Belize Times September 29, 2013

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The Belize Times

Established 1957

29 SEPTEMBER 2013 | ISSUE NO: 4864

The Truth Shall Make You Free

www.belizetimes.bz

|

$1.00

Passport Penner!! …must face criminal charges Belize City, September 25, 2013 UDP Cayo North East Area Representative Elvin Penner committed several serious criminal actions when he used his special position to obtain illegal documents which gave Belizean citizenship and passport to an alleged international criminal.

The nationality and passport documents which were used to process the illegal citizenship and a false passport for a South Korean national who is in jail in Taiwan

Disgraced UDP, Elvin Penner

Pg. 7

Kim Wonhong detained in Taiwan

$100,000 Missing at

Castro’s

Sex

Scandal Pg. 31

Dangriga Town, September 26, 2013 The Barrow Administration is on a spiral downwards. Another scandal under the UDP Government is about to blow up.

The BELIZE TIMES has received reliable information of an investigation into thousands of dollars that have gone missing from the Southern Regional Hospital’s National Health Insurance funds for mothers of newborns.

Preliminary reports from an investigation into the hospital’s accounts carried out by the Ministry of Health indicate money belonging to the hospital being used by a special member of staff for personal online purchases.

Once more, the ugly head of corruption is rearing its head presided by the incompetent Minister of Health Pablo Marin.

After signing over the nationality certificate, Penner recommended the jailed Korean national for a passport

DEAN BARROW MUST RESIGN!!

Image courtesy Channel 7

Southern Regional Hospital

2 02

OPINION OUT

!

What Legal Gymnastics?

Progress or Problems?

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Dear Editor, No other than the Prime Minister of Belize is saying to the nation that he has found Penner guilty of an offense so grave that he is forced to remove him from his Cabinet. But why stop there? Penner is not above the law and should be treated with the same or even greater force as he should have known better.

If it is that he conspired against Belize that is worse than committing the crime. If it is bribery or that he accepted monies then by all means he should be arrested and if it is all of the above, that’s treason. This is a serious matter, and Belize is paying the price on the international scene.

We must therefore demand that the full force of the law be levied on Continued on page 29

Dear Editor, While the nation is saying that the Mayor has broken history and no other mayor has done as much as he did, I wonder how long the streets will last considering he doesn’t like to speak publicly about his lady engineer. The old capital is sinking like never before. Take for instance Orange Street; it floods more than before and it is completely dangerous with sidewalks that are full of holes.

Then there is Queen Street which turns a small lake that drowns the Police Precinct compound. One must remember that it is the people’s money that is going down the drains. How many years before the sink holes start popping up on the Continued on page 29

No basis for checks and balance

Smart Confessions

!

Editor Sir: The discussion about checks and balances will continue until Doomsday, because in our parliamentary system there is no basis for it.

The parliamentary system in Britain has been working so far because it has been based on the assumption that the most important instrument of governance is men and women of honour. In Britain it is a given that when a parliamentarian is caught in a lie, or an act of corrupContinued on page 10

27 Sep

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Dear Editor, Big up the Area Representative Hon. Ivan Ramos and Mayor of Dangriga Major Gilbert Swazo (Ret’d) and Councillor who stood up for the people of Dangriga against the corrupt SIF officers who wanted to place a tin box for a market at a whopping cost of $1.2 million.

First, SIF disrespected the people of Dangriga by imposing on them a so called contractor from Corozal over qualified Dangriga contractors. To make matters worse, SIF and Smart killed off many of the Continued on page 29

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Dear Editor: What legal gymnastics will the Prime Minister perform to satisfy the Homosexual Agenda demanding “rights” that will most certainly nullify the three most important real rights to Christians?

Christianity cannot surrender freedom of conscience, freedom of speech and freedom of religion. For Christians to do so is to ignore and forget Christ’s final command: Go therefore and teach all nations.

The Prime Minister, being Anglican, should know that the founder of his faith, Henry VIII, tried the legal trick of having a mental reservation while swearing an oath to the truth of something that you did not really believe. On the other hand, BishContinued on page 29

Why did BTB disrespect our artists?

!

Dear Editor, It was welcoming news to learn that the Belize Tourism Board decided to apologize for their decision to use the music of Aurelio Martinez, a Honduran national, as the sound of their recently released video to showcase Belize. It’s a welcome gesture but, I thought it did not go far enough. A few days later it was reported that they also had removed the music as well - which would be the right thing to do.

It was shocking to all Belizeans that this very prestigious and important organization, which Continued on page 29

weather 28 Sep

29 Sep

30 Sep

2013

OUT

OUT

Penner must go to jail

LOCAL

29 SEP

THE BELIZE TIMES

261 Mar Oct

OUT 30 Cents for Stann Creek West

!

Dear Editor If you take a quick glance at the budgetary allocation for Stann Creek West, it is approximately $6,000 to the duly elected Area Representative to be spread among, approximately 20,000 people, which gives 30 cents for assistance, per month, per person! What can you do with 30 cents? Buy a small pack of soda biscuits?

This is why we must lobby for township status for Placencia Peninsula and potentially combine with Independence Village. Three of the main benefits of township status will be 1). The collection of property taxes, 2). The collection of trade license fees and 3). The submission of estimates of revenue and expenditure to the Minister of Finance.

It is not complex to understand why our villages are barely functional when it comes to self-governance, organic socioeconomic growth and social assistance for villagers - it is directly linked to Continued on page 9

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The Belize Times

Established 1957

14 APR 2013

|

ISSUE NO: 4840

The Truth Shall Make You Free

www.belizetimes.bz

|

$1.00

serving Belize since 1957 as the longest continuous newspaper.

Founder: Rt. Hon. George Cadle Price, People’s United Party Leader Emeritus EDITOR

Alberto Vellos LAYOUT/GRAPHIC ARTIST

Chris Williams

OFFICE ASSISTANT

Roberto Peyrefitte Printed and Published By The Belize Times Press Ltd. Tel: 671-8385 #3 Queen Street P.O. BOX 506 Belize City, Belize

27 Mar Oct 6 2Feb

Email: belizetimesadvertisement@yahoo.com

editortimes@yahoo.com

Exchange rate of One Belize Dollar

United States (USD): $ 0.50

Barbados (BBD): $ 1.01

Eastern Caribbean Euro (XCD):$ 1.36 (EUR) : $ 0.37

Sterling Pound Guatemala Quetzal CANADIAN DOLLAR (GBP): $ 0.31 (GTQ): $ 3.98 (CAD): $ 0.52

CHINESE YUAN (CNY): $ 3.08

Trinidadian (TTD) : $ 3.21

INDIAN RUPEE (INR): $ 31.07

es:

ing

29 SEP

THE BELIZE TIMES

2013

THE SERVILE BULLY

Continued on page 10

Belize City, September 26, 2013 When the House meets on Friday the 27th September 2013, 32 years after Belize achieved political independence, the Barrow regime will ram through the Parliament seven bills orchestrated and directed by Washington. All 7 laws are designed by our new imperial bosses to put Belize in check and the Belizean people neo-colonial subjects of a rich industrialized North American and European hegemony.

1. The Bill for an Act to amend the International Financial Services Commission Act Chapter 272 of the Laws will tighten the noose around the necks of all international business companies that are registered in Belize. It will further destroy the reputation of Belize as a center for the carrying on of international financial services. Hereafter the regulatory Commission will have the power and the authority to swoop down on any such company and carry out on-site inspections of its books and confidential files. Your money and how much you are worth will no longer be protected and confidential.

2. The Bill for an Act to amend the Trust Act Chapter 202 of the Laws will require any Belizean individual or company who desires to create a trust of your property for your children to register the trust in a new register called The Domestic Trust Register.

You will have to provide not only the name of the trustee and name and address of the beneficiary but also the purpose for which the trust is established and “any other information as may from time to time be specified by regulations.” And you will have to pay a fee of $200.00 to the Government.

When a request is made to the Registrar of the Trust by the DPP, the Director of the F.I.U., the Commissioner of Police or other regulatory or enforcement authority, the Registrar will be obliged to disclose all that is in your trust document if the information is reasonably required to facilitate a criminal investigation, prosecution or proceeding, whether in Belize or elsewhere including enforcing a confiscation or forfeiture order made in Belize or elsewhere.

Here again this Government is passing laws to facilitate a foreign power.

3. The Bill for an Act to amend the Financial Intelligence Unit Act No. 35 of 2002 will give the Director of the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU), (who works closely with the Intelligence Services of the U.S.A.) sweeping powers to “require a person whose affairs are the subject of investigation whether in Belize or elsewhere to furnish such evidence relevant to the investigation from any authority, law-enforcement agency, public utility or any government agency or public officer in Belize whether the investigation is being conducted in Belize or elsewhere. Truly we are being enslaved by our new masters.

4. The Bill for an Act to amend

the International Foundations Act No. 2 of 2010 like The Domestic Trust Act is designed to catch all registered International Foundations in Belize in the snooping net. The registered agent must keep a report with the names of all members, protector and beneficiaries and must deposit all that information to the Registrar with the prescribed fee.

5. The Accounting Records Act 2013 will require all Local Companies, International Business Companies, Foundations, Insurance Companies, Partnerships and NGOs (in other words all entities) in addition to any records already required to be kept

under existing laws, to keep accounting records of financial statements, ledgers, sales slips, contracts and invoices and documentation relating to assets and liabilities, monies received and spent, sales and purchases and all financial transactions.

All such records will now be subject to disclosure if requests for exchange of information are made by a foreign power (such as the U.S.A.) under Continued on page 11

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THE BELIZE TIMES

29 SEP

2013

Independence Day Address

by Opposition Leader Hon. Francis W. Fonseca

September 21, 2013, Belmopan, Belize My Fellow Belizeans Today we celebrate our 32nd anniversary of Independence.

Thirty-Two years ago, after a hard, skillfully fought international campaign for recognition of our right to Independence, the people of Belize began charting a new course as an Independent nation inspired by the message and vision of George Price.

A central promise of Independence is peace and stability, but for many countries the center did not hold and political freedom was followed by a rapid and spiraling descent into civil war. Here in our own sub-region, the Central American States declared their independence in 1812. Eighteen years later the union was dissolved and they disintegrated into civil war. Our neighbors have been plagued by wars and military governments and scarred by human rights abuses up to as recently as the 1980s.

It must be counted as a mark of international distinction that Belize provided not only safe refuge for thousands of Central American refugees but also the unparalleled opportunity for them to integrate and accelerate upwardly within the short span of a generation or two.

The Arab Spring played out with cinematic effect live and in color in our living rooms every day for many months reminds us that the democratic attribute of regular, free and fair elections with nary a blemish of violence, is in fact priceless.

We must vigilantly and jealously guard against any signs of this ever changing in our beloved Belize.

As we pause to take stock of where we are and where we’ve come from, it is worthwhile to remind ourselves that on the continent of Africa and on the Indian sub-continent, Independence ushered in many years of ethnic and sectarian violence and division.

Thirty-two years after Independence, Belize remains a paragon of ethnic co-existence, having avoided as a people the treacherous slopes of ethnic conflict.

There are good reasons therefore to pay tribute to Belize and its people.

And even to celebrate.

This year once again we were inspired by young Rowan Garel, a blind teenager, who dove deep into the majestic Blue Hole to raise awareness and funds on behalf of the Belize Council for the Visually Impaired.

And we were all moved by the outpouring of support for Belize’s National Football Team, the Jaguars, as they participated in the ConCaCaf Gold Cup in July of this year.

In the last 32 years, Belize has claimed its rightful place in the world community as a proud, democratic, sovereign nation.

Our economy has grown and diversified marginally but the structural challenges remain and poverty and inequality continue to rise.

In his widely acclaimed book,

“How rich countries got rich and Why poor countries stay poor”, Erik S. Reinert (Ray-Neer), one of the world’s leading development economists, identifies key economic and technological forces which need to be harnessed by economic policy in order to generate economic development.

Belize can benefit from embracing the view that “economic development involves profound qualitative change not only of the economy but also of the society”.

Capital accumulation and efficient resource allocation are critically important but our National Development Agenda must also embrace real, meaningful reforms in governance, education, health, natural resource management, and the administration of justice.

As we celebrate therefore, we recognize that serious challenges confront us as a nation.

Governance continues to be characterized by chronic combativeness.

We need less confrontation and more dialogue. Less arrogance and more humility.

Less personality politics and more problem solving.

The government’s response to the opposition’s proposal for reform of the Public Accounts Committee, supported by the National Trade Union Congress and the Chamber of Commerce, regrettably, takes us further away from these objectives.

The will of the people can be delayed. It shall not be denied.

The politics of change and participation is here to stay.

There is also need for urgent and focused action in respect of job creation. Unemployment remains unacceptably high particularly for women and youth. By getting people back to work, we maximize the benefits from the most valuable yet most underutilized resource our country has to offer, our people.

By focusing on sustainable employment, we assure sustainable economic growth and development.

Directly linked to unemployment is a failing education system.

Some 90% of heads of indigent households possess only a primary school education or less.

Less than 50% of our children are completing secondary school and for those who make it to sixth form or university, jobs are difficult to come by.

Education must have a wider meaning, one which challenges us to ensure that all our people are provided with an opportunity to acquire the capacity and attitudes required for full and active participation in the development of our nation.

It must be an education that promotes national pride, positive values, wholesome self-esteem, a strong work ethic, and civic responsibility while cultivating and instilling in our people a spirit of inquiry and creativity.

This represents the most effective strategy for growth with equity.

Equally important to economic development is the health of our nation.

Today in Belize, the critical health concerns are the chronic non-communicable diseases- Cancer, Cardiovascular conditions, diabetes, hypertension, accidents/violence, and sexually transmitted diseases as against the infectious diseases.

This transition in our health profile requires that more attention be focused on services which emphasize care and comfort, health and wellness promotion, prevention and rehabilitation.

The demand for and cost of health ser-

vices are growing exponentially and many Belizean families remain one illness away from economic devastation.

It is time for us to renew our commitment to a functioning, effective National Health Insurance Program for all Belizeans.

The specific challenges I have highlighted here today are not solely the responsibility of our Government.

Indeed, the Government must set out a clear, credible plan to address the economic and social challenges we face, but all of us, the opposition, private sector, social partners, families, and individual citizens share the responsibility of contributing meaningfully and positively to finding solutions to these challenges.

If Belize is to grow and develop, all of us must share in the commitment to a strong Belizean economy and society.

This shared sense of purpose, responsibility and commitment will only be possible if there is respect and good faith on all sides.

I repeat what I stated on this occasion last year. Our Government must be a Government for all the people not just for those select supporters of the political Party in office.

Former Jamaican Prime Minister Michael Manley, no doubt enlightened by his time in opposition, articulated the challenge well in his book, “The Politics of Change”.

“Left to themselves the Political Parties quickly degenerate into machines for attacking opponents, distributing the spoils of office and electing candidates. Political reality demands that one deals with one’s opponents. But he who becomes preoccupied with his opponents quickly surrenders to a bankruptcy of moral purpose. The politics of change calls for the ability to walk up a tough and winding road. Anyone who has ever walked up a tough and winding road looking back over his shoulder to swap insults with those that he passes will soon miss a turn and fall over the precipice.

“On the question of the distribution of favors. To the victor the spoils is perhaps an understandable attitude but if one’s vision is limited to the distribution of spoils one will have neither the imagination nor the energy to build an economy with enough to go around.”

“Indeed political Parties exist to elect candidates to office. But they lose the capacity for action in power to the extent that they become dominated by this primary consideration. Once this particular rot sets in, the political party ceases to be an agent of change and becomes merely another instrument for the preservation of our paralysis.”

The easy and politically opportunistic path is to cast blame and to seek to destroy your political opponents.

The last five and a half years of Belize’s governance has been defined by this approach.

And we are poorer as a nation, both in body and in spirit, for it.

I could have come here this morning, as I am sure some expected and wanted me to, to attack the UDP government, to talk about the Rosewood scandal, the Noh Mul scandal, the KHMH scandal, the San Estevan road scandal, the ongoing lands ministry scandal, the social investment fund scandal, the immigration scandal, and on and on.

Indeed that would have been easy and convenient.

But 32 years after independence, 17 years of PUP and 15 years of UDP, our responsibility is far, far greater than “scandal-talk”.

Working together in good faith across Party political lines, we must review the systems and structures we have in place to govern and develop Belize, and where there is need for change, improvement and strengthening, let us get it done.

On this the 32nd anniversary of Belize’s independence let us embrace the politics of change and commit to a new era of governance and politics.

This, I believe, we owe to the youth of Belize.

On a recent visit to South Africa, U.S. President Barack Obama, speaking at the University of Cape Town delivered a message of hope, opportunity, growth and development to the youth of Africa.

He appealed to them to make their voices matter.

“Your ideals, your willingness to act on those ideals, your choices can make a difference. You get to decide where the future lies. Over 60% of Africans are under 35 years so demographics mean young people are going to determine the fate of the African continent.”

Here in Belize, the demographics foretell a similar future and compel a similar message of hope, opportunity and growth to our increasingly young population. Delivering this message to a mostly cynical, disengaged youth is challenging to say the least. They see in front of them, a dark, uncertain path. The education system is failing them. Our health sector is in crisis. Crime and violence has become the norm. The economy lacks creativity and innovation and youth unemployment continues to rise. And our political, economic, social and spiritual leaders, for the most part, appear to be out of touch with the pulse of our Belizean youth. They see themselves living in a Belize where there is NO SENSE OF PURPOSE OR DIRECTION. Despite this sense of hopelessness this new generation will likely be better skilled and equipped to lead Belize’s development than any previous.

We must remind them of this great responsibility and challenge them to become more engaged and committed to Belize’s future growth and development.

Their ease and comfort with technology will allow them to participate more effectively and efficiently in the global economy. We must afford them the opportunity to unleash their creative energies and spirits. WE MUST LISTEN TO AND LEARN FROM OUR YOUNG BELIZEANS. On his visit to the University of Cape Town, Obama reminded the young students of the words of Robert F. Kennedy, who in 1966 had delivered a historic address at the very same University: “Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring those ripples build a current which can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance.”

My fellow Belizeans, together we must begin the work of shaping a future of hope, opportunity, growth and development. Young, and indeed all Belizeans, deserve no less.

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY! MAY GOD CONTINUE TO GUIDE AND BLESS OUR BELOVED BELIZE

29 SEP

2013

THE BELIZE TIMES

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EDITORIAL

A

ROTTING CARCASS

side from the love nest currently inhabited by Dean Barrow and Evan X Hyde, the UDP honeymoon is officially over. After just one year of a fresh mandate, the UDP gang of thieves, hustlers, drug users and sexual predators are now showing their true colors.

This week represented a summary of sorts; it was a refresher, just in case we forgot the kind animals that we are dealing with. A Minister from the west, who many claim is not even a loyal son of the soil, has been caught red-handed issuing our birthright to a Korean prisoner.

His Prime Minister, Dean Barrow, in his usual attempt at damage control, tried to claim victory for the bust. That charade was however short-lived, as it has since been revealed that it was Interpol, and not the Belizean government, that blew the whistle on Elvin Penner’s shenanigans.

Dean Barrow, like most Belizeans, saw with his own eyes when Elvin Penner was captured on national television granting instant nationality and passports to our neighbors, just days before the 2012 general elections. But Barrow did not say a word. As a matter of fact, Barrow endorsed it and defended in the same manner in which he faithfully defends his buddy, Michael Ashcroft.

The truth is, Barrow is the furthest thing from a savior. He is the creator of all the problems facing our country today. He recruited well-known gambling addicts, drug users, contrabandistas, sexual monsters and gang affiliates to run on his UDP ticket.

The very same week that Penner was busted, so too was Edmund “Clear the Land” Castro.

A criminal complaint has been lodged against

the seemingly uncontrollable Minister, alleging that he made unwanted sexual advances on his Taiwanese attaché. Barrow, though, has not said a word.

Remember, Barrow only terminated Penner because he received international pressure to do so. The pressure from Taiwan will more than likely not come, so Barrow in true form, will not reprimand Minister Castro. Like Michael Finnegan, Dean Barrow could care less about the Taiwanese young lady who was allegedly violated

by Barrow’s hand-picked predator from Belize Rural North.

But what about the outright hustling that has been taking place with the Dangriga market? Mr. Kennard Smart isn’t just some ordinary old UDP. He too almost made it on Barrow’s ticket and even though he didn’t, he has still been allowed to mismanage millions of taxpayer dollars. And once again, not a word from Barrow.

And how about Barrow’s favorite buddy, Gaspar Vega and his family? It seems they could not resist the urge to once again jump into the spotlight of scandal as rosewood once again made it into the headlines this week. Despite the “supposed” moratorium on the illegal harvesting of rosewood, another container has been confiscated by officials in the south. Needless to say, Barrow will definitely not say a word about his one, since as everyone knows, Gapi controls Barrow.

We can go on and on about the rotting carcass that Dean Barrow has been stewing up for us.

His government and his party can now sit down and start writing the history of the most corrupt, most vile, most disgusting, most incompetent government ever to govern Belize. The question is: where the hell do they start?

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29 SEP

THE BELIZE TIMES

Cabinet ignored allegations of corruption at SIF Belize City, September 24, 2013 Members of the UDP Cabinet knew about the serious allegations of corruption at the Social Investment Fund from as far back as July, but chose to do nothing about it.

Minister of State in the Ministry of Finance, Santino Castillo, has admitted in media interviews that the Contractor General Godwin Arzu had brought the matter to Cabinet’s attention from as far back as July. The UDP, who has been facing numerous scandals for several months involving dying babies at the KHMH, special land deals for cronies, the fleecing of public funds through the Ministry of Works projects, and the demolition of our cultural heritage, chose to hide the S.I.F. fiasco under the rug instead of dealing with it.

The BELIZE TIMES has evidence that Arzu had received a series of emails from former UDP Corozal Bay hopeful/turned contractor Kenard Smart in February of this year. Smart’s emails to the Contractor General were about his deteriorating relationship with SIF. It started with complaints of delays in payments to his company and ballooned into allegations of extortion and bribery.

Incredibly, it appears that Arzu failed to act on the allegations as he should have. After sitting on the matter for five months, in July he turned to the executive/political arm of Government for direction. All this while the people accused of wrongdoing were allowed to continue running SIF. Is the Contractor General there to serve at the behest of political bosses or in the interest of the public?

According to Castillo, who laughed away when he was asked about his Government’s slow response and reaction to the scandal, he didn’t find out about the SIF mess until this past Saturday when he flew into the country from an unknown junket and “read it online”.

Castillo must think the Belizean people are stupid. It is incredible that allegations of this magnitude, involving the mismanagement of $1.38 million in public funds could not have reached the highest office in Government.

PUP NOTICE Convention for Party Units

The People’s United Party announces the convention dates for the party units as follows: United Women’s Group October 19th, 2013

Belize Youth Movement October 26th, 2013

Marshalls Service Corps October 27th, 2013

Deadline for applications is October 11 for UWG and October 18 for BYM/Marshalls

2013

Chamber opposes increase in Trade License fees Belize City, September 24, 2013 The Belize Chamber of Commerce has called on the Minister of Local Government Godwin Hulse to put a stop to any devious plans which the Belize City Council may have to increase Trade License fees in its upcoming assessment period.

The Chamber, which represents the business community, says that some of its members have not recovered after their trade license fees were increased arbitrarily by as much as 300% late last year. A few weeks ago, the Council an-

nounced that it would carry out its annual assessment of businesses, which put the Chamber on alert.

The Chamber has written a stern letter to Minister Hulse, asking him to rein in the Council.

The Chamber is asking that the Council modifies the formula used to assess the fee for businesses from what it currently is (25% of rental value) to a flat rate which is manageable and rational for businesses.

The Chamber fears that in the absence of a fair formula, the Council will continue to exploit businesses which are already strug-

gling to survive in the slow economy.

Minister Hulse and the Council had, in the face of the Chamber’s complaints of last year’s sudden increase, committed to looking at the fee and to come up with a structure that is acceptable. The Chamber has been working on a proposed formula but have gotten little support with information from the Minister.

When asked about the current trade license structure, Mayor Darrell Bradley conveniently claimed that there was little the Council could do as they cannot change laws.

29 SEP

2013

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THE BELIZE TIMES

Passport Penner!! …must face criminal charges Continued from page 1 were signed and authorized by the fired UDP Minister.

Penner’s signatures appear in numerous documents which have surfaced.

These documents are an April 22, 2013 citizenship document signed and approved by Penner for one Kim Wonhong, and a Form C passport application dated September 3rd 2013 in which Penner confirmed to have known Wonhong as a “friend” for “three years”.

Wong Hong has never been in Belize.

This immediately disqualifies him from Belizean citizenship. Wonhong is actually in prison in Taiwan facing charges that he was part of a multi-million dollar embezzlement scheme. He was wanted by Interpol until he was captured by Taiwan authorities on July 31, 2013.

Penner is now at the center of a scandal which has major international implications. The financial scam Wonhong has been named in, occurred in South Korea and he was expected to face extradition.

But when Penner supplied Wonhong with a Belizean passport and citizenship, it gave the alleged criminal strong grounds for derailing the extradition process. The Penner passport then became the subject of an Interpol investigation into serious corruption inside Belize’s Immigration department. It also triggered an investigation

by US officials’ as it has implications for terrorist organizations. A year ago, it was exposed that the same Ministry of Immigration had allowed a member of the terrorist group, Hezbollah, to obtain Belizean citizenship and a passport.

Hundreds of thousands of dollars are alleged to have been paid for the Belizean passport to Penner and another UDP Cabinet Minister.

BIG UDPs INVOLVED Some more big UDP names are involved in this scandal. Former UDP Santa Elena/San Ignacio Mayor Alfonso “Ponchis” Cruz’s signature also appears on Wong Hong’s passport application documents.

Belize City Council Deputy Mayor Eric Chang has been named as a key facilitator. Chang, who travelled to Taiwan with Mayor Darrell Bradley and UDP Minister Edmond Castro on an unknown and unannounced “business” trip, allegedly met Wong Hong in prison. The full extent of his involvement is not known. Neither is it clear if he was the one who delivered the passport and citizenship documents to Wong Hong.

Chang has reportedly not returned to Belize, and reliable reports to the BELIZE TIMES are that he doesn’t plan to return.

Three immigration officers are under investigation. The three officers are known UDPs and are connected in some way with senior UDP Ministers. Sharon Neal Flowers, the head of the Passport section is reportedly politically connected to UDP Minister Michael Finnegan; Omar Phillips is said to be connected to Prime Minister Barrow’s Sister/Campaign Manager “Sista B”; and Erwin Robinson is believed to be a known associate of UDP Security Minister John Saldivar.

PM UNDER PRESSURE

Eric Chang has not been heard from since he left for Taiwan This scandal first broke last Thursday when Penner was forced to resign from Cabinet.

Prime Minister Barrow came under pressure, especially from U.S. authorities, to take action.

Despite the increasing evidence of wrong-doing, the Prime Minister suppressed the truth in a desperate attempt to protect his administration’s dirty and corrupt image.

The office of the Prime Minister sent out a vague press release saying the reason for Penner’s forced resignation was that the UDP Minister “did not discharge his responsibilities with either the due judgment and balance, or the scrupulous regard for appearances”. Hidden in the dubious language was Penner’s direct involvement in this latest passport scandal under the UDP which the Prime Minister refused to make public.

The Barrow Administration now comes under increased political pressure from the Opposition PUP which has joined the chorus of condemnation, calling for criminal charges for Penner and a criminal investigation of the Ministry of Immigration and those whose names have been called in the scandal.

Belize’s Immigration Act Chapter 156 (Section 34) declares that anyone who “fabricates or falsifies any passport, permit, certificate or other document... commits an offence”.

A press release from the PUP Western Caucus noted that the Prime Minister had “not done enough” and that Penner’s forced resignation was only a “slap on the wrist”. The PUP also called on the removal of Godwin Hulse, who presides over Ministry of Immigration. The release said that Hulse must be “ultimately held accountable and stripped of his ministerial status”.

All the hogwash by Godwin Hulse about putting systems with checks and balances have been exposed as being mere empty words by an appointed minister who should submit his resignation given the magnitude of the black eye that his incompetent and corrupt Ministry has caused on Belize.

It is ironic that when false allegations were levied against the Social Security Board under the former PUP administration, then Prime Minister Rt. Hon. Said Musa appointed a special select committee headed by Godwin Hulse to investigate, but now that the Barrow Administration is facing its biggest scandal of its tenure, now UDP Minister Godwin Hulse is investigating himself behind closed

Wonhong’s certificate of citizenship signed by UDP Elvin Penner

doors.

The Opposition also said that the Immigration Department must undergo “a house-cleaning exercise” to remove “all politically appointed UDP cronies” and

restore confidence in the office. The PUP also made it clear that using the immigration officers as scapegoats to cover up “criminal behavior of high-ranking UDPs” will not be accepted.

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29 SEP

THE BELIZE TIMES

WOMAN IN THE HOUSE

By Dolores Balderamos Garcia

Reflecting on Belize’s 32nd Belizeans have celebrated our thirty-second anniversary of Independence this past week. I remember clearly the night of September 20, 1981. I had just returned home after completing my Master’s Degree at Marquette University. My sister Jo-Jo had recently finished her degree course in Medicine at UWI, and we were going to be liaison workers in Belmopan on Independence Day for the official ceremonies.

We could not have hoped to be invited to Government House, but we wanted to be close when the Union Jack was lowered and the Belizean flag hoisted, so we and other young people went out to Southern Foreshore in the hope of getting some small glimpse. There was a big downpour just after 11 pm, making it impossible for us to stay around to hear, if not to see, the proceedings.

And the next morning we, along with countless others, dutifully arrived in Belmopan to report for liaison duties.

Of course we also experienced a bit of the euphoria, in particular in Belize City, with the bands, crowds, street festivities, live music and party atmosphere. It felt great to be shaking off the British and to be claiming our place among the community of nations. I also remember well the poster “Get Your Head Together for Independence!”

I wonder whether at 32 as an independent country we have come a long way. It is of course amazing to think that the vast majority of persons, especially the high school students who paraded, were not yet around in 1981. All they know is an independent Belize. The attributes of nationhood that were hard fought for by the proponents of our Independence many youths take for granted, and they have not known the time when Belize was only the crown colony of British Honduras under the oppressive or non-caring rule of the Governor. In these ways we have come a long way.

However, I believe that in many ways we are losing ground. Once having boasted close to 90% literacy, Belize has slipped significantly.

We also have so many more social challenges than those felt thirty or more years ago. Yet, there is no gainsaying that it is under Governments of the PUP that the major strides have been achieved, in infrastructure development, the economy, education, health, housing, culture, etc.

But what is happening now? In so many of these areas we seem to be going backward instead of for-

ward. We must reflect carefully and resolve to halt and then reverse the negative trends, and to put Belize back on a positive track to development, enhancing instead of stifling our democracy through meaningful political reforms that our people continue to clamour for.

We must also respect one another. The Governor General, in his remarks at the State Reception hosted on Independence Eve by himself and Lady Young, made subtle, even humorous comments about the conduct of representatives in parliaments, but his message could not have been clearer. The message was that it is for the Speaker to control his House and to ensure the proper behavior of all House members that Belizeans have every right to expect.

Opposition Leader Hon. Francis Fonseca was very direct and hardhitting in his Independence Day message. He rightly called on the Government to respect the people’s will, to stop playing politics, and to start respectful dialogue with all.

The Prime Minister, reeling of course from the recently revealed Penner immigration scandal, tried sheepishly to scold after the fact, saying that it is insensitive to raise “recriminations” on Independence Day, but the Opposition Leader’s comments were timely, necessary and on target!! For his part, the Prime Minister had to dredge deep to find a few positive things to report, unable, despite the pleasantries of the day, to deny the cesspool of corruption that his Government has descended into.

Of course I could not reflect on Belize’s thirty-second birthday without referring to the massive show of support for the PUP, as witnessed by the huge crowd who marched along with us in Belize City in celebration of the Independence brought to our country by George Price and the PUP, and in anticipation of a return to civility, hard work, inclusivity, positivity and real development that the advent of another Government of the PUP will surely bring.

“We cyan si di days,” as we would say in kriol, but it will surely come. Belize at 32 is in many ways a difficult time for all, but it is also a time for optimism. Let us stay strong. Let us sleep with our own eye. Let us be ready. We can make Belize a better place. And we WILL do so by supporting our leader and by pledging to implement the policies and plans of a rejuvenated PUP. Long live Belize, and long live the People’s United Party!!!

2013

PUP NOTICE

Belize Rural Central Constituency Committee The People’s United Party is accepting applications for members of the Belize Rural Central Constituency Committee.

Application forms are available at the Belize Rural Central PUP office or the PUP Secretariat, Independence Hall, #3 Queen Street, Belize City. Date of Election is October 6th, 2013 Application must be filled and returned to the Secretariat, addressed to the Secretary General by Monday September 30, 2013.

PUP NOTICE

Belmopan Standard Bearer Convention The People’s United Party Standard Bearer Convention for the Belmopan Electoral Division is scheduled for November 3, 2013.

Applications can be picked up from the Secretariat or Mr. Paul Castillo, Chairman for Belmopan Executive Committee.

Completed applications are to be submitted to Mr. Paul Castillo and the Secretary General. The non-refundable fee is to be submitted to the Secretariat along with the necessary documentation to complete the application package.

Deadline for submission is October 3, 2013.

PUP NOTICE

Queen Square Constituency Committee The People’s United Party is accepting applications for members of the Queen Square Constituency Committee.

Application forms are available at the PUP Secretariat, Independence Hall, #3 Queen Street, Belize City. Date of Election is October 16th, 2013 Application must be filled and returned to the Secretariat, addressed to the Secretary General by Friday October 4th, 2013.

PUP NOTICE

Belize Rural Central Standard Bearer Endorsement

The People’s United Party Standard Bearer Endorsement for the Belize Rural Central Electoral Division is scheduled for Sunday October 6th, 2013.

29 SEP

2013

THE BELIZE TIMES

OUT 30 Cents for Stann Creek West Continued from page 2 the easy access or lack thereof, of financial resources. The Village Council Act gives very limited power to village councils. This makes our communities technically unincorporated, and only guarantees returns of the Liquor License monies that are collected, which have proven insufficient to run villages of such size. Fundraiser events such as Lobsterfest and Seine Bight Day should be done for residual income and not a main source of income.

When the National Association of Village Councils (NAVCO) was established, it was a flagship for: “Strengthening Local Level Governance to Enhance National Development”. Our communities are starved of resources and it makes contemporary socioeconomic development lethargic. A perfect example of the limitations of the Village Council Act is the inability to legally form a Local Building Authority (LBA) to collect Building Fees and Trade License Fees, from the existing and in-progress investments that are up and down the Placencia Peninsula. A rough estimate, from the development boom until now, would have translated to millions of dollars in locally generated revenues that should have gone to the Placencia and Seine Village Councils.

Currently, Seine Bight and Placencia Councils are struggling financially, and find it difficult with basic functions such as administrative, and even more so with infrastructural, social and other locally sponsored investments since our Water Boards, which Councils were highly dependent on, have been dissolved and all assets seized, including the money that was sitting in the bank.

Township status for Placencia Peninsula and potentially including Independence Village, with proper stewardship, would alleviate financial dependency on the State; and give the Local Government the resources and autonomy that is needed to fulfill their mandates.

After reviewing the white paper “Towards a Model of Budgetary Allocation and Revenue-sharing in Mexico’s Local Governments” the benefits of the revision of these budgetary allocations are obvious. A quick look at the Riviera Maya will illustrate the significant investment in infrastructure, thus creation of jobs and continued attraction of investment. A big por-

09 9 tion of the financial resources to the Municipality is generated from the land tax and budgetary allocation and revenue-sharing, especially from the tourism developments.

This paper was prepared in 1997 and what it identified in Mexico parallels what we are currently experiencing in Belize: “...local resources are scarce because local politicians only have a limited capacity to influence transfers from other levels of government.” It goes on to say: “The possibility of modifying the amount of financial resources is also always political because the flexibility to improve revenue collection, or obtain conditional or unconditional transfers from other levels of government, depends on local politics. Whatever the “first best” technical solution to a public finance allocation problem, it will always be politically constrained.”

What is needed? We need to call for real revision towards a model of budgetary allocation and revenue-sharing in Belize’s Local Governments, and a first step would be township so that we can take advantage of the Town Council Act. This would give us more autonomy than the Village Council Act. This will allow an immediate increase in locally available financial resources from revenue collection efforts, mainly from property tax, building fees, trade license fees, and potential supplementation with conditional or unconditional transfer coming from the State via the National Budget.

How can this be achieved? We need to use the mechanisms that are already in place to tell the Government what we want. We need to remember that ranting on Facebook, on radio, on the street side will not influence real change.

What are those mechanisms? Village Councils, Stann Creek District Association of Village Councils (DAVCO) and National Association of Village Councils (NAVCO), which needs to garner consensus from the people.

STEPS: 1.

Placencia, Seine Bight and Independence Village Councils call a special public meeting.

2.

At this special meeting move a resolution asking the people if they support the efforts of lobbying the State for a revision towards a model of budgetary allocation and revenue-sharing in our Local Governments, and combining our villages to form a township.

3.

If the majority vote is YES move to step 4.

4.

Forward the official Minutes of the special public meeting with a cover letter to the Stann Creek District DAVCO Board.

5.

It is then the mandate of the Stann Creek DAVCO to take this to the NAVCO Board.

6.

NAVCO then take this to the Ministry of Local Government and all other relevant Ministries and Departments, and lobby on our behalf.

In conclusion, inertia will continue to stunt local socioeconomic investment and growth in our communities.

We need to use the mechanisms that are in place to properly lobby the State.

Sincerely, Charles Leslie Jr. Placencia

10 Dangriga Town Council demands Market Project Completion

THE BELIZE TIMES

29 SEP

FACES & OPINIONS

2013

by Micah Vernon

Was Elvin Penner’s removal from the Cabinet for the passport scandal enough, or should he answer to charges?

Rashelle

Minister Elvin Penner needs to answer to charges for the passport scandal that he was caught doing. The Prime Minister being the leader of our country should have used him as an example, by letting him be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. This shows a lot about the way he goes about in dealing with issues.

Hon. Ivan Ramos, Mayor Gilbert Swazo, Town Councillors & concerned residents take a stand

18th September, 2013 The Dangriga Town Council on behalf of the People of Dangriga is extremely concerned about the recent abrupt termination of the Project for Renovation and Extension of the Dangriga Town Market.

The termination of the contract according to the Social Investment Fund (SIF) is as a result of: 1. Extreme delays in excess of 100 days 2. Financial issues as a result of the line of credit.

It must be stated categorically that the People of Dangriga and the Dangriga Town Council did not in any way or form contributed to the perceived corruption that led to, and/or caused the termination of the Project.

The Dangriga Town Council on behalf of the people of Dangriga complied with all the requirements stipulated by the operational procedures of the Belize Municipal Development Project (BMDP) including the payment of the 3% counterpart contribution of $42,508.21 and constructed the temporary facility which cost $34,000.00 Essentially the people of Dangriga paid their dues and fulfilled their stipulated obligations. So why are we being punished and held hostage for the wrongdoings of the members of SIF and the constructor?

The People of Dangriga need no apology from SIF and/or the Ministry of Economic Development. The action of the SIF Board to terminate four of its employees and the resignation of the Director offer no definitive solution to the issues surrounding the completion of the Project. We need the Ministry and SIF to complete our Project by 31st October, 2013 as agreed.

SIF stated that there is $750,000.00 left for the completion of our Project. This balance can now be used to employ more people of Dangriga to continue the Project, thereby completing the Project on 31st October, 2013 or shortly thereafter in order to • Stop the inconvenience to the People of Dangriga.

• Minimize the loss of income by the vendors Our People are hurting. Stop the pain and suffering.

Shajira

It’s not fair that he gets set free simply because he is a Minister. If it was a regular guy he would have been condemned to “noh-moh-noh-moh” so he should be punished just like regular people too, no exception!!!

Daniel

The prime minister says Zero Tolerance!!! So why is he allowing Minister Penner to go free on a criminal charge?

OUT

Tiana

Minister Penner should face charges for the crime that he committed. If it was any ordinary Belizean they would be locked down and charged to the full extent of the law. I see no reason why Penner is favoured and gets to walk free.

No basis for checks and balance Continued from page 2 tion, or a scandal; he or she resigns, because that is what HONOR requires.

There is no such code in Belize. Here the belief in the supremacy of parliament is the principle that holds sway. It works like a sacred anointing in favor of those who are privileged by being elected by the people. Since the voice of the people is the voice of God, our parliamentarians grasp their power and rule as a Divine Right, similar to what kings enjoyed in past ages before representative democracy came into vogue.

In our version of parliamentary democracy the two most powerful arms of the state are one and the same – lawmakers are also the executives that carry out the affairs of state. What Ministers do is well done – right or wrong. And there is no philosophical basis for proving otherwise.

Senator Gordon and the rest will discuss endlessly about tweaking the system, and our rulers will continue smiling and laughing all the way to the bank.

Belizeans, it is really time to really and truly separate the powers of the state.

We need an ELECTED SENATE solely responsible for impeachments.

Signed: Paul Rodriguez

Claire Just because you’re a minister doesn’t mean that you’re above the law. They should face any penalty that an ordinary person faces and we as Belizeans allow a lot of things to slip by in our country and pay attention to all the unnecessary and irrelevant things.

Felix

I personally believe that he should face charges.

It’s like treason, and I think that it should go for all, across the board, Minister or civilian. Everyone should be punished for their wrong doing.

Jabir

He should be entitled to a more severe punishment, being a minister; that’s a blatant disrespect.

He should go through the procedure like everyone else. He shouldn’t have any leniency due to his rank or position in government. The law applies for all of us.

Marlon

I believe that we might be able to get a loan if the bank is run properly and not by political means as most things in Belize. But to be honest I do think a hidden agenda is in order. It seems a bit sketchy, but we should try!

29 SEP

THE BELIZE TIMES

2013

Sprucing Up Hattieville Belize District, September 23, 2013 Last Thursday September 19th marked two years since the sad passing of Father of the Nation Rt. Hon. George Price, and in his honor and memory the

Hon. Dolores led the cleaning of the George Price Highway in Hattieville

THE SERVILE BULLY Continued on page 10

Continued from page 3 the Mutual Exchange of Information Treaty. The penalty for failing to comply with a directive to disclose is a fine of up to $10,000.00 and in addition the license of the entity can be revoked.

If there was any doubt in the minds of Belizeans as to the objective of this raft of legislation being instituted by the Barrow regime this Bill makes it clear that our servile Prime Minister will give in to any demands made by Uncle Sam. So rotten and scandal-ridden has his government become, that despite all his bravado and arrogant posturing, Mr. Barrow has become a weak dependent leader lashing out at his own people cutting his own nose to spite his face.

The Director of the Financial Intelligence Unit will now be further empowered to make applications to intercept everybody’s communication – what you say on the phone, what you type on your computer, your text messages – all your “communication.”

The malice and the spite is on full display with the Bill to amend the Non-Governmental Organizations Act Chapter 315 of the Laws. This law now requires all NGOs to maintain and retain all accounting records including documentation relating to any domestic or international financial transactions. Any NGO which fails to comply or is found to be carrying on activities not envisaged in its Memorandum of Association shall have its Certificate of Registration cancelled and lose all the tax exemption privileges granted to NGOs. Any person in an NGO which makes a false statement in any document will be lia-

ble on conviction to a fine of not less than $50,000.00 or if the act is done by an incorporated NGO the fine will not be less than $100,000.00.

This is Barrow’s big stick over the head of SATIIM, TIDE, OCEANA or any other NGO that dares to criticize his government. Yet when confronted by pressure from outside the bully is a pathetic weakling.

11 George Price Center in Belmopan proposed the National Service Day in which all Belizeans can be of selfless service to their neighbors and communities.

On this the second National Service Day Area Representative for Belize Rural Central Hon. DoContinued on page 23

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THE BELIZE TIMES

29 SEP

2013

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THE BELIZE TIMESTIMES THE BELIZE

2013

TOPMODEL 13

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Cor. North Front Steet & Queen Street Belize City

Likes: Travelling and spending time with family Lives in Belize City, Belize District Fav. Quote: “Always Do What Makes You Happy.”

Follow us on facebook

visit us at www.belizetimes.bz or Facebook/ Belize Times

14 SPORTS Barney Brown wins

29 SEP

THE BELIZE TIMES TIMES THE BELIZE

2013

2nd Cycling Test Race Belize City, September 22, 2013 Scotiabank’s Barney Brown won the 2nd Test Race held on Sunday to choose a selection of riders to represent the Jewel in the upcoming Caribbean cycling championships in Curacao from October 18-20.

Brown won the 48-mile race, divided into 2 laps from the CDs Gas Station on the Burrell Boom bypass road to Hattiville and back to the Philip Goldson Highway, in 1:59:23.

Belize Telemedia’s Giovanni Lovell and Benny’s Megabytes’ Byron Pope led the peloton when they first reached Hattieville, but Lovell’s teammate Jairo Campos and Pope’s teammate David Henderson took over the pace on the return to Boom.

Belikin Western Spirits’ Roger Troyer led a chase group that tried to reel in the lead duo, who continued to lead the race three quarters of the way on the 2nd turn at the Hattieville roundabout.

Barney Brown came from behind to out-sprint Giovanni Lovell, Joel Borland, Robert Liam Stewart, Julio Cesar Dzul, Roger Troyer, Angel Tzib and Henry Moreira on the final stretch to the tape.

The next qualification race is an individual time trial also to be held on the Boom bypass road on Saturday morning, September 28.

RESULTS: 2nd – Joel Borland, Belize Telemedia

Joel Borland won 2nd

Giovanni Lovell won 1st in Jr Category

Barney Brown wins

3rd – Robert Liam Stewart, Team Benny’s Megabytes 4th – Julio Cesar Dzul Alcoser, Team Depredadores of Chetumal 5th – Henry Moriera, Unattached 6th – Angel Tzib, Unattached 7th – Roger Troyer, Belikin Western Spirits 8th – Giovanni Lovell, Belize Telemedia 9th – Byron Pope, Team Benny’s Megabytes 10th – Nissan Arana, Team Depredadores 11th – Brandon Cattouse, Team C-Ray 12th – Geon Hanson, Capital City 13th – Philton Butler, M&M Engineering Juniors 14th – Erwin Middleton, Capital City Cycling Club 15th – George Lovell Jr., Belize Telemedia 16th – Jairo Campos, Belize Telemedia 17th – Tarique Flowers, Benny’s Megabytes 18th – Darnell Barrow, Team Santino’s 19th – Shalini Zabaneh, Team Sagitun 20th – Delawn Abraham, Benny’s Megabytes in 2:12:07 21st – Adrian Gardiner, Capital City cycling club 22nd – David Henderson Jr., Benny’s Megabytes 23rd – Kirah Eiley, Team BECOL

Camalote Blazers win softball champs

Shadalee Ho makes catch

Belize City, September 22, 2013 The defending Cayo district champs, Camalote Blazers, won the Women’s Softball championship against Roaring Creek Grace Kennedy in the finals held at the Denbeigh Fuller Stadium in Camalote on Sunday.

Francine Salazar and the Blazers shut out Roaring Creek to clinch the championship. Frances Coye, Tamira Martinez, Bridgett Fuller and Emogene Coye came home in the 3rd inning and Shadine Salazar came home in the 5th for the 5-0 win.

Roaring Creek’s pitcher Leyandra Guy gave up 5 hits even though she struck out 2 batters and walked 3. The Roaring Creek’s diamond made 4 errors. Camalote had left 6 runners on base but Salazar struck out 2 batters and gave up only one hit. Camalote’s diamond made only 1 error, and Roaring Creek left 3 runners on base.

The consolation game for 3rd place went to Esperanza Wolverines by a forfeit from the Ontario Rebels.

The champions, 2nd place and 3rd place winners received team trophies, and the individual awards from the sponsor in an award ceremony after Game 3.

Camalote pitcher Francine Salazar won Most Valuable Player award.

Both Camalote and Roaring Creek

will represent the Cayo district in the national softball championship tournament at the Roger’s Stadium in Belize City, from Friday to Sunday, September 27-29.

Most Home Runs – Melinda Blancaneaux (Esperanza Wolverines won, 4) Most Stolen Bases - Sharine Reyes (7) Most RBI’s – Greta Davis (Roaring Creek Grace Kennedy, 22) Rookie of the Year – Shanay Williams (Camalote Blazers) Coach of the Year – Kalon Webster Manager of the year – Lindsay Garbutt Best Sportsmanship Award - Las Flores Shooting Stars 2012 awards were also presented went to the, who never won a single game but never lost heart and played on. Trophies for the 2012 competition were also presented.

Most Valuable Player Award - Pitcher Kenreen Gillett Most Wins - Pitcher Leyandra Guy (Roaring Creek Grace Kennedy, 8) Most Strikeouts – Kenreen Gillett, Francine Salazar, Ayannnah Smith (25 each) Best Batting Average - Nadina Coye (0.620) Most Home Runs – Astrid Jones (2) Most RBI’s - Astrid Jones (15) Most Stolen Bases - Ann Soberanis (Esperanza Wolverines, 9) Rookie of the Year - Sherrie Macfadzean Coach of the Year - Raymond Garbutt Manager of the Year - Ernesto Thimbrell

MVP Francine Salazar scored Camalote’s 1st run

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SPORTS 15

THE BELIZE TIMESTIMES THE BELIZE

2013 2013

Duckrun III wins PUP Cayo Northeast Football marathon Billy White Village, September 23, 2013 Duckrun Three Football Team won the PUP Cayo Northeast Football marathon held on Sunday, September 22, 2013 in Billy White Village.

Mr. Orlando Habet congratulate the winners and delivered the 1st place cash prize to the captain of team.

National U-18 3x3 basketball team participates in World Championship

Habet with Ovidio Estrada, chairman of the Football Competition committee for PUP Cayo North East

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

Belize City, September 25, 2013 The National U 18 3x3 basketball team left for Jakarta, Indonesia on Sunday September 22nd, 2013 to participate in the U18 3x3 World Championship to be held from September 26-29, 2013.

Belize qualified for these games because of our good showing in last year’s World Championship as well as the FIBA Americas games in Washington DC three weeks ago.

The Belize delegation includes players Brian White, Brandon Flowers, Tree-vanne Moses, Douglas Valley and Coach Matthew Smiling. Belize plays 7 games in the preliminary rounds in what has to be considered the group of death with countries like Spain, Brazil Germany, Turkey and Venezuela. Four teams from 4 pools will advance to the quarterfinals. See schedule of games below.

PAY & PLAY “BOLEDO” OUR WAY OF SHOWING YOU “APPRECIATION” FOR YOUR PATRONAGE “YOU CAN’T LOSE”

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

OVER 2,148 WINNERS

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

JL’s Quick Loan, Quick Cash Card & Credit Master Systems

SCHEDULE ALL THAT piece or parcel of land being Lot No. 290, comprising 888.89 Square Yards situate in Ladyville Village, Belize District, being such land comprised in MINISTER’S FIAT GRANT No. 333 of 2011 dated 28th September 2011 and more particularly shown and delineated on a Plan of Survey No. 333 of 2011 dated 18th September 2011 by G. E. Gill, Licensed Land Surveyor, recorded at the Office of the Commissioner of Lands and Surveys, Belmopan City, Cayo District in Register No. 23 Entry No. 6209 TOGETHER with all buildings and erections standing and being thereon, the freehold property of KIRK GRIFFITHS DATED this 25th day of September 2013 HOLY REDEEMER CREDIT UNION LIMITED 1 HYDE’S LANE, BELIZE CITY, BELIZE Phone: (501) 224-5644 Fax: (501) 223-0738

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THE BELIZE TIMES

CENTERFOLD

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2013

29 SEP

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THE BELIZE TIMES

CENTERFOLD

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29 SEP

THE BELIZE TIMES

2013

The Black Owl

by Yasser Musa He was one of the best minds of his generation.

The Native American Indians have a name for people like him - Jair. It means about to soar.

Erron Golanche known as Nokturnal and the Black Owl was a thinker, a conceptual artist, a graphic designer and an innovative force. When he was a boy his mother called him a mad scientist because he was always deconstructing electronics and experimenting with computer parts.

For several years Erron was an active artist at the Image Factory Art Foundation. On a cool January night in 2011 he took to the outdoor stage behind the Factory and mesmerized the young audience with his beat-box performance at the launch of the Youth Voices poetry project. He worked with Gilvano Swasey on many art and graphic projects. So many times Swasey described how amazed he was by the boy genius Erron for his voracious appetite to learn new things.

He went to Gwen Lizarraga High School and St. John’s Junior College. A couple years ago he went to live and work in Orange Walk Town.

In 2012 he collaborated with the Grandmaster on an innovative DVD of sound and poetry. He also created the pen and ink drawings for the book Jazz Sketches (2009) a selection of brief biographies of some of Jazz’s most notable figures. He mastered many aspects of digital media including graphic publishing, illustration, video editing, video shooting and 3D animation. Erron navigated freely within the orbit of the digital and the conceptual. Recently he participated in Channel 5’s Superstar show as part of the group Acafellas.

He grew up in tough the streets of Belize City. Erron struggled in poverty, but his spirit was rich with integrity, curiosity and humility.

He was a deeply sensitive man who displayed

compassion and cared effortlessly for others.

The news of his death came on Independence Day. His Facebook exploded with a festival of humanity. He was just twenty- five and about to soar.

Ayó Black Owl Nocturnal never sleeps No Facebook can calibrate the comfort You delivered dreams Your fingers were made from graphite On the bus you gathered the thoughts For the new day Arranged the music and the art of the mind The songs and sketches for the streets Sounds and symbols Pulse of a joyous morning You spoke in multiple languages Only the heart could translate The Black Owl has taken flight The Haulover Creek is restless The echo of your silence lives There is no line on the horizon…

29 SEP

2013

THE BELIZE TIMES

GOB’s Protocol humiliates PM Roosevelt Skerrit Belize City, September 22, 2013 The Protocol Division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ inability to properly coordinate a special excursion for Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of Dominica, Roosevelt Skerrit, who was a special guest of honor of this year’s Independence celebrations, has given Belize another international bruise.

PM Skerrit ended up being detained briefly by Belize’s security officials while out at sea.

On Saturday September 21st, PM Skerrit, accompanied by his personal security, a police escort, representatives from the Belize Tourism Board and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, set off on a planned trip to Hol Chan Marine Reserve and Shark Ray Alley despite not having the proper security escorting them. That security should

have been a specially assigned team of Belize Coast Guard officers. This team did not arrive at a designated pier in San Pedro on the scheduled time, and Skerrit’s chaperones decided to go ahead with the trip.

The Coast Guard team intercepted Skerrit’s boat while it returned from its trip, and not cognizant of who the passengers were, the armed officers stopped the boat, strapped it next to theirs, and investigated the purpose of the trip.

The Coast Guard team was headed by Petty Officer Richard Ogaldez, who reports indicate, was overly aggressive with his questioning of the passengers, including his questioning of PM Skerrit who identified himself as the Prime Minister but was ig-

PM Roosevelt Skerrit

WHO IS PENNER’s

“FRIEND”: Kim wonhong Reprinted from Korea JoongAng Daily Aug 09, 2013 The prosecution has raised suspicions regarding the arrest of a key figure in the SK corruption scandal, suggesting executives with the chaebol colluded with him to skew the case towards the defense. Jailed SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won says the man, Kim Wonhong, is behind the embezzlement that he’s currently doing time for.

The Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office earlier this week submitted to the Seoul High Court that it has grounds for “suspicion” regarding the arrest of Kim, a former adviser to SK Shipping, in Taiwan on July 31.

SK Group officials, including Chey Jae-won, the senior vice chairman and younger brother to the boss, were also in Taiwan on the day of the arrest, according to prosecution sources.

SK Group representatives confirmed that Vice Chairman Chey and other executives visited Taiwan at the time but said it was to convince Kim to return to Korea to take the stand as a witness. They said that fact had already been revealed to the court.

Kim, 52, has been pointed to by Chairman Chey’s defense team as a main figure behind the embezzlement that the chairman has been found guilty of.

Kim fled to China to avoid the investigation into corruption in the chaebol in March 2011. He was wanted by Interpol before being arrested by Taiwanese officials last week for breaching immigra-

Taiwanese police arresting Kim Won-hong, center, on July 30. Kim is a key figure in the embezzlement scandal tion law.

Chey, head of the country’s third-largest conglomerate, was found guilty of embezzling company money to the tune of 49.7 billion won ($44.2 million) and was sentenced to four years on Jan. 31. His younger brother was acquitted of embezzlement and breach of trust charges.

In appeals trials, Chey’s defense team claimed Kim Won-hong colluded with Kim Jun-hong, the former president of Benex Investment, SK’s financial unit, in embezzling the company funds.

The Chey brothers claim they were unaware of the scheme and that they were duped by Kim Won-hong.

Chairman Chey testified that he provided some 600 billion won through Benex for Kim Won-hong to manage for personal investments between 2005 and 2008.

This includes the 49.7 billion won he

is charged with embezzling, but none of the money was ever returned to Chey.

Chey claimed he had trusted Kim, who had served as asset manager for the family dating back to 1998.

On Wednesday, the Seoul High Court, which was scheduled to deliver a verdict today, postponed the decision to Sept. 13.

Court officials said they need extra time to “review hundreds of records related to the case to reach a verdict.”

But the court denied the defense team’s request on Monday to reopen hearings to enable Kim to testify once he is extradited from Taiwan. The Korean Ministry of Justice said it is working with Taiwanese officials to extradite Kim. In the appeal, prosecutors are calling for another two years to be added to Chey’s prison term and for his younger brother to be sentenced to four years for his part in the embezzlement.

19 nored.

PM Skerrit’s chaperones contacted the secretary of the Minister of Tourism, who then contacted a Coast Guard senior official who issued the directive for the Coast Guard personnel to stand down.

PM Skerrit was returned to his room at Victoria House safely, but he refused to take part in any of the Independence activities that he had been invited to as special guest.

Swift justice is not common in Belize, but for this case the Belize Coast Guard held a tribunal on Wednesday in which Petty Officer Ogaldez was questioned by the Coast Guard Commander and found guilty of wrong doing. He was demoted to the rank of a seaman.

While the Coast Guard officer has faced disciplinary measures, there is no indication whether anyone in the Protocol Division will be questioned as to why the trip went on without proper security. Belize’s seas are not totally safe. There have been reports of sea pirates assaulting fishermen, and the regular trafficking of drugs do not make it safe. Luckily, the Government’s inability to get a simple trip right did not end up as horrific as it could have.

20

THE BELIZE TIMES

Pickstock Executive Committee Sworn In

Dr. Francis Smith flanked by the members of the new Pickstock Executive Committee

Did you know?

Belize City, September 25, 2013 Did you know that Belize’s Independence in 1981 was objected to by the United Democratic Party?

In his book: “George Price-Man of the People” Rudolph Castillo recorded how the people of Belize celebrated the announcement of Independence made by then Premier Hon. George Price at a July 26th, 1981 meeting before 6,000 people at the Belize City Center.

Mr. Castillo wrote: “Ladies rushed unto the platform and kissed their leader. Men hugged him in joy. Soon he was lifted off his feet and showered with love and adoration by those gathered at the City Centre. In one corner people hugged and kissed one another; spontaneous dancing broke out; some just screamed; some broke into hysterical laughter. Some older people transfixed by happiness, sat and just cried their hearts out as joy and happiness excited the crowd at the announcement of the long awaited day.

George Price had to be rescued from the unbridled love of a people for their great leader”.

And while the people of Belize celebrated with the People’s United Party, the UDP bickered about it and bashed our national leaders. They waged a campaign against Independence, burning homes and causing small riots.

The UDP’s official position was that they “want nothing to do with independence”. The UDP boycotted the Independence Ceremony where the Union Jack was lowered and the Belize Flag was hoisted. Dean Barrow who was then a senior member of the UDP left Belize for the United States and did not take part in the celebrations of the new, sovereign Belize.

29 SEP

2013 Belize City, September 13, 2013 On Saturday August 31st, members of the new Pickstock Executive Committee were sworn in by PUP Chairman Henry C. Usher at a ceremony held at the Party Headquarters, Independence Hall, in Belize City.

The new members were first nominated and then accepted by PUP members and supporters who were in attendance. Supporters expressed tremendous confidence in Ricardo Castillo who was returned as the Chairman of the Executive Committee.

Other members of the new Committee also include: Vice Chairman, Carla Young; Campaign Manager, Sherna Miller; Deputy Campaign Manager, Nikita Ramos; Secretary, Yvonne Thompson; Treasurer, Martha Sanchez; Assistant Treasurer, Amalia Young; Communications Director, Timothy Lanza; and Logistics Coordinator, Mariana Verde.

The Committee will now focus its attention on carrying out the work of the Party in the division which has been terribly neglected by the ruling party over the past six years.

29 SEP

2013

THE BELIZE TIMES

Reid Divided We Stand

By G. Michael Reid The long drawn out September Celebrations are behind us and we move now, onto the next big event on our calendar. On November 19th, we celebrate the arrival of the Garinagu to our shores. Before we immerse ourselves in the sweet rhythm of our southern culture however, we need to take some time to reflect on the events of the just concluded festivities.

Celebrations surrounding our Independence Day saw its traditional chain of events, including flag raising, fireworks and uniform parade and street fest. As per tradition, Belizeans began to converge on the new Memorial Park from early evening on the Eve of Independence for the traditional unfurling of the flag at 12 midnight. There were the usual fireworks after which some partied through the night while others retired in order to be fresh for the official ceremonies of the big day.

Independence Day usually begins early with ceremonies in both cities and all towns and even in some villages followed by parades. In Belize City, there is a big uniform parade which was initially done for the pleasure and benefit of our colonial masters. The foremost purpose of the parade was for participants to march through the residence of the governor who would stand in full regalia and inspect his subjects. What an irony that on the day that we celebrate our Independence from these very colonial masters, we carry on the very tradition that identified us as subjects to the throne. It might be high time to discontinue this silly punishment of our children. Year after year, they are required to line up from early in what is usually broiling sun-hot. They are made to listen to boring speeches by City Councilors who rarely have any notable oratory skills.

This year, Independence Day fell on a Saturday which would usually mean that it would be celebrated on either the Friday or the Monday. Somebody decided that we would get neither day off. Should not then, Monday have been a holiday for at least the schools in order to give back to these children, the off day that they were deprived of?

In recent years, official ceremonies are held in Belmopan while Belize City and other municipalities hold their own individual formal ceremonies and

21

fall on deaf ears.

The Leader of the Opposition continued to trumpet the call for more accountability from government and advised the Prime Minister to heed the call of the people by allowing the reform of the Public Accounts Committee. The UDP have set themselves up as lord and master, usurped the authority of the duly appointed Chairman. They have proceeded in kangaroo fashion to set up their own committee. This is wrong; it is unconstitutional and once again displays parades. Independence Day is the day the arrogance and lawlessness of this when Prime Ministers traditionally give UDP government. No one doubts that their “State of the Union” addresses. all this is done with the full blessing Those speeches are normally preceded and advice of the Prime Minister. by a speech by the Leader of the OppoAt his turn at the podium, the sition who is supposed to “speak about Prime Minister once again regurgitatthe general state of things without geted the same old stale promises with ting too political”. a few new big words thrown in for There is something about this that good measure. The Prime Minister doesn’t make much sense to me. These promised to build three new outposts are speeches that are supposedly of inat the border to stop Guatemalan interest to all citizens and are supposedly cursions. What he did not say is how delivered to the people. They are given at he will fund and man these outposts. a time when everyone is obviously preAs it is, most of the BDF soldiers are occupied. At the same time when these busy patrolling the streets of the city speeches are being given, all the young trying to delay the inevitable next outminds of our nation are taking, for the burst of crime and violence. Maybe most part, a leisurely stroll through the the Guatemalans will see the buildstreets of their respective municipaliings, get scared and stop coming over. Well, if we can continue to believe the The Prime Minister promised to build three new outposts at steady stream of lies from this man’s mouth, then why the border to stop Guatemalan incursions. What he did not can’t we believe that! say is how he will fund and man these outposts. As it is, most The Prime Minister, in of the BDF soldiers are busy patrolling the streets of the city his speech, reached out to trying to delay the inevitable next outburst of crime the LBGT community to assure them that his governand violence. Maybe the Guatemalans will see the ment would provide them buildings, get scared and stop coming over. Well, if we full protection under the law can continue to believe the steady stream of lies from and the constitution. This is this man’s mouth, then why can’t we believe that! a hotbed of controversy and we are yet to get the Churches’ response to those comnot to focus on the obvious jobbery of ments. Of course, given the Prime ties. Parents and most other citizens line this current government and decided inMinister’s track record on fulfilling the streets to watch these children and stead, to stay on moral high ground. He promises, were I in a position to issue whatever other attractions there might called for a more inclusive form of govadvice, I would tell members of that be as a part of this cortege. Would it not ernance and echoed the cry of the Belizcommunity to not hold your breath make more sense if these speeches are ean people by urging the government to and take those remarks with a heapgiven in the evening after all the other embark on a path of “less confrontation ing spoonful of salt. This is no George festivities are done away with? and more dialogue, of less arrogance Washington who speaks here and Of course it might have been just as and more humility and on less personal were it him, they would never have well that our people were not subjected politics and more problem solving”. We found out who cut down the cherry to the usual rhetoric and empty promiscan only hope that his words did not tree. Belize in me, long live Belize! es that were compiled and delivered as a speech by the Prime Minister. Call me bias but we could very well had ended the speech-giving after the Leader of the Opposition had finished. The Leader of the Opposition’s speech was poignant, dynamic and relevant to the issues of the day. The Honorable Francis hinted at the many scandals haunting the Dean Barrow administration including the Rosewood scandal, the Noh Mul scandal, the K.H.M.H. scandal, the San Estevan Road scandal, ongoing Ministry of Lands’ scandals, the Social Investment Fund scandal and of course the recently exposed and still unfurling Immigration scandal. The last one involving many high ranking members of the UDP and which to this point, has caused one high ranking official to be fired from his job as minister.

Of course, this is not the first minister to be fired from cabinet during this administration, and like the case of Castro before him, it is doubtful that we will ever get the full story of what really happened in Taiwan. Speaking of Castro, it seems he was up to his old tricks again but this time, he was caught in a foreign country. It seems that some folks never learn and once a pervert always a pervert.

The Leader of the Opposition chose

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29 SEP

THE BELIZE TIMES

Successful Students Never Give Up

By Dr. Angela Banner Joseph No student ever attains very eminent success by simply doing what is required of him: it is the amount and excellence of what is over and above the required that determines the greatness of ultimate distinction. – Charles Kendall Adams You will have moments during your tenure as a student when you want to give up; when your schoolwork becomes too demanding. In these instances, you may need to request the support of your family, friends, and teachers to pull you through the arduous times to become an excellent pupil. In these difficult periods, you need to remain positive and not become discouraged as you twist and turn, and to resolve your concerns to become the best that you can be as a scholar. Outlined below are a few attributes of a successful student.

As a student, you must understand the qualities of a successful student in a learning environment.

Some of the best qualities of a hard-working student do not necessarily come from the most brilliant person in the class.

A successful learner gets a good night’s sleep and comes to class prepared, on time, and ready to work. He or she attends classes regularly and does not give up easily when confronted with obstacles. Equally, he or she is focused and is not distracted by peers. If you are out sick, have one of your classmates provide you the missing course material or ask your teacher for the assignments when

you return to school.

Other characteristics of an excellent student are paying attention in class and respecting your teachers and peers. Try not to have multiple small talks with classmates who sit next to you and try not to stare out the window or glance at the door, hoping for recess.

At different periods in the academic year, your teachers may give you extra-credit assignments to complete. Please take advantage of these opportunities by doing the work and challenging yourself to succeed. Doing the extra-credit work shows your teachers that you care about your grades.

Being a responsible student also means that you submit your homework on time and respect your instructor’s comments by making the necessary improvements; this is what your teachers like to see. Additional guidance like this may come before or after class hours and may help you do better on exams, improve written papers, or simply grasp the material.

The next quality you should have is to remain a life-long learner. Education opens the door to opportunity and it is imperative that you motivate yourself to succeed.

You must be goal-oriented, work independently with little direction, and remain self-disciplined as you learn the characteristics of a first class student. Do not give up easily when confronted with obstacles, and remember, never give up as you prepare yourself for an outstanding future.

By learning about the characteristics of a great student, you will understand what it takes to be responsible for your own learning while understanding what it takes to become a successful student.

Dr. Angela Banner Joseph holds a doctorate degree in Educational Leadership and Change from the Fielding Graduate University

2013

PUP NOTICE

Cayo North East Standard Bearer Convention The People’s United Party Standard Bearer Convention for the Cayo North East Electoral Division is scheduled for November 24, 2013.

Applications can be picked up from the Secretariat or Mr. Ursulo Guerra, Vice Chairman for Cayo North East Executive Committee.

Completed applications are to be submitted to Mr. Ursulo Guerra and the Secretary General. The non-refundable fee is to be submitted to the Secretariat along with the necessary documentation to complete the application package.

Deadline for submission is October 24, 2013.

PUP NOTICE

Corozal North Standard Bearer Convention The People’s United Party Standard Bearer Convention for the Corozal North Electoral Division is scheduled for November 24, 2013.

Applications can be picked up from the Secretariat or Mr. Gilberto Camal, Chairman for Corozal North Executive Committee.

Completed applications are to be submitted to Mr. Gilberto Camal and the Secretary General. The non-refundable fee is to be submitted to the Secretariat along with the necessary documentation to complete the application package.

Deadline for submission is October 24, 2013.

PUP NOTICE

Belize Rural North Executive Committee The People’s United Party is accepting applications for members of the Belize Rural North Executive Committee.

Application forms are available at the PUP Secretariat, Independence Hall, #3 Queen Street, Belize City. Date of Election is October 23rd, 2013 Application must be filled and returned to the Secretariat, addressed to the Secretary General by Friday October 18th, 2013.

PUP NOTICE

Belize Rural North Standard Bearer Convention

PUP NOTICE

The People’s United Party Standard Bearer Convention for the Belize Rural North Electoral Division is scheduled for November 30, 2013.

The People’s United Party is accepting applications for members of the Dangriga Constituency Committee. The Election of the Committee will be held on October 20, 2013.

Applications can be picked up from the Secretariat or Mrs. Carol Williams, Chairlady for Belize Rural North Executive Committee.

Application forms are available through Dangriga PUP Committee Chairman Mr. Melvin Bernard or the PUP Secretariat located at Independence Hall, #3 Queen Street, Belize City.

Completed applications are to be submitted to Mrs. Carol Williams and the Secretary General. The non-refundable fee is to be submitted to the Secretariat along with the necessary documentation to complete the application package.

The application must be filled and returned to the Secretariat, addressed to the Secretary General by Friday October 10, 2013.

Deadline for submission is October 30, 2013.

Dangriga Constituency Committee

29 SEP

23

THE BELIZE TIMES

2013

Image of a True Patriot Dedicated to the Memory of Our Father of the Nation, George C. Price

By Omar Silva As we celebrate the 32nd anniversary of our Independence on the 21st September, it is worthwhile to reflect on what it means to love Belize, and what the image of a true patriot is. While for some it is simply to put our right hands on our chests when singing the national anthem, to others it may be running with a torch to celebrate national holidays, wearing a shirt with the national emblem, attending official ceremonies or parades or the most common act of adding the name “patriots” to a political party’s string of activities. All these actions are only emotional, but they can never replace the real civic values such as: truth, honesty, reliability, transparency in the management of public affairs, diligence, determination, judiciousness, and social justice. Whoever applies these, is actually showing genuine love and respect for country.

These positive actions are more apparent in private citizens than in some politicians who should be examples of patriots but instead use the word to promote themselves.

The citizens’ disenchantment caused by those discredited politicians has prompted to delegitimize acts of patriotism in exchange for empty speeches, and have discouraged the majority of the population to the point that the patriotic fervour has almost disappeared. It is known that love for country is not shown by words or false promises, but by real, concrete facts. Unfortunately the government in power has shown that the least they care about is Belize or its people.

Patriotism is based on respect for human dignity, and in Belize this is undermined

daily by all the evil and violence prevailing in the country, while the purported “patriots” do nothing.

Many private citizens are the pride of our nation, because with their impeccable daily actions they show that they honour Belize with their performance of honest hard work, fighting for the ideals of freedom and justice, living with high moral values that dignify all human beings. And that person may well be the rural peasant, the waitress, secretary, chauffeur, entrepreneur, engineer, and all those who do their duty, pay their taxes, do not

steal from anyone struggling to support his or her family and serve the community. Those are true patriots; the Belizean who strives to do his/ her job well, with love, efficiency, joy and passion, and despite all the adversities that occur daily in a troubled nation such as ours – they do not lose faith in the future nor in our nation.

As good Belizeans, we must do everything possible to uplift our country. We cannot continue to allow our fellow Belizeans to continue to suffer because of the social indifference encouraged by those who

govern us. As a nation we must assume our responsibilities to our family and fellowmen. We must appreciate our ethnic and cultural roots, because only then our identity will merge with reality and convert us into true Belizean patriots.

The troubled times that we are living is the perfect occasion to redefine ourselves, because if not, we choose to give up and then relinquish the right to claim to love Belize, and much less to criticize those who are dishonouring our country.

Sprucing Up Hattieville Hon. Dolores & Secretary General Myrtle Palacio sharing important PUP history

PUP exhibit at Independence Hall Belize City, September 26, 2013 In recognition of the Party’s birthday and unrivalled history of service, commitment, struggle and achievement, the PUP Secretariat unveiled an Exhibition at the Independence Hall in Belize City on Wednesday, September 25th.

The exhibit showcased Belize’s political course and history, the road to Independence under the guidance of the late Father of the Nation, and highlighted other great accomplishments of the PUP. The theme of the exhibit was “Remembering the Legacy of

George Price”.

On September 29th, 2013, the People’s United Party will be celebrating its 63rd birthday, an occasion which generates great pride and satisfaction for members and supporters of the PUP.

Continued from page 11 lores Balderamos Garcia, Chairman Pepe Garcia, and the PUP BRC Committee took on a major cleanup campaign along the George Price Highway in Hattieville.

A small army of committee members, youths and area students took to the highway between the Old Hattieville roundabout and the third bus shelter, and executed cutting of grass, collection of all plastic and garbage, and clean up of bus shelters. Also completed was the cleanup in front of the Golden Haven Rest Home for the elderly in the Old Hattieville area.

Complete sprucing up was done along half a mile of Highway of the downtown Hattieville area. Particularly encouraging was the participation of students from the Seventh Day Adventist Primary School in Hattieville. Dolores, Pepe and the PUP committee thank all those who participated and contributed their time and effort in brightening up this important section of the George Price Highway. The Father of The Nation would be proud!

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29 SEP

THE BELIZE TIMES

2013

Recipe of the week

Sweet and Sour Chicken Ingredients: 1 lb chicken thighs (boneless and skinless, breasts cut into 1 chunks) 1 egg white 1/2 tsp kosher salt (14 teaspoon table) 2 tsps cornstarch 10 ozs pineapple chunks (reserve juice) 1/4 cup juices (canned pineapple) 1/4 cup white vinegar 1/4 cup ketchup 21/2 tbsps brown sugar 1 tbsp cooking oil (teaspoon) 1 red bell pepper (cut into 1 inch chunks) 1 yellow bell pepper (cut into 1 inch chunks) 1 tsp fresh ginger (grated) Method 1 In a bowl, combine the chicken with the egg white, salt and cornstarch. Stir to coat the chicken evenly. Let sit for 15 minutes at room temperature or up to overnight in the refrigerator.

2 In the meantime, whisk together the pineapple juice, vinegar, ketchup, salt, and brown sugar.

3 Heat a large frying pan or wok over high heat until a bead of water instantly sizzles and evaporates. Pour in the 1 tablespoon of cooking oil and swirl to coat. It’s important that the pan is very hot. Add the chicken and spread the chicken out in one layer. Let the chicken fry, untouched for 1 minute, until the bottoms are browned. Flip and fry the other side the same for 1 minute. The chicken should still be pinkish in the middle. Dish out the chicken onto a clean plate, leaving as much oil in the pan as possible.

4 Turn the heat to medium and add the remaining 1 teaspoon of cooking oil. Let the oil heat up and then add the bell pepper chunks and ginger. Fry for 1 minute. Add the pineapple chunks and the sweet and sour sauce. Turn the heat to high and when the sauce is simmering, add the chicken pieces back in. Let simmer for 1-2 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through.

Timing depends on how thick you’ve cut your chicken. The best way to tell if the chicken is done is to take a piece out and cut into it. If it’s pink, add another minute to the cooking.

Taste the sauce and add more brown sugar if you’d like.

Yield: Serves 4.

A TALE OF TWO PARKS

The Battlefield Park Another cement celebration The “new” Battlefield Park in the heart of downtown Belize City, which was inaugurated on September 18, is one more cement celebration. The Master Mayor spent over $360,000 to flatten and cement the park. The UDP croney construction firm of the Arguelles Brothers got the contract.

At the opening ceremony less than twenty-five people showed up. Not even the Albert area representative who was on the program to speak showed up. And while the Master was waxing over his plan pedestrians passed by as if nothing was going on. Only the Master cannot see his nakedness. Channel 7 tried to protect the event by never panning on the crowd carefully keeping the camera on the Master Mayor at all times.

A couple years ago another renegade UDP Mayor Moya bulldozed the park of all its beautiful trees to erect a stage like temple to the Bhojwanis.

Now Master Bradley with his cement mind has sealed the deal and created a Park that is totally dysfunctional.

Bradley boasted that the Battlefield Park was once “occupied by people who had no other place to go.” Remember it was the Master himself who wanted to jail the homeless at the Kolbe Prison.

So where are they now?

The Memorial Park A Six Million dollar Panades Shack Paradise

Dean Barrow spent most of his Independence Day speech delivering more dreams and imaginative fantasies to the Belizean people. While Barrow’s golden boy Penner drowns in scandal and his brown nose boy Santi manage his ministry from Miami the Prime Minister has no other choice but to engage in delusions of grandeur.

In his speech he did not even bother to go into any detail about his six million dollar panades shack paradise he, the BTB and the IDB are calling the new Memorial Park in Belize City. That park is a monument to poor design and bad taste. It is kitsch on steroids.

Even the high paid consultant Christy Maestre confessed at the official opening of the Park that “I really believe that the ‘panades’ will sell and it will maintain the grass.” Perhaps she was trying to make a joke, but it is on the backs of the Belizean people who are left with a six million dollar Memorial Park cluttered with dozens of shacks.

Of course their explanation will come down to one phrase, “it is all part of the Master Plan.” Can we just imagine if this is what we get for six million dollars what the Prime Minister has in store for us at his $30 million Civic Centre?

Belizeans know that the shallow words of the Prime Minister are just meant for his friends and family. They are the only ones eating.

And the people? Let them eat rawmein and panades.

PUP Corozal Bay – Serving the People

By Roberto Pasos September 19, 2013 is observed as “National Service Day”. This is the date our great leader, rhe Rt. Hon. George Cadle Price passed away. In order to remember what our National Hero represented, Belizeans are asked to carry out community services in their respective communities.

As a result of that, the PUP Corozal Bay Executive Committee joined other Belizeans in the civic venture to serve its community. This was done by means of distributing food hampers to the elderly in the Corozal Bay Constituency.

Furthermore, a vigil was

conducted at the PUP Headquarters in honour of Rt. Hon. George Cadle Price. In addition, documentaries showing the life of Mr. Price were shown on a large screen for residents to learn more about this great accomplishments for Belize.

Food and refreshments were shared to friends and supporters in attendance. The vigil is the third of its kind that takes place and the committee intends to hold it every year.

The committee thanks all who assisted to make National Service Day a success and wished supporters and friends of the People’s United Party a Happy 63rd birthday anniversary.

29 SEP

2013

MINI PUZZLE: ROAD TO INDEPENDENCE

PEOPLE FROM OUR PAST! Can you match up the first names with their correct last names?

Can you use the clues from the box to solve the crossword puzzle?

Across 4. The working class movement led by unionized workers played a great role in the fight for Independence.

One union was the __________ Workers’ Union.

5. On September 29, 1950 the People’s Committee became the ____________.

GEORGE

PALACIO

ANTONIO

CHO

JULIAN

HAYNES

ANDY SOBERANIS

Down 1. Before Independence most persons did not have the right to ____________.

2. The ________________Committee started the fight against colonialism.

3. The movement for self-government and independence was called the ______________movement.

5. Rt. Hon. George C. Price became ____________ in 1964.

25

THE BELIZE TIMES

ANS: PUP General Premier Vote People’s Nationalist

GWEN

RICALDE

SAMUEL

PRICE

FELIPE

LIZARRAGA

MARCH TO INDEPENDENCE! Can you help Mr. Price and the nationalists get through this mega maze?

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29 SEP

THE BELIZE TIMES

Faber fails Hattieville

Belize City, September 17, 2013 Minister of Education Patrick Faber has become persona non grata to residents in Hattieville.

Some months ago, Faber promised that he would assist Hattieville Government School with brand new computers, but left the school hanging.

See, Faber is the kind of politician who loves to make promises. Just ask the residents of Collet. The only thing they got in electing the UDP candidate is a loudmouth politician who loves to cry out for attention.

That’s what Hattieville residents see in Faber today after he left them high and dry about the much-needed donation. Faber, who had been campaigning in Hattieville leading up the village council elections, promised the school administration that the Ministry of Education would provide a new computer lab and that the Government-run BTL would swoop in and provide free internet. Faber said it would be one com-

ponent of an amalgamation of three schools in the community.

Well guess what, after giving in to Faber’s plums, a majority of Hattieville residents supported the UDP Village Council slate (the elected Chairman is an Independent candidate) and waited for Faber to keep his promise. Today, the residents and especially the students of Hattieville Government School continue waiting.

In a poor attempt to defend his failure, Faber was on the UDP’s Wus Ting Da Morning show on Tuesday morning claiming that at the final hour the amalgamation plan was abandoned by the Ministry and so, the computer donation was no longer forthcoming. Faber had nothing to say about the school’s real need for the computers and didn’t say whether, considering the need for it, he would be helping the school obtain the donation. This is just another indication of how callous and chancey Faber and the UDP are.

Dominica reacts to disrespect of PM Skerrit Belize City, September 25, 2013 The news of Dominica’s Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit being ruffled by Belize Coast Guard officers during his special trip to the Hol Chan Marine Reserve hit a nerve among the citizens of Dominica, most who viewed the act as “disrespectful”.

The BELIZE TIMES followed a comments thread of the news posted on Dominica News online. Here are a few of the reactions: “This is bs!! As much as I do not support the administration, I do not support rude treatment of Dominicans anywhere, moreso our PM. The story does come across as a BIG faux pas but we cannot condone it”, wrote Frank Talker.

Zulu wrote: “Not a fan of the PM but this is ridiculous on the part of Belize. I agree with the PM not to attend function. A visiting head of state should always be treated with respect and his/her schedule followed to the T.

It is basic protocol. Could have been a diplomatic nightmare and even if we do not agree with PM policies at home when he travels abroad he represents us. Disrespect for him is disrespect for for Dominica. Unacceptable.”

Chakademus posed, “This is unacceptable. The prime minister of a sovereign state must always be treated with courtesy and dignity. Regardless of political affiliation all Dominicans are demanding an apology!”

While a few comments were surprisingly moderate, suggesting that the Belize Coast Guard possibly committed a human error, most were antagonistic and demanding of an apology. Even the Opposition Leader in Dominica Lennox Linton took issue with what occurred and was the one to alert the media. The Government of Belize has not indicated whether an official apology has been transmitted, but the BELIZE TIMES has reported in a featured article that one officer involved in the incident has been penalized.

Answers for last week’s puzzle

Answers for last week’s puzzle

SUDOKU PUZZLE SOLUTION #35/2013

2013

BRAIN

TEASER

SUDOKU PUZZLE #36/2013

See answers NEXT WEEK

See answers NEXT WEEK

29 SEP

27

THE BELIZE TIMES

2013

BELIZE TIMES WEEKLY

SCIENCE & TECH R

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Selected By Chris Williams

Man controls new prosthetic leg using thought alone 25 September 2013 by Colin Barras A man missing his lower leg has gained precise control over a prosthetic limb, just by thinking about moving it – all because his unused nerves were preserved during the amputation and rerouted to his thigh where they can be used to communicate with a robotic leg.

The man can now seamlessly switch from walking on level ground to climbing stairs and can even kick a football around.

During a traditional limb amputation, the main sensory nerves are severed and lose their function. In 2006, Todd Kuiken and his colleagues at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago in Illinois realised they could preserve some of that functionality by carefully rerouting sensory nerves during an amputation and attaching them to another part of the body.

They could then use the rerouted nerve signals to control a robotic limb, allowing a person to control their prosthesis with the same nerves they originally used to control their real limb.

Kuiken’s team first attempted the procedure – which is called targeted muscle reinnervation (TMR) – on people who were having their arm amputated.

Now, Kuiken’s team has performed TMR for the first time on a man with a leg amputation.

Taking a different route First, the team rerouted the two main branches of the man’s sciatic nerve to muscles in the thigh above the amputation. One branch controls the calf and some foot muscles, the other controls the muscle running down the outside leg and some more foot muscles.

After a few months, the man could control his thigh muscles by thinking about using his missing leg. The next step was to link up a prosthesis.

The robot leg in question is a sophisticated prosthesis: it carries a number of mechanical sensors including gyroscopes and accelerometers, and can be trained to use the information from these sensors to perform certain walking styles. Kuiken’s team reckoned that the leg would perform even better if it could infer the user’s intended walking

style with information from the sciatic nerve.

To do so, the researchers asked their volunteer to attempt to perform certain movements with his missing leg – for instance, flexing the foot – while they monitored the pattern of electric signals from the rerout-

ed nerves in the thigh muscles. The researchers then programmed the robot leg to flex its foot whenever it detected that particular pattern of electrical activity.

Using just the mechanical sensor data, the robotic leg made the correct movement about 87 per cent of the

time. With additional data from the nerves, the success rate rose to 98 per cent, and there were no so-called critical errors – errors that increase the risk of the user losing balance and falling. Those kinds of errors are most common when the user suddenly shifts walking style – when they begin to climb stairs, for instance, but with the additional information from the nerves, the robotic leg can make a seamless, natural transition between walking styles (see video).

“I think this kind of work is very important,” says Michael Goldfarb at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, who helped design the robot leg.

“There’s a lot you can do with physical sensors but at some point you really need to know the user’s intent – when they want to change from running, to walking, to stair climbing,” says Goldfarb. “These electrical signals give you an extra set of information to work on.

“This new generation of robotic legs are much more capable than anything that’s come before. They can pretty much do whatever the healthy limb can do,” he says.

Mexico’s people hit by double whammy of tropical storms 20 September 2013 by Peter Aldhous This woman and her baby, rescued from floodwaters by the Mexican military, are the lucky ones. Battered and drenched by tropical storms on both coasts at once, Mexico is counting a terrible cost that has so far claimed at least 97 lives.

That toll seems certain to rise significantly, given the dire situation in the coffee-growing village of La Pintada in the Pacific state of Sonora, engulfed by a

mudslide that has left 68 people missing, presumed dead.

Although tropical storms brew each summer in both the eastern Pacific and the Gulf of Mexico, it is highly unusual for the nation to be hit simultaneously on both coasts.

This week’s double blow from Ingrid in the east and Manuel in the west marked the first time since 1958 that tropical storms had hit both of Mexico’s coasts within 24 hours of one another.

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THE BELIZE TIMES

Church and State

T

his past weekend I was in an embassy (church) listening to a head ambassador (pastor) discuss the contents of the kingdom constitution (Bible). He began comparing the country of Belize with other nations! He was amazed that every Saturday we have BBQ sales, and how we only use our vehicle horns in extreme situations, unless we are giving a quick nudge to a friend. He was also amazed that we were so courteous. On a busy highway with traffic moving two miles an hour people would find the courtesy to stop and allow others to enter into the traffic!

He also mentioned something interesting. He noticed we are a people who do not like conflict. We try to live peaceably with each other.

For a country that’s now thirty two years old, I think those are pretty good test results! My question is this though: what creates this behavior in us? My first answer to this question is that for the past thirty two years we have tried pretty much to run our country alongside the constitution of the kingdom of God! A perfect mixture of church and state.

It is impossible to separate church and state if what the church claims to be true is true. Hebrews 11:3 tells us that what we see was made from what we cannot see. If God made the earth and everything that lives or exists in it, I would think that He is the most qualified person to recommend what is best for it.

If God did not make the earth, then we have no need to listen to Him, and I would then strongly recommend separation of church and state! But the subtle truth is that even if we don’t acknowledge that a ‘god’ exists, but we happen to live by the dictate in His manual, we are bound to be ultimately successful in everything we do.

Here are three of the most obvious Belizean laws that come directly from the kingdom constitution: Thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not steal, and be not drunk with wine! Now, before I go any further, I would like to point out that this last one does not say you cannot drink, rather it says don’t lose control in how much you consume that it brings you to a different level of consciousness where you are now dangerous to your own family and the community around you!

There are too many other recommendations in the manual to look at, but I’d like to point out a few important ones. Sleep (Psalms 127:2). It is vain to go sleep late and wake up early! It continues to tell us that if we honor our mother and father we will live long on the earth. You know sometimes my heart pains me as I see a young man singing a song to his mom ‘raga muffin style’ for mothers day, because true accomplishment comes not from singing to her a nice song but rather taking heed to the advice she gives to you and the way she grew you up! I believe many a young man would be alive today had they listened to the voice of wisdom screaming to them through the loving voice of their mother!

People and even church folks have limited the bible to spiritual stuff not realizing that it is more practical and earthly than any other book out there! Imagine, the manual tells us how to treat the poor and, even so, how to take care of those that have lost their fathers and those who have lost their husbands! In fact, it says that is true religion!

I will stop here but want to repeat that if God manufactured this earth and all that inhabits it, then His manual would be the best thing to use for repair and guidance purposes! If we separate church from state then on what will our laws be based on and how will laws be made?

Until next week God bless!

By Dr. Mark Musa

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2013

Stomach Cancer

Stomach cancer is a malignant growth/tumour that arises from the inner lining of the stomach. Stomach cancer can often be cured if it is found and treated at an early stage. Unfortunately, the outlook is poor if found at an advanced/late stage.

What Causes Stomach Cancer?

The exact cause is unknown, but a number of factors can increase the risk of developing this cancer including: Gender. Men have more than double the risk than women; Race: more common in Black and Oriental populations; Family History/Genetics: a family history of stomach cancer can double/triple the risk; Geography: more common in Japan, Central and South America; Lifestyle factors: smoking, alcohol, and eating a diet low in fruit and vegetables and high in salted, smoked or nitrate-preserved foods may increase the risk. Chronic infection with the bacteria Helicobacter pylori increases the risk of developing stomach cancer by causing chronic inflammation and damage to the inner lining of the stomach.

What are the Symptoms of Stomach Cancer?

In the early stages, the symptoms of Stomach cancer can be similar to common conditions such as ulcers, gastritis or acid reflux. Therefore do not ignore symptoms if they do not improve quickly. These initial symptoms include: indigestion, heartburn, bloating after eating, mild nausea and loss of appetite. A stomach cancer can grow very large before it causes more worrying symptoms such as: weight loss, vomiting, pain/ discomfort in the upper and middle part of the abdomen, blood in the stool, or symptoms of tiredness related to a low blood count.

How is Stomach Cancer diagnosed?

An upper Gastro-intestinal Endoscopy is the most accurate way of examining the inner lining of the stomach where the cancer starts. This test examines the stomach using a thin, lighted tube which is passed through the mouth into the stomach. If a growth is found then a biopsy would be done to examine the tissue under a microscope to diagnose cancer. Once Stomach cancer is diagnosed other tests including a CT scan will need to be done to determine if there is any spread to organs outside the stomach.

How is Stomach Cancer treated?

Surgery to remove part or all of the stomach is the aim to achieve cure in early disease. A combination of chemotherapy and radiotherapy is often used either to treat localized spread or to try and control symptoms in more advanced cases.

Prognosis and Prevention Stomach cancer is difficult to cure unless it is found at an early stage before it has spread. To reduce your risk of developing stomach cancer one should eat more fruits and vegetables; reduce the amount of salty and smoked foods, stop smoking and reduce alcohol. If you have a family history of stomach cancer, you need to do screening camera/endoscopy tests to detect any problems early.

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2013

THE BELIZE TIMES

OUT

OUT

Progress or Problems?

Smart Confessions

Continued from page 2 streets when the pressure build ups because of poor draining planning. It is the people’s money.

Aside from the city, why is Ladyville and Lord’s Bank so neglected. These two communities have exploded in population which means basic services such as good streets have become urgently needed. Every election they send the tractor to scrape off the stones off the street in Lord’s Bank. Then you don’t see them again. No minister visits there I suppose.

The city is growing and the Northern Highway/Phillip Goldson Highway needs better traffic rules and policemen as the population is growing and developing commercially. The city is now problematic for businesses because of poor parking vision. They are moving up Coney drive and Northern Hwy/ Phillip Goldson Highway. How many times do accidents need to occur before they start thinking about the outskirts of Belize City?

Southside Belize City has been the cream of the government… nothing is wrong with that. Could they consider the rest of the country especially the very poor villages? Could this be discrimination?

Belizeans are wise people let us treat each other accordingly and not insult our intelligence.

OUT What Legal Gymnastics?

Continued from page 2 op Fisher and Chancellor Thomas More both knew that they could not please the king and at the same time remain faithful to God. They refused to take the oath. The King cut off their heads.

After mass on Friday morning a few friends discussed Pope Francis’s exhortation to Christians to cease an obsessive focus against abortion, birth control, and homosexuality. Like my friends I agreed there is no conflict between the Pope’s pastoral message and our practical discussion to love the sin-

Continued from page 2 small vendors who were struggling to make ends meet by the time wasted while the project languished in abandonment. Then Smart complicated matters by coaxing Bailey and Gilharry in pumping new money in the tin box.

Now that we got the Smart confessions there are more questions than answers. First who sent Smart to get the job? Where is his backative, who is political boss? Is it Pablo? Or Gapi? The people of Dangriga want to know and why is it that when he messed up, he was still given another job in Dangriga. Was Smart’s money used to finance the village council elections? What happened, are they taking the people of Dangriga for fools?

Sure, Cano and others will take the fall but the SIF/Smart problem is Dangriga’s problems. No market, No money, No contractor but a long road of pain, starvation and scandals. What Smart and SIF did to the people of Dangriga was criminal and should be spared no pity.

There should be no fall guy, but serious charges against the perpetrators of political kickbacks and corruption for the pain and problems caused on the people of Dangriga. The people of Dangriga deserve their new market.

Signed, Dangriga resident

ner but hate the sin.

However, one friend added: what the Pope says is fine, but I’ll be damned if I feed the lions that will tear me to pieces and then devour my flesh. To which I added: “Amen.”

Unfortunately or fortunately for Belize, you cannot please God and the Devil at the same time.

It seems to me that the specter of a real revolution is rearing its ugly head.

Is the Prime Minister condoning something that will destroy him and his government?

God Help us to go the way of Ghandi who told the British: there is no way two hundred thousand soldiers can control three hundred million Indians, who choose to resist through civil disobedience.

Ghandi was a very great man!

Mr. Barrow is a very arrogant man.

Does he have it in him to turn the power of that arrogance against the foreign gods of mammon?

I pray that he does and starts the real anti-colonial revolution that will make Belize truly become itself!

Signed: Paul Rodriguez

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be given to the most achieved Belizean musician. Being a Belizean was not even a requirement to be considered for that spot was one of BTB’s excuses for making such an unpopular choice. UNBELIZEABLE! These people are so disconnected from our reality that they chose to launch this new video in September, a time when all Belizeans unite to celebrate our two most important national holidays. There were so many Belizean artists to choose from. Even if it was “Shyne”, I could have lived Continued from page 2 with that. After all, his story is is tasked with the responsibility very intriguing and probably tells of promoting and marketing Bethe real story of where we are as lize, could have made such an ina nation. credible decision. Why is it that For me, the ultimate choice the people who are expected to to fill that prestigious position make the best decisions for the should have been Andy Palacio’s betterment of all the people of music because even though he is this country continue to disregone, his music is alive. This artspect and insult us? ist had become a musical icon for This latest fiasco reminds our country and I still believe that me of the plight of our national he has not been given the kind of football team, the Belize Jagrecognition that he deserved. It uars, in July. One would have was Andy who introduced Aurethought that of all the governlio Martinez to us. This very gifted ment ministries such as the musician has taken our music to Tourism Ministry along with the the world in a way that no other Tourism Board would have taken artist has done before. Belize, up the mantle and sponsored the let’s not forget our very own munational team. This exposure and sical legend and his exemplary the marketing capability for the achievement as a Belizean. His country would have automaticalstory must be told not only to tourly accompanied such endeavor. ists but more importantly to our It’s dejavu all over again and this children. time it’s our music.

Andy Palacio was the first CaIt has become a trend to disribbean and Central American artist enfranchise and discourage our designated by UNESCO as an Artist youth to strive to be best that for Peace. Only fourteen persons they could be. Our country is from around the world have been longing for genuine and authentic bestowed with the title. Andy was local entertainment. This particualso the Winner of the 2007 preslar opportunity to have our music tigious WOMEX Award with his aland song accompany the video bum, Watina. This album was also that tells Belize’s story should voted #1 world music album of 2007 by the Europe’s World Music Charts & WOMEX (world music expo). What an impressive resume as a Belizean artist and still we are reluctant to tell this story. Andy Palacio has set the Continued from page 2 bar for all Belizean artists to Penner. If not by his boss Dean, then by aspire and be emulated. His the Opposition and the wrath of the peomusic was original, authenple. Penner should have faced charges long tic and 100% Belizean and ago when he paraded himself on television, at the end it was also world signing away nationality to immigrants in class. So let’s not be petty order for him to attract votes in Cayo North and concentrate on issues East. Now we got him hook, line and sinker that divide us but instead on this passport and corruption scandal. we should focus and emLet the law take its course and let Penbrace all that unite us a peoner go to jail. Don’t forget the Deputy Mayor ple - as Belizeans, especially Eric Chang if he is involved and even Castro in September. The B.T.B dewho went to Taiwan for who knows what. bacle is like a blessing in disDarrel Bradley must also be investigated. guise because it brings into Send the GSU for Castro and Chang if they sharp focus the impressive refuse to cooperate. work of Belizean musical talThis has been a terrible week for the ents. It’s time that we start Barrow Administration as more and more appreciating our own and we are finding out that the Cabinet is apparently chock full of bandits, thieves, hackers, let’s never forget our musiRosewood pirates, hustlers, scam artists, cal icon and legend the late sexual predators and bad leaders. great Andy Palacio. His stoThe UDP must go. Start with Penner, ry is worth mentioning. send him to jail.

Respectfully submitted, Signed, Joseph Alvarez Henry Schmidt

OUT

Why did BTB disrespect our artists?

Penner must go to jail

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THINK ABOUT IT AWESOME Carnival this year was awesome.

The dancers, the costumes, the concepts and the level of energy was befitting the nation’s birthday.

In one of Bob Marley’s songs he sings “...forget your troubles and dance, forget your sorrows and dance, forget your weakness and dance… cost of living get so high, rich and they have to cry”.

Such words were never so true.

If you had doubts just looked at the jouvert the carnival morning. People came out by the thousands. The number of participants were three times the dancers in the carnival.

While carnival calls for costumes and sexy bodies and physical abilities to dance the long route, jouvert was just come as you are. And come they did.

When life is hard and times are rough, music and dancing is good for the spirit.

These are the hardest of times for our people.

Sometimes we need to just forget our troubles and dance.

MORE AWESOME Even more awesome were the steel-bands.

They appeared in the carnival and their hype and energy sent spectators wild with the pulsating rhythms.

Steel pans are now an important feature of the annual carnival.

Then at Pan Yard on the 19 September at the grounds of the House of Culture the steel bands were fantastic. They put off one piece of performance. Like it was never going to end. From one performance right into the next. The ladies were dancing, the men were dancing – hype, massive doses of energies and sounds, sweet sounds. The steel pan never stopped ringing out the joy of music.

Every school should have a steel band.

Huge congratulations are in order for our talented people who make up this awesome music from the bottom of metal drums Pope Condemns His holiness, Pope Francis has condemned the economic system that is being practiced throughout the world.

The Pope says this system put profits before people and worships money in the way heathens worship false gods.

This is a major statement coming from the leader of the Roman Catholic church and a man who is part of the world leadership.

Except for rebels and mavericks like Che Guevarra, Fidel Castro, Hugo Chavez and former leaders like Patrice Lumumba and so on, no one outside

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THE BELIZE TIMES

the communist countries hold the view that capitalism is inherently bad.

For the new Pope to say what he said this week, amounts to a rebuke of the oppressive economic system the big nations have forced on the rest of the world to follow.

The Pope called for a wholesale reform of the world’s financial system. He said “It is not just a problem of Italy or of some countries in Europe. It is the consequence of a global choice, an economic system which leads to this tragedy; an economic system which has at its center an idol called money”.

“Grandparents are thrown away and young people are thrown away and we must say no to this throw away culture. We must say we want a fair system; a system that allows everyone to move forward. We must say we do not want this globalized economic system that does so much harm. At the center has to be man and woman, as God wants, not money.”

World leaders take heed, millions of peoples across the continents see through the greed and heartlessness.

The Western countries used to criticize godless communism, but now we know there is also godless capitalism.

The Pope’s burst of long needed criticism of capitalism avarice was like a great wind of fresh thoughts. He was like the prophet Isaiah and the outspoken John, the Baptist versus King Herod.

Denis Hanomansingh Who is this man with this strange name?

If you don’t know by now, you must be living under a rock. He is a judge of our Supreme Court. He is a champion of the downtrodden and helpless poor people who are dragged through our Police and court system and have no one to stand up for them. Some of them are denied bail and hauled off to prison.

He is also a champion for what is right and what is just. He upholds the constitutionally guaranteed freedoms of our people and speaks out against those who violate our constitution and our people.

No Judge in Belize save for the great African Chief, Dr. Abdulai Conteh, has so consistently and persistently upheld the constitutional protection of Belizeans. We wish to say to chief justice Benjamin, with respect and humility, that the presence of the judge with the long name is a credit to your Judiciary and has added credibility to the third branch of governance at a time when we are losing faith in our institutions. Thanks Chief Justice for bringing him to our shores.

On page 34 of the Chief Justice Benjamin’s current report on the Judiciary we find the following informa-

tion:Justice Hanomansingh is a Caribbean man from our sister Caricom country of Guyana. Legally trained at the University of Balfast, Northern Ireland. He was called to the Honorable Society of Middle Temple in London.

Was a senior and a principal magistrate. A former Director of Public Prosecutions. Was a Principal crown council in Barbados. He was a former High Court Judge. He is a member of the New York Bar. Human rights lawyers in Belize consistently speak highly of Judge Hanomansingh. Early last year, senior counsel Simeon Sampson had said he is a fair judge who upholds the letter and spirit of the constitutional rights of our people.

Hubert Elrington, former attorney General and Senior Counsel, this week in conversations with two other attorneys praised Judge Hanomansingh for his decision against the abuses of the Police in the Mike Menjivar case.

The Mike Menjivar case represents a low point for the Police in the history of the country. Even a blind man can see that something is terribly wrong consequent to the absence of any administrators and oversight of the G.S.U. It is understood they are trained in the Republic of El Salvador where ordinary citizens have no right under the oppressive boots of the “Policias” and security forces.

But Belize is not El Salvador.

Those who use their uniforms to oppress and chance people know that there will be a day of reckoning. That when Dean Barrow is enjoying his retirement in a mansion in Miami, they will be charged for their criminal brutality of the people.

The wheels of justice grind slow, but it grinds exceedingly fine. Police officers and Government Ministers who break the law are themselves subject to criminal charges and civil litigation.

There is no time limit to bring criminal charges. Ask Rios Montt in Guatemala In standing up for what is right in the Manjivar case, Judge Hanomansingh, as all Lawyers and Judges know, went as far back as 1604 when the British jurisprudence accepted the dictum of Lord Coke that “every man’s house is his castle”.

Quoting William Pitt, Judge Hanomonsingh stated with approval in his Belmopan Supreme Court on Monday 23 September, two days after our Independence celebrations, the following: “The poorest man may in his cottage bid defiance to all the forces of the Crown (government). It may be frail- its roof may shake – the wind may blow through it – the storm may enter – the rain may enter – but the King of England (government) cannot enter – all his forces does not cross the threshold of the ruined tenement”.

The judge went on – this right of protection of one’s home has been incorporated in most of the written Constitutions of the former British colonies like Belize. He quoted Belize’s Constitution at Section 9, “Except with his

2013 own consent, a person SHALL NOT be subjected to the search of his person or his property or the entry by others on his premises”.

The Judge stated that these rights are not absolute and exceptions have been made by laws as in the Misuse of Drugs law which requires how a search warrant is to be obtained.

We need to point out that in Belize, Police are now lying to citizens to enter their homes claiming to look for guns and ammunitions which are the only times they don’t need a search warrant.

Police must have good reasons for suspecting guns or ammunitions otherwise their search is illegal and they can be sued.

We need to also point out that the Prime Minister and his Police Minister have never condemned the brutality abuses that rogue police have been conducting on citizens across Belize.

Against this bleak back drop it is a joy that in our Court system sits the Judge with the long name.

GAY DAY It was bad timing. It was the wrong place.

The Prime Minister used the occasion of the Independence Day address to the nation, to put in a strong word in support of homosexuals.

The issue of homosexuality is, at this time, emotional and divisiveness for Belizeans.

Invited to Belmopan were members of some of the religious organisations. So were the Chief Justice and other Judges of the Supreme Court.

Also in attendance was special guest, the Prime Minister of Dominica.

Standing right in front of the Chief Justice, who was sitting in front row, the Prime Minister said the Churches could take their view of homosexuality, he and his Government would uphold the constitutional rights to privacy and non-discrimination.

It so happens that at this time the Chief Justice is grappling with a challenge by homosexuals to change the law against sodomy as being in violation of the constitution.

What the Prime Minister said amounts to a not so subtle effort to interfere in the Chief Justice’s court case and to indicate in the strongest of terms where the Government stands on the issue.

It is also an offensive behavior by the Head of Executive branch towards the Head of the Judiciary branch.

A Prime Minister must never do what our Prime Minister did when the said issue is a pending case before the Courts. This is interference in the work of the Courts in the worst kind of way.

If the Prime Minister feels so strongly about helping homosexuals, then rush through one of his one day laws removing sodomy from the criminal laws.

Rather than disgrace our Independence celebrations, just stop talk the talk and be a man PM, walk the walk.

29 SEP

2013

Castro’s Sex Scandal

PUP considers

Recall

Mechanism City of Belmopan, September 25, 2013 Legal advisors for the People’s United Party have studied the Penner case very closely and have advised that the Party can pursue the recall of disgraced UDP Area Representative Elvin Penner.

On Wednesday, the PUP Western Caucus stated in a release that it “stands ready to pursue the possibility of engaging the Recall Mechanism”.

Under the Recall of Elected Representatives Act passed in 2010 an area representative’s term can go under review through a referendum to recall once they have served 18 months in office and 30% of voters in the constituency sign a petition calling for such measure. The petition will trigger a referendum and 65% of the voters of that referendum must support the recall of the representative to be valid.

Still, once the recall is valid, it is then up to the Governor General to issue directives to the Chief Elections Officer for the referendum process to be initiated. The entire process can take 4 to 5 months.

The Recall Mechanism is limited. An Area Representative cannot be recalled before serving one year and six months in office and the recall of a representative can only occur once in his/her 5-year term. The dissatisfied electorate only has one shot at it.

Penner is now serving his 19th month in office, and in light of the growing evidence of serious wrongdoing and his termination from Cabinet and his refusal to resign as Area Representative, the recall mechanism is the only way to go.

31

Dean Barrow Can’t Be Trusted Belize City, September 21, 2013 As we listened to the Prime Minister’s speech on Independence Day, the issue for Belize was that Dean Barrow cannot be trusted with anything he said.

While Barrow was talking about an economy at work, our people were at home eating ramen noodles and worried that their food pantry goods could stretch for a few more days.

They got no money for dinner, much less a drink to celebrate the 21st. Meanwhile, Barrow is saying that everything is good, but he probably means good for his ex-wife, brother, sister, sons, daughter, nieces and nephews and the rest of his relatives. But for Belizeans, it’s nothing but tough and hard times.

He tells us he wants to stop the raping of the Chiquibul, but he is only giving lip service and pretending that it matters to him now. He tells about the Civic, but for three long years the sporting facility has been dilapidated and rundown. How long will it take him to finish? Then he promised a pool at Marion Jones Sporting Complex, where all we have gotten so far is part of a fence!

All Barrow was doing was spinning – talking pretty propaganda and promising the moon and stars when the people’s pockets are empty – bruk – dry. Barrow played the flute alright.

He even hit a note or two but the people didn’t dance, jack. It was Barrow’s the master of games versus the hardcore truth spoken by Francis Fonseca, the next Prime Minister of Belize.

After six long years of the UDP, it’s a matter of trust. We remember the 13th senator. We remember the national oil company. We remember the Forensic Unit. We remember…and we know: Dean Barrow cannot be trusted.

Did you know?

Younger Belizeans may not be aware that when the UDP first came into office, 1984-1989, it was Dean Barrow who as attorney general amended the constitution to allow UDP cronies to sell passports. Barrow later engineered for passport and immigration matters to fall under Hon. Phillip Goldson’s Ministry where the great man’s blindness was exploited in the most shameful and disgraceful scandal to surround the then UDP administration.

CARTOON

Belize City, September 25, 2013 Reliable sources inside the UDP indicate that Edmond “Clear the Land” Castro is next on the chopping block as a member of the Cabinet in the Barrow Administration.

The disheveled Minister of State in the Ministry of Transport is facing another huge scandal, this time a criminal/sexual accusation of colossal proportions because it involves a senior female public officer in Taiwan.

The female official has alleged that Castro tried to do more than “clear the land” during a recent visit to Taiwan; she claims that the UDP Minister made offensive sexual advances towards her. She reported the incident to her superiors, which triggered a quick investigation followed by diplomatic action. An official complaint was launched by Taiwan officials to the Taiwan Embassy in Belize, followed by Ambassador David Wu taking the matter to the Prime Minister.

Belize had been invited to send an official to Taiwan for special events as part of that nation’s campaign to gain political prominence in the globe. Somehow, Castro, who is neither trained nor is fit to serve in international diplomacy, was nominated to travel and told to simply enjoy the free junket.

The Barrow Administration forgot to alert the Taiwanese Government of Castro’s misgivings.

This is why this UDP predator Castro’s “sexcapades” are well rumored in Belize. Prominent in his adventures are his preference for “under-sized tilapias” and “young sweet peppers” which had almost landed him in serious trouble some years ago.

Castro seemed to have very special plans in Taiwan during his 8-day stay. The female officer, a protocol official designated as a chaperone, claimed that he overstepped his bounds. Castro apparently misunderstood the definition of chaperoning.

The episode is an international disgrace for Belize, as it has upset high officials in Taiwan. Castro left a bitter taste in their mouths.

Castro has not made a public statement to admit or deny the allegations. We will wait to see if he rears his face at the House of Representatives meeting scheduled for this Friday.

As to the indications of him being fired from Cabinet, and possibly even forced to resign, we do know that the Prime Minister is feeling tremendous pressure to act soon.

THE BELIZE TIMES

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THE BELIZE TIMES

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2013