While the news in Belize on any given day is normally drab and depressing, this past Monday’s newscast by any measure was downright petrifying. Two persons beheaded in Cayo, a mother gunned down with young infant strapped on her back, a Police Officer walks into a prison cell and executes a detained man and heavily armed gunmen open fire upon a permanent Police Checkpoint. My GOD, is this really the Belize that we grew up in?
Guest Editorial: Belize City Council Shenanigans
May 7, 2010 By Leave a Comment
The latest scandal emanating from the Belize City Council has left city residents wondering just what else can go wrong with this council. Since assuming office in 2006, Mayor Moya’s UDP council has been fraught with scandals and accusations of wrongdoing. Who can forget an emotional Mark King in August of 2008, tearfully pleading with Zenaida Moya to desist from her corrupt practices? King had called a press conference to present concrete evidence of Moya’s mismanagement of city funds. Mark King pulled no punches, accusing the mayor of being a “liar and a thief” and had documented proof to support his charges. Many believed it was the end of Moya’s political career, and indeed anywhere else in the world, it would have been. Moya received overwhelming support from the media however and in particular Kremandala, who spared no ink or words in exalting her to the skies.
Commentary: Village Council Elections in Belize
April 18, 2010 By 1 Comment
The climate of terror besetting our jewel shows no sign of letting up as day after day we hear increasingly alarming news of young men being killed, homes being burglarized and business places being robbed. What is even more alarming is that these incidents are now happening in broad daylight and in the full view of many witnesses. There was a time when there was safety in numbers and when folks could feel secure at least in the confines of their homes; but not anymore. These brazen criminals invade even the sanctuary of the best fortified residences and as the Prime Minister of Belize recently related, it is a “problem that so far is defeating us.”
U.S. Company Harvesting Xate Palm Leaves in Belize
February 25, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Local media reports say a U.S. company based in Miami is harvesting Xate leaves from Belize’s rain forests. Xate (pronounce: shatay) are the leaves from 3 Chamaedorea species of palm tree (Chamaedorea elegans, Chamaedorea 
oblongata and Chamaedorea ernesti-augustii). The leaves are used in the floral industry because of their popularity for flower arrangements. The harvesting of Xate has been a controversial issue in Belize. Belize’s Channel 7 reported on 24 February that:
“Whenever it comes up the issue of Xate is always a troubling one. That’s because most times, the stories are about illegal harvesting of the ornamental leaf in Belize’s jungles by Guatemalans. Recently, the Government of Belize had agreed to issue a number of licenses but those also proved problematic because they provided Guatemalan harvesters to extract Xate with a license, and in so doing muddied the waters for authorities who could no longer make an easy differentiation between legitimate and illegitimate operators.
“According to Belize’s Ambassador to Guatemala Fred Martinez, it was frowned upon by the OAS and he told us that the Government of Belize had put a stop on all Xate concessions. And that’s why today we were taken off guard when the Government Press Office sent video of a fully outfitted Xate operation in western Belize. It’s called Eco-Green a subsidiary of a Miami based company that specializes in this. The processing factory is just outside Cayo and they had an official opening today – except that we weren’t invited to ask the tough questions – like who’s going to be harvesting the Xate? Specifically, are Guatemalans going to be harvesting it in Belize’s jungles?
That’s a worrying prospect – but a question for which we have no answers – as the Minister and the investor soft shoed through their interview with the Government Press Office.”
Belize Guest Editorial: Shaft of Brilliance?
February 20, 2010 By Leave a Comment
By G. Michael Reid - The Prime Minister took the podium this past week to
apprise Belizeans of the current state or our nation and as could have
been expected, the prognosis was grim. Not even the
normally glib and gifted orator could find the words to make the landing
of his message soft. Things are dread and gonna get
dreader!
Anyone living in this country at this time will tell you
that things are…well in a word, terrible. Cost of living
is astronomical and climbing higher each day, unemployment is bad and
getting worse, crime is ridiculously out of control, our security forces
make us more ashamed than secure and corruption seems the normal and
acceptable modus operandi among public officials. Hustling
is the order of the day.
Mr. Barrow let
loose sighs and phrases like: “huge deficit”"the worst is yet to come”
and “The upcoming fiscal year will be the hardest.” In a
rare and unusual display of humility, Mr. Barrow
asked Belizeans for their “support and understanding”. Well
for sure, that request could be more readily considered if Belizeans
would see the same inclination to austerity from Mr. Barrow
and his band of bungling bandits. For Mr. Barrow
to shake his Rolex in our faces and asking us to keep our Timex
ticking, is unreasonable. We are basically being asked to patch our
bikes and keep peddling while we watch his clueless ministers and hand
pick hustlers high roll past us in their Infiniti’s and custom fitted
SUV’s.
Belize folk are not known to be unreasonable and have
in fact, been often criticized for being too complacent and lenient
with politicians. This current administration in
particular, has been given a long rope when we consider the number of
misappropriations and blatant misuse of public trust; from the halls of
Capital Hill to the corridors of local government. Yet,
shielded by a shamelessly partisan media (probably embarrassed by their
obvious misdirecting of the people), this government has been allowed to
function, or malfunction as the case may be, free and san souci.
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