lack of their deserved
dough but alas, the thrill was all too
brief.
Phil’s answers while never
reaching the sublime went from the
ridiculously lame to incomprehensible.
Within a week, though, we were told
that the excuse was that he had
contracted the mind-addling malady
known as dengue.
Two things were soon clear:
not only did Phil not have a clue, he
was also clueless that he was clueless.
Anyone with a modicum less prideful
vanity and a tad more intelligence
would have slunk, even if gracelessly
away, but no, not he. Like a bad stain
on a favourite shirt the guy kept
turning up, even as he was being
turned away.
The problem isn’t that a boy was
sent to do a man’s job, as the old saying
goes, but truly this youth is “callower”
than most. It is the paradoxical nature
of life that as the Biblical lesson extols,
there is good to be gleaned from
the bad. Philloughby’s performance
convinced many that the 2009-2012
Belize City Council is hopelessly
inept, and left no doubt as to why it
is bankrupt.
Having completed that mission
this week Philloughby turned his
attention to the crisis at the University
of Belize. Today, Thursday, October
15th, 2009, he turned up again at the
school’s Belmopan campus, ostensibly
as a part time student. If he seems
insouciant it may only be because he
has been a professional student at UB
even before it was UB, a period that
spans more than a decade.
Stung by a remark I made,
Philloughby demonstrated his lack
of maturity by calling me a “sissy.”
I was unsurprised by his punkish
behavior, but neither was I amused. I
can understand why he was so stung
since it was clearly a case of the truth
hurting.
Phillip appeared in Belmopan in
a late model, expensive looking SUV.
The vehicle has been the subject of
much rumor for the past few months,
and he is careful where he is seen in
it.
In this case he came to Belmopan
to once again feel like a big man on
campus, and needed the vehicle as a
prop. To my mind there is something
indecent about a Belize City Councilor
tooling around in an expensive vehicle,
and collecting several thousand dollars
monthly as a “stipend” when BML
workers are being forced to undergo
serious hardship because the Belize
City Council is bankrupt. I had to say
so out loud.
I repeat: there is something
indecent about a Belize City Councilor
tooling around in an expensive vehicle,
and collecting several thousand dollars
monthly as a “stipend” when BML
workers are being forced to undergo
serious hardship because the Belize
City Council is bankrupt.
It is even worse, obscene
if you will, when that councilor
is “The councilor responsible for
sanitation.”
Yes Philoughby is not the only
fat cat city councilor who’s refused
to forgo their large stipend and is
living high off the hog while some
of our poorest, hardest working
people and their families are starving.
No councilor, or the mayor for
that matter, gave up a cent of their
ill-begotten money even in token
fashion.
And if you’re peeved because
I say so, then get the sense, you’re a
punk for believing that you can rub it
in all our faces and we ain’t gonna let
you know, loud and clear.
The Belize T
Macario Ishim of San Pablo,
Toledo to Rutilia Sho of Bladen, Toledo
Allan Kevin Cob to Iriam Lisseth Posado of Orange Walk
Town
De Lun Zhen to Li Nong Zhen
of Belize City
Jared Clarence Belisle to
Melvin Steven to Orsy
Dervin and Delmy Briseyda Nelma Yolanda Sampson of
Belize City
Mejia nee Guzman
Feng Lin to Hua Yang of OrVashti Naomi to Glenn
ange Walk Town
Clifford Jr. and Susan LeJuan Carlos Cardoba to Bianca
onie Rivero nee Canto
M. Villamil of San Roman/Rio
Caleb Darin to Henry and Hondo, Orange Walk
Irvin Castillo to Johanna VanMartha Reimer nee Dueck
essa Chi of Yo Creek, Orange
Bre-Ann Kathleen to
Walk
Heston Rory and Jody
Ann Elizabeth Wagner nee Hubert Eric Campos to Elaine
Areli Castillo of Yo Creek,
Brooks
Orange Walk
Mitchie Emily to Mitch
Izael Chiquin of Forest Home,
Samuel and Karima Dawn
Toledo to Letecia Chen of ElCastillo nee Smith
ridge, Toledo
Kyler Ebony to Ebon
Jorge Aroldo Leon to Elda
Mayte Paredez of Stann Creek
Dwayne and Gloria Jean
Valley Road, Stann Creek
Gabb nee Wade
Gio Ernest to Guermo and Samuel Jeovany Mendez Pérez
to Wendy Arely Navarette of
Ernestina Acal nee Mess
Salvapan, Belmopan, Cayo
Tyicia Esther to Reynaldo
Murat Karavana to Wendy Lisa
Inesito and Tricia Melanie
Leslie of San Ignacio, Cayo
Duran nee McDougal
Edwin Rolando Franco Lopez
Helena to Peter and Marga- to Virginia Margarita Lopez of
retha Peters nee Hildebrand Belize City
Favor-Joy Naa-Ayorkor to Alfred Reynold Smith of
Belize City to Kay Francine
Love Nii-Ayiu and Mercy
Young of Rancho Dolores,
Hammond nee Armaah
Belize
Tyrin Aden to Maxwell
Thomas Fermine Montejo to
and Barbara Florence Ven- Lorraine Diana Herrera of
tura nee Estrada
Belize City
Malique Haeden to Mason Alfredo Elijio Tuyu to Geydi
Herbert and Rufina ConMagali Lorenzo of Orange
Walk Town
cepcion Hutchinson nee
Amelio Uh of Orange Walk
Sutherland
Nahshón Francis to Mark Town to Amelda A. Cocom of
Trial Farm, Orange Walk
Anthony and Michelle
Dereck Alonzo Tzul of DanCatherine Castillo nee
griga, Stann Creek to Sherece
Bradley
Rochelle Glenn of Camalote,
Dayanara Giselle to GuaCayo
Births
dalupe and Alma Suyapa
Diaz nee Figueroa
Deaths
Marriages
Christopher Jon Fairbanks
to Antonia Maria Bruno of
Brooklyn, NY, USA
Lismark Sygismark Bennett to
Seidy Adrienne Cano of San
Pedro Ambergris Caye
Cardinal Adolphus Usher, 64
Gertrude Dorothy Hanifa, 82
Sydney Benjamin Hyde, 41
Evadney Leonie Thompson,
81
Rosaline Florence Adolphus,
99
Gaudencio Montejo, 59
The Belize Times
28
Sports and politics in Belize
Some people will tell you
straight up that sports and politics
should not be mixed; the two don’t
work well together and should not
intermingle. In Belize the reality
is that it is difficult to separate the
two.
In a sense both issues play an
important role in the lives of many
Belizeans and in more specific
cases, both are critically important
to the survival of our nation.
Sports, for example promotes a
good lifestyle, it teaches teamwork,
cooperation, management and it
is definitely good for the health
of the nation. Of course without
the financial support needed for
athletes to rise to higher levels in
their game, progress will be at a
standstill.
Fo r t h i s r e a s o n s p o r t s
has been used and abused by
politicians, especially so with
this current government where
certain political figures have used
sports and certain athletes to
accomplish their personal and
political agendas. Case in point
parading with the Belize basketball
team after their competition in
Cancun.
Instead of draping himself
in a Belize flag during the games
in Cancun, the minister of sports
should have been here in Belize
talking to school children and
holding up the players as a good
example of how far you can go
if you stay in school, practice
hard and work as a team. The
minister of sports could have used
the opportunity of the success
in Cancun in a more innovative
and creative manner and push his
colleagues in cabinet to support
reforms in the sports programme;
to convince cabinet that through
sports we can address the crime
situation in Belize and help our
young and women to see sports
as an alternative to hanging out
on the streets and engaging in
mischief and crime.
Minister Penner’s interest in
sports should not be the promotion
of motorcycle stunts, bull and
horse riding in the west. In the first
instance, motorcycle stunt riding
is not something that Belizeans
do. Many can’t own the kinds of
motor bikes used in this sport and
for sure this does not promote a
healthy lifestyle.
This, like bull and horse
riding is not a part of Belize’s
sporting culture, at least not in
the mainstream. If the Minister
wants to make a mark on sports
in Belize,
he needs to focus the Ministry’s
funds and other resources on those
sporting disciplines that matter
most to the talented teens and
adults. Finding an avenue to have
a positive and responsive effect on
sporting activities, where all athletes
can participate in those sporting
activities that are of interest to
their lives while at the same time
providing entertainment for as
many Belizeans as possible.
But to do this, we must first
develop more adequate sporting
f acilities, train and employ
more qualified and experience
coaches and we must invest in the
development of our local talent.
Representatives are voted
into office on the basis of their
manifesto promises, those who
become ministers are expected
to provide the ways and means to
assist in the development of the
nation. Specifically, the Minister
of Sports has an obligation to
develop and enhance the level
of talent of our athletes, to help
them to accomplish their goals
and to develop our credibility in
those areas in sports that Belizeans
love.
Clearly this is not happening
today. There is no practice of
discipline or proper training
before our athletes go aboard to
represent the country. This is
reflected in the continuous losses
we have been suffering in areas
like football and softball. We
do not lose because of a lack of
talent - we lose because we have
not been able to develop sports
in Belize because we find ways to
play politics even in this area.
Perhaps these views sound
too personal and may come off
as partisan politics because of
where this article is published,
but if Belize is to perform at the
levels for which there is potential,
then we need to be more vocal and
call out ministers when they are
not performing as is the case with
Minister Penner.
Sports can lift up this nation
in so many ways, it can be a part
of the solution for many young
people who live in poverty and
have low self esteem. It can make
us all proud to be Belizean and
can start a movement across this
nation like no other force for good
can do for young people, but first
we have to make the investment
and believe in ourselves and
those who are elected to lead
must step up in the interest of
the nation rather than their own
self interest.
Notice to BEL Contractors
Belize Electricity Limited (BEL) advises all current contractors and persons interested in performing
works for the Company that they are required to complete and submit the revised
Contractor Prequalification Form.
This is necessary to ensure that all contractors who perform works for BEL are equipped to and
meet the environmental and safety standards required by the Company.
To ensure that you are qualified to perform works for BEL, kindly complete and submit the revised
Contractors Prequalification Form to BEL by October 30, 2009. Persons or companies who do not
complete and submit the revised Contractors Prequalification Form to BEL by October 30, 2009 will
not be allowed to perform works for the Company.
Forms can be obtained from all BEL Branch Offices, or by emailing [email protected] or calling
227-0954, extension 1701 to request a copy.
29
The Belize Times
What the hell is this?
Lois Young Barrow should instigate
criminal charges against the Minister
of Health and any other public officials
who supported his criminal treatment of
mentally ill persons. But don’t hold your
breath.
The Rockview Mental Hospital
at Mile 21 has been closed down. The
patients and staff have been transferred to
a secret spot somewhere on the outskirts
of Belmopan. But no new patient can be
admitted to this place. The purpose of
Belmo-view, or Death Valley as it is called,
is not to treat ill citizens. It is a purgatory on
the
way to death
for existing
Sunday,
January
23, mental
2000 patients.
The policy, it appears, is that those already
within its doors will be ‘encouraged’ to die
so that the facility can be closed down.
BIG
The UDP Government has also to known mental patients. Transportation
closed down the psychiatric section at the is always a problem so many patients are
Western Regional Hospital. Yes, it is closed. not treated. Many patients do not stay at
The policy of the UDP Government and home, so when the team does go out who
the know-nothing minister is said to be that they meet will get an injection while those
‘new’ mental patients will be treated at the they don’t won’t.
KHMH and if necessary will have a bed and
This is the state of affairs in October
a ward – but nothing go so. KHMH does 2009 in Belize for the mentally ill, those with
not want, nor is it equipped to treat mental depression and others who in their hard
patients. The regular staff refuses to allow times suffer various nervous and mental
hospital beds to be used by mental patients. ailments. No counseling, no medication, no
Families of mental patients are turned back treatment and no hospital where they can
from the KHMH with the explanation that receive much needed attention.
their ill family cannot be treated as there
It is like a nightmare in a dark,
are no beds.
backward
The Belize Timesmedieval country, where the
The situation gets worse. The mentally ill are treated as crazy people
psychiatric nurses are required to go into who do not deser ve an enlightened
the community and administer ‘injections’ environment.
XX
PUBLIC AUCTION SALES: PROPERTIES
Santa Familia, Cayo, Stann Creek Valley Road & Dangriga,Stann Creek District
BY ORDER of the Mortgagees, Messrs. The Belize Bank Limited, Licensed Auctioneer Kevin A. Castillo will sell
the following properties ON SITE on Monday the 19th October 2009 at the following times:
1.
At Las Casitas, Santa Familia, Cayo District at
10:30 am:
ALL THAT piece or parcel of land situate in the Santa Familia Village
in the Cayo District and bounded as follows:- On the North for 65.285
metres by A Lot; On the Southeast for 96.418 metres by the Belize
River; On the West for 57.658 metres by a Street containing 1492.480
s.m. held by Minister’s Fiat Lease No.214 of 1988 and shown on Plan
No. 18970 at the office of the Commissioner of Lands and Surveys.
(Being the property formerly used as LAS CASITAS, A RIVERSIDE
RESORT situate near to where the Macal and Mopan Rivers converge
into the Belize River in the Village of Santa Familia in the Cayo District of Belize, the freehold property of Mr. Natividad Jesus Obando)
ALL THAT piece of parcel of land situate in the Town of Dangriga in
the Stann Creek District of Belize being Lot No. 596 situate between
Pine Street and Rear Pine Street and bounded as follows: On the North
by Lot No. 597 in the South by Lot No. 595 on the East by Pine Street
and on the West by Rear Pine Street containing 435.60 square yards
held by Minister’s Fiat Lease No. 168 of 1991 dated the 18th March
1991(Being the leasehold property of Messrs. Elizabeth Castillo &
Edwin Lambey)
4.
At No. 1203 Ghans Avenue, Sainsbury Area, Dangriga, Stann Creek District at 3:00 pm:
2.
At Mile 8 Stann Creek Valley Road, Stann Creek
District at 1:00 pm:
ALL THAT piece or parcel of land being a portion of Block No. 539
situate at 8 Miles, Stann Creek Valley Road, Stann Creek District the
said portion or parcel of land measuring 150 feet in both length and 75
feet in both width and which said piece or portion of land is more particularly shown on a Plan of Survey dated the 4th October 1995 by M.
E. Sanchez, Licensed Land Surveyor lodged at the Office of the Commissioner of Lands and Surveys Entry No. 2447 Register No. 14 TOGETHER with all buildings and erections standing and being thereon.
(Being a concrete bungalow dwelling house and lot situate near Mile
8 on the Stann Creek Valley Road, Stann District, the property of Mr.
Magnus Carcamo)
3. At No. 19 Pine Street, Dangriga Town, Stann Creek
District at 2:00 pm:
ALL THAT piece or parcel of land being Lot No. 1203 situate
along Ghans Avenue, Sainsbury Area, Dangriga, Stann Creek District
TOGETHER with all buildings and erections standing and being thereon. (Being a concrete bungalow dwelling house and lot situate at No.
1203 Ghans Avenue, Sainsbury Area, Dangriga, Stann Creek District,
the freehold property of Mr. Stanislaus Martinez)
TERMS: STRICTLY CASH
KEVIN A. CASTILLO
TELEPHONE: 224-4473
E-mail: [email protected]
The Belize Times
VII
The Belize Times
30
CLASSIFIED
OBITUARY
MRS. ADA JEX
LOWE
The
JEX
and
GABOUREL families are
saddened to announce the
passing of our beloved ADA
JEX LOWE which occurred
in Jacksonville FL. On
October 3rd, just two days
after her 84th birthday.
She was the only daughter
of late Henry and Eugenie
Jex originally of Craig St. in
Belize City later of Maskall
and sister to Roland Sr and
Hugh Jex Sr who predeceased
her and former Unionist and
Belize Rural Representative
Hon. Herman Jex Sr. who
survives her.
She also leaves to mourn
her passing sons George and
Anthony of Belize and Eric,
Herman and James Gabourel
of the USA.
A nurse by profession, she
made a name for herself in
the specialized area of antique
doll restoration. A gifted
artisan and craftsperson, she
excelled in all the art forms
from culinary arts to fabric,
décor and design.
Memorable in the way she
carried herself, she exuded
impeccable grace and classic
good taste, gracious living
and courtesy, turning heads
even into her senior years .
In the words of
Shakespeare “Age could not
wither her/…”
A devout Catholic, she
spent her last weeks of life
being cared for by the nuns in
her parish and died peacefully
there among them. She was
buried in Jacksonville on
Tuesday October 6th, 2009.
All family and friends are
asked to take note.
1 concrete semi furnished
upper flat 3 bedroom, 2
bathroom seafront house,
tiled and burglar barred with
separate utility and storage
room with double carport.
For more information call
672-1973.
1-3 bedroom, 2 bathroom
bungalow house - fully
burglar barred, fenced yard
and garage. Located in Port
Loyola area, Belize City.
Interested persons call 2277053 or 610-2254.
VACANCY
A post exists for a young,
dynamic and energetic
team player with excellent
public relations and marketing skills. Basic photography and computer skills
would be a definite asset.
For more information call
671-8385 and ask for Mike.
Available NOW
Clean, comfortable, secure and
affordable rooms are available
for rent now - located just minutes from downtown Belize City
and a stone's throw from the
beautiful Belize City Marine Parade. Rooms can be rented on a
short term or long term basis. For
more information call 661-8999.
Prayer To The Holy Spirit
O Holy spirit, you who are the fountainhead of all knowledge, who illuminate the pathway which enables me to
reach my goal. You who share your
divine gift permitting me to forgive
and forget past insults and injustices,
and who are always at my side within
reaching distance. I desire in this short
supplication to thank you for all that
you have done for me, and to assure
you once more that I never want to be
separated from you under any circumstances, no matter what the incentive.
I want to be with you, I along with my
loved ones, cradled in your unending
love. Thank you for your never failing
kindness towards me and those I call
my own.
(Prayer to be offered for three consecutive days; faith in the Holy Spirit will
cause him to respond to your request
no matter how difficult the problem
might be.)
Publish prayer as soon as request has
been granted.
B.F.
Prayer To The Holy Spirit
O Holy spirit, you who are the fountainhead of all knowledge, who illuminate the pathway which enables me to reach my goal. You who share your divine gift permitting me
to forgive and forget past insults and injustices, and who are always at my side within
reaching distance. I desire in this short supplication to thank you for all that you have
done for me, and to assure you once more that I never want to be separated from you
under any circumstances, no matter what the incentive. I want to be with you, I along
with my loved ones, cradled in your unending love. Thank you for your never failing
kindness towards me and those I call my own.
(Prayer to be offered for three consecutive days; faith in the Holy Spirit will cause him
to respond to your request no matter how difficult the problem might be.)
Publish prayer as soon as request has been granted.
B.A.M.
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M
a
s
a
S
S
f
S
f
S
n
f
(
31
The Belize Times
Board Claims It Was Misinformed About the Money
(Continued from page 1)
increments would be frozen for three
years and that students tuition fees
would go up by a monumental 500%,
the UB community has been in an
uproar. On Wednesday, more than
100 students and faculty members
from the Belmopan campus gathered
to voice their dissatisfaction with the
Board’s arbitrary decision to freeze
increments. The stance of the students
in particular was a rock-solid one – they
simply could not afford to pay more
fees, end of story. From that gathering
yesterday, it was decided that the Board
of Trustees would meet with the faculty
and students today, Thursday at the UB
gymnasium at 1:00pm.
But the Board of Trustees never
did show. What they did was to call
a press conference at the Belmopan
Convention Hotel without informing
the faculty or students of the venue.
It was there that Mrs. FairweatherMo rr i s o n ma d e h e r s t unn i n g
proclamation. And in addition to the
‘misinformation’ about the money, the
Chair of the Board of Trustees also
claims that the proposed increase in
tuition fees was only an idea, a concept
which was being thrown around by the
Board and was not any concrete plan.
But the more than 100 UB
students who managed to pack their
way into the Convention Hotel’s
conference room didn’t buy that for
a second. In fact, they didn’t seem to
buy anything the Board was claiming.
The consensus from the students is that
the Board is just buying time right now
until it can find some way to ram the
increase in tuition down their throats
again. In fact, the students have issued
an ultimatum of their own. While the
Board has said that it will suspend any
increment freeze or increase in tuition
until a comprehensive review of the
finances is completed, the students
want more. They want a commitment
from the Board that it will back off, and
not only suspend, its ‘former’ plans.
They have given the Board a deadline
– midday on September 20th – to call
off any plans for an increment freeze or
tuition increase.
So as we go to press today, the
situation is still very volatile and the
students and faculty of the University
of Belize are far from happy but will
keep their peace, at least until the 20th.
But with that aside, there are serious
issues with the Board’s announcement
that they were misinformed about the
finances of UB. Board Chair Imani
Fairweather-Morrison did not go into
details, but would say only that they
did not have accurate knowledge of
the financial status of the University
and would have to undertake a
comprehensive review before taking
any decision.
We’re not exactly sure if the
financial situation at UB is the result
of under-reporting, under-depositing
or is merely a smokescreen. The UB
Chair has said that whoever was
responsible for the ‘misinformation’
will face disciplinary action. It is
interesting to note that the Minister of
Education Patrick Faber has been silent
throughout.
The Belize Times
VI
White Girl Viciously Stabbed at UCLA by Black Student from Belize
Why is it that evidence that a
who taught the student accused of Black quota-student from Belize
slashing a female classmate’s throat is crazy, paranoid and possibly a
last week said Saturday that he told danger to the people around him
a university administrator 10 months is covered up by strict privacy laws,
ago that he had concerns about while everyone else in America has
the student’s mental health, but their communications routinely spied
strict federal privacy laws prevent on by Homeland Security?
UCLA officials from disclosing how
Another article reports
they handled the issue. Stephen “Thompson pulled out a knife and
Frank, an associate professor in began stabbing the victim for no
the university’s history department, apparent reason… Authorities said
met the suspect, undergraduate the victim, identified in court as
student Damon Thompson, when he Katherine Rosen, 20, suffered five
enrolled in the instructor’s Western stab wounds and a slashed throat.
civilization class late last When
year, Frank
Rosen
was taken to Ronald Reagan
things go
wrong,
said in an interview. Frank
said
he
UCLA
Medical Center in critical
As they sometimes will,
grew concerned about Thompson in condition but has been steadily
When the road you’re trudging seems all uphill,
mid-December 2008, after the student improving, doctors said.”
funds arethat
low and the debts are high,
sent several When
e-mailsthe
complaining
So an American student was
And
you
want
to
smile,
youkilled
have because
to sigh, of a policy to
classmates sitting around him had but
nearly
careoffensive
is pressingbring
you down
bit – primitives into
been disruptive When
and made
Thirda World
Rest
if
you
must,
but
don’t
you
quit.
comments to him while he was taking the US. One can only hope that the
a written exam… University officials victim sues the heck out of UCLA
have acknowledged
‘Thompson
for doing nothing about
Lifethat
is queer
with its authorities
twists and turns,
was known to our
student
affairs
the complaints
As every one of us sometimes
learns,and evidence that
office prior to the incident,’
but
could
Damon
Thompson
was profoundly
And many a failure turns about
not disclose information about the mentally ill.
When he might have won had he stuck it out.
suspect, citing privacy laws.”
Perhaps it’s time to consider if
Don’t give up though the pace seems slowYou may succeed with another blow.
“QUOTE FOR THE WEEK”
don’t quit
Success is failure turned inside out –
BNTU Shakeup
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
And you never can tell how close you are,
But apparently
the
It many
be release
near when it seems so far;
was a surpriseSotostick
the tomembers
the fightof
when you’re hardest hit
the BNTU, the teachers, who were
when
seem worst that you mustn’t quit.
shocked toIt’s
learn
that things
they supported
a Commission which they knew
Persistence
a decision.
It is a has
commitment to finish what you start.
nothing
about.isSo
in a move which
When we
are exhausted,
quitting
become
trademark
UDP, the
BNTUlooks good. But winners endure.
Askforced
a winning
athlete.
He endures
was
to hold
consultations
with pain and finishes what he started.
its
members
after
the
fact
and
Lots of failures have begun wellthe
but have not concluded anything.
response
was comes
anythingfrom
but favourable.
Persistence
purpose. Life without purpose is drifting. A
Reports
reaching
thepurpose
Belize will
Times
person who
has no
never persevere and will never be
indicate
that
the
meetings
were
hostile,
fulfilled.
as teachers expressed their displeasure
with certain points in the proposed
SHIV KHERA
Teaching Services Commission, and
also their displeasure with Union
leadership for expressing support
without consultation.
Under pressure from the teachers,
the BNTU has allegedly been forced
to change the members of the local
BNTU executives in all districts. In
next week’s issue, the Belize Times
will bring you the names of the new
BNTU executive members.
ANY Third World people should
be let into the US. Third World
immigrants lower the pay rate for
jobs from the fast food service to the
high tech industry, where Hindu ersatz
high tech workers are hired regardless
of how marginal their education or
intelligence may be. If the United
States wants to maintain a high
standard of living, we need to stop
all Third World immigration, which
invariably brings crime, lower wages, a
huge tax burden and less competency
in the high tech world.
NOTICE
Notice is hereby given that the company named
“VALMAR INTERNATIONAL
HOLDINGS S.A.”
has been dissolved and struck off the International Business
Companies Register with effect from the 7th day of
October, 2009.
The Belize Bank Limited
LIBERTY STORE
38 QUEEN STREET
BELIZE CITY
IS PELASED TO ANNOUNCE OUR
AUTUMN
CLEARANCE SALE
PRINTED DACRONS 44”/58” 50% OFF
PRINTED POLYESTER CHIFFON VOILE 50% OFF
POLY/COTTON PRINTED SHEETING 96” $5.95 YD
MENS’ & LADIES’ SUITINGS 25% OFF
TABLE CLOTH MATERIALS 50% OFF
ALL HOME FURNITURE 25% OFF
ALL ELECTRONIC ITEMS 15 – 25% OFF
ALL BRASS ORNAMENTS 50% OFF
ALL KITCHEN APPLIANCES 15 – 25% OFF
OTHER GREAT DEALS:
GRANDPRIX BOOM BOX WITH IPOD CRADLE
$139.00
EMERSON BOOM BOX $69.50
MEMOREX BOOM BOX $79.50
The Belize Times
32
insert A
33
Mr. Prime Minister
The Belize Times
You've helped your family...
Now can you help us?
We're tired of imagining...
The Belize Times
Insert34
D
Has The UDP Kept Its Promises?
Has Life gotten Better?
YOU BE THE JUDGE!

October 18 2009.indd

Transcription

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