belize times september 23, 2012

Sunday, September 23, 2012 THE BELIZE TIMES 1

Issue No. 4814SUNDAY September 23, 2012 www.facebook/Belize Times

SCAN HERE

Special Independence Edition

Belize is at a critical juncture in its history. As Belizeans gather in cities, towns and villages to celebrate the thir-ty-first anniversary of our na-tion’s political independence, we pause to reflect.

This Minister of Government, we understand, has hired a private land surveyor to find out where any un-allotted, unallocat-ed, or un-issued Government or National Lands may still exist across the length and breadth of our country.

The spirit of the flag is of far more importance than the body of the flag.

Belize is a relatively small and open economy. Indepen-dence Day….like our own birthdays….can serve as milestones…

PUP Honours PriceBelize City, September 19, 2012

People’s United Party Leader Hon. Francis Fon-seca and party officials gathered this morning at the gravesite of the Rt. Hon. George Price at the Lord Ridge Cemetery in Belize City to honour his life and service to the country and people.

Today, September 19, 2012 makes it one year since the passing of Be-lize’s giant and hero. Ev-ery nation needs a hero, every nation needs a gi-ant. For Belize, George Price was both. A hero who gave his people hope and a giant who led us from colony to sover-eignty and independence.

Hon. Fonseca and PUP officials were joined by supporters and also

Continued on page 3

Happy Independence Day Belize

Editorial:

Major UDP Land Grab:

Reid Between the Lines:

Belize at Economic Crossroads:

Page 5

Page 2

Page 21

Page 23

Page 9

Page 4

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Expensive Bus Ride

What did you do for National Service Day?

FOLLOW US!

Bus fares increase by 25% and projected to double soon

Party Leader Hon. Francis Fonseca flanked by Deputy Party Leaders, Party Chairman and the President of the Marshalls

Highlights of PUP Leader’s visit to Cayo South

Is increase legal?

BBA points to corrup-tion, cronyism and chaos in Transport Department

Belize carries on the Legacy of our National Hero

on the social media

2 THE BELIZE TIMES Sunday, September 23, 2012

Major UDP Land Grab EXPOSED!

Belize City, September 19, 2012Information to the BELIZE TIMES indicates that a

major land grab is in the making under the watch and doing of a senior UDP Minister. This Minister of Gov-ernment, we understand, has hired a private land sur-veyor to find out where any un-allotted, unallocated, or un-issued Government or National Lands may still exist across the length and breadth of our country.

The intention of this Minister is filled with greed. Wherever un-issued land is found, this UDP Minister plans to use his position to grab huge tracts to fulfil his own personal enrichment. Our information indicates that the Minister is working with a foreigner and they plan to start their own private company, under which they will register the lands.

The Minister is hell bent on amassing Belize’s wealth. He has already given hundreds of acres of land to his family, close relatives and UDP friends, from North and West. He has special access to information and documents at the Ministry of Lands, and has not been afraid to abuse it. He believes he is better than the rest of us normal Belizeans, and is so facey that he admits this publicly.

Mr. Minister, a word of caution: the BELIZE TIMES and the people of Belize are watching your every foot-step. Time, longer than rope.

THE BELIZE TIMES

serving Belize since 1957 as the longest continous newspaper.

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

EDITOR

Alberto Vellos

LAYOUT/GRAPHIC ARTIST

Chris Williams

Published ByThE BElIzE TImEs PREss lTD.

Tel: 671-8385#3 Queen StreetP.O. BOX 506

Belize City, BelizeEmail: [email protected]

[email protected]

PUP to GOB: Come Clean on

SuperbondOn August 14, 2012 the Gov-

ernment of Belize announced that it would not be making the August 20, 2012 coupon payment on Belize’s US Dollar 2029 Bonds. At that time it was indicated that, technically, the Govern-ment had a 30 day window before it was formally in Default of this pay-ment obligation.

That 30 day period expires on Sep-tember 19, 2012.

With less than 24 hours to go be-fore this default deadline, this UDP Government remains deafeningly si-lent.

What progress has the renego-tiating team made in arriving at an acceptable agreement with existing bondholders over new term and con-ditions?

What specific changes, if any, have been agreed to in respect of the three indicative restructuring scenari-os proposed by the Government?

What percentage of Bondholders are participating in these discussions and have those who are not participat-ing informed Belize of their intention to pursue legal action?

What progress if any has been made by the Government in its dis-cussions with the former owners of BTL and BEL on the question of com-pensation for the acquisition of these companies, and what impact is this having on the debt restructuring exer-

cise?These are but some of the rele-

vant questions demanding a response from our Government with a potential economic crisis looming.

This, at a time, when some 30,000 Belizeans actively seeking a job are unable to find one, when 148,500 Be-lizeans are unable to find $5.50 per day for food, when oil revenues are on the decline, when Foreign Direct In-vestment continues its downward spi-ral, when sluggish growth continues to characterize the performance of the Belizean economy.

This lack of growth has real con-sequences-thousands of lost jobs, businesses closed, homes auctioned or re-possessed, loans defaulted on, children out of school, families unable to keep the lights on or the stove burn-ing, and tragically, increasingly unable to put food on the table.

After 53 months in office it is time for the UDP administration to be held accountable for the state of Belize’s economy and to say clearly to the Be-lizean people what their plan is to at-tract investment, create jobs, grow the economy, and lower the cost of living.

The Belizean people and economy are in crisis and the PUP calls on this UDP government to immediately ad-dress these questions and concerns. (PUP Release)

END.

UWG Belmopan forms New Committee

George Price

Monday, September 18, 2012 National President of the United Women’s Group

(UWG) Mrs. Wendy Castillo along with Chairman of the PUP Belmopan Constituency Executive, Mr. Paul Castillo met with a vibrant group of women from the Belmopan constituency to form the Belmopan Branch of the UWG.

The women participated in an informative session where the National President gave an overview of the UWG along with its roles and responsibilities as an organ within the Party. The highlight of the evening was the appointment of the UWG Belmopan Branch Committee. The following members were elected to serve as follows: CHAIRPER-SON, Kisha Habet; VICE CHAIRPERSON, Samantha Sharp; TREASURER, Coretta Banner; SECRETARY, Rhona Flow-ers; ADVISORS, Bernadette Leslie; Dora Cal.

The UWG President pledged to work very closely with the new Committee in order to achieve its objectives, part of which is to serve the women of the constituency. The National President congratulates the new Committe and wishes them the best in their new pursuits.

Timeline

1919 Born January 151924-1930 Holy Redeemer School1931 Almost lost his life in Hurricane1931-1935 St. John’s College1944 Entered politics, lost 1st election1947 Won 1st election on Town Council elected for 6 terms1950 Along with others George Price forms People’s United

Party. He is Secretary General until 1956.1954 Universal Adult Suffrage1954 Member of the Legislative Council until 19561956 Becomes leader of Peoples United Party until 19961958 March 22 – Arrested for sedition, tried and acquitted.

Mayor of Belize City (1958 – 1962)1964 Self-Government (Governor’s powers reduced to ‘defense’, Executive Council replaced by Cabinet

headed by Premier). George Price becomes Premier.1965 Member of the House of Representatives 1965 – 1984 and 1989 – 2003.1970 Government moves to new capital, Belmopan1973 June 1 – Name British Honduras changed to Belize1981 September 21 – Independence. George Price becomes

Belize’s 1st Prime Minister (1981 – 1984 and 1989 – 1993)1984 People’s United Party loses 1st General Election1996 George Price steps aside as Party Leader. Said Musa be

comes Party Leader.2000 George Price awarded Order of Belize2001 George Price awarded Order of CARICOM2011 Dies in his 93 year of life


PUP Honours Priceyoung students of St. Martin de Por-res Primary School, who showed re-markable knowledge and interest in the life of the PUP’s Leader Emeri-tus and Belize’s first Prime Minister. When asked what they knew of Mr. Price the students spoke eloquently of his political achievements, some family history, and even personal his-tory such as his early intentions of be-coming a priest.

Hon. Fonseca noted that every year, on September 19, the PUP and Belizeans will respect and honour the life of George Price.

“He gave so much for our coun-try. We will always remember and honour him,” Hon. Fonseca said.

The PUP has designated Septem-ber 19th as National Service Day, in memory of Mr. Price. Service to the people was the core of Mr. Price’s life. His life reflected that of a simple yet formidable figure who worked daily to build Belize.

To commemorate the day, PUP constituencies, arms and organs ded-icated their time in service. It started with an early morning mass at Our

Continued from page 1

Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church in the City of Belmopan, the city that Mr. Price built. At the mass, PUP Leader Hon. Fonseca delivered an address in homage.

“He lived and fought for Belize’s right to self-determination, self- government and Independence. He forged the Belizean identity and led a peaceful, constructive, revo-

lution grounded in the philosophy and principles of social and economic jus-tice,” remarked Hon. Fonseca.

Mr. Price passed one year ago. But the legacy he left us is permanently alive. The country he fathered is here to stay. The political movement he led is ever committed to the principles of so-cial justice. And the living idea that the peaceful revolution is what Belize need-ed to attain political independence and what is needed to at-tain real progress and prosperity is immor-

talized.The PUP Leader said it best as

he commented, “we will not let you down Mr. Price”. Long live Mr. Price, long live Belize!

On the occasion of Belize’s 31st Independence Day Anniversary, the People’s United Party is pleased to be able to publish a “Special Edition” of The BELIZE TIMES. The BELIZE TIMES has been an integral part of the great history and legacy of the People’s United Party and played a key role in delivering the Party’s message across the nation as we worked the peaceful, constructive revolution on the way to attaining self-government and Independence. As we celebrate and mark the birth of our nation, we pay tribute to our great leader and Father of the Nation George Price who after a life of work and service to his people and nation, was called home by God one year ago.

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY TO ALL BELIZEANS!!

MAY GOD CONTINUE TO GUIDE AND BLESS OUR BE-LOVED BELIZE!!


Expensive Bus RidesBelize City, September 19, 2012

It has been a constant theme. Life in the country of Belize is more expen-sive.

The latest bad news for your pocket is that bus fares are going up. Following a meeting of the Belize Bus Associa-tion (BBA) on September 18, 2012, the public was told that there will be a price hike.

The President of the BBA, Thom-as Shaw, has indicated that the BBA, which is an association of bus owners, has sat and decided to raise the cost of commuting from the current regulated rate to ten cents per mile. This increase is even beyond what had been previ-ously proposed by the Association.

A practical example of the mam-moth jump in price is the western run. Effective

September 22, one day after Inde-pendence Day celebrations, the cost to travel to Belmopan from Belize on a reg-ular bus is no longer $4.00. It will jump a full dollar on both the regular bus run and the express run to $5.00 and $6.00 respectively.

For the thousands and thousands of poor Belizeans and Public Servants who commute daily, this is a monthly increase of pressure on their meager salaries of over twenty or forty dollars a month.

This development is clearly a huge indictment on the UDP government who has failed to protect the public con-sumers from the sweltering economic pressures. It is also a direct result of the broken promise of Belize’s Prime Minis-ter, Dean Barrow who promised to keep gas prices below the $8 mark.

Spokesman for the BBA, Patrick Menzies noted that the largest inform-ing factor is the spiking cost of fuel. He indirectly made a comparison we, at BELIZE TIMES have made regularly. Un-der the PUP, in January 2000, the cost of fuel was $3.65 and now under the UDP administration it has long jumped to almost $13.

What is noteworthy as well that there is a law that regulates the cost of bus fares. This Statutory Instrument has not been changed according to our in-vestigations. The question then is who is regulating this industry and who is protecting the poor and public servants. If the fares are governed by law and those have not changed then it is our opinion at BELIZE TIMES that the new rates whether up or down or realigned are just plain out illegal.

The BELIZE TIMES made sever-al attempts to get comment from the Ministry of Transport, the Bureau of Standards and the Attorney General’s Ministry on the questions in this article. We have not been able to get any feed-back from any of these entities.

The unsupervised and hap-hazard challenges that the bus industry is fac-ing affects no one but the public who are neglected until election season.

The BBA did however point to the real issues facing the industry. They told the media that they wanted to have a member of their Association sit on the Transport Board as a watch dog be-cause there was a need “to avoid the

continual chaos that has continued to plague the Ministry due to political connections, cronyism and outright corruption.”

The Transport industry remains in utter shambles. The substandard bus-es, unsafe road practices, and road-side troubles will continue to frustrate commuters. This may not be the last increase and the public may not see any improvements proportionate to the cost.

But why should the UDP care when they buy hundred thousand dollar SUV’s with air conditioning and government gas? They just speed past us with their red vanity license plates.


BELIZE AT 31: TIME TO REBALANCE

Belize is at a critical juncture in its history. As Belizeans gather in cities, towns and villages to celebrate the thir-ty-first anniversary of our nation’s political independence, we pause to reflect.

It is time to take a hard, cold look at the future. Our country is not balanced. Too few control too much and too many have too little to hope for. Too much turmoil, too many deaths, too much suffering…

We are being driven hell-bent on a destructive path which is wrecking the economy, destroying investor confidence, retrenching workers, squeezing the people with burdensome taxes, fees and charges. Those with

power and authority squander our limited resources with wanton abandon in their luxury SUVs and their insatiable appetite for acquiring large tracts of land and choice Belizean patrimony for themselves, their families and cronies. Without shame, they arrogantly tell us they are not like “normal” Belizeans. They are better than us. They deserve more.

They victimize. No land for PUP. No job for PUP. They terrorize with their government-funded street and uniformed thugs. They plunder private property by dishonest acquisitions in total defiance of the law to pay just compensation. They raid the resources of these acquired public utilities as booty to be used for vote-buying and political propaganda. They generate fear, divisiveness, insecurity and hopelessness among the populace.

But our spirits must not be broken. It was not always like this. It need not be like this.It took the Father of Nation, and the PUP with the support of the majority of Belizeans, thirty-one years to finally achieve

the goal of a sovereign and independent Belize with all our territory intact. Mr. Price and the Belizean people who kept the faith had to overcome many obstacles which stood in the way; the British Colonial power, the threats from neighbouring Gua-temala and a destabilizing opposition that did all they could to derail the process. But the freedom train kept on moving to its destination and at the stroke of midnight the Union jack came down and Sub Umbra Floreo, in its resplendent blue with red borders, was hoisted. To paraphrase the poet Wordsworth, “bliss was it in that dawn of the 21st September 1981 to be alive; but to be young was very heaven.”

We are older now. As a people we are still trying to find a place for ourselves in a world of our own making – our own destiny.

The 1981 publication entitled “The Road to Independence” explains: “Belizeans know that the struggle for a better life, for a dignified existence, does not end with independence. Rather independence is the beginning of a long and difficult struggle that must be fought nationally and internationally in union with the peoples of other developing countries to create a new internation-al, economic and social order that will bring about the real liberation of our people”.

We are still a young nation in the making. It is said that no land, no country is a nation until it has found its soul. The glo-balization that unfolded over these past 31 years brought with it new threats, new dangers and new challenges to our national well-being. A type of social Darwinism has taken hold of our national consciousness. Social dislocation, growing inequality and persistent poverty, family breakdown and youth alienation are the manifestations of a Belize out of balance. A rising un-dercurrent of ethnic tensions must be confronted. Those who in the name of nationalism would resort to breaking down the wooden homes of poor Hispanic immigrants and chase them – women and children – unto the street, have put a stain on the relatively harmonious Belizean body politic.

This did not happen in a hidden corner of Belize. It happened in Belize City the old capital that is now riven by a sub-cul-ture of drugs, gangs, guns and violence.

We have to re-balance. On this the 31st anniversary of our independence, we must commit to set Belize free again.We must go back to our roots. Back to basics. Culture and history must become our frames of reference. We affirm again

that the nation of Belize shall be founded upon principles which acknowledge the supremacy of God… the dignity of the hu-man person and the equal and inalienable rights with which all members of the human family are endowed by their creator.

Our Leader Emeritus George Price in his own simple, humble way showed us the way as he went about proclaiming a Be-lizean identity from all our diverse cultures and ethnic groups forged on the anvil of the oppressive colonial system, sharing a sense of belonging to a community, this place we call Belize and resisting peacefully all attempts to destroy the dream, the vision, the promise of a Belize: United, Sovereign and Independent where each of us can be part of the life and the work of the Free Belize.

We have come far. But we have further, much further to go. For freedom is not a safe harbor, a resting place, a finished work. It is a challenge constantly renewed to change, to reform, to build a modern Belize with justice and opportunity for all.

A Happy Independence to All. Viva Belize!


Tribute to Rt. Hon. George C. Price on

National Service DayCity of Belmopan, September 19, 2012By PUP leader Hon. Francis W. Fon-seca

We wish to record our deep ap-preciation and gratitude to the George Price Center for Peace and Develop-ment and the PUP Belmopan Executive Committee for organizing this mass to-day in honor of the Father of our Nation, Rt. Hon. George C. Price.

We meet this early September 19th morning to pay tribute to and celebrate the life and legacy of the Father of our Nation, our great leader, National Hero, George Price.

It was on this date, one year ago, that the lord called home this true and faithful Belizean servant. The Lord saw that he had grown weary after a full life of work and service to his people and Country.

If but for a brief moment, our nation stood united in our loss and sorrow. To-gether we could acknowledge and ap-preciate the legacy of Belize’s greatest son.

Thousands travelled from our cit-ies, towns and villages to pay their fi-nal respects and honor the man whose tireless efforts and sacrifice, above and beyond all others, had made it possible for us all to be Belizean.

The Maya, Creole, Mestizo, Gar-ifuna, East-Indian, Mennonite, Asian, Hindu, Arab, and African, we all mourn-ed together united in our love and our loss. It was he, George Price, who had taught us to live and love as One Peo-ple-One Nation.

He lived and fought for Belize’s right to self-determination, self- government and Independence.

He forged the Belizean identity and led a peaceful, constructive, revolution grounded in the philosophy and princi-ples of social and economic justice.

In his brilliantly written book: “George Price-A Life Revealed”, God-frey P. Smith reminds us of the great-ness and simplicity of George Price, the man and Leader.

He rose every morning at 4am, shaved, dressed and headed off to mass. After mass was breakfast which consisted of two slices of dry bread, two pieces of cheddar cheese, a glass of room temperature rainwater, a chilled banana, and before the cockroaches took over the kettle, a cup of coffee.

He never owned a stove or a kitch-en cabinet, a television set or a record player, even though he loved music.

He loved books and loved to play his piano. He slept on his late father’s bed his entire life even though his fa-ther had died in 1945.

To George Price, Heaven was a state of happiness and having knowl-edge of all things. Yes he wanted to go to heaven but he knew he was not as-sured a place. One can never be sure, he would say, but he had tried to live his life honoring God.

Today we pray for the soul of George Price and ask God to welcome him into his kingdom where he so richly deserves to be.

We also offer up our prayers for his dedicated sisters and all the members of his family who continue to serve Be-lize. May God bless each of them.

It is fitting that we meet this morn-ing in Belmopan City, the city that George Price built. George Price loved Belmopan and would be proud that we have chosen to gather here today in his memory.

Today let us renew our commit-

ment to service and justice.We will never forget you

Father of the Nation!You are in our hearts, in our

thoughts, and in our actions!We will not fail you!We will not fail Belize!We will continue the work

of nation building!We remain true soldiers in

the peaceful, constructive, Be-lizean revolution.

May God continue to guide and bless our people and Nation.


Bleeding BTLBelize City, September 18, 2012

On September 28, 2012, the na-tionalized corporate giant called Belize Telemedia Limited will be holding its Annual General Meeting.

An Annual General Meeting, commonly referred to as an AGM, is a formal meeting which is held once a year by companies. It is a legal re-quirement for organisations, associa-tions and entities that have company status.

At the Annual General Meeting, the shareholders approve the previ-ous year’s accounts and dividends per share. They also discuss other items such as the composition of the Board.

A leak of the financial statement of BTL has show that there is a “huge decrease in revenue”. When we talk in BTL language “huge” is weighed in the millions.

There has been a steady decline since the UDP government took over the telecommunications company. The report notes that “In the 2010/11 financial year, B.T.L.’s gross income was $158 million dollars”. That figure has plummeted for the year 2011/12 by eight percent to $145 million dol-lars.

Reports to the BELIZE TIMES are that this $145 is bound to dip even further within the upcoming year and a half.

Profit lines have also dropped by a whopping 22%. This percentage drop is not an accurate report as the Government “reduced B.T.L.’s tax bill, while also ignoring a commercial loan that was in place at the date of nation-alization in August 2009”.

We were all twinkle-eyed at that thought that there was a possibility that the quality of life would be in-creased from Nationalization. After all, we thought nationalization of utilities would produce wealth for the nation of Belize. It should have resulted in a more efficient allocation of scarce resources. Basically, our main hope was how it would benefit the Belizean people.

But the take over of BTL has been a double and triple up of abuse and pork barrel politics. We saw the appointment of UDP cronies on the Board and in December 2011, the Government of Belize approved a Christmas Assistance Program. This was a blatant bribery cheque by the UDP from the public purse of BTL.

Exactly how much money has gone to pay gang members in truce programs or telethon pledges is still unknown.

We will not even get into the mil-lions given away to media house as hush money in bloated and shocking figures.

One independent media source pins the rush of the AGM as a means to pay out further dividends and bleed the company more. The open political

plundering of the BTL golden goose is not new. It are as old as 2009.

Ultimately, the name-calling and the anger in 2009 which blinded Be-lizean people who thought we were going to be better off after the nation-alization has worn off. The hope that

we had before has been squashed and squandered away as we watch UDPs take millions of dollars from the company and all they throw across the fence is the crumbs of a “triple up” here and a “double up” there.

Nothing has gone down except

the profits. These profits dropped as soon as Belize owned it. Nothing has gotten better except the public’s abil-ity to see through the lies and prom-ises.

The UDP needs to stop gutting BTL. The books are proving the UDP to either be incompetents or thieves.

This is not a healthy business model, especially when we should be dealing with the business of the peo-ple.


What did you do for National Service Day?

Belize City, September 19, 2012What did you do on Wednesday

September 19th 2012? Did you visit your elderly neighbour and offer to help? Did you feed the homeless? Did you visit the sick? Did you clean up a park or your neighbourhood? Any of these activities would suf-fice the specialness that Septem-ber 19th 2012 is. The day has been dedicated as National Service Day – a day of service.

For the People’s United Party, it meant a day to give back to the com-munity, a day to roll up our sleeves and walk the familiar trenches. But it was not just any ordinary commu-nity service day. September 19th has a very special meaning to us. It is the day our Leader Emeritus and Father of Independence passed away, leaving us to remember his great achievements and proud his-tory. The Rt. Hon. George Price gave his life for Belize and every Be-lizean, yet he asked for nothing in return. It is that spirit that we want to life Belize, every day, but espe-cially on September 19th.

The People’s United Party had a busy day of activities that included placing George Price billboards at the constituency offices in Corozal South West and Corozal South East, special masses countywide, planting flowers and cleaning up George Price Drive in Xaibe Village, planting Mahogany Trees in Orange Walk South, cleaning up George Price Avenue and Liberty Avenue, as well as installing dirt-drums at Salomon Primary School and Louisi-ana Government School in Orange Walk East.

In Southern Belize, Party offi-cials power-washed and painted the San Pedro Columbia Communi-ty Center, while they also repaired Main Street and constructed a wel-come sign to greet persons to the village. In Toledo East there was a massive Beach preservation proj-ect.

In Dangriga, PUP officials launched a Medical Mobile initiative to provide health care for shut-ins.

In the Cayo Central, PUP sup-porters distributed food baskets to widows in the division, refurbished basketball courts in Santa Elena with new rims and painting.

In the Cayo North East Divi-sion, PUP officials cleaned up the Octavia Waight (Old Folks Home) compound and installed painted plaques (signs) with scientific and common names of trees at the Ma-cal River Park.

In Belmopan, the PUP team cleaned up neighbourhoods and dis-tributed 100 George Price T-Shirts.

The Cayo South PUP team planted fruit and shaded trees at an orphanage in Cotton Tree

In Belize City, PUP officials were very busy. Party Leader Hon. Francis Fonseca, Deputy Leader Carolyn Trench-Sandiford, Marshals

President Steve Latchman and other PUP officials gathered at the Raymond Parks Shelter to donate pillows and mat-tresses. Lake I Standard Bearer Martin Galvez and Yolanda Shakron donated a bench.

The Caribbean Shores PUP team planted trees and in Freetown, PUP of-ficials spruced up the Belama Park.

In Belize Rural Central, the Wom-en Inspired for Change Group together with Area Representative Hon. Dolores Completed the cleaning and beautifica-tion of the pedestrian walkway in La-dyville as part of the National Service Day activities for Belize Rural Central. Some 14 women along with sever-al BDF soldiers and other volunteers chopped, cleared and bagged up the grass from this area. Also done was a cleanup of the Ladyville Community Center surroundings.

Today September 19 the group and Hon. Dolores will deliver care baskets to forty elderly, poor persons in Ladyville and Lord’s Bank as well as in Hattieville.

In Belize Rural South, officials held a Memorial Walk around San Pedro town at 6:00p.m.

In Fort George, the PUP helped 60 needy families with food supplies, while in Mesoptamia food baskets were dis-tributed to the elderly and needy.

In the Lake Independence Division, the PUP team helped to construct a

basketball court for the many young people in the Flamboyant Street area, giving them an opportunity to engage in positive activities.

Even the staff of the Secretariat and the BELIZE TIMES chipped in, aiding in initiatives across the city and painting the walls of the foyer at Independence Hall.

The People’s United Party thanks all those who took part in National Service Day.

Some include the standard four class of Button Wood Bay Nazarene who took out time to clean up areas of the Northern Highway.

The University of Belize students were also engaged. The Advanced Teach-ing English to Speakers of Other Lan-guages (TESOL) class of the Faculty of Education and Arts, under the collabora-tion of UB assistant professors Dr. Max-ine McKay and Dk. Silvaana Udz, visited the Dorothy Menzies Child Care Center to meet with the 50 or so students and share patriotic, entertaining and educa-tional activities. The Faculty of Science and Technology (FST) students also vol-unteered in a beautification project.

National Service Day commemo-rates the life, work and service of late Rt. Hon. George Cadle Price. May we, as the creed of the PUP exalts, and as Mr. Price always encouraged Belizeans to do, continue to Serve the People!


tours Cayo SouthFrancis Fonseca

Party Leader


Female volleyball competition results

Belize makes history at CODICADER Games

Ports of Belize enjoys second basketball win

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Placencia Assassins defeat

San Ignacio UnitedBelize City, September 16, 2012

Ashley and Luis Torres scored Placencia Assassins’ goals to keep the team at the top of the 2012 Premier Foot-ball League of Belize competition.

Not only are the Assassins No. 1; they are also unde-feated. The 3-0 win over San Ignacio United to keep them that way. Despite a testy 1st half, the goal scoring didn’t occur until the 2nd half when Ashley Torres blasted the ball into the goal in the 74th minute. He was followed 11 min-utes later by Luis Torres. With fire on his pegs, Ashley then let off a grass burner in the 89th minute to get the third goal.

Other games:Belmopan Bandits vs. San Pedro Sea Dogs – 2-0 Scorers: Woodrow West, Denmark CaseyVerdes F.C. vs. City Boys – 3-0Scorers: Miguel Aguilar, Julian Maldonado (2)Juventus vs. San Felipe Barcelona – 2-0Scorers: Michael Whittaker (2)FC Belize vs. Belize Defence Force - 2-1Scorers: John King, Lisbey Castillo, Michael HernandezPolice vs. Paradise Freedom Fighters – 1-0Scorers: Danny Jimenez

Belize City, September 15, 2012Ports of Belize had to make a come-

back, while losing by 6 points, to beat the Atlantic Bank 64-62 on Friday night.

The very exciting game saw some big scoring by Lennox Bowman who sunk 28 baskets for Ports. Marcel Orosco had an excellent night, with 32 points for Atlantic Bank.

Other games:Airport vs. BEL – 77-47Belize Bank vs. Smart – 59-56BWSL vs. Belize Telemedia – 46-43

Jason Lamb scored 6pts

Belize City, September 16, 2012In the Junior Female Volleyball Competition,

the Red Stars defeated the Black Stars in 3 sets on Sunday. First set: 25-11. Second set 25-10. Third set 15-8.

The SQ Black Stars outlasted the Moen Stars in 3 sets. First set: 25-22. Second set 25-20. Third set 18-16.

The Honeybees dominated the Simon Quan Red Stars in 3 sets. First set 25-16. Second and third sets: 25-17 and 15-19.

Guatemala, September 7, 2012Belize made history at the XVII

Central American Junior Scholastic (CODICADER) Games held in Gua-temala August 26 to September 8. Belize won gold in various fields, while putting up fierce competition in others.

The Ladyville girls softball team won gold after defeating Nicaragua, El Salvador and Guatemala in the fi-nals.

The Sadie Vernon Technical High School boys were also undefeated as they won gold after four consec-utive victories. They defeated Costa Rica’s Colegio Seminario 87-54 in the championship final.

The St Catherine’s Academy girls also won a bronze medal in vol-leyball. SCA defeated Nicaragua 3-2

for third place. Sherika Burton also won an individual gold medal as Best Hitter. This was the first time that Belize won medals in volleyball since Belize began participating in CODICADER in 2007.

Other gold medalists are Jervis Myvette of Edward P. Yorke High School in Track and Field, and silver medalists the Nazarene Softball Ladies.

33 THE BELIZE TIMES Sunday, September 23, 2012 Sunday, September 23, 2012 THE BELIZE TIMES 17 16 THE BELIZE TIMES Sunday, September 23, 2012


Highlights of the Struggle for Belizean Independence

1950-January 1stThe struggle begins – People’s

Committee formed

1950 – February 1st The Belizean flag is presented to

the people.

1950 – September 29th The People’s Committee is dis-

solved and the People’s United Party is born.

1951The People’s United Party adopts

the Belizean flag, then called the Bay-men Flag, to propose as the FLAG OF BELIZE. It also agreed to restore the ancient settlement name of BELIZE to the new nation.

1951The PUP wins majority in the City

Council but it is dissolved when the PUP majority refuse to hang the Queen’s pic-ture in its Meeting Room.

1954Belize achieves Universal Adult Suf-

frage. PUP wins 8 out of 9 seats to the Legislative Council. The Membership System is introduced. Sir Arthur Wollf-shon is First Speaker.

1955Hurricane Janet hits Corozal Dis-

trict. The PUP Government launches rehabilitation programme.

1956The PUP is split. The dissident fac-

tion forms the HIP (Honduran Indepen-dence Party)

1957The PUP wins the National Elec-

tions 9-0.PUP splits the Granados Incident in

London. The dissident faction calls itself the Labour, Agriculture and Develop-ment Party.

The BELIZE TIMES is born.

1958Premiere Price tried for Sedition.

The intention by the Colonialists was to have him in prison before the visit of Princess Margaret.

Mr. Price welcomes Princess Mar-garet at City entrance and puts off a show of strength of his PUP in a mas-sive demonstration that passed Govern-ment House but not allowed to enter.

1960The National Party merges with the

Honduran Independence Party (HIP) and forms the National Independence Party (NIP).

The party joins with the PUP to form the UNITED FRONT which goes to London to ask for a more advanced constitution.

The United Front returns with a Ministerial Constitution.

1961The PUP sweeps the polls and

takes all 18 seats - Sir Harrison Courte-nay is Second Speaker.

First Minister Price goes to Santi-ago de Chile and succeeds in gaining admission for Belize to be an associate

of ECLA.Hurricane Hattie destroys Belize

City and badly damages the Stann Creek District.

1962First Anglo-Guatemalan talks are

held in San Juan, Puerto Rico.First Minister Price makes his fa-

mous “not one square centimetre” policy statement.

1963The London Self Government

Constitution.Breakthrough in the Southern

Highway construction.New automatic telephone system

introduced for Belize City. Radio Belize gets new studios.

1964Belize becomes Self Governing.

George Price becomes first PREMIER. The Internationalisation of the Be-

lize desire for Independence begins with a Ministerial Tour of Honduras, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, El Salvador and Mexico.

1965PUP wins 16 out of 18 seats in

elections under the news Self Govern-ment Constitution.

A new round of talks in Anglo-Gua-temalan dispute opens in Miami. It de-cided to go to mediation.

President LB Johnson appoints Ambassador Betheul Webster as me-diator.

1966Opposition riot in Belize City over

incomplete Webster proposals.Work on Belmopan begins.

1967New Tower Hill Sugar Mill opened.New Tower Hill Bridge opened.TACA introduces jet airplanes.Runway and apron at International

Airport extended and improved

1969The Belcan Bridge is opened.PUP wins 17 out of 18 seats in the

National Assembly.

1970Seat of Government moves to

Belmopan

1971Belize joins CARIFTA, which later

became CARICOM.

1973Belize joins CARICOM

1974PUP wins National Elections 12-6

1975Belize opens mission at the UN to

get support for Independence.

1977General Omar Torrijos visits Be-

lize. Panama votes for Belize at the U.N.

1978More than 100 countries voted

for Belizean Independence at the UN General Assembly, including some

Latin American nations which had voted against or abstained the previ-ous year.

1979The UN vote showed that the

Nicaraguans had been the first of the Guatemalan allies to come over to Belize’s side. This was after the over-throw of the Somoza regime.

The PUP won 13 of 18 seats in General Elections.

1980Belize’s aspirations for indepen-

dence were boosted with the vote of the United States of America in the UN General Assembly. A total of 139 countries voted “YES” for Belizean Independence and the UN Resolu-tion set the end of 1981 as the dead-line for this achievement.

The PUP won a landslide victory at the polls in the City Council elec-tions.

1981Preparations began for inde-

pendence and the government of Premier Price intensified its efforts to solve the Anglo Guatemalan dis-pute.

The Heads of Agreement pro-posals were announced in March. It was hoped that the “Heads” would have resulted in a solution but they failed after the Guatemalan govern-ment withdrew from the negotia-tions.

The alternative as had been ex-plained earlier by Premier Price was independence with a suitable secu-rity guarantee for Belize after inde-pendence.

Following the failure of the July 06-10 talks in New York, the Premier went to London to discuss the alter-native route to independence.

On July 26, the Premier went on the radio to announce the date for the Independence of Belize – Sep-tember 21, 1981. He told a conven-tion at the City Center on the same day that the Heads of Agreement will still serve as a basis for seeking a solution to the Anglo Guatemalan dispute over Belize.

September 21, 1981The Union jack is lowered and

the Belizean flag is hoisted as the world welcomed the new nation of Belize.


Of this and that…PREPARING TO FAILSchool prepares us for life. School

teaches us the right things.A terrible thing is happening. It is

just as bad as the HFLE manual.Physical Education is a subject in

school. This is an important part of the curriculum. Children who participate in PE perform 20% better than those who do not.

Physical education must be taught well.

It guarantees that students lead healthy active lifestyles. They take these values and beliefs into their future.

The first lesson in PE is equipment. No one uses a baseball mitt to play vol-leyball. You don’t wear ice hockey skates to play football. Common sense.

Yet, schools have students doing PE in their school uniform. This is unaccept-able. This happens at primary school. It happens at high schools. It is wrong.

What are we teaching the kids?A t-shirt is four dollars at Simon

Quan. A short pants is cheap. Three dol-lars for a half-yard of Dacron. Dollar elas-tic.

There is no excuse.Ignorance is expensive. SCAMThere is a big scam going on at City

Council. Wardens are writing tickets before

they see a violation. When there are none, they create one.

You cannot blame them. They are told they have a quota.

Watch out for them. DOUBLE PARKING IS LEGALWe are told that Citco is cracking

down on traffic discipline. Few people know that double park-

ing is illegal. Those ignorant include the traffic officers. Everyday they stand by Belize Bank.

Everyday there is double parking on that very part of Regent Street. This is between the bus stop and Wellworth. This is an extremely narrow street.

It is dangerous. Buses hog the street space. Three buses in a row. They double park. It clogs the passage.

You cannot even ride your bike safe-ly.

Free up the space, boss.SUCCESSFUL SURGERY, PA-

TIENT TO DIEWow, the truth finally. The UDP has been using BTL as a

cash cow. They have been abusing it to keep themselves in power.

A report of BTL financials proves it.The UDP has stolen at least $12

million dollars of BTL money. Check the books. It has taken out more than 22% of the gross profit from last year. What a thing.

BTL is now a political profit for UDP cronies, but a financial loss to the people of Belize.

The people of Belize own BTL. So the people now own a 22% loss.

PRE-SCHOOLERS TAXBus fare has gone up. To be fair ev-

erything has gone up. This is just a fact under the UDP.

They tax for tax sake. They taxed garbage. They taxed the dead.

Now, there is a tax on three and four year olds. The Metro buses have started to charge 50 cents for preschoolers. This came into effect last Thursday. It is un-believable.

This is no encouragement to the single mothers. They have to eat the in-crease. That is a pound of rice less on the table. This is another discouragement.

It is as if the UDP do not want our children in school.

We are going in the wrong direction, Bra. All school buses should be free.

ANDY PALACIO IS NOT DEADThere was an awesome concert at

the Bliss. It was organized around the legacy of Andy Palacio. Andy was a Be-lizean icon. He thrived under the PUP.

There is a book written on his life. It is written by Lawrence Vernon. He is a retired librarian.

Nuff respect to Lawrence. We need more of this.

DIARIES OF BELIZEWe are celebrating Belize. We are

celebrating history. But history has to be written. It has to be recorded.

We should give awards to our histo-rians and writers.

The awards are as follows. Emory King for plain old history. He

comes second to Assad. Mr. Cayetano and Palacio for Gari-

funa land tenure. Radio history in Belize goes to Rene.

Godfrey gets the nod for biogra-phies. Ray Lightburn takes award for au-tobiographies.

Myrtle Palacio is queen of stats. She dominates the category of political stats. She is the “who is who” in this category.

The only medical history book comes from Dr. Bennet. Even Okeke takes a plaque for business history and youth psychology.

Yasser rounds out the group with dem art and artist history exhibitions.

There is no real, accurate or compre-hensive history text on Belizean sports. That is a sin.

Respect has to be given to the writ-ers. They have sweat to document the secrets, laughs, truths and gossips of Belize.

FROM GRACE TO GRASS TO MADA…

Mark Espat betrayed Belize. He is part of a hoax. The government is using the superbond negotiations to pay him off. Everyone knows the bond holders agreed to “adjustments”. They told this to the government. The government has not disclosed everything. This hallmark “negotiation team” is a charade.

This “negotiation” is the new ver-sion of Barrow paying Lois Young mil-lions for cases. This is a trick. Smoke and mirrors. Barrow, KREM and Mark get rich scheme.

MORE SECRETSThere was a bargain struck between

Mark and Cordel. That deal was with the UDP. It was for the 2012 General Elec-tions.

There is more to that deal than just money. There were other additional promises.

This is the current plan. Take this to the bank.

Gapi Vega will be axed by De-cember. Patrick will be made DPM. Herman’s throat will be cut. Mark Espat will run in Albert for the UDP. During the next elections they will sabotage the campaign in Collet. They plan for Patrick to lose.

But there is a big “IF”. Can a pol-itician commit political treason and run again? The people of Albert will not elect a traitor. No one trusts him.

IT HAS BEGUN…The Belize Basketball Federation

is on the offensive. Herman Long-sworth is punishing the 3x3 Basket-ball champions. This is pure spite. It has nothing to do with money.

Let us break it down for you. The president of the BBF is Paul

Thompson. He is a surrogate of Mark Espat. His “right hand” man. The guy even talks exactly like Mark Iscariot. They sound exactly the same. Check it out.

But Herman has decided to up the price of the bounty on his head. The “no” to the b-ball kids is really a middle finger to Mark.

Watch it. Didn’t Herman say he will “suffer” the consequences? Didn’t you notice that Channel 7 and KREM coordinated the attack on Longsworth?

Jules is Channel 7. Channel 7 is Nestor Vasquez. Mark and KREM are UDPs in sheep clothing. Herman is a left over UDP.

This is UDP on UDP violence. What “it is” ain’t important, Jack.

But “why it is”, sure is.This UDP is crumbling.They contracted the Mark Iscari-

ot Virus (MIV). No antiretroviral medi-cation cures that rash.

Trust us. We know.JUDGMENT DAYThere is one more day to Inde-

pendence celebrations in Belize. Elections for the US President

is also days away. There are only 46 days left.

This is important for us. The US is about to sneeze. We better get some cough medicine.

US Elections are something to monitor. Not just for the Belizean Americans. Not just for those plan-ning to tiptoe through the “back”. Nope.

It is an exercise of the oldest de-mocracy. We can learn a thing or two. But it is also pure entertainment.

A pop star versus a corporate Mormon. It is raw comedy. Watch-ing Romney put his foot in his mouth. Watching him trying to be hip and just missing the target. Like his choice between “honey boo boo” (a cute tv kid) and “Snooki” (a loud party ad-dict/drunk). Romney chose “Snooki”.

Advice to Romney. Be you. Don’t try to shoot 3 point jumpers.

We cannot wait for these presi-dential debates.

WORDS OF VISION“Nationalism is love of country

and its people… The ground of nationalism is a

people’s identity. For us it is the Belizean identity

which is the bond that makes us one nation with one destiny no matter what our origin, culture or tradition may be or our standing in the com-munity.” ~ Rt. Hon. George C. Price


Reid

Belize is in the middle of its Sep-tember Celebrations and as per normal, every year around this time we dip our heads in

the sand, wiggle our asses and try to ignore the harsh reality of the times. That’s all right I suppose since it will only be for a few weeks, after which we must surface and once again face reality. In keeping with the custom and the culture then, I too shall employ my pen to matters of September.

It seems that every year around this time, we en-gage ourselves in the same old tired discussions. The first one has to do with the Battle of St. George’s Caye and the second with the flag. I believe that it is time for a gov-ernment, any gov-ernment, to appoint a team of research-ers to once and for all, dig up the facts and set this matter straight.

It was not until a hundred years after the supposed fact that Simon Lamb, a true son of the soil, was able to con-vince people to join him in celebrating the event. The anni-versary of the Battle of St. George’s Caye is still celebrated each year despite many attempts to dispel as myth and to discontinue. Not even the devastat-ing hurricane of 1931, which hit in the midst of the celebrations, was able to dissuade people from celebrating. The spirit of Simon Lamb is strong.

Over the past few decades howev-er, a few occurrences have been able to erode the significance of the Tenth of September Celebration. I find this to be unfortunate. First there was the

The flag is a symbol of our country and

bears little re-semblance to the flag of any other nation.

When the flag is seen flying from afar, should we have to wait un-til we are close enough to en-

sure that all de-tails have been

adhered to before we pay homage or feel

proud?”

fact that Independence was obtained on a date close to the Tenth. The fa-ther of our nation, Right Honorable George Price explained often that the timing was unavoidable and had he not accepted Independence then, Belize might have missed the opportunity. Unfortunately, it has still been used as a dividing factor where opponents of Independence seem inclined to con-fine their celebrations to the Tenth and ignore the celebration of our Indepen-dence. The Tenth has become a red and white affair.

Then there was the introduction of Carnival a couple of decades ago. This event has become quite popular and draws a much larger crowd of both participants and observers than the Tenth parade. One wonders why Car-nival was not held before Lent as it is

in most other coun-tries that have one. There are many who feel that there are too many events in September causing a prolonged period of lack of productiv-ity.

Actually, I have long felt that instead of the Tenth of Sep-tember, a better date to celebrate would have been June 1st. It was on that day in 1797 that a his-toric and significant public meeting was held. At that meet-ing, votes were cast to decide whether fight or flight would be the order of the Bay. Twelve free black men namely William Flowers, Caesar Flowers, Adam Flowers, Jo-seph Toney, William Scott, William Pin-der, George Grant, James Hercules, William Crofts, Da-vid Dawson, John Dawson and Joseph Smith along with two white men ar-rived at the meeting

in time to cast the deciding votes. The rest is well known history as the small group of settlers went on to face down the Spanish armada led by Captain Ar-turo O’Neill. I believe this to be a tale of tall bravery and of resolute convic-tion. This should be commemorated each year and would go a long way to-ward building confidence and promot-ing self esteem in our youth. Heaven

knows, it is sorely lacking.On the issue of the flag, I find the

discussion to be rather frivolous. Some are incensed primarily about the color of the men under the tree. The coat of arms of Belize, which is in the middle of the flag, features a mahogany tree with two woodcutters underneath, one holding an axe and the other hold-ing a paddle. It also features a shield showing the tools of the mahogany trade, including a paddle, squaring axe, beating axe, saw and ship. Under the feet of the two woodcutters is a flow-ing scroll with the Latin words, “sub umbra floreo”. Translated into English it means, “Under the shade of the tree we flourish”.

In the popular feature on Krem Ra-dio called Two Cents Cam, folks were this week asked how they felt about the fact that this year there were two black men on the flags that were is-sued. What I found interesting was the fact that very few folks had even noticed. This is my point! The flag is a symbol of our country and bears little resemblance to the flag of any other nation. When the flag is seen fly-ing from afar, should we have to wait until we are close enough to ensure that all details have been adhered to before we pay homage or feel proud? Did anyone inspect the flag that Mar-ion Jones carried around the Olympic stadium? The spirit of the flag is of far

more importance than the body of the flag. I can understand if there is an offi-cial state function but to be concerned about the little flags that kids wave in a parade is ridiculous.

There are two other days which we now observe in September. One is the birth of the oldest and grandest political party in the history of Belize. The People’s Unite Party turns 62 next week having been formed in 1950. Al-low me to take this opportunity to wish all members of the People’s United Party a very Happy Birthday and many more years of service to our nation. May GOD continue to bless the PUP and our vibrant and dedicated leader, Honorable Francis Fonseca.

This September 19th will also mark the first anniversary of the death of the Father of our Nation. The Right Honor-able George Cadle Price led our nation from colonialism to self-government to independence. George Price dedicat-ed his entire life to serving his people and is quoted as once telling the Mi-ami Herald, “I believe that happiness consists in serving others and not one-self.” He spent his entire life living up to that slogan. What a wonderful idea then, that we should declare Septem-ber 19th as National Service Day. Let us all in memory of Mr. Price carry out some sort of community service for our neighbor or fellow citizen. Happy Independence Belize!


31 years of Independence – Belize at the Economic Crossroads?

Home Economics

ECONOMIC INDICATOR 1981 2010 % Change

GDP (PPP) US$ billion 0.238 2.651 X 11.14GDP per capita US$1,582.80 $7,895.36 X 4.99Investment % GDP 26.644 17.9 - 33%Gross National Savings % GDP 25.389 15.233 - 40%Inflation % 11.224 0.463Oil Imports US$ billion 0.041 0.113 X2.76Oil Exports US$ billion - 0.111Population - million 0.15 0.336 +124%Current Account Balance US$ -0.005 -0.037 Current Account Bal % GDP -2.62 -2.667Unemployment Rate 9.2% 12.923% + 40%Rate of Poverty 18% 38% +111%General Govt Rev % GDP 26.608Tot Gov Gross Debt BZ$ billion 0.140 2.309 X16.5Tot Gov Gross Debt % GDP 29.4 81.651 +177%

By Richard HarrisonBelize is a relatively small and

open economy. Independence Day….like our own birthdays….can serve as milestones…encouraging us to examine ourselves construc-tively, critically….with a view to im-proving our condition.

The table below shows some economic indicators that can help us to see how our economy has devel-oped since our year of political Inde-pendence in 1981. We can analyze these to identify areas of interest, which we may want to correct on our journey forward.

1. WEALTHThe fact that our GDP has grown

11.14 times over these 31 years, and per capita income has grown 4.99 times shows that in general our peo-ple are better off. However, signifi-cant increases in our unemployment and poverty rates indicate that this growth in wealth is significantly bi-ased towards a small upper-income group, with a shrinking of the mid-dle-income group, and a ballooning of the lower-income group. The dis-covery of oil in 2005 can be consid-ered a life-saver for Belize, since it now exports as much as it imports. Belize needs to do better at ensuring it gains from expansion of oil explora-tion, and facilitate new investments in development of its natural resourc-es, especially granite and limestone mining, land, timber, marine and bio-mass. Our situation would be much worse, had the discovery of oil not been realized. Belize would grow more peacefully and with a better quality of life, if the wealth distribu-tion resembled more an oval shape than a pyramid, reflecting 80% mid-dle-income, and 10% each of upper and lower income groups. Going for-ward, our attention to wealth distribu-tion should be as important as grow-ing our wealth. Adding new jobs and working towards full employment in a competitive economy is a much more sustainable way to achieve this objective, than dependency-creating discretionary transfers (cash sub-sidies, goods subsidies, free land titles, debt forgiveness, etc). These programs only serve to increase our indebtedness, without any increase in our production or productivity. By comparison, Mexico’s GDP grew by 3.93 times, its per capita income grew by 2.5 times and its popula-tion grew by 57%. In general terms then, we have been growing faster relative to Mexico over this same period. However, Mexico’s Debt as a

percentage of GDP is only 42.717%, while our own is 81.651%. We have been growing by debts and importa-tion, while Mexico has been growing by savings and investments, produc-tion and exportation.

2. INVESTMENT & SAVINGSInvestments and savings are im-

portant for any growing economy. The fact that both these indicators have suffered significant decline in rates relative to GDP, are two of the principal reasons for the growing un-employment and poverty. Growing consumerism can explain the fact that the poor and middle class no longer have the same propensity to save and invest, which is likely the cause of their increasing slip into poverty.

Belize needs to become more investment friendly….by tackling the burdens of red-tape, corruption, graft, overhaul its antiquated cus-toms tariff law that favor importation over production, improve its justice system to be more fair, transparent and balanced, enhance laws that pro-tect private investments and proper-ty, developing its financial markets, overhauling its tax system (especial-ly its tax policy on imported fuel) to be more broad-based at lower rates, improve its accounting and reporting standards, improve its knowledge of how to defend our best interest within our treaties, sign up to new treaties that can help us, and with-draw from old treaties that do not work in our favor. Belize may also consider some form of forced-sav-ing for the lower and middle income, especially linking it to the expansion

and improvement of home-mortgag-es for low and middle income fami-lies, facilitated through a private bank owned and operated by the workers of Belize.

3. POPULATIONThe population has grown by

124% in these 30 years. Much of this population growth has come from Central American immigrants who come here with nothing more than the clothes on their back, most-ly with very little education and inabil-ity to speak our official language….which again contributes to our pover-ty rate, illiteracy rate and unemploy-ment rate.

Belize finds it difficult to bring this accommodation to the attention of the International Community, mostly because this phenomenon is driven by political tendency to facilitate this immigration for the purpose of votes in political contests. However, Belize needs to do more to obtain Interna-tional awareness and assistance for the accommodation of this signifi-cant and growing percentage of our population….which does much to ease the suffering and enhance the peace in our neighboring states, prin-cipally Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador.

Belize also needs to do more to help its own emigrants (mostly in the USA) to grow and pool their econom-ic resources, and to facilitate and pro-tect their investments and savings in Belize.

4. FINANCESAs is obvious from the chart,

much of Belize’s growth has been

financed by debt….to the extent that servicing our debt is now con-suming much of our ability to save and invest. Belize needs to rational-ize its debt over the next ten years to around 60% of GDP….decreas-ing it from 81% of GDP, by growing our economy at a faster pace than growing new debts. Its success at

re-negotiating the so-called Super Bond is im-portant, and must take into account win-win propositions consider-ing the interests of the countries/financial insti-tutions to which we are indebted. Belize would do well to take steps to reverse the trend of rat-ings downgrades by the rating agencies, upon which private investors depend to guide their in-vestment decisions.

5. CONCLUSIONBelize finds itself

at a crossroads on this, its 31st year of political Independence. It is at a precipice of import-driv-en consumerism, debt overload, high unem-ployment and pover-ty from which it must

retreat, and move towards its rich valleys of production, savings and in-vestment, export, employment and wealth. It must make the decision now to channel all its energies, brain power and resources, towards great-er ECONOMIC INDEPENDENCE. Belize can achieve this by growing its economy at a rate at or above 6% per annum, mostly driven by investments in job-creating produc-tion-oriented primary and secondary industrial transformation….using do-mestic raw materials and value-add-ing imported raw materials….both for import substitution and export orientation, as the limitation of small-scale of our economy demands that one leads to the other, as new indus-tries start up and grow. While tourism should continue to be important, we must focus on strategies that grow the quality and value of our tourism, more so than its volume. The risks are too high, when tourism accounts for more than 20% of our economy, and we are already there. We can consider the high-minded ICT and financial services options (little Swit-zerland?) as part of our long-term agenda via FDI, as the conditions for such improve….but we have more urgent and quantum needs, than to hang our hats on this nail for now….we would be more realistic going for the primary and secondary industrial production jobs, for which our popula-tion is currently better suited.

Richard Harrison is a local busi-nessman and investor in the manu-facturing and service industries. Send comments to [email protected]


The National Spirit of the People…By Carolyn Trench-Sandiford, Deputy Party Leader

Perhaps it was coincidence, perhaps it was written, and it simply came to pass, that the Rt. Hon. George Price would de-part his earthly life on September 19th, 2011, two days before we celebrated the 30th anniversary of the independence of Belize, so that it be a constant reminder to all of us of a life dedicated to the ser-vice of others, a life dedicated to sowing a national spirit, a prerequisite both to forging a unified identity to achieve po-litical independence and creating a New Belize, a life that as Belizeans, we ought to all attempt to emulate.

As I participated in the wreath laying ceremony at the Lord Ridge Cemetery this morning in remembrance of a Na-tional Heroe and a pilgrim of the earth, I could not help but be inspired by the children of St. Martin’s Primary School, as they sang the National Anthem and recited the National Prayer.

They stood tall and erect, some with their eyes closed, and only their lips in motion, but all with passion and pride in who they are, and undoubtedly with the endowed spirit of our National Heroe. They neither missed a beat or a word, really remarkable considering the many adults who still do. They truly owned the National Anthem and Prayer. Undoubt-edly, the seed of the spirit of the revo-

lution as sowed by the Rt. Hon. George Price has bloomed.

Seeing them forti-fied my belief that our generation was the reason for the prede-cessor generation to have embarked on the peaceful constructive Belizean revolution, to create a New Belize, and to bring to all Be-lizeans a better quality of life and a just share of the national wealth.

However, the real-ity of Belize today as it was at the beginning of the revolution in 1950, is still characterized by scandalous levels of poverty, social exclu-sion and inequality, and now compounded by unprecedented levels of crime and violence.

This convinces further that the role of our generation is to pursue a path of social progress for the successor genera-tion, a prerequisite of that being achieving economic prosperity, and the safety and security of our people, our country and our way of life.

I have often read and heard the elders of the revolution, par-ticularly Hon. Valde-mar Castillo and Don Hector Silva, say that the teachings of the Rt. Hon. George Price recognized that political indepen-dence was only the first step of the jour-ney to social justice, the next step being economic indepen-dence.

Today, our chil-dren sang our Na-tional Anthem and prayed our National Prayer in honour of a National Heroe, while our govern-ment continues to blaspheme the words ‘social justice’, bastardize our Beliz-

ean identity, play possum to the under-mining of our territorial integrity and sov-ereignty, and domesticate the laws and budgets that are crafted and approved in secret meetings and backrooms in Wash-ington and London with multilateral and international financial agencies in our

National Assembly to keep us poor and dependent. It reminds me of the scene in the movie Quo Vadis, where history re-cords Nero playing his fiddle while Rome and its people burned

Like the Rt. Hon. George Price and his generation, we owe it to those chil-dren who sang and prayed with their hearts and souls this morning and all other children and our successor gener-ation, to leave Belize a better place than we found it.

We can no longer afford to condone the squandering or destruction of that spirit of nationalism that has been careful-ly nurtured and borne fruit in our children and our people. Today was a testament of that.

Rather we must capitalize on it. We must fuel it. We must unleash it as we give birth and life to the next revolution to create Our Belize, the one that the Rt. Hon. George Price and our ancestors dare to dream of. We must give our chil-dren the reason to let their individual and collective spirits soar as high as they can dream.

For as our Party Leader Hon. Francis Fonseca said this morning at the ceremo-ny, the spirit of the revolution continues and lives in each and every one of them…in each and every one of us……Happy Birthday Belize…Long Live the Revolu-tion…

We can no lon-ger afford to condone the

squandering or destruction of

that spirit of na-tionalism that has been care-fully nurtured

and borne fruit in our children

and our people.”


In my perspective…September 10th Reality Check

by Rayford YoungGrowing up in Libertad Village,

Corozal District was a joy. My father worked at the sugar factory then named Corozal Sugar Factory (CSF). He started as a laborer and worked his way up to become the chief en-gineer of the factory. He and many of the laborers worked hard and long hours and knew that factory like no other. Then Tate & Lyle bought the factory and the name was changed to Belize Sugar Indus-tries (BSI), which it is to this day.

When Tate & Lyle took over they brought in a lot of English men from London to work at the factory. These men were highly educated and sup-posedly had a lot of experience in the sugar industry. Well it didn’t quite turn out that way. Even with all their education, the local men had to go behind these men to get the fac-tory working. My dad and many of the local men had something the English men did not have - experi-ence. They built the factory. They knew everything about that factory because they were there from the beginning.

These English men had all the top jobs - general man-ager, managers, ac-counting, engineers - and were highly paid. They built big homes about five miles from the factory at a vil-lage called Santa Cruz. They had it all - including a swim-ming pool and man-icured lawns. These men drove new cars and Land Rover jeeps. The company paid for their gas-

These poli-ticians use tax-payers

money to lav-ish themselves,

their friends and family. Peo-

ple at the top and those that have control

over the Coun-try have always made sure they and their family have the best.

These are local Belizean politi-cians who are now indulging in this kind of selfish corrupt

behavior.”

oline. Life was good for these English men. They lived large and the work-ers were paid a pittance compared to what they were making. When my fa-ther was appointed as the chief engi-neer, we too moved up to Santa Cruz and enjoyed some of those benefits. Now let me be clear, this was a pri-vate company using their own money to do these things. The company was making a profit so they could afford these comforts back in those days. They made life comfortable for them-selves and the few local people that were in that category.

Before Belize got independence the country was run by the British. In my opinion, they did some very good things including instituting the educa-tion system we have in place today. Some feel that just as they did at BSI they took what the country had to offer for themselves and moved on when they had enough. Some feel

like they are in part responsible for the mess the country is in these days. Many of our young people don’t feel colonialism was good for Belize.

I feel like we can only blame the British so much. After all we have been governing ourselves for the last thirty years. And yes, there has been some prog-ress, but we are nowhere close to where we should be. Who is to be blamed for the condition of our country now? In many ways I be-lieve it’s ourselves. We keep electing the same people over and over hop-ing things would be different but the results are the same. We can’t keep blaming the British when we are now governed by our own local Belizean politi-cians that we elect to office. Just like the English men at BSI they drive ex-pensive gas guz-zling SUVs. Many of them live in

mansions. Life is good for these poli-ticians that are in office time and time

again. The only difference is that BSI used their money as a private com-pany. These politicians use tax-payers money to lavish themselves, their friends and family. People at the top and those that have control over the Country have always made sure they and their family have the best. These are local Belizean politicians who are now indulging in this kind of selfish corrupt behavior.

Reports are that this year’s Sep-tember celebrations are not well at-tended and the mood of the Country is sour. Well, people are out of work and crime is up almost one hundred murders this year alone. The Country could not make their bond payment, GSU thugs are running around shoot-ing innocent people, abusing and man-handling the public, so what do you expect?

I can remember as a boy in Corozal the 10th of September was a high day - floats, the carnival festivities, concerts and the battle of the bands, football games in the afternoon. The 10th was a day to remember for the entire family. But today we stay home scared someone will start shooting in the crowd. We don’t know where the next pay check will be coming from so can’t afford to have friends and family over to celebrate anymore. Money is

short. We have to save the little we have as we don’t know what tomor-row will bring. This is the sad state of our little Jewel called Belize. Who is to blame? Well we can always blame the British even though they have been gone for the last 30 years. Or we can be honest with ourselves that we have elected some of the most corrupt, incompetent, greedy people for the last 30 years and we have no one to blame but ourselves.

I can’t help but remember that old saying: you keep doing the same thing over and over but expect a dif-ferent outcome. We have 30 years of experience to know we need a big change. We must do things different-ly. The September celebrations are just another reminder that we are on the wrong track.

Rayford Young is a Belizean-Amer-ican, who currently lives in Michi-gan, U.S.A. Send comments to [email protected]

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CELEBRATING OUR JEWEL

Simply Mr. Price

In the Words of Mr. Price...

Arise Builders! Arise Visionaries! Arise Giants!

Use the clues from the box to answer the questions below and solve the crossword.

Find and circle the words below. Then use the left over letters to solve the phrase.

We already filled in some for you.

EnvelopesBoxesReadingJokerPeopleTelevisionRedeemerMassGun

BLESSCOUNTRYEARTHGODGOVERNMENTHEAVENMENPEACEPEOPLERESTSRIGHTRULESEVERAL

Across2. Instead of storing his papers in a briefcase Mr. Price would store them in carton ____________.3. As a child Mr. Price said he was a practical _________.4. From both of his parents Mr. Price got his love of__________.6. Mr. Price was known as a ‘man of the _________’.8. From Robert Sidney Turton Mr. Price picked up the habit of scribbling on used ______________.

Down1. He was known for living a simple life Mr. Price did not own a radio or a _______________.4. As a boy Mr. Price first went to St. Catherine’s Elementary School for a short time before he was sent to Holy ______________ because his father wanted him to be among real people.5. Mr. Price called himself ‘the soldier without a _______’.7. When Mr. Price left his home every morning at 5:15 a.m. where was he going?

Find and circle the words below. Then use the left over letters to solve the phrase.

We already filled in some for you.

R S U L E E R B S G E R T T HE E R I L G H T L T O U R U LE V B Y P T H E C E O L N S EN E T O O H F T H T S E E P EO R P L E E B I N F M S D F LF A R A P Q Q E D V S C O B EB L V C Q F M O Y R T N U O CW E B U P N G I F F C V A X AN A K K R P K C A B H W Q N EI V Z E T H G I R N E M I T PH S V Y M O V E D N R Z M P NI O X B D Q S V B G K H T G LG J E C Q T X C R A O A N X VR M N Q S Q X S Y W A V P V VN I L A B S Q Q H T R A E U Y

BLESSCOUNTRYEARTHGOD

GOVERNMENTHEAVENMEN

PEACEPEOPLERESTSRIGHTRULE

SEVERAL

R_______ G_____ T_____ R________ TO R_______ BY T_____ C___________ OF T_____ P_____________.Answer: Rulers get the right to rule by the consent of the people.

R_______ G_____ T_____ R________ TO R_______ BY T_____ C___________ OF T_____ P_____________.

Answer: Rulers get the right to rule by the consent of the people.


Is Belize a She or a He?

I was listening to an eloquent speaker a couple days ago who was describing Belize. While speaking of our country, the speaker called it a ‘she’, so my mind drifted and I wondered ‘is Belize a she or a he?’ I continued to listen eagerly as many things were being

said that caused me to see things from a different perspective; things I didn’t see before and didn’t quite make a connection with before.

At the end of the speech, I began seeing Belize as a She. She is now Thirty One years old, a grown woman with a lot going for her. She is only partly aware of this. She was born in slavery, forced to pro-vide precious wood, and in her tender ‘growing up’ years she had to labor very hard to take care of everybody else and neglected herself. Her self esteem is battered and broken down; her sense of identity intermittently sparks trying to come alive. When she was no longer needed by the masters she was used up, washed up, and left to fend for herself. She had to fight off intruders who came claiming her and desiring to take her over for their own personal use.

She feels abandoned by her mother who she had to grow up serving but was absent in her tender years of early development. She has since grown up and decides that she now wants to go on her own no longer slaving for mom or anybody else, but she wants to turn her own door key. In the back of her mind the empty shells of slavery, rape, and bondage still linger, in fact they affect the very decisions she makes today! She is small in stature but beautiful and charming. Her defense is not as robust as a male but somehow she is covered by the Almighty and has never had to get into a fight after going out on her own. She is full of knowledge and skills. She has a great inheritance. Her roots are tender as she is filled with beautiful greens and untapped resources and capable of much expansion, but she has no idea how to manage this great wealth!

Her biggest strength is yet her greatest hurdle as she prides her-self on being free, but sometimes too free! She is very trusting and has trusted many lovers but time and time again is left to rear their children on her own, laboring to take care of them as any good moth-er would. Her borders and personal space are constantly being threat-ened and trampled upon; her wealth is continuously taken before she can become aware of it. Because she is not aware of her wealth and the process to use it to become self sustaining, she begs on the streets, asking for grants, she borrows from her friends as she sits ignorantly on treasures. She does not worry because she believes that if anyone comes to fight against her, if anyone comes to beat her down, mommy will step in and take care of her! She is suffering from internal hemorrhaging as her red blood cells fight against her blue white blood cells. To find peace she consumes various drugs. To cope she moves her mind from the realities of her various abuse, and thinks of pleasant things. She is hard on herself and on her children. She falls into a deep sleep!

WAKE UP BELIZE! You’ll be thirty-one tomorrow. You are special, there is nobody else like you out there, you are beautiful, smart, rich, young, full of resources, bursting with great potential! Step out of the past and into your purpose, be free but not loose! Change the way you see yourself, protect your valuables, and maintain your personal space. Begin to see yourself for who you are and as God has made you.

You are beautiful, so beautiful. You are smart; manage yourself, care for yourself, sustain yourself, develop your trade and your skills, guide your youth. Trade your resources in a mature responsible way so that it works for you and you can begin to give to others rather than asking of others! Take the necessary medication to stop the internal bleeding.

You are not finished yet Belize, your potential is at the best it’s ever been. Open your eyes Belize and wake up! It’s your birthday tomorrow.

May God Bless you!

belize times september 23, 2012

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