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THE BELIZE TIMES
Sunday, April 3, 2011
The Difference is Clear!
By: Councilor Kevin Bernard - BYM President
The past few months have been considered the wind-up to election mode, and this has resulted in the emergence of many new faces on the political scene. I commend the Leader of the People’s United Party and the Party’s National Executive for encouraging the participation of young people as candidates and giving them a real voice in the affairs of the PUP. In the days ahead the energy and strength of these young visionaries will be combined with the wisdom and experience of current leaders as we take on the UDP Government whenever elections are called. I express my support and that of the BYM executive in this move to involve young candidates to bring about the changes that our country so desperately
needs. As the President of the BYM, I congratulate all those that have been elected and look forward to more young candidates emerging victorious at their respective conventions. I also extend an invitation to all our young people to join us in this movement as we chart the way forward with new ideas, new vision and like a beacon of hope we forge unity and lead Belize out of the mess it is in today. Truly, the difference between the Barrow administration and the PUP under Briceño which seeks to serve the people in Belmopan is crystal clear. On Friday March 25th, 2011 I listened to the Budget debate and the presentation from the member for Orange Walk East. He stated that in 2003, at the age of 28, he was approached by Dean Barrow and sold a package of dreams…dreams of being a part of the movement to rescue the nation. After Barrow had gotten what he wanted and later kicked Cardona to the curb, Cardona realized that he had been used and discarded by a cold, callous and disingenuous politician. With that said I take this opportunity to commend the Hon. Member for Orange Walk East for standing up and defending the young people of Orange Walk East and the entire constituency. Hon. Cardona realized that his people were being victimized and he chose the road less travelled, at least by the UDP. He chose
Women boycott El Guardian for nasty attack Continued from page 7
El Guardian’s editor apologizes for his “grievous actions” and commits to fairly portray women in “all future publications”. The National Women Commission’s late condemnation of the El Guardian appeared to be brushed with sympathy, as its Executive Director, Anne-Marie Williams, coughed up disgust at the publication via a letter dated on Thursday, March 24th. Williams had avoided a meeting with the delegation of PUP women who had marched to the Commission’s office on Wednesday. At first the group was stopped by the security guard and told they would not be allowed into the office. After persisting that nothing will stop them, they marched on but found a locked door, which was later opened by a secretary who claimed that Williams was “out of office”. Williams had been informed of the exact time the delegation would be arriving, and her sudden M.I.A. was highly suspicious. The act drew the contempt of the women delegation, who were in disbelief at the cold treatment from the public-funded lead organisation for women’s issues. Nonetheless, Williams got the message. In a letter to El Guardian she condemned the publication on behalf of the Commission. But in media interviews on Thursday, she attacked
women who she claimed wilfully put themselves in certain situations. This was viewed by many as offering excuses for the El Guardian publication. The Women’s Department also spoke out against the newspaper… One surprising critic was the wife of Prime Minister Dean Barrow who was grilled in an interview last week and seemingly forced to take the popular stance. When asked to comment, Kim Simplis-Barrow hop-scotched all over, pointing out instances when she believed people should have protested in the past. Unable to avoid the direct question, Simplis-Barrow eventually said she was disgusted by the publication and that the editor must apologise. Her husband, Prime Minister Barrow disagrees; however, and this week he said in a media interview that he saw no wrongdoing with the publication. Despite the calls, there has been no apology from the El Guardian. On the contrary, Noble reprinted a commentary last week defending himself, and offered further reasons for the publication. PUP Deputy Leader Carolyn Trench-Sandiford told the BELIZE TIMES that symbols of protest are a positive sign. She said that it appears the El Guardian remains indifferent however, and Belizean women will have to decide what it will take for the UDP newspaper to get the message.
to stand for his people and for principle rather than for the misguided policies of the UDP. For that stance he has been maligned and punished by his own colleagues, but he and his constituency will be better for the path he chose to take. I have to ask - Is this the type of Dictatorship Government that the young people of our nation would chose? It is clear that the United Democratic Party believes in governance through intimidation and bully tactics. It is clear that diversity of opinion and belief is not welcomed in the UDP and is in fact ground into the dirt. In the UDP it is Mr. Barrow’s way or the highway. I ask again – is this the type of government our young people would wish for. I believe that political parties should attract young men and women to participate in Governance rather than dissuade them from becoming involved in the political arena. Just this week the Prime Minister condoned his newspaper’s distasteful, malicious, petty and obscene attack against a young woman just entering the political arena. What sort of message is that sending? Indeed…how many women are offering themselves as candidates in the UDP as general elections approach? From their actions, it is clear that the UDP has no Women Agenda…No Youth
Agenda…No Agenda Period! In direct contrast to this, the PUP continues to encourage and welcome young men and women into electoral politics and into vital roles in every facet of the Party. In the PUP, we engage our young people, while the UDP continues to oppress them. In the PUP, we help our young people prosper through the development of job entrepreneurship programs and scholarship opportunities. Under this UDP Government, there is no hope, no vision, and no plan – just a whole pile of possibilities that never become reality. Our young people are living in fear while the Government continues to ignore us. For this reason, the Belize Youth Movement met on Saturday March 26th and will start the move to further the discussion with our youth stakeholders. We believe that this year’s budget, like all previous UDP budgets, fails to offer any clear national framework for our young people. We find this incorrigible trend unacceptable and we will not support the actions of this Government. My young Belizean brothers and sisters, the time to rise up is now. Let’s realize that the difference is clear with the People’s United Party - it’s time for a change. United Always with the People’s United Party.