Belize Times July 22, 2012

Sunday, July 22, 2012

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THE BELIZE TIMES

SCAN HERE

Issue No. 4805

www.facebook/Belize Times

SUNDAY July 22, 2012

The Pain Begins UDP freezes public officers’ allowances

According to the memo, the purpose of the freeze which will take place in September 2012 is to “review all allowances” which will only be reactivated if deemed justifiable.

It sounds like a needed exercise, but the Public Service falters immensely and it shows how it can be used politically because while public officers will be targeted, specially-hired and wellpaid contract officers will be untouched.

Their allowances will not be frozen and neither reviewed. They will continue to collect their fat cheques and inflated alContinued on page 6

Belize City, July 18, 2012 The Barrow Administration has started their attack on public officers.

Faced with a budget that contains a $120 million shortfall, the UDP Government is scratching at anything to see if it can bleed money. Cuts in education, health and national security have been confirmed. Gas prices will remain high and an increase in the tax for the tourism sector will be implemented. And now the latest target is the public service.

A memo issued by the Ministry of Public Service introduces a TEMPORARY FREEZE OF ALLOWANCES for ALL Public Officers.

Juliet Thimbriel

Belize City, July 18, 2012 A slew of documents obtained by the BELIZE TIMES show even more “special” UDPs benefitting from prime land that is normally inaccessible and near-impossible to acquire for ordinary

Barrow bickers but borrows ex-PM’s advice

Kenworth Tillett

Lisel Alamilla

Belizeans.

Last week the BELIZE TIMES published evidence of over 40 land cases in which the family and close friends of Minister of Natural Resources Gaspar Vega obtained huge tracts of lands for

Darrell Bradley

very little to nothing at all. This includes Vega’s daughter, brother, sister-in-law, nephew, cousins and several others.

But that is not the end of the UDP’s nepotistic land grab. The BELIZE Continued on page 12

Police abuses their own

Eldon Arzu

Wednesday, July 18, 2012 Hundreds of police officers who selflessly place their wellbeing and lives on the lines to serve and protect our country are feeling badly abused, misused and overused by the appointed bosses at the Belize Police Department.

Continued on page 4

UB fees are going up Faber calls unemployed students “downright lazy” See page 6

See page 6

TOP MODEL

Rene Montero

See page 9

UDP LAND HOGS!

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

03 Neil Gray acquitted of murder 08

The Young Warrior’s Way

Budget allocates 25¢ monthly per Cayo South constituent

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THE BELIZE TIMES

PUP on the right track Dear Editor: I am so proud of the 14 Opposition Representatives in House during the debate on the budget. That is what an area representative needs to do talk about. What your constituency needs and if you don’t see it in the budget, mention it so the people who elected

you know you are fighting for them.

The representative from Toledo, I don’t remember what area, but his name is Hon. Oscar Requeña. My brother I salute you. You gave the best speech about what your area needs, but don’t stop there. Continue proclaiming your needs and let this gov-

ernment know what your people need.

Concerning this new Sunny City, the Opposition needs to continue the fight to stop this. Start educating people and begin the fight for others to join in. Imagine 30000 today, tomorrow it will be 600000 then more. We as Belizean will become a minority soon.

Come on Belizeans, let’s protect what is ours before it’s too late.

I’m very surprised of the Suavecito man defending this and making it seem like it’s a good investment. He didn’t even mention in his budget speech what he is planning for Caribbean Shores but praising nonsense like Sunny City.

I wonder what is in this for him and his family. They are all for themselves.

Signed H. Williams

Elections and Boundaries Demonstrate Institutionalized Bias July 6, 2012 Mrs. Josephine Tamai Chief Elections Officer Elections and Boundaries Department Belize City, BELIZE Dear Mrs. Tamai: The Elections and Boundaries Department (EBD) advertised the upcoming notice for the “Transfer of Electors” activity to commence July 1.

This notice was placed in the El Guardian Newspaper, the organ of the United Democratic Party of June 24, 2012 (pg. 31); but was not advertised in the Belize Times the organ of the People’s

United Party. It was repeated in the Guardian for July 1, 2012.

The EBD’s practice of publicizing notices to Electors in one Political Party’s newspaper, while ignoring the other, is a routine that was brought to the attention of the People’s United Party (PUP) during the period leading up to the 2012 Elections. By repeating such actions for the “Transfer of Electors” activity abovementioned, the EBD is blatantly demonstrating institutionalized or systemic bias towards the PUP and by extension the Party Supporters who are the Electors.

The introduction of bias into the administration of the arm of Government that is legally responsible for

Youth Leaders Say NO to Increase in UB fees July 18, 2012 The Nation Builders national youth movement joins with the students of the University of Belize to declare its vehement opposition to any kind of increase in fees at the national university.

This stated position arises from comments made by the Minister of Education Hon. Patrick Faber during his presentation at the Budget Debate on Thursday, July 12, and reiterated during an interview on Channel 7 evening news last night, that an increase in fees is due and that it is needed to improve on the quality of education.

Nation Builders will not accept any increase in fees and will stand shoulder to shoulder with the students who would be negatively affected by it. It is outrageous to deliberate an increase in fees at a time when the socio-economic conditions

in our country have become a great pressure on our people. It is even worst to do it at a time when access to tertiary education among the adolescent population is a measly 5%-7%. More focus is needed to getting more students into tertiary school, instead of creating obstacles for our peers.

We also believe that there should be no correlation between quality education and the fees paid by students. Quality education is a must and we applaud the Minister for acknowledging this, but we remind him that education is a right and not a favour; therefore, it must not be reliant on student fees. We call on our Government to show that it is serious about youth development and to make every effort to make education EVEN MORE affordable and accessible to our young people.

We will be ever vigilant and remain committed to youth development. (Press Release)

electoral management violates the principle of democratic equality and fairness. It also erodes credibility and as such flouts principles of good governance.

The People’s United Party by this letter calls on the Elections and Boundaries Department to cease the practice of bias that has become systemic in the Department.

Yours sincerely I Myrtle Palacio Secretary General PEOPLE’S UNITED PARTY Cc EBC

Mr. B. Q. Pitts, Chairman

Statement on Budget & Decriminalization of Marijuana July 18, 2012 The Teens Belize Organization has reviewed components of the 2012-2013 Budget prepared by the Government of Belize.

We are extremely alarmed by the various financial cuts made to the Education & Youth Sectors. We understand that Belize is going through stiff economic times; however, the Government must remember that Education & Youth are essential to Belize’s National Development.

Teens Belize also views the proposed increase in fees at the University of Belize as not in alignment with the Government’s commitment of Capacity Development of Belizean Youths.

We are also aware of the Government’s move to decriminalize small quantities of marijuana. We take note of the advantages of this process and must applaud the Government for this. However, the government must place high emphasis through collective analysis on the disadvantages of this issue which leads to crime & violence within our communities.

We are calling on the Government of Belize to revisit the Education & Youth Sectors and partner with International Youth Agencies to bring much needed programs and finances to properly educate and nurture the youths of Belize. (PRESS RELEASE)

Sunday, July 22, 2012

Vulgarity!

Dear Editor, Kindly publish my opinion on a matter of importance.

There are certain behaviors that are not acceptable so why are they accepted as laws?

Belizeans! The way we dispose of our garbage, remember it’s yours, be humble.

The way we drive on our public roads, remember it’s not only yours alone, courtesy.

The way we talk to each other, as what family?

The way we talk about each other, remember we are brothers and sisters. Respect.

The way we communicate with each other when we discuss national issues, as what a developing nation?

Shameful.

There seems to be a complete disregard of the black man for himself, and we need to know where this comes from and we need to know now.

The immediate occasion is nothing in comparison to what we as a nation have been through so why are we not confronting this together as a nation, why? We must have had some regard for each other or we would not have come this far. It’s not about the government of any day or how it came to be. Belize, the young nation state, we need to go back to what worked for us where he had respect for self and each other.

We had our differences, but we were at peace, now we’re at war with each other, why?

Every day one of our children makes us proud. Several will become a victim of this vulgarity. Why? Signed, M.L.G.

THE BELIZE TIMES EDITOR

Alberto Vellos OFFICE MANAGER

Fay Castillo McKay PRINTING/PERSONNEL SUPERVISOR

Doreth Bevans LAYOUT/GRAPHIC ARTIST

Chris Williams STAFF REPORTER

Alton Humes TYPIST

Rachel Arana OFFICE ASSISTANT

Roberto Peyrefitte Printed & Published By The Belize Times Ltd. #3 Queen Street P.O. BOX 506 Belize City, Belize Tel: 671-8385 Email: belizetimesad@yahoo.com editortimes@yahoo.com

Sunday, July 22, 2012

THE BELIZE TIMES

The Young Warrior’s Way Rowan Garel completes historic Walk Across Belize BELIZE CITY, Monday, July 16th, 2012

By Alton Humes Rowan Garel, the young Belizean who’s conquered primary school exams, climbed steep mountains of rock and stone, despite his ‘differently abled’ blindness due to the condition known as retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), can now permanently add to his already extensive resume the feat of walking from the Benque Viejo-Guatemala border to Belize City, a journey that may not have been as financially rewarding as expected, but certainly something that ought to be spiritually uplifting to our young nation.

The BELIZE TIMES welcomed Rowan and the over 30 plus members of ‘Team Garel’ to the offices of the Belize Council for the Visually Impaired (BCVI) at the Lion’s Club Building on Princess Margaret Drive in Belize City.

And all around, there was an overflow of emotions, but also pride in a journey that seemed all but impossible to fathom.

While the dual goal was to raise funds (just around BZC$90,000) as well as awareness of those who are visually impaired, only the latter was achieved to the fullest, with the unofficial tally of funds raised being BZC$38,000. But it

Rowan and throng of supporters on Western Highway (Photo by Yasser Musa)

Rowan completes his 92-mile trek (Photo by Yasser Musa)

Woman ruthlessly murdered, found partially dismembered

Susana Romero Lopez

Bella Vista Village, Toledo District, July 17, 2012 Susana Romero Lopez, 25, was a normal young waitress from Bella Vista community, who liked to party. When

she went missing on the night of Wednesday, July 11, that was exactly what she went to do…after purchasing food. She never returned home.

Concerned by her disappearance for over several days, villagers formed a search party, which discovered the mostly nude, dismembered body of Susana at around eight on Monday morning. Wearing only her bra, and missing both arms, the young woman’s body was discarded in some bushes near the village.

Witnesses at the La Mafia night spot where Susana went to party said that she was socializing with friends, but left in a red pick-up truck in the company of a Caucasian man who lives in the village. He was later picked up by police.

CitCo’s cement work attracts complaints BELIZE CITY, Wed. July 18, 2012 A number of persons who frequent the environs of the courts, Magistrate and Supreme, employees and visitors, are complaining about how the noise and the dust from the sudden streets works on Treasury Lane are affecting them.

Yesterday one of the Magistrates had to leave her Court room because she got a headache from the noise of the jack hammers and the concrete mixer and the amount of dust they

were raising.

Another court employee rightly pointed out that the environs of the courts are a silent zone and that the work should have been done after 5 p.m. and during the night, instead of during the day when the courts are in session. This is similar to the reason the Court opposed the construction of former Mayor Zenaida Moya’s deck restaurant, which was being erected a stone’s throw away.

Apart from Treasury lane there have

Susana reportedly left the bar under the influence and people who live in the area where she was found recall hearing the screams of a woman, but didn’t know of her situation as yet.

The residents of Bella Vista community are angry that when Susana’s mother, Sylvia Lopez, first reported her daughter missing last Thursday, they felt the police did not treat the case as an emergency. They say that if they hadn’t mobilized themselves and begun to search for her, chances are that she would have still not been found. Police, meantime, now embarrassed by the outcome of the case, have stepped up their investigations in their attempt to land an arrest. They have also impounded two vehicles.

3 was the latter goal that was far more important, as strangers not only made time to contribute to the cause, but also had more than enough kind words and cheers for this blind young warrior.

This fundraiser was for BCVI and its annual summer camp, without a doubt, but for the Garel family – Papa Joe, Mrs. Garel, Rowan and his sister, as well as various extended family and supporters – it was about getting Rowan to work, and make sacrifices for him to achieve this feat. And as the all-too-proud father put it to us today, it was all about ‘endurance’ – through much indescribable pains and aches, he, Rowan and all their team never gave up, finished the race strong and will keep dreaming and thinking even bigger than this.

Rowan himself, his young frame collapsed in a lawn chair, told the BELIZE TIMES that he felt “really triumphant” about the finish, although he also made it clear that “I’ll never think of [the country of] Belize the same way again.”

In answering his initial claim that his mount of the summit of Victoria Peak was much easier than this walk, he bluntly told us, “If Victoria Peak was a beast, then [this walk was a] killer”.

Rowan was referring to the physical challenge it turned out to be. The injuries and pain he endured day-to-day on the walk are almost too unthinkable to mention, including chafing, sore legs and feet, an upset stomach that he had to endure on the 3rd day of the walk, and a badly busted toe-nail that affected him right up to the end.

But for Rowan, his family, and the Belize Council for the Visually Impaired, the money goal not being reached is no less than disappointing; despite contributions from business houses such as Belize Telemedia Ltd., Atlantic Insurance Co. Ltd. and Femagra Industries Ltd. Ms. Musa, in an earlier interview with the BELIZE TIMES, admitted that they had hoped that the support from the business entities ought to have been much higher.

Young Rowan isn’t worried too much about much of anything right now, however; he’s ready for the summer camp (after he rests and recuperates, of course). He’ll be going to Belize High School to continue his education, and just “learning what I can learn”. But for 5 days of walking, it was Rowan who taught Belize to conquer our fears, and in so doing, inspiring our hearts.

Rowan Garel has made history, and that’s all that will ever matter.

been complaints about work being where small pieces of steel 5/8 inches done on Queen Street during the day thick are being put only in the joints and because these are areas where there not across the whole structure.

The refurbishing of Treasury Lane is are lots of stores and other businesses expected to take 7 days. The work beand businesses have been disrupted.

Apparently there was a lack of plan- gan on Monday, July 16. ning and consideration was not given for the employees and visitors at the courts and businesses involved.

Moreover there has been some criticism regarding the strength of the concrete street, especially the one Works on Treasury Lane are not going so smooth on Treasury Lane

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THE BELIZE TIMES

Police abuses their own

Continued from page 1

Through their brave Association representatives, Police Officers have let the public know that everything is not well inside the Department.

The officers have lashed out against the blatant abuse within the department; chief among them are “lastminute transfers” of officers.

According to the Police Association, the eleventh-hour decision is wrong and illegal. Association President Cpl. Eldon Arzu explained that the late decision to transfer displaces many officers who were simply caught by surprise. Furthermore, he said, the directive does not meet the rules laid out in the Police Act, thereby making them illegal.

Many of the officers being transferred have already registered children at schools and have taken up loans at banks. Transfers are set for early in the year to avoid creating conflict with those very same issues. But the Department top brass has come up with a transfer list in June. This, the Association says, is in sharp contravention of the Public Service Act and the Police Act. There was a reported “list” of transfers according to the officers, but since January all they had were rumours of who was on the list.

They say that it wasn’t until a few weeks ago that the officers received notifications of their transfers. That does not give them adequate time for officers to make the necessary transition. To add insult to injury, a new Government decisions places the policemen’s allowances for the same kinds of transfers, i.e., house rent, etc., on hold as of this coming September. The money, however, small, was a slight incentive and assistance to help the officers who are transferred outside of their district of residence. If this money is held back, this will be the equivalent to an automatic pay cut for those who will have to “foot” the additional expenses on their own.

Another concern that Association also raised is the new 12-hour shift system, which was recently implemented. The officers say it creates major inconveniences for many and burdens others by the additional hours of work. The officers have brought the concerns to the attention of the Commissioner, David Henderson and the Ministry, but after weeks of being ignored they have sought to inform the public of their concerns.

The BELIZE TIMES understands that this afternoon the Association representatives were ordered to attend a meeting with the Police top brass. While the Association reps expected some negotiation to occur, the meeting turned into a disciplining session. We are reliably informed that a Police senior command indicated to them that because of the Association’s radical action, the Department would retaliate by making the transfers effective as of tomorrow. No questions were entertained.

In the evening, the Ministry of National Security sent out a release in which it continued scolding the Association, claiming it had to authority to “influence pay, pension or conditions of service” since they were

not a union.

The Barrow Administration is already showing more interest and preference for gang members who are at times paid more than our very own law enforcement officers. It is a shame and disgrace, and we hope the police officers can now recognise that Belize’s threat is not only the gangs and street criminals that they fight against, but also those who openly and with legitimacy have found a way to perpetuate their existence.

Sunday, July 22, 2012

UB fees are going up Faber calls unemployed students “downright lazy” BELIZE CITY, Wednesday, July 18th, 2012 The 2012-2013 Budget was approved by a thinrazor margin in the House of Representatives with Prime Minister Hon. Dean Barrow referring to it as a ‘disciplined’ budget. But now the Prime Minister’s infamous turn of phrase is gradually come home to roost in the worst manner possible, with one harsh outcome being the Minister of Education Hon. Patrick Faber announcement that the Education Ministry will cut its financial assistance to incoming students of the University of Belize (UB).

The aid was a $150 subsidy paid by the Ministry

toward student fees to ease the already crushing burden on students. With the “disciplined” budget turning into a damning one, the Minister has insisted that the Government can’t afford it anymore, unlike most tertiary students, he said, who work and should afford to pay their own way.

Faber said that while he wants to support education at all levels, “we have to be serious as well and we have to be real with people...”

During his Budget presentation last week, Faber said that people in Belize want “everything to be free”, but that can’t be the case. While ranting in a catatonic state, he also said that “soon no one will be going to tertiary school”, but did not clearly

explain what he meant with the statement.

This week, the Minister was insistent on a News7 interview that he wanted to be clear on what was happening, but his sheer arrogance has made his ‘explanation’ muddier than ever. He went off on an unnecessary tangent about tertiary students with Bachelor’s Degrees not having any excuse for not having jobs to pay for their education. He said that those that have no jobs are “downright lazy”.

Faber acknowledged the embarrassing 5% tertiary school attendance, but denied that making education more financially burdensome for students will worsen those attendance levels.

Sunday, July 22, 2012

THE BELIZE TIMES

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Three Mules and a Speaker Mr. Speaker, the BELIZE TIMES rises to give an overview of your performance during the budget exercise 2012-2013 held last Wednesday 11th and Thursday 12th July in the House of Representative at Independence Hill, Belmopan.

Let us first admit that the job of being the Speaker of the House of Representative is a difficult one. Just the idea of sitting through all thirty one member speeches is a tiresome task but most challenging is the speaker’s role to be impartial, to strive for excellence to the extent where a speaker can be respected both by an outgoing party and incoming party as in the case of England’s Lady Speaker, but this is Belize politics runs deep and the kind of plantation politics practiced by Barrow knows no bounds.

We believe that the Speaker of the House of Representative was carefully selected by Barrow.

First the intention was to shut him up, after he let his anger known for being left out in the cold during the first administration. Also it was a kind of payment for him selling out of his once declared loyalty to UDP Freetown Constituency for a new brand of Asian connections with lots of cash. Last week’s sitting was a sort of test for the speaker, as he was watched by both sides of the house to see how he’ll perform and how he’s adjudicate order in the House.

While we feel that the Speaker did his best to “appear” impartial, his style, his mannerism, and his decisions spell trouble for a muscular, more vocal and fiery Opposition. What the nation saw was a speaker testing how far he could go to bully the PUP. We must remember that this is a man who has tested politics, was a former UDP candidate and one he lost to our very own Leader of the Opposition. Some men don’t know how to let sleeping dogs lie.

What we witnessed was a Speaker that seemed inebriated with too much red bull and pretending to be on some come-back course. His attempts to stifle the Opposition but allow the ruling side to run a marathon of words were too obvious. His warnings to name an Opposition member while leaving the ruling members to get away with all kinds of infractions were hard to miss.

The speaker did wrong to interrupt the Member from Rural Central Hon. Dolores to ask her to show him some specific thing in her presentation. He even gave a second turn to the member of Collet to rant and rave, like a spoilt child. The speaker had no business to interrupt Hon. Julius Espat when he was presenting a matter that is of great importance to the constituents of Cayo South. And the speaker should have never stopped the Hon. Rodwell Ferguson, a returning-elected Member of the House, from making his presentation just because he could especially on the budget debate. Only a openly partisan Speaker does that.

The problem with the speaker is that he believes he is doing a good job. He believes that he was fair. Yet he allowed Prime Minister Dean Barrow to resort to personal attacks, name-calling and making fun of members of the opposition. The speaker was seen on television at times smiling, laughing and enjoying Barrow’s low-down attacks when he should have been neutral and cautioned against such behavior too.

The 2012-2013 budget exercise will be remembered for the Opposition’s vigorous comeback, the strong stance taken by its 14 members and the leadership shown by Hon. Francis Fonseca, who called the budget one of excuses, and one that a standard six student could have prepared.

But also, Belizeans will remember the stories that captured the sad state of affairs in our country: the tales of three mules and a bias speaker.

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THE BELIZE TIMES

The Pain Begins Continued from page 1 lowances without interruption.

According to the memo, the review “does not apply to Contract officers”. We know why. The Barrow Administration is protecting the over a 100 cronies and political appointees they have milking away the public coffers. It is them who deserve to be reviewed.

This is just another attack on the public officers who are already being cheated of welldeserved salary increased. In addition to not getting those increases, they have to endure the freezing of their allowances. Who knows what’s next.

There has been not a single official word from the Public Service Union, since the punishing circular was issued yesterday.

Barrow bickers but borrows ex-PM’s advice Belize City, July 17 2012 Constant vertigo attacks may be the reason Prime Minister Dean Barrow has been acting erratic lately.

Sometimes he is quiet and behaved, other times he seems stressed out, and then there are times he vents out his frustration like a mad man needing his medication, launching personal attacks at anyone, even at journalists during media conferences.

But the Barrow we saw and heard at last week’s budget debate increases concerns not only about his medical state, but also his mental condition.

It became very obvious that something was wrong with Barrow when he challenged the Leader of the Opposition Hon. Francis Fonseca who had paraphrased a statement by the Prime Minister some months ago. While the statement – about the Barrow Administration being incompetent 9 out of 10 times – was a popular feature in the election campaign as it was heard in television ads repeatedly, and was extractable from the online news archives, Barrow protested that he had never uttered those words. Something was clearly very wrong with this man.

And then again, after listening to the former Prime Minister Rt. Hon. Said Musa’s remarks about decriminalising marijuana in order to prioritise the use of the state’s limited crimefighting resources, Barrow launched a vile assault, mocking the former PM

for suggesting the idea and accusing him of possibly using the herb. Yet, no less than a single working day later, the decriminalisation of marijuana becomes his UDP Government’s centrepiece policy. Was Barrow, who is the head of Government, not aware that his own Government was considering the very same idea he mocked the former PM for introducing? If this doesn’t sound like the actions of someone on the verge of going loony, then what is it?

Political pundits have suggested that the new marijuana policy announcement by the Ministry of National Security was triggered by Barrow’s very own reaction at the House meeting, with the intention of embarrassing the UDP leader and showing him as a man with an unstable mind. If that is true, it is working. More importantly, it points to the division that continues to breed inside the UDP as they near a leadership convention.

Aside from the political analysis of the UDP leader’s evident misery, it is good to know that the UDP Government is listening to the PUP’s advice and ideas. Rt. Hon. Musa has been a proponent of the decriminalisation of marijuana for many years, going back as far as when he was Prime Minister.

While the Musa administration had not pursued an amendment to the law, they did implement a policy that applied discretion on young people found in possession of small quantities of marijuana.

Sunday, July 22, 2012

Sunday, July 22, 2012

THE BELIZE TIMES

Humor

in UDP Politics!

The following matters were discussed in Cabinet: The Cabinet Secretary was tasked to give a report on last week’s Budget debate sitting. “Oh that is easy,” said the CabSec, “First the PUP kick ass and all I remember is the story about the three donkeys galloping across the Guatemalan border”.

Saldivar reported to Cabinet that he blamed Sedi for the story with the donkeys and the BDF. When Sedi asked why it was his fault, someone responded, “because the horses believed the border was artificial”.

A member of the audience who saw Barrow’s House speech notes says he saw when Barrow scratched off the line, “I speak from experience, but like Bill Clinton I tried it once but did not inhale”.

In Cabinet Gapi asked why he wasn’t made the marijuana team leader. Faber suddenly whispered, “dat dah like putting the rat fi mine the cheese”.

Gapi was asked by Finnegan to explain last week’s report by the BELIZE TIMES that his family benefitted from sweet land deals. Vega interrupted him saying, “so you tink da only you di move on up like di Jeffersons?”

The Prime Minister asked Boots why is it that an organization named “Endomorphs” had been getting food pantry supplies. Boots immediately called Cuthkelvin to find out if he was behind this.

In other related news: Boots sent a text message to Vernon Cuthkelvin to find

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out why he did not donate to the telethon, when he almost became a billionaire overnight.

Patrick Faber was seen in Collet the day after the budget asking around how people saw his behavior in the House went down. He heard two women conversing at a local shop saying, “when I heard it, it sounded like two woman quarrelling, but tell me when is a cut not a cut?” The other lady responded “only when Faber says it isn’t”.

At another corner, Faber met a young boy and stopped him for his view. The young boy said, “Mr. Faber my granny tell me you gaan on like wah cat drunk with tonic!”

After the House meeting the Minister of Health’s driver asked him, “how could you do all those thing you said you did at the KHMH? The Minister replied, “Through surgery and implants. We cut a little here, a little there, even watered down the medicine and prolonged surgery and appointments to see a doctor. That’s the surgery part. The implants went into the new morgue, my proudest accomplishment”.

In sending out invitations for the cocktail party after the debate, the Cabinet Secretary confessed making a serious mistake by sending an invitation to Mark Hyde and Cordel Espat. Suddenly everyone at the party started watching their backs.

In his television appearance on Plus TV Boots argued with a San Pedro resident that the island had a Human Development office. “It’s over there, somewhere”, he said, “check it out and I’m sure you will call and apologize when you find it”. Five minutes later the caller called back to say, “I called your office in Belmopan and in Belize City and both said they don’t have an office!” Boots hid in his boots and said, “oh, in that case, I owe you an apology and a pool table”.

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THE BELIZE TIMES

Sunday, July 22, 2012

Neil Gray acquitted of murder Victim’s family members refused to testify BELIZE CITY, Wed. July 18, 2012

By Roy Davis Neil Gray, 24, was so happy that a jury of 7 women and 5 men acquitted him or murder today in the court of Justice Herbert Lord, that as soon as the court orderly took the handcuffs off him, he ran down Treasury Lane on to Albert Street and joined the free world.

Gray was acquitted of the murder of Aaron Brooks, 22, a resident of North Creek Road who was shot and killed around 7 p.m. on April 3, 2009, while he was at the residence of his brother, Emmerson Brooks, located on Neal’s Pen Road.

Aaron was sitting on the bonnet of Emmerson’s car, parked in the

Neil Gray

Aaron Brooks

yard, when his assailant came from behind the house and shot him several times in his chest. He was pro-

nounced dead on arrival at Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital.

There were several key witness-

Psychiatrist deems Adrian Gordon fit to stand trial BELIZE CITY, Wed. July 18, 2012

By Roy Davis A jury of 6 women and 3 men deliberated for about 2 ½ hours yesterday in the court of Justice Adolph Lucas before it delivered a verdict that Adrian Gordon, 22, charged with 2 counts of attempted murder, was not insane and was fit to stand trial.

Justice Adolph Lucas adjourned the trial for Tuesday, July 19.

It was Gordon’s attorney, Phillip Palacio, who raised the defense that his client was not mentally fit to go on trial for the offences he is charged with.

Before the jury deliberated, it heard the testimony of Dr. Claudina Cayetano, the psychiatrist who evaluated and treated Gordon.

Dr. Cayetano testified that Gordon attended her clinic from 2006, 3 years before the offences were committed.

She said Gordon is a person with a psychotic disorder who at times is not in touch with reality.

She said she evaluated Gordon when he was a remanded prisoner at Belize Central prison and each time the evaluation lasted 35 to 40 minutes.

She also said that when Gordon is taking his treatment he is mentally stable and he would be able to understand the nature of the court proceedings, the possible outcome of the trial and the range and nature of the possible penalties.

She said that Gordon would be able to communicate with his attorney and based on her evaluation he is fit to stand trial.

She also said that she can only speak for the moment she is evaluating the person and it is important to remember that may change.

Crown Counsel Trienia Young represented the prosecution.

Adrian Gordon

The charges against Gordon, a laborer, arose from an incident that occurred around 6 a.m. on Monday, July 13, 2009, at a house on Dolphin Street.

In the incident a common-law couple, Jermaine Chen, 25, and Miriam Pierre, 25, were stabbed allegedly with a silver kitchen knife with a blade about 6 inches long.

Chen reported to the police that he had just come out of the bathroom when his assailant confronted him and stabbed him in the left side of his neck, his right hand, upper left shoulder, the upper right side of his back and his chin.

Pierre told police that she was awakened from sleep by the sound of someone calling out for help and when she went outside of her bedroom she saw Chen lying on the ground bleeding.

She said her assailant then grabbed her hair from the back of her head and stabbed her to the left side of her neck and the left side of her forehead.

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es for the prosecution. Among them were Aaron’s sister, Tanya Gentle, his niece, Shineekqua Brooks, Emmerson and his mother Carolyn Leslie.

Tanya and Shineekqua took the witness stand and said that they do not wish to testify.

Emmerson and Carolyn refused to testify.

Carolyn had given the police a statement in which she said that her son, Aaron and Everald Gray, the brother of Neil Gray, had a misunderstanding on August 14, 2003 and Everald had told her that the incident is not over and when Aaron comes out of prison his little brother will kill him.

With no evidence from the prosecution Justice Lord directed the jury to return a formal verdict of not guilty.

The prosecution was represented by crown Counsel Thalia-Megan Francis. Attorney Hubert Elrington represented Gray.

‘Bucho’ sought for alleged carnal knowledge cases BELIZE CITY, Wednesday, July 18th, 2012

By Alton Humes Police in Belmopan are seeking the public’s assistance in apprehending one Samuel Moralez, aka ‘Bucho’, in connection with 2 separate cases of carnal knowledge linked by an unlikely location.

The first case, reported by a 14-year-old minor in the presence of her mother at the Belmopan Police Station, occurred on two separate dates – once on 24th December, 2011 and the other on April 16th, 2012. But both have the same damning connecting thread linking them – Moralez, someone she knew in her local neighborhood of the Cayo District, reportedly approached her and took her to an abandoned unpainted cement house in Belmopan (she was ‘invited’ the 2nd time), where he allegedly committed his filthy deeds against her.

The next case involved a 15-year-old minor who, also in the presence of her mother, reported that the very same Moralez, whom she knew for 4 months, also took her to the same location, and also committed the act of carnal knowledge against her.

THE WORLD IS READING

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BELIZETIMES SUNDAY JULY 22, 2012 THE BELIZE TIMES see full color at www.belizetimes.bz or Facebook/ Belize Times

This Week’s Sunday, July 22, 2012

TOP MODEL Make-Up

tips

Hair and makeup: the winning combination

By Tania Tanesha (E-mail: mua. tania@gmail.com, Cell: (501) 6040736) Every time I walk into a hair salon, the scent of hair products brings about a good feeling. I love being in the environment where I know I’m going to walk out looking and feeling fabulous.

Activities like getting your hair, nails and makeup done makes women (and some men) feel downright awesome.

Why? Our bodies release the happy hormones called endorphins. But enough about that - so what’s the relationship between hair and makeup?

Hair and makeup are such a strong force together it’s comparable to love and marriage. You can’t have one without the other. No matter what the event may be, a complete glammed-out look would be getting both your hair and makeup done. Just like makeup, what you do with your hair can have a huge impact on how you look.

The relationship is a simple one.

They just go together; they mesh well; it’s hard to want a complete makeover without having both. Every time I get my hair done, I really want to apply some form of makeup for a complete look. You can create the illusion of a whole-new you with just a few steps, even without buying a new wardrobe.

The color of your hair can drastically change the way you look and can even set the foundation of the shades of colors to use in terms of makeup. Make sure to consult your beautician or a beauty expert like me for color advice in hair and makeup.

I encourage all my ladies: the next time you plan on trying a new hairstyle or planning on visiting the salon, take your makeup with you or consult with your expert beautician on makeup application. As a makeup artist, I make frequent trips to various salons for my clients because of that complete look want.

So, ladies, please, for the sake of happiness, looking and feeling fabulous: get your hair (and makeup) done!

Go for the full package! You don’t need to do these things to feel better about you, but it sure helps anyway and we, women, work hard playing numerous roles in the household. A treat may well be overdue to put your best face forward.

Natasha Career Plan: Nurse Sign: Taurus Favourite Food: Mexican Likes: Camping, football and modelling • Lives in Orange Walk • Fav. Quote: “Action is the fruit of thought” • • • •

CATWALK FASHIONS What’s Hip...What’s Hot...What’s Now! Phone: 203-2936 / 620-7481 #148 Cor. Queen & North Front Streets Belize City, Belize

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Sunday, July 22, 2012

Champions Cup football tournament

Westlake beats S&W Old Road, remains #1 Paulie “Fabulous” Bradley led S&W Old Road counterattacks, with the help of midfielders Jermaine “Bowfoot” Zuniga, Denfield Lemott and David Robateau at midfield, but they made little impression on the Westlake defenders Albert Thurton, Shannon Flowers,. Jose “Shaggy” Caceres and Jarret Davis who shut them out the whole game Westlake’s Andres Makin put the game on ice with a 6th goal for the 6-0 w2in.

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Belize City, July 11, 2012 Westlake is No. 1 in the Champions Cup football tournament after posting their 3rd win over S&W Old Road at the MCC grounds on Wednesday, July 11.

Clinton Gill led Westlake’s attacks with a hat trick. The Old Road defenders tried to contain the attacks from coming, but Floyd Jones soon embarrassed the goalkeeper with 2 more goals for a 5-0 lead.

Ernest “Dubu” Flores and

Clinton Gill scored 3 goals

Champions Cup football tournament

BDF ties with FC Belize, 2-2

Belize City, July 11, 2012 Michael “Soup” Hernandez and Dalton “Chicken” Cayetano led FC Belize’s offensive to make up for a tie when they faced the BDF on Wednesday, July 11.

Jerome Bermudez succeeded in scoring first for FC Belize. That was soon answered by Erwin “Bird” Flores who delivered the equalizer and then added a second goal to give the BDF a 2-1 lead.

Unfortunately for the BDF, their dense blundered into giving up a penalty and Avian “Chi-chis” Crawford stepped up to convert, embarrassing goalkeeper Frank Lopez with the equalizer for the 2-2 final score.

Raymond Gentle City boys were to have played Maskall on Friday night, July 13, but the game was re-scheduled because of a referees’ training seminar over the weekend.

Avian Crawford scored 1 goal

Central American Under-23 men’s volleyball championships

Team Belize ranks 4th at U-23 volleyball championships Tegucigalpa, July 14, 2012 Team Belize ranked 4th just missing the bronze medal at the Central American Under-23 men’s volleyball championships in Tegucigalpa, Honduras last week, July 10-14.

Belize vs. El Salvador On Tuesday evening, July 10, Belize debuted with a 2-3 loss to 3 to El Salvador. Belize won the first set 25-23, led by Arnie Augustine with 15 points from 10 spikes, 4 blocks and serving up an ace, but El Salvador won the second set 25-16. Karym Coleman had eight blocks, and Ivan Lino had six and Raluni Bernardez five as Belize won the third set 2520. Keegan Ack dug up 10 saves in 16 good receptions, Ivan Lino also had nine digs but the Salvadorans won the fourth set 25-16. Belize got 40 points on El Salvador’s errors, but gave up 58 points to El Salvador on errors.

Belize vs. Nicaragua On Wednesday, July 11, Belize qualified to semifinals by winning against Nicaragua: 3-0. Belize scored 33 spikes, Jaleel Lino and Keith Castillo leading the attack with seven spikes each, while Keith also had four blocks and Arnie Augustine blocked twice. Belize entered the semifinals

Keith Castillo flies

Karym Coleman spikes when Nicaragua eliminated El Salvador in four sets; 25-20, 25-23, 23-25 and 25-17.

Belize vs. Costa Rica On Friday evening, July 13, in the semifinals, the Belize men fell short of the championship finals by a 2-3 loss to silver medalists, Costa Rica.

Costa Rica won the first set 25-20, but Belize’s counterattack rallied behind Ivan Lino with 16 spikes and

Jaleel Lino scored 15 as they won the second set 25-12. Keith Castillo had four blocks and Evir Aranda blocked twice and Karym Coleman served up an ace, but the Costa Ricans took the third set 25-17. Libero Keegan Ack dug up 14 saves, while Arnie Augustine also got down to scoop up 4 digs and Evir Aranda had set the ball perfectly 10 times as the Belize men won the fourth set 25-18. Belize also

got 23 pts off their opponents’ errors, but the Costa Ricans went on to win the fifth set 15-7.

Belize vs. Honduras On Saturday evening, July 14, Belize lost the bronze medal match 2-3 to Honduras, who were playing before a home crowd of fans, even though Belize actually scored more points; 107 to Honduras’ 104. Led by Karym Coleman’s 17 pts and Jaleel Lino’s 15 pts, the Belize men forced the Hondurans to go to extra points to win the first set 26-24. But with Keith Castillo’s five blocks and Arnie Augustine also scoring three blocks, the Belize boys won the second set: 25-17. Belize took the third set 25-22, but lost the initiative at this point as Honduras took a 25-23 victory in the fourth set and 15-10 in the fifth decisive set.

Sunday, July 22, 2012

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2012 Smart Harrison Parks cricket championship finals

DHC Excellence wins thru to SMART Harrison Park cricket finals

Kenny Braoster took 3 wickets

Lords Bank, July 14, 2012 Double Head Cabbage Excellence Club won through to the 2012 Smart Harrison Parks cricket championship finals by eliminating Brilliant of Crooked Tree 192-121 in Game 3 of their semifinals series in Lords Bank on Saturday, July 14, to take on the Western Eagles of Rancho Dolores in Rancho Dolores on Saturday, July 21.

2012 Belize City interoffice basketball championship finals

Alamilla’s Furniture faces Tuff E’Nuff in championship finals

Belize City, July 13, 2012 Alamilla’s Furniture will take on Tuff E’Nuff in the 2012 Belize City interoffice basketball championship finals on Thursday night, July 19, after winning Game 3 of their semifinals series at Bird’s Isle last Saturday, July 14.

Alamilla’s won 63-62 with Greg Rudon leading with 19 points, and 3 boards.

Alamilla’s led 14-9 in the 1st quarter and 37-26 at the half. Lennox Bowman drained in 2 treys for 14 points, 6 boards while Winston Pratt added 11 points and Matthew Young had 9 points, playing big D by grabbing 22 boards!

But Alamilla’s still led 48-42 at the end of the third quarter.

Marcel Orosco scored 8pts, 8 boards and Bernard Felix added 6 points for CYDP. Alamilla’s Kevin Lorenzo drained in 2 treys to add 8 points, while

Excellence had batted first when the game began on Saturday, July 7, and Orson Flowers scored 15 runs before he was caught on a ball from Arturo “Madhouse” Wade. Meanwhile Brilliant bowler Brandon Lewis took the 1st wicket for only one run.

Sylbert Martinez batted 8 runs before he was run out. Arturo Wade took his 3rd wicket for 6 runs, and it looked like the Brilliant bowlers had the game well in hand taking 5 wickets for 40 runs, but when Kenny Broaster entered to bat, he walloped 4 sixes and a four to score 42 runs, bursting the game wide open.

Brillant’s Landis “Ciego” Wade took the next wicket for zero runs, but then Emmanuel Mcfadzean entered to bat 2 sixes to remain not out and score 32 runs. Brandon Lewis bowled Kenny out but the Excellence had scored 107 runs for 6 wickets when rain forced the game to be stopped.

The game resumed on Saturday, July 14, Burke Howard manage only two runs before he was caught on ball from Brandon Lewis. Eian Broaster hit a boundary to score six runs before he too was caught, as Arturo Wade took his fourth

wicket.

Then Sydney Martinez entered to hit four sixes and three boundaries for 52 runs before he was run out on a ball from Steven flowers who also dismissed the last batsman for eight runs. The Brilliant bowlers had also given up six wides for 11 extras, so Excellence had amassed 192 runs by the time their last wicket fell.

Equaling this score seemed not an impossible task for the Brilliant batsmen who had surpassed an even greater score in the first match of the series.

Landis “Ciego” Wade opened by batting 27 runs before he was given Leg Before wicket on a ball from Ewort Nicholas.

Marlon “Camala” Nicholas dismissed Ciego’s partner for only three runs, while team captain Eldon “Pia” Wade entered to bat 16 runs before he was caught on a ball from Keenan Flowers.

Shane “Bump” Westby batted 26 runs bfore he fell victim of Kenny Broaster’s bowling. Ewort Nicholas dismissed the next batsman for zero runs, and Kenny took his second wicket for only seven runs. Marlon Nicholas also dismissed the next batsman fro zero runs.

Brandon Lewis managed to hit a boundary scoring six runs, before Kenny Broaster bowled him out, Kenny’s third wicket. Rodwell Conorquie hit a six to score 15 runs before Ewort Nichaolas bowled him out, Ewort’s third wicket.

Orson “Bid Dawg” Flowers dismissed the last batsman for zero runs, as the Brilliant eleven fell short of their target, scoring only 121 runs all out.

Belize City softball competition

Winston Pratt defended by Kevin Lorenzo Carlisle Barrow added 6 points to put Alamilla ahead at the final buzzer.

The championship finals begin on Friday, July 20.

The latest on NBA Trades Wednesday, July 18, 2012 Boston Celtics signed G Jason Terry Denver Nuggets waived C Chris Andersen Toronto Raptors signed C Jonas Valanciunas to a two-year contract New Jersey Nets agreed to terms with F Kris Humphries on a 2-year contract Atlanta Hawks waived G Jordan Farmar New Jersey Nets signed G-F Jerry Stackhouse Chicago Bulls traded F Kyle Korver to Atlanta Philadelphia 76ers waived C Darryl Watkins Phoenix Suns claimed F Luis Scola off waivers from Houston Phoenix Suns signed G Kendall Marshall to a two-year contract Boston Celtics re-signed F Kevin Garnett, F Brandon Bass and C-F Chris Wilcox Dallas Mavericks claimed F Elton Brand off waivers from Philadelphia Detroit Pistons signed G Kim English Los Angeles Clippers re-signed G Chauncey Billups New York Knicks signed G Jason Kidd. Re-signed F Steve Novak Portland Trail Blazers signed G Nick Young.

Portland Trail Blazers agreed to terms with C Kwame Brown on a two-year contract

Orchid Blazers upset Telemedia 6-5 Belize City, July 11, 2012 The Orchid Blazers outlasted Telemedia 6-5 when the Belize City softball competition continued at the Roger’s Stadium in Belize City on Wednesday night, July 1.

Telemedia’s pitcher Mary Flowers struck out four batters to give up no runs, while Rebels’ pitcher Lanisha Jones also struck out four batters, allowing no runs in the first three innings, until Barbara Cadle scored the first winning run in the fourth inning.

The Telemedia women extended their lead to 3-0 as Lydia Cacho and Erline Belisle scored in the top of the fifth inning. Belisle, Elaine Humes, Kaylie Mcfadzean and Kimani Williams

scored four more runs in the top of the sixth for the 7-0 victory.

Kiri Lizama had scored the Hurricanes’ first run against the Orchid Blazers in the top of the first inning, but the Blazers soon led 6-1 when Ashley Lucas, Fiona Rivero, Jolene Davis, pitcher Nicole Arnold, Georgia Williams and Latoya Belisle walloped Delcie Lizama’s pitching to score six runs in the bottom of the first.

Neither side scored in the second inning. The Hurricanes tied the scored 6-6 when Kiri, Tyra Moriera, Kira Arnold, Kesilyn Lizama and Tiffara Welch scored five more runs in the top of the third.

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12 40

THE BELIZE TIMES

UDP LAND HOGS! Continued from page 1

TIMES has more proof to show what seems to be further land hustling taking place involving well known UDP big wigs.

We start with Rene Montero – the formerly disgraced UDP Minister of Agriculture who was shuffled to the Ministry of Works. He has acquired some huge areas of land spanning throughout the Belize and Cayo District and includes areas surrounding his own constituency of Belize Cayo Central where thousands of residents are unable to access a small plot of land for farming and residential purposes. This didn’t happen by inheritance; instead it appears to have happened through selective land picking and then undervaluing to ensuring its cheap sale.

Montero has become the holder of 56.492 acres of land in Duck Run Area in the Cayo District. In addition, he has parcel number 00502 in the Vista del Mar Area of the Belize District, valued at $9,000 and he holds parcel number 839 in the Caribbean Shores area of Belize City.

And then Montero is in possession of a handful of parcels of land in San Ignacio Town including Parcel Number 549, Lot Number 36, Lot Number 2322, Lot Number 1203, Lot Number 1855, Lot Number 1854, and Lot Number 1203.

But those small plots are not

comparable to the large 3 acres on the west coast of Bannister Bogue Caye, the 75 acres in the Duck Run Estate bought for $3,750 and 50 acres also in the Duck Run Estate sold for $1,983.92, which are also held

by Montero.

Next is Minister of Health Pablo Marin. On December 16 2011, Marin acquired Lot number 3 in the Belmopan area for only $700, and in June 2009 he obtained Parcel number 01819 in the Consejo Road southeast area for only $1,940.

The list also includes UDP Senator/Minister of Environment and Forestry Lisel Alamilla who obtained parcel number 03579 located in the Caribbean Shores area of Belize City. Can Alamilla say how much it cost her to obtain this land?

And the list extends outside Ministers, to a serving Mayor, Senator, CEO and others.

Mayor Darrell Bradley has also benefitted from what seems to be a special land bonanza for big wig UDPs. Documents obtained by the BELIZE TIMES show that on June 2012, Bradley and his wife acquired Parcel Number 01207 on Mile 8 on the Northern Highway.

The duo also acquired Parcel

Number 01209, Parcel Number 01216, and Parcel Number 01207 in the Vista del Mar area on the Northern Highway. As if that wasn’t enough, the Bradleys have possession of 50 acres of land on Young Gal area.

The documents also show that each parcel of land was used to support personal transactions at the local banks, which begs the question whether Bradley has been exploiting Belize’s resources for his personal wealth.

She may have just returned to Belize and rekindled her relationship with the Barrow Administration, but Solicitor General Cheryl Krusen is in the special group of land grabbing. She and her husband have obtained 6.599 acres of land in the West Belmopan area.

So is Chief Environmental Officer in the Ministry of Environment Martin Alegria who since the UDP took office got 45 acres in Young Gal area along with 5 acres in the Privassion Enclave, Mount Pine Ridge area.

Chief Executive Officer in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Alexis Rosado, obtained 5 acres of prime land in Hicks Caye in the Belize District and holds a parcel of land in the Mountain Pine Ridge which is being sold to him for only $1,003.60.

The UDP’s appointed General Manager for the Belize Airports Authority, Kenworth Tillett, is also hogging up from the trough. Through his connections, Tillett holds possession of Lot Number 420 and 421 in Willow’s Bank Village along with Lot Number

Sunday, July 22, 2012 49 in Lord’s Bank Village. He also owns 6.57 acres of North East Caye in the Sapodilla Range.

Chief Executive Office in the Ministry of Tourism Lindsay Garbutt must have been roommates with Kenworth Tillett at one point, for they both used the same address of 219 George Street and West Canal in their land documents. While Garbutt didn’t acquire caye land, he did get 5 acres in the Privassion Enclave, Mount Pine Ridge area; Parcel Number 02902 in the Belmopan Area and Parcel Number 1495 in the Caribbean Shores area.

Finally, no land hogging can take place without the main boar itself. We’re talking about the UDP beast who is literally larger than life and is often accused of being greedy with the UDP political starlight.

She who ranted and raved about corruption and abuse in the past and did so much finger-pointing that she is now afraid to look in the mirror. UDP Senator/Wave Radio Manager/ Dean Barrow-apologist Juliet Thimbriel has much explaining to do. How did she obtain 25 acres in the Society Hal area as of April 27 2012? Why does she own four other parcels of land (that we know of) in the Belize District? Those parcels are Lot Number 5 of Ladyville Village obtained in March 2012, and Lots Number 21, 54 and 55 at Mile 4 ½ western Highway. The last two were bought for only $1,410 each on June 3 2009.

Even after last week’s revelation, the Barrow Administration has remained mum about these glaring cases of nepotism and questionable land sweet deals. But they owe Belizeans an explanation, and the return of every piece of land which the UDPs are hustling away when they would fall to better use in the hands of needy Belizeans.

Sunday, July 22, 2012

THE BELIZE TIMES

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THE BELIZE TIMES

Behold the Power of One

By Barb Kachelski, CAE Power has been on my mind this week.

Here at the CCCU and CUES International Convention, I’ve seen individuals who have power of rank: a governor-general, a minister of finance, and leaders in credit union movements from 19 different countries. And I was impressed that all of them are human, approachable, and convinced of the potential for credit unions to make a positive mark on the world. Miss Jane and three of her 10 children I’ve also seen power in numbers. I honestly don’t know the exact number of attendees, since we have had on-site registrants. When we

Ms. Jane accompanied by three of her children

left for the conference it stood at 612. That doesn’t count sponsors, speakers or guests of attendees.

The energy level has been amazing.

But the power that has me the most fascinated is the power of one.

And what brought that power to mind is one diminutive woman, Miss Jane. The leader of the Belize delegation mentioned her attendance with reverence at the opening ceremony.

People craned their heads to see her in the crowd. Whether she is sitting at a breakfast table or heading to a session, people head toward her to speak to her or hug her. Miss Jane was honored at an awards ceremony for more than seven decades of service to the credit union movement.

I saw her in the hallway the next day and congratulated her on the honor. Later that day, a woman with her approached me and said, “Mom thought you’d like to have this.” Miss Jane’s daughter handed me Holy Redeemer Credit Union Ltd.’s 68th anniversary book, proudly stating 19442012 on the cover. Inside the front cover is a photo of Mrs. Jane Ellen Usher, CBE/JP, noting her involvement in founding the credit union, her service as general manager/treasurer for 58 years, and her receiving the title “commander of the British empire by her Majesty the Queen of England for her services to the movement.” I know from speaking to people here Miss Jane was also involved in establishing her league and served as one of the first female chairmen.

Yesterday I thanked Miss Jane for the book. It turns out she doesn’t have just one child here with her; she has three. They proudly told me they have seven additional brothers and sisters. She is the general manager and treasurer and still goes to the credit union every day. My impression is that one individual with passion and drive should never be underestimated.

So in the end, after mulling about Power this week, I have come to the conclusion that the power of rank and the power of numbers are nothing without the power of one … because it all starts with one person who wants to make a difference.

Barb Kachelski, CAE, is SVP/chief operating officer for CUES and a former newspaper reporter.

Sunday, July 22, 2012

Are Trade Unions violating the Trade Union Act? Belize City, July 18, 2012 The Trade Unions and Employers Act of 2000 allows employers and Unions to set wages/and working conditions in free negotiations, or commonly practiced by employers in Belize who establish them.

That same Act, allows for a majority of workers to join and organize any Trade Union of their choice, once accepted by employer as well as the Union. This then gives way to the commonly known process called Collective Bargaining.

The same Act and our Constitution prohibits Anti-Union discrimination. In Belize, many employers are known to block union organization and carry out “union-busting” by terminating key-union workers such as what happened to Paul Perriott who was employed at Belize Telemedia. Is it any wonder that workers down South at a Resort in Placencia continue to be victimized yet not a word is said by our Trade Unions? Are our Trade Unions really defending our Belizean workers against any and forms of injustices whether they are committed by PUP or UDP or by many uncaring and unscrupulous employers?

That doesn’t seem to be the case. Current trade unions leaders appear to quickly defend this Government and to

dissuade any sort of mass movement against conditions. BEL workers are being chanced, BTL workers are waiting for their promised raise, BNTU members are clamouring for a salary increase, Port workers are being overworked, public officers are being victimized yet the union leaders remain quiet.

It then seems that our Trade Unions are breaking our very Trade Union Laws; the very ones they are supposed to be championing and defending. Like the UDP Government and some employers, our current cadre of Union Leadership has grown selfish, arrogant, greedy and corrupt. Like Judas, they have sold out the Belizean worker during a crucial and very trying and difficult time in our history.

All hope cannot be lost though, like our earlier Trade Union leaders like Antonio Soberanis and John Smith, who fought tirelessly for some of the basic right of Trade Unions, we too must join forces.

Today it’s our brothers and sisters in Placencia, tomorrow it could be you or me. It’s time to get up, stand up and stand up for our right.

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Sunday, July 22, 2012

THE BELIZE TIMES

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Football Summer Camp in Ladyville Ladyville, July 18, 2012 At a time when summer camps and useful activities for young people are at an alltime low there are still a few bright spots of positivity.

Sports instructor and football coach at Ladyville Technical High School Daniel Smith is conducting a three week football summer camp for some fifty-five children of Ladyville at the football field at Ladyville Tech in order to provide these children with a useful avenue for their energies during the long school break.

Daniel’s goal is to institute a football training school in Ladyville in the future. But for now he is helping these young people to have something useful and creative to do with their time.

Area Representative Hon. Dolores continues to support positive activities for the

Children playing a group match and some the children posing for a picture with Coach Smith and Hon. Dolores freshments and an end-of-camp social to be held on Friday July 20, 2012.

In speaking with the children, many of them, both girls and boys, expressed to her their happiness to be participating in the camp and their appreciation for the skills being imparted by Coach Smith. youths of Ladyville and Belize Rural Central and she contributed to this football summer camp with assistance to provide re-

Conservationists not ready to approve Maranco EIA Internal review document cites major concerns to tourism, wildlife, etc.

BELIZE CITY, Tuesday, July 17th, 2012

By Alton Humes The already-submitted Maranco Energy Belize Ltd. Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for approval to drill in the Rio Bravo Conservation and Management Area (RBCMA) in the Orange Walk District has apparently gone off without a hitch. But after consultations with the people of the surrounding area, Programme for Belize (PfB) has submitted its own internal review of conditions within the area, and in short, there’s a lot that must happen before PfB and its conservationist allies approve the plan.

The BELIZE TIMES spoke to Programme for Belize’s Executive Director, Edilberto Romero, via phone today. He told us that even before the July 5th consultations occurred (which, incidentally, only 15 or so villagers attended along with PfB’s representatives), a field team comprised of representatives from PfB and the National Environmental Appraisal Committee (NEAC) of the Department of the Environment (DOE) visited the area to observe conditions there. What they found makes up what PfB called the “Review of the Maranco EIA by Programme for Belize (PfB)”, dated July 6th, 2012. The document was sent to the offices of the BELIZE TIMES earlier today.

The key issues for PfB include how the laying down of seismic lines (already approved under the submitted EIA) and the planned drilling of exploratory wells within the protected area will affect tourism, roads, natural ecology, flora and fauna and even the overall management of the area within the contexts of protecting the pine savanna and the strict conservation zones, especially as they are vulnerable to mismanagement by Maranco and its workers.

The review document, on the question of the general impact to the Rio Bravo, says “Since the extent

of the need and location of roads cannot be determined at this time, Programme for Belize recommends that a separate EIA [on that] is done when the information has been obtained from the results of the EIA as it is currently impossible to determine the extent of the impact of the well-drilling...”

On the potential and actual impact to overall wildlife and ‘ground’ birds specifically, PfB recommends, “The EIA should do a more adequate analysis on the impact of seismic survey and well-drilling on wildlife as there are research reports indicating impact on wildlife…”

It will remain to be seen, after this document has been submitted to the DOE, whether their recommendations will be given thought. Should Maranco even be given approval to drill in what is recognized as a protected area, they will do so fully aware that all actions they undertake, including the destruction of the area, will not be on their shoulders alone, but also on the Government’s.

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THE BELIZE TIMES

Home Economics

5 Ways to improve our National Budget

By Richard Harrison Here are some areas where I think the budget could be improved: 1. Be more aggressive in tax reform, especially on fuel, other inputs of production and direct business/personal income taxes to reduce costs, and expand revenues by broadening the base of taxation at the level of consumption at a lower rate, while at the same time strengthening the areas of government responsible for capturing those revenues. In my calculations, such a move would reduce prices of most goods and services, keeping inflation in check, allow more businesses to make profits and prosper, promote more investments by individuals and businesses, create more jobs, expand disposable incomes, increase consumption, raise government revenues. Taking from Peter to pay Paul only creates win-lose scenarios…. we need to create more win-win in the management of our economy and development…aiming for an oval shaped demographic of wealth, with a buoyant middle-class….rather than a pyramid that is only getting higher and higher, as has been developing since Independence.

2. If the pump price of fuel is cut in half to around BZ$6.50/gallon, by removing all import duty and RRD on imported fuel, the average motor vehicle user will save around BZ$3,500 per annum…and be more than willing to pay a road tax of $200/yr on private vehicles and $400/yr on commercial vehicles…..raising around $20 million each year for the specific purpose of maintaining and expanding our highways, roads and streets which are in dire need of an aggressive large-scale investment. Foreign vehicles travelling through Belize could be charged $40 per private vehicle, $100 per commercial vehicle. $20 million per year can pay for concessionary loans of up to $400 million over a 30 year period….so that we can NOW undertake major investments in upgrading our road and streets infrastructure. Government policy should facilitate private investments in a modern cement factory for $20 million…and promote the building of streets with cement instead of asphalt….so that this $400 million of investment is spent mostly on LOCAL MATERIALS AND LABOR and circulated inside our economy, spinning off more wealth in all areas of the economy. This factory should be located in the area of Georgeville, Cayo District, in close proximity to all the necessary deposits of materials to make cement. Our infrastructure is vital to development…and should be built up with as much local mate-

rial as possible.

3. Our sugar, citrus and banana industries are major contributors to our national income…..they need urgent rehabilitation…..firstly, laws need to be redrafted to de-politicize and fully privatize the industries….second, they all need to be refinanced, and we should do this mostly from local resources so that local equity is matched with foreign ownership for capital, technology and market connectivity….thirdly, policies should promote the building of new valueadded industries around these, so that we export more in finished products instead of raw forms, making sure that we optimize our earnings from these investments. We need to protect our cash-cows, while we attempt to create new economic stars.

4. Our economy will continue to falter as long as security of persons and property continue to deteriorate.

We need to make major investments NOW in our criminal justice system.

We need to expedite justice….we need better and more justices and magistrates….and better working conditions for them….so that our courts can dispense with fair and balanced justice in timely fashion…. ramping up investments in a twoyear timeframe to clear all back-logs while attending the new demands… and downsizing thereafter to meet minimum standards of quality, cost and time. We need to merge the BDF, Coast Guard, Maritime Wing, Tourism Police, Transport Police and general Police into ONE national police with all personnel trained in policing and military disciplines….under one line of command. We will save a lot of resources, while putting more men and material to safeguard the public and their properties. Belize is smaller than the province of Peten, Guatemala, with less population…. we don’t need all this fragmentation of our safety and security network.

We need to invest more in building a more independent justice system free of political and private corruption. Throwing more money…doing the same things…in the same way… with the same people and system… will not achieve the changes we require.

5. No amount of government spending will, by itself, drive our economy forward. It needs to be combined with private sector investments and creativity. The budget can do more to allow the government to increase its efforts at allowing the private sector to blossom and bear more fruits. More development financing, more capacity and capability to promote and defend our interests in regional and national forums, especial-

ly in managing our interests within the treaties what we have signed on to (we may need to withdraw from some, aggressively move to modify some and sign up to others), more service-oriented private-public sector structured periodic forums and dialogue, more private sector (especially industry oriented) representation on important boards, more privatesector oriented technical cooperation (the private sector should be driving most of the requests for technical cooperation with many more countries, and it should be structured to be company specific, so that firms can protect their proprietary assets and not have to share their competitive secrets), more foreign service personnel developed and oriented to promote investments, tourism, exports, private sector awareness and facilitation, joint ventures, venture capital, bilateral and multi-lateral technical cooperation, etc etc. While our budget “insinuates” some move towards this, it should be more spe-

Sunday, July 22, 2012

cific, defined and expanded.

The bottom line is….we would have more to go around….and be less concerned about arguing about “poverty-alleviation” and/or “propoor policies”….in fact, we would have less “need” for them….if we would put more focus of our vision, strategies and objectives to drive our budget in a better direction…as suggested by the five points mentioned.

Since Independence, we have been spending and spending…and not expanding our production and earnings commensurate with our increase in spending. While we have increased in wealth, we have a lot more unemployed and higher poverty. Our budgets should do more to reverse this trend…redistribution of wealth is as important as the creation of new wealth. We should focus more on teaching our people to fish…and give them the tools to improve their catch….instead of making them more dependent by giving them hand-outs of fish for “free”.

INDEPENDENCE and SUSTAINABILITY should be on the top of our minds…at the tips of our tongues… and should drive the efforts of our hands.

Richard Harrison is a local businessman and investor in the manufacturing and service industries.

Send comments to harrisonbz@yahoo.com.

Sunday, July 22, 2012

THE BELIZE TIMES

The Jeffersons, the Budget, and Belizeans

By Gilroy Usher, Sr. (PUP Standard Bearer for Port Loyola)

The Jeffersons were born into poverty in the United States. At the time the country offered its people a wide range of jobs with a decent salary. The Jeffersons were therefore able to find meaningful employment. This in turn allowed them to take advantage of educational opportunities which gave them the necessary skills to pursue their dreams and move up the ladder of success from poverty to wealth.

We would all like to move up like the Jeffersons. That however has not been possible with any of the five successive budgets under this uncaring and short-sighted UDP government. In truth the estimate for the new financial year is the worst hard-time budget ever presented to the nation. The new budget contains no serious allocation to grow the economy and create thousands of needed jobs. Neither does it contain any serious allocation for salary increases, proper housing for the needy, improve health service, greater access to education, sports improvement, and the serious war against crime to enable Belizeans to move up like the Jeffersons.

Like the 2008- 2012 UDP administration, the current UDP government believes that keeping the people dependent on the ruling politicians is the best way to win a reelection. That explains why in five successive budgets the UDP government has only paid lip service to the things it needs to undertake to enable people to move up like the Jeffersons. Again #1 among those things is the growing of the economy that would enable the Belizean people to have jobs and care for their families on their own and give the administration more revenue to address the many social problems that confront the nation.

In seeking election to central government in 2008, the UDP pledged to create 5,000 new jobs.

Five budgets later the country has lost thousands of jobs as businesses have closed, downsized, or chosen not to invest in the country as result of heavy taxes, political victimization, corruption, and takeovers like BTL and BEL without paying compensation. The steep decline in available jobs is the main reason why our people cannot

move up like the Jeffersons.

Poof that Belizeans have not been able to move up like the Jeffersons after numerous UDP budgets is visible to all those who take a close look at what is happening in the country. Today 43% of Belizeans live in poverty. That is almost double the poverty level compared to when the UDP took over the government in 2008. Today almost 25% of our people or one out of every four Belizeans who really want to work remains unemployed.

That is double the rate of unemployment than when the UDP was sent to Belmopan in 08. And today for the first time in the history of Belize, hundreds of children are not completing primary school and thousands more are not attending high school or sixth form because their parents cannot find the jobs to earn the money to give them an education at the primary school level or beyond. Those are some of the main reasons why this budget like the UDP’s four previous others don’t allow Belizeans to move up like the Jeffersons.

Truthfully speaking, the UDP has no interest in the path that would ensure Belizeans a better standard of living. Under the guise of helping the poor the UDP has instead used taxpayers’ money to introduce a number of pro-poor (giveaway) programs. Some of those giveaway programs are the food pantry (a weekly bag of free groceries), cash transfer (direct free cash weekly), street maintenance work (approximately $100 per week for cutting grass at the street side and cleaning the drains in hot sun without any prospect of a better job), and weekly free cash for gang bangers who pledge not to engage in criminal acts, although crime is at its worst level in the history of the nation.

The objective of those programs is simple: “Make the people become so depended on the ruling politicians for their survival that they vote for them blindly at election time”. In fact the UDP boast that its pro-poor (giveaway) programs in Belize City is what enabled it to win 8 out of ten seats in the municipality, which is the only one it dominated on March 7, four months ago. The UDP is so confident that its dependency program is good for electoral politics that while it has reduced the budget by millions of dollars for education, housing, health care, water supply, street improvement and other basic things that would enable the people to move up like the Jeffersons, it has included millions of dollars in the same budget to introduce those dependency programs to the other 8 municipalities throughout the country.

Belize needs social programs or safety net initiatives that give people an opportunity to escape poverty. These giveaway programs of the government are compounding the poverty situation in the country.

That’s because they seek to condition people to accept their fate of poverty as a ‘faith a compli’; something that they cannot change and something that the government has no responsibility to change with the creation of needed jobs and solutions to the various social problems in the country.

The weekly pittance of free groceries cannot suffice a family for the week. Similarly four or five free twenty dollars weekly for the lucky few cannot support a family for the week. And neither can a low wage job that allows a breadwinner to take only $100 to his family weekly. Our people realize those things. But in the absence of needed jobs to care for their families on their own, Belizeans have no choice but to rely on the weekly freebies that the government gives out with taxpayers’ money. With the weekly freebies from the government, people cannot move up like the Jeffersons because at the end of each week they have no money for education, adequate food, home improvement, basic health care among other things.

The government has stated that an increase in the budget of millions of dollars for foreign embassies is necessary. That budgetary increase however is not for our diplomats to seek investment to build our economy and create needed jobs for our people. No. The government has stated that one of the main reasons for the increase in that budget allocation is for our diplomats to travel around the globe with hat in hand begging for donations to help sustain the dependency programs in the country.

When Krem’s Two Cents Cam asked Belizeans if they are “moving up like the Jeffersons” with successive UDP budgets some people said “Move up where? You no see nothing no de go gud ena the country. Things getting worse every year anda the UDP so how we cud move up like the Jeffersons!”

After five successive UDP bud-

17 gets the only ones who are moving up in Belize like the Jeffersons are the Ministers and their cronies; indeed in a little over four years many of them have move up from poverty to become some of the wealthiest persons in the country.

18

THE BELIZE TIMES

Congratulations Hon. Oscar Requeña – Toledo West is Proud of You

Toledo District, July 13, 2012 The debate over Barrow’s bogus “discipline” budget ended with citizens of this country having less any hopes than before. There was no sigh of relief. Members of Her Majesty’s Loyal Opposition led by Hon. Francis Fonseca, explained to the Belizean people what is in store for them. Like the last four budgets, there was no allocation for the Toledo West constituency in this year’s budget. The representative of Toledo West, Hon. Oscar Requena, contributed significantly and told the government to make allocations and take serious consideration for the Toledo District.

Unlike the government side, the representative for Toledo West did not attack on personal issues on any house member. Rather, he pointed out the facts of negligence displayed by the former UDP area representative. The honourable member pointed that the government can do better.

After four years, Toledo West now has a voice in the National Assembly. The people of Toledo West were very proud and applauded for Hon. Oscar Requena when Mr. Speaker commended him for a presentation well prepared and is the best during the two days. Hon. Oscar Requena – CONGRATULATIONS!!!!

Hon. Oscar Requena silenced the rogue Ministers in the House regarding their behaviour and attitude. He

reminded them of their characters and that the parliamentarians are at another level. The Minister of Health took the heat for not doing his job. The Minister of Health needs to make a trip to Punta Gorda Town to open the box in which an x-ray machine remains at the hospital for the last two years. He needs to gain a firsthand experience of what the Belizean people in Toledo face in time of an emergency. It’s a shame.

For the BOOST and food pantry program, the list of names needs to be reviewed. In Toledo, the UDP recipients for the program are in possession of bus contracts, employees of the government (Ministry of Works), employees of CISCO Construction and teachers. The people who really need it are disallowed in the program. The Minister responsible was very surprised when Hon. Oscar Requeña produced a true evidence and copy of the list during his presentation.

During the UDP 2008 – 2012 regime, Juan Coy, the former Toledo West UDP area representative, supported the budget and spoke for a maximum of 89 seconds. Shivering, he stood up and said that everything was good down south and people were standing on their feet. During the election campaign, he boasted on national radio to line up his UDP supporters for the BOOST and Food Pantry Program. It was a shame and disgrace that he was unable to represent Toledo West in the House of Representative. That is why he is where he is today.

Hon. Oscar Requena and member for Toledo West, CONGRATULATIONS, you are the best. The Toledo West constituency is proud of you.

Sunday, July 22, 2012

In my perspective…

Hope is on the Horizon

By Rayford Young For many years now in the United States of America, we’ve been inundated with what has been termed “the prosperity gospel” – typically a message that intimates you will receive financial blessings by giving to a church or ministry. In this prosperity gospel model, God could be seen as the Vending Machine God: put in the money, have a little faith and out pops blessings – money, homes, cars, beautiful spouses, clever kids, good neighbors, big churches, and plush vacations. In this prosperity gospel model, humans receive the blessings and you can put on a happy face – a big one.

Every day, from the moment one gets up to the moment one closes their eyes, happiness is the aim of life. In this prosperity gospel, God is here for us and we are here for God to bless.

The problem with this theology is that the prosperity more often than not, flows one way.

It’s the televangelist and some preachers who are the recipient of these blessings. Many people go to church week after week and are urged to put their hard earned money in the plate but the cars, mansions and big bank accounts never seem to come.

The only one that is prospering is the Minister and his family. They have the cars, mansion and the big bank account. But what about the thousands of people who give and prosperity never seems to come their way?

Cars, big houses, fancy cars… are these the only blessings that count?

Unfortunately, society pushes the idea that success depends on what kind of car you drive. I thought a vehicle was to get you from point A to point B. When did it happen that a ton of steel and plastic on rubber wheels became a status thing? This is what these Religious leaders tell us God wants for us. He has many of these vehicles and big mansions waiting for us…just give up all your money to me and my church.

It seems the Government Ministers in Belize are reading from the same Bible. They too love big gas-guzzlers and usually

end up with a mansion before they leave office. They too get their riches from the working poor and the middle class. I saw in the BELIZE TIMES last week the new vehicles our hard working Minister just recently received. The costs for these gas guzzlers range from $73,000 to $230,000. The Deputy Prime Minister’s vehicle costs $230,000 and the Minister of Youth and Sports, the Hon. Herman Longsworth’s vehicles cost the tax payers $144,000.

But one is no longer in use as it requires a special synthetic fuel that is not available in Belize. Only in Belize you have a top Government Minister buying a vehicle and doesn’t know the type of fuel it uses…just get another new vehicle at tax payers’ expense.

Both demonstrate the sickness of absolute power and arrogance that it brings. Distrust and cynicism results when people like Minister Longsworth and others reign over people and are allowed to use their power to enrich themselves at the expense of others. When they are not accountable to anyone but themselves, with a Government that looks the other way when foolish decisions are made, it’s a situation out-of-control.

For so many Belizeans facing hardship, out of work, don’t know where the next mortgage payment is coming from or the next meal, having Ministers running around in expensive vehicles is another kick in the gut and shows that they are out of touch and have no idea what most Belizeans are going through on a daily basis. It seems that for these Ministers of Government and for some of Ministers of the Prosperity Gospel, this earth and its luxury is their home. They don’t care who they hurt as long as they get theirs.

All I can offer is what was promised to anyone who repents of their sins and follows God’s instructions.

We are told that a mansion is being prepared for each of us. Our goal should not be wealth and riches here, but everlasting life hereafter.

Let those controlled by greed and desire live in their earthly mansions - it will only last a short time. Our time is coming in the new earth, not this corrupt sinful world. Our time is coming when we’ll have our mansion. There will be no more sickness, death or poor people who have to beg and bow down to crooked politicians and thieves who profess godliness. Take your eyes off people. Our goal is everlasting life, not government handouts and the prosperity lie coming from a few crooked preachers. One day soon, all will be equal.

Rayford Young is a BelizeanAmerican, who currently lives in Michigan, U.S.A. Send comments to rayfordyoung@comcast.net

Sunday, July 22, 2012

19

THE BELIZE TIMES

Mind Boggling DOES THE BUDGET AFFECT ME?

Mind Boggling Numbers’ Square!

The budget affects all of us.

You may have heard that it was being talked about in parliament.

It sets out how the money we earn or borrow is being put to use.

We need to know how this money is being spent so that we can hold our government to their word.

It is important to follow and learn about the budget so that we can tell our government if they are spending too much or too little on something.

What areas for improving all children’s lives would you like to see the government putting money towards?

Look around and think about the things that you feel the government should be spending on for 2012 -2013 to improve our quality of life.

RIDDLE ME THIS! Can you figure out this brain teaser?

Two Fathers and Two Sons Riddle Two fathers and two sons sat down to eat eggs for breakfast.

They ate exactly three eggs, each person had an egg. The riddle is for you to explain how

Try to fill in the missing numbers.

The missing numbers are integers between 0 and 5.

The numbers in each row add up to totals to the right.

The numbers in each column add up to the totals along the bottom.

The diagonal lines also add up the totals to the right.

Try to fill in the missing numbers.

The missing numbers are integers between The numbers in each row add up to totals to The numbers in each column add up to the The diagonal lines also add up the totals to

Get to the Piggy!

Can you help the children find their way through the maze to the piggy bank?

Answer: One of the ‘fathers’ is also a grandfather. Therefore, the other father is both a son and a father to the grandson.

20

THE BELIZE TIMES

Do We Lack Proper Leadership?

There are many people who carry the title of leadership but come short when it comes to the capacity to lead.

Everyone is a leader and will become a leader sometime or the other. An older brother, a parent, a police, politician or even a group leader in your class are examples. The most interesting thing is that the minute you are granted the name ‘leader’, God begins to get involved on another level. Most leaders are given authority and a position of leadership by a current or established leader. For example, a high school prefect was given that position by a principal or teacher. Now, this person doesn’t become a genius in keeping a class quiet or in order just because she was given that position.

Similarly, in politics, because a politician wins an election does not automatically make him well studied or a genius in the ministry he is responsible for. This is one of the greatest challenges we face as a nation in the political process, which is the placement of ministers in the proper Ministries.

This is not the direction that I am interested in going though, so let me return back to the path I was travelling on. Immediately once you become a leader a number of things begin to happen.

One: your ideas and ability to see floats to the top and you look at everything from a different point. Everything in front of you, all resources including human resources, must line up with the new leaders vision and whatever does not, needs to be changed, replaced or discontinued.

This brings up the second point as to why new politicians entering office choose carefully who they want by their side and who will be their arm and leg extensions. Whether you want to see it this way or not, we are all tools in a system to carry out the greater purpose of that organization. This means that while our value as humans remains intact, we could be of little use (worthless) to the corporation. Our biggest role in a corporation is the value of function we give to it. If I have a tortilla shop and my scale is permanently damaged beyond repair, where I measure one pound but it gives the customers two, what would I do with that scale? Should I continue to use it because it had been with me for over twenty years or set it aside and get another accurate one?

This is the hard decision that leaders are faced with and because a great part of the resources are human we tolerate inaccuracies for much too long.

If a leader (boss) pulls you up and does not like something about your performance your first response should not be offensive but rather a willing ear to change. You should be asking yourself, what is this leader saying? What about my approach to the work or job I am doing needs to change? What can I do better? No leader will complain and scold and become a terror to you if you are functioning at high efficiency, except if he is a really good friend. And that I will attempt to explain in next week’s article.

The truth is that if you are pulled up by a leader for malfunctioning on the Job (at least in his eyes) yet you continue as you are, and to make it even worse, you add to the menu a touch of nasty attitude, you will prove yourself to be similar to a permanently damaged tool, sliding down a slippery slope into joblessness.

I must come to a close now but next week plan to conclude my thoughts including showing you that when we have impotent or even wicked murderous leaders it is still God who ordains them to be there! Stay tuned and we conclude next week God bless!

Sunday, July 22, 2012

Sunday, July 22, 2012

21

THE BELIZE TIMES

MEET THE UDP ENDOMORPHS

Forward Belize, the Cooperative Way

By Stanley Lemus A cooperative is a private business organization that is owned and controlled by the people who use its products, supplies or services. Although cooperatives may vary in type and membership size, all are formed to meet the specific objectives of its members and are structured to adapt to changing needs.

Cooperatives are formed by individuals who coordinate among themselves (Horizontal Coordination) to achieve Vertical integration in their business activities. Although people have been working together for their mutual benefit throughout human history, the cooperative form of business organization began during the industrial revolution. Cooperatives were useful for promoting the interest of the less powerful; members of our society.

Farmers, fishermen, producers, workers and consumers found that they could accomplish more collectively, than individually. There are three principles that uniquely characterize a cooperative organization.

(1) The User–Owned principle: the people who own and finance the cooperative are those who use the cooperative.

(2) The User-Controlled principle: the people who control the cooperative are those who use the cooperative. They democratically elect a board of directors. The Board sets the overall operating policies, approves the annual Budget, oversees its operation, and distributes the benefits, derived from use of the cooperative to members. The Board also hires professional management to handle the day to day operations.

(3) The User-Benefit Principle – the cooperative’s sole purpose is to provide and distribute benefits to its users, on the basis of their use. While the goal of agricultural cooperative is not to generate a return on investment, they, like all businesses, must cover costs and generate capital to cover expansion and unforeseen emergencies.

The Worldwide Association of Cooperatives adopted seven Cooperative principles in 1995 that are more socially-minded: Voluntary and open membership, democratic member controlled, member economic participation, autonomy and independence, and education training and information cooperative among other existing cooperatives.

Why hasn’t our current government seen the vision to foster, encour-

age and promote cooperatives? That is what they should promote rather than continuing to pay lip service to eradicating poverty and reducing depen-

dency on food pantry, handouts and a gross insult of marginalizing Belizeans, especially on the Southside of Belize City. Perhaps it is now time for both

main political parties to re-examine and revisit their development policies by re-structuring them through promoContinued on page 22

22

THE BELIZE TIMES

Southside Youth’s success project provides employment for youth at risk

BELIZE CITY, Wed. July 18, 2012

By Roy Davis Young males from the southside of Belize City who are between the ages of 14 and 17 and are considered “at risk” have a chance through the Southside Youth Success Project (SYSP) to get training in mathematics, literacy, information technology, telephone operations and communications tour guiding, construction and sports among other disciplines.

Those who are interested can come to the second floor of the Belize Commercial Center and enroll at the “Drop in Centre” which will open on July 30.

The Centre will provide life skills and employment training for at least 100 males and the training will be for a period of 3 months after which they will qualify for a paid apprenticeship program that will be for a minimum of 8 weeks. They will be paid $350 per month.

Apart from employment training, the participants will receive counseling on drug and substance abuse, health and family life educa-

tion on HIV and AIDS. If at the end of the apprenticeship program the participants expresses a desire to return to school the Centre will find ways to support him.

Houston Carr, a former juvenile court prosecutor, is the coordinator of the Centre. Ms. Christine Smith is the director. Ms. Jay Crombs is the United Nation Development Program Director.

The project is being funded by the Central America Regional Security Initiative.

The purpose of the project is to help alleviate crime which has been plaguing most of the young males on the southside.

The project is expected to continue after the first set of young males has completed it.

Forward Belize, the Cooperative Way Continued from page 21 tion and support for the cooperatives movement for growth in the new Belize. Barrow can start with some of the pantry money; invest it in small cooperatives amongst some of these same persons. History has recorded many successful cooperatives in Belize as well as some failures. We must be guided by the successful ones, if we want to be on the right side of History.

The Credit Union Movement in Belize, the Fishing Coops and there are others. HRCU has been a giant in this regard, growing from a small group to what can be considered largely autonomous which is truly independent and a great contributor to Belize’s development. Most importantly to the thousands of members, it has served to truly uplift their standard of living.

Take a walk inside that credit union on a 15th pay day, and you will see people that are blue and red drawn together to serve each other’s interest.

I invite our politicians to check in with Mrs. Jane and her board and staff, and a lot of lessons can be learned and shared about caring and sharing in truly meeting the people’s need regardless if you are red, blue or other. It’s all about growth and development and true economic development for Belizeans.

Continued next week

Sunday, July 22, 2012

Sunday, July 22, 2012

THE BELIZE TIMES

Budget allocates 25¢ monthly per Cayo South constituent Hon. Julius Espat says it is absurd, proposes comprehensive $21m 5-year plan Belize City, July 18, 2012 25¢ can barely buy anything these days but that is all that the Barrow Administrations has budgeted for each constituent in the Cayo South area, and it’s not even per day. The dismal and singular support of $6,000 monthly which is granted to the elected Area Representative, when divided by the 24,000 constituents, comes up to a meagre 25¢ per month.

That sad reality was celebrated by members of the UDP-side of the House last week at the debate of the 20122013 Budget every time one of them got up to support. When Cayo South

A 25¢ is all the UDP spends on each Cayo South constituent

area representative Hon. Julius Espat attempted to demand more for his peo-

ple, he was repeatedly interrupted.

Even Hon. Espat’s attempt to introduce a Budget of his own which was formulated after consultation with village leaders and residents and which reflects the needs of the Cayo South constituency, the Prime Minister himself got up to protest and convinced the House Speaker to forbid Hon. Espat’s presentation.

Understandably, the Prime Minister was vehemently avoiding a huge embarrassment. The Cayo South Budget puts the Government’s own national budget to shame. The Cayo South budget contains a comprehensive plan to

Accused Slovak mob boss resists Belize-extradition

Attorney Godfrey Smith says his client has a right to be heard BELIZE CITY, Tuesday, July 17th, 2012

By Alton Humes The recent arrest of reputed underworld mob boss and suspected murderer, 42-year-old Karol Mello, a citizen of the Slovak Republic (Slovakia) has taken on yet another shocking twist, as according to papers filed by his Belizean attorney, Godfrey Smith (on behalf of the Queen’s Counsel, Edward Fitzgerald), he has Permanent Resident status in Belize, and therefore should at least be given a hearing to confirm whether or not he should be deported to his homeland to face whatever criminal charges he might have amassed back in his native land.

He was captured in Belize sometime last Wednesday morning, July 11th, 2012, after being sought out for months. Officials caught him in San Pedro Town, where he was reported to have started a business on or around Pescador Drive and lived his wife and young son. Thereafter, he was handed over to Immigration authorities in Belmopan. But other than that, the Police are choosing to remain mum on any further specifics surrounding the capture of this now-infamous gangster, who’s raked up a staggering list of criminal accusations in his past.

For starters, he was accused of plotting and executing a double murder that went south and resulted in the gruesome deaths of a woman and her young son in the tiny village of Most pri Bratislave sometime in 2003, a crime for which he was later reportedly convicted for in October 2010 after eluding capture from Polish Police for 6 years. But due to procedural errors made, he was released by a Slovak court in May of 2011, going on the run and ending up here. But it doesn’t end there – in 2004, he was connected to and suspected of two more murders, including that of a rival in the Slovak underworld located in the capital of Bratislava, one Peter Čongrády. Then after you’ve added in

European and Interpol/international warrants that were on his head, the term ‘Most Wanted’ takes on a whole new meaning.

But Mello, with the money, power and connections he has steadily amassed over the years and through his Belizean businesses (reportedly involved in realty), will be fighting any and all opportunities to be deported back to his native Slovakia, and has sought the aid of a British Queen’s Counsel as well as local legal representation in Godfrey Smith to fight any claims that he entered Belize illegally.

Reports going around were that as a back-up plan, Mello had already secured a plane in Guatemala to take him away, and thereby maintain silence on this matter. But Smith swiftly went to the Supreme Court yesterday afternoon, July 17th, 2012, and petitioned Justice Oswall Legal to grant an injunction against an outright plan of immediate deportation that was planned by Immigration officials.

In interviews with the local media that day, Smith contended that not only does the Slovak gentleman possess what he referred to as ‘very valid’ residency papers, but also that based

23 restore the infrastructural decay in the constituency through the building of bridges and maintenance of roads and drains. It proposes to create an enabling environment where the villagers would see real progress through the maintenance of farm roads, land acquisition for farm use, electrification of new residential areas, expansion and construction of much-needed water systems. It offered to bolster community development and security through the construction of safe parks, sports facilities and playgrounds, a vocational school, and would provide funding for sports development.

But those plans and hopes for a better Cayo South are being obstructed by the Barrow Administration’s lack of vision for Belize.

Fortunately Hon. Espat is not one to give up on challenges, and aware that the fight has been made doubly difficult by the naysayers who have failed to support the needs of the people of Cayo South, he said he will not be deterred.

on two specific immigration laws, the Immigration and Nationality Act and the Aliens Act, the Minster of Immigration Hon. Elvin Penner may expel Mello, but not before he is heard in a court of law. Smith said that the Belize Police Department has failed to indicate what criminal charges, if any, his client may face.

But Mello’s family in San Pedro has been fighting back as well, and they sent out a statement to certain media houses that Mello been utterly mistreated by the Belizean Police, claiming that he has been given no access to clothes, bathing or food. They also alleged that the charges Mello is accused of have little merit because he’s been acquitted of them already in Slovakia. They said Mello is being persecuted by “a corrupt Slovak Government”.

Mello remains in the custody of Police at the Eastern Division offices at present.

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THE BELIZE TIMES

Sunday, July 22, 2012