April, 2024 - Channel 5 Belize

Regional Opposition Leaders Form New Grouping

On Saturday, seven opposition leaders from the Caribbean region convened in Saint Lucia to inaugurate the ‘Leader of the Opposition Political Parties Forum’. The gathering included Allen Chastanet from Saint Lucia, Doctor Keith Mitchell from Grenada, Doctor Godwin Friday from Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Jamal Pringle from Antigua and Barbuda. Additionally, Moses ‘Shyne’ Barrow from Belize, Doctor Ronnie Yearwood from Barbados, and Roy McTaggart from the Cayman Islands were present. As stated by Chastanet, the initial meeting focused on enhancing awareness regarding the constitutional significance and ensuing responsibilities associated with the Opposition’s role. Here is a clip courtesy of HTS Channel Four Saint Lucia.

Allen Chastanet, Leader of the Opposition, St. Lucia

“The preliminary meeting brought into sharp focus the need for higher levels of awareness On the constitutional significance and resultant responsibility that comes with the office of the leader of the opposition. The solution meeting also seeks to develop a framework for parliamentary oppositions. Caribbean countries to share best practices to further strengthen the effectiveness of their constitutional rules in government.”

Moses ‘Shyne’ Barrow, Leader of the Opposition, Belize

“How egregious is it to present the budget to the leader of the opposition days before two days. You’re talking about in our case, it’s about three, four, 5 billion. I don’t know how much it is in St. Lucia, but such a crucial undertaking as far as analyzing the budget and making sure that the people’s monies are being spent and being able to come to parliament and to debate how the people’s monies would be spent. That’s what I mean. Or we mean when we say best practices, we should get that we should have meetings with the Ministry of Finance and the public officers to help plan the budget.”

Dr. Ronnie Yearwood, Leader of the Opposition, Barbados

“Come up with standardized understand what this consultation when a government say it consults look like. The Guyanese constitution is a perfect example that actually defines the term consultation. It sets out what that consultation is to look like, how you are not prime minister is supposed to write to the opposition parties, the timing, the response, a whole process. And perhaps that’s something that needs to be formalized in each of our different countries, depending on the culture, but consultation has to be real. We cannot have this facade that governments often have this consultation. And we have to figure out what is the best practice for real consultation.”

Dr. Godwin Friday, Leader of the Opposition, St. Vincent and the Grenadines

“I do believe, you know, that it’s an important initiative for us. to say that irrespective of the tendency we see all over the world towards authoritarianism, that we are seeing in the Caribbean, we have reached a stage where our political process is sufficiently mature for us to recognize that opposition is an essential part of governance in our country.”

2022 Census Reveals Unanticipated Low Population

On Monday, the Statistical Institute of Belize released the preliminary results of the 2022 census. In that report, it was revealed that Belize’s population has increased by twenty-three percent since 2010, with just over seventy-five thousand more people. This number was lower than what was initially projected by the S.I.B., and the data shows that the population has been declining by a larger number of people each year. Several factors contributed to this, which were further detailed in the census review. News Five’s Britney Gordon reports.

Britney Gordon, Reporting

In the preliminary results of the 2022 Census , Belize demonstrated a steady decline in population due to the dwindling birth rate. Director General of the SIB, Diana Castillo-Trejo expanded on these trends.

Diana Castillo-Trejo, Director General, S.I.B.

“And what we can see here from the population series that has been revised for 2011 to 2021 is that one, our population has been growing at a slower rate than was previously estimated. We also see that the rate of growth for our population has been decelerating. We grow by less and less every year, and this is due in large part to declining fertility rates.”

The data also revealed a decline in the number of people married across the country.

Diana Castillo-Trejo

“We also see some slight shifts with respect to marital status. So, the percent of our population that reported that they had never been married for 2022, both males and females, was somewhere around sixty percent. For males, it was over sixty-two percent. For females, it was over fifty percent and both of these were up a few percentage points from 2010, and this corresponded with a slight decrease in the number of persons who reported that they had been married.”

Contrary to the declining marriage rates, the number of people reported in common law partnerships increased.

Diana Castillo-Trejo

“Similarly, when we look at union status, there is a shift, a slight shift away from being married, living with a spouse, to common law living arrangements. So there’s a decrease in both males and females in the percent of the population that reported that they were married and currently living with their spouse.”

According to Castillo-Trejo, the decline in population is consistent with the trends observed in a number of other countries around the world, such as China and Korea. In 2021, data from the World Bank revealed that Korea had the lowest birthrate worldwide, which has only declined since, resulting in the implementation of several government initiatives to boost the birth rates, such as subsidized housing for newlyweds, discounted postpartum care for new mothers, and payments of over two thousand dollars for every newborn. She further explained that not only has the population decreased, but it has also aged as a result of the low birth rate.

Diana Castillo-Trejo

“We can take a look at how our population has changed just in a snapshot form over the past several decades, and we will see that there have been not only changes in terms of growth of the population, but also changes in terms of our general age structure. So you’ll see over time that the very base of our pyramid, which indicates our younger population, has been steadily widening right up until 2010, which was the first census in which we observed that our very base, our children aged zero to four years old, was actually narrower relative to the age groups just above it. By 2022, we can see that this trend was even more pronounced, and this is signaling at least the beginning of a gradual aging of our population. Remember, fertility rates are declining, people are having less children, base of our population is shrinking, and we are starting to age as a population over time.”

Another contributor to the low population was the decline in people who were born abroad migrating to Belize. Doctor Osmond Martinez, CEO of the Ministry of Economic Development, stated that the number of people who migrate to Belize for work is still significant; however, they are operating in informal positions such as construction and agriculture, which he stated were in need of more employees. As a result, the question was posed to the CEO about whether or not the borders should be opened for these workers.

Dr. Osmond Martinez, C.E.O., Ministry of Economic Development

“I don’t think that we need to open the borders. I think there needs to be, and the Ministry of Labor is working on the work permit. But we have to be clear, and it is visible that there is still a lot of crime in Central America, criminals in Central America, gang members, so it is important that who comes to Belize is well screened and that all the background is done and all the due diligence that needs to do by our security department is being done. And so, I don’t think it needs to open the border, but yes, we need to improve especially for the private sector and new investors that are coming into Belize. It’s important to enable that environment where visas can be issue on a more timely manner and the work permits. I am happy to say, that the Ministry of Labor have and it’s working continuously to improve that system.”

Britney Gordon for News Five.

Everything Creole, Belizean Sweets, Treats And More

The Belize from your childhood is here to stay. It is common knowledge that food always been a major aspect of Belizean culture with various dishes becoming a staple in the average household. This included the wide variety of sweets and pastries many grew up making at home or purchasing from the shops in their neighborhoods. In tonight’s episode of Kolcha Tuesday, we stop buy the Belizeans Sweets and Treats shop in Belize City to look at what owner, Sharlene Coooper Williams, is hoping will one day be the one-stop place to find everything creole. Here’s News Five’s Britney Gordon with the story.

Britney Gordon, Reporting

Belizean Sweets and Treats was launched in 2021 by a mother of eight, Sharlene Cooper Williams after she faced challenges in supporting her family during the Covid-19 pandemic. Using knowledge and skills she already possessed, Williams decided to become and entrepreneur to preserve Belizean culture with her children.

Sharlene Williams Cooper, Owner, Belizean Sweets and Treats

“It was herded out of necessity during COVID. I had an existing business that was deemed a non-essential and we had to survive. So my family and I, we were a part of a partnership that didn’t continue and we decided to continue on our own. And my family, my Children, it’s literally a family business. We decided to push it forward. My Children are able to make all of these. So we teamed up and we pushed. We literally only started doing the tamarind and the pepitas and things like that. And slowly our vision expanded so did our product line. One of our main mission is to be the landmark for everything Creole. I represent the Creole culture and Belize is a melting pot. But even though the Creole culture is the majority in Belize, our culture is dying. I really admire the others for promoting their culture. And a lot of our children don’t know the great heritage that we have as Creoles. So one of the other purposes of this food is to promote and preserve that culture through language, through dress, and whatever avenues that are made available to us.”

The selection started small for Williams, with just a few sweets that she and her family knew to make at home, but over time she was able to expand the variety of treats she offered and even got other women involved to sell various Belizeans products, such as herbal tea, seasoning, pepper, and honey, alongside Belizean classics such as wangla, tableta, and kaasham.

Sharlene Williams

“Like what I said, we started out with only the sweets, and then after us we transitioned into the stew items. We went to the t shirts, the souvenirs, and other women started to get interested. We have, we’re a part of a group eleven including myself. We have women in remote villages that sign on to it. They’re not able to sell their items themselves, so they would channel it through us. The handicrafts, the painting the rocks, the t-shirts, the key chains. So it’s a beautiful collaboration and eleven families helps to live because of this. And at the same time, not only live to provide for their family, but live to promote something that’s beautiful.”

We ran into some tourist purchasing from Belizeans Sweets and Treats what they were most excited to try form the stall.

Britney Gordon

“So what made you decide to stop?”

Russ, Tourist

“Well it looked very friendly as we were coming up to it. And it was really the first open thing that we saw along the road today.”

Britney Gordon

“Can you tell me what you guys bought?”

Breck, Tourist

“We bought some pineapple spices for cooking, habanero, and a keychain, because we like to decorate our Christmas tree with decorations from different places and everything.”

Russ

“And don’t forget the big one. Goat shit.”

Breck

“Oh, the goat shit. Yeah, we gotta try some goat shit later.”

Britney Gordon

“Alright, you guys looking forward to trying some of that?”

Jagger, Tourist

“Very much so, yeah. It’s always a huge pleasure and really an honor to try different foods and share in other people’s cultures. So we’re very happy we found this booth today.”

Williams explained that growing up, she would visit her grandparents in Cotton Tree every summer where they would teach her and her family members how to make various delicacies. Now, Williams is using her skills not only to promote Belize to the rest of the world, but preserve it for the next generation. She has partnered with the Girl Guides Association of Belize to pass on these skills to a next generation.

Sharlene Williams

“We decided to come out at Girl Guides Association. They have given us the privilege of using their yard and also, we have collaborated with them because the little guiders and the Brownies now have the opportunity to start doing these things. And apart from learning these sweets, they’re also learning entrepreneurial skills. And so soon they’re actually working and it’s soon their items will be on display to for sale. We were here monday to friday But we have only cut down now to the tour days and on other days we can be found at thirty-seven Fairweather Street”

According to Williams, one of her best sellers is the Belizean classic Wangla. She said that it is a meticulous process, over the years, she has been able to perfect her recipe.

Sharlene Williams

“And for us, it’s important, one of the things that we do we always get our Wang Le Seed fresh. We have partnered with specific suppliers at the market that make sure that we always have certain things in stock. You wouldn’t want to have an order or you wouldn’t want to have your booth without because this is one of our best sellers, the wangla seed. If you see our ingredients package, it’s wang la Sweet, sugar, and spices because we do also add a little dash of Belizean sweets and treats flavor.”

Britney Gordon for News Five.

Belize to Benefit from New Agreement with Taiwan

Belize and Taiwan have shared diplomatic relations since 1989, and since then, our ties have only grown stronger. And while there are additional areas of cooperation that are currently under discussion between our two countries, just this week, Belize signed a new agreement as part of a regional initiative with Taiwan, as Minister Fonseca shared.

Francis Fonseca, Minister of Foreign Affairs

“Taiwan provides tremendous support to Belize in many different areas. in education, in health, in agriculture economic support. So we are discussing a number of projects, but we – those are still at the discussion stage. And we look forward to new opportunities for engagement. Just, This week, our CEO, her Excellency, Amalia Mai was in Guatemala, where you had an agreement signed between Taiwan and SICA to provide support to SICA, so a number – I think about seven projects are under that agreement in many different areas. So Belize and Guatemala will benefit from those projects in meaningful ways.”

India Wants Stronger Ties with Belize

India is on its way to becoming one of the world’s top economies. While the country, like every other, has issues with poverty and pollution, it has made significant strides over time to also reduce the prevalence of these problems. And now, India wants to strengthen its ties with countries on this side of the world. It is a wish that Belize’s Minister of Foreign Trade, Francis Fonseca, welcomes and says he looks forward to discussions with India in this regard because Belize could benefit significantly from it.

Francis Fonseca, Minister of Foreign Trade

“Both Belize and CARICOM are very excited about the fact that India is reaching out and engaging more Rigorously with the CARICOM region. India, of course, is one of the largest economies in the world. They are one of perhaps the fastest-growing countries in the world. They have obviously a population of, I think 1.4 billion people. So that provides so much opportunity and for countries in the Caribbean, for us in Belize, I think you know the priority areas are economic development, investment – how can we engage with investors from India with companies in India that may have an interest in investing in Belize in helping us to partner with us, to grow and develop the Belizean economy. So that’s the number one priority; number two of course, India is well-known for their technological advancement in terms of their science and technology. Indian engineers and computer experts are in demand all over the world. For example, if you go to Silicon Valley in the United States, most of the engineers, software developers are Indians. So there’s a lot that a small country like Belize can benefit from, in terms of their expertise in science and technology. And so we, certainly are looking forward to that. Another very meaningful area, we don’t think about this too often, but tourism. This is, as I said, a country of 1. 4 billion people. They have a huge middle class that’s growing and a lot of wealthy people, who want to travel, who want to travel beyond the United States, want to travel beyond Europe. Now they’re looking to new places and so a country like Belize, which has so much to offer in terms of tourism, we want to see how we can engage more meaningfully with India. Connectivity – we would love to have flights from India. We would love to see more tourists coming from India to Belize. Of course, as we have a vibrant Indian population here in Belize. So we want to encourage them to bring more of their friends and families to Belize so that they can enjoy the wonderful experience of Belize’s culture and our dynamic tourism product.”

Minister of Education Says New System Has Corrected IT-VET Payment Issue

In January, instructors at the Belize City IT-VET complained that they were not receiving their salaries on time and that the faulty system that the Ministry of Education was using had the school meeting their salaries instead. One of the instructors told us that the ministry had not deposited their salaries for months. Soon after the complaint, the ministry blamed the system of payment that was being used. The Minister of Education, Francis Fonseca has assured that the problem has been fixed.

Francis Fonseca, Minister of Education

“The root of the problem has been the one-year contracts, so every year they have to go through a process of renewing these one-year contracts, and for many years that served the purposes of both sides because you were taking on professionals, if you like, who didn’t want long-term contracts. They wanted flexibility, but we recognized that has not been working. And so there’s been a deliberate effort on the part of the ministry to try to work with the I.T. VETs to put in place a more sustainable structure, longer-term contracts to make sure that we get them paid through the Smart Stream system. So my latest report is that yes, those issues have been resolved. But we’ll have to wait and see because every time we think that it has been resolved, some other issue arises. But I’m very hopeful that we’ve put in place the right measures and policies now that will make sure that problem doesn’t arise again.”

Fifty Heat Wave Days Forecasted Over Next Three Months

Belize has been experiencing some extremely hot days over the last few weeks. In fact, two all-time heat records were broken only last week. The National Meteorological Service of Belize warns that above seasonal temperatures are expected to continue across the county over the next few months, with as many as fifty heat wave days expected inland. Chief Meteorologist Ronald Gordon told us more.

Ronald Gordon, Chief Meteorologist, National Meteorological Service

“As we reported last week we had two stations in this country that broke all time records on the second of, or it was the third, last week Wednesday. We had a record here at the airport which we never experienced before, which is a hundred degrees Fahrenheit and ninety-nine point nine to be exact. That is an all-time record for this station. We had another record in Melinda. I cannot recall the exact figure but that was also a record that was broken an all-time record on that same day. So it shows you that that day was extremely hot across the country and if that is any indication of what is going to happen in the peak of the dry season then we can expect it to be a record hot year for us this particular heat season. To put it precisely one of the things that is favoring that excessive heat is the very warm ocean temperatures. We know that the air is modified by the oceans. So, certainly given the fact that we have very warm ocean temperatures mean we are going to have very warm atmospheric temperatures near the surface.”

Belize Needs More Met Officers

The National Meteorological Service of Belize may soon be faced with a shortage of personnel. With senior employees retiring, filling their positions presents a challenge as it requires studying abroad to meet the qualifications in the field. Chief Meteorologist Ronald Gordon addressed the issue on Monday, emphasizing the urgent need for replacements for those who are retiring.

Ronald Gordon, Chief Meteorologist, National Meteorological Service

“To be honest we had one additional person coming on board and that was last year. So, in terms of our forecasting team it has not increased that much. We do hope people would become interested in this field. We are in a situation where several of our senior personnel have retired or are about to retire and we need to replacements. So it is something we do encourage. In terms of the gender balance, I would say it has flipped. First, we had more males in the field. But, certainly at this point in time, in terms of the technical persons, we have more females in this field. We encourage persons of all gender to join. We do outreach to different schools at different times to try to encourage students to become interested in the field of meteorology and we would hope it would be something that would take off. One of the difficulties we have is that this field is not offered in Belize or not taught here so persons needs to go abroad to qualify and that is one of the things that hinders us to recruit more personnel.”

Farmers of the Year Announced

The Farmers of the Year for 2024 have been announced. The National Agriculture and Trade Show Committee has named Nandy Aldana of the Corozal District as the Senior Farmer of the Year. The Female Farmer of the Year is Sarah Chub of the Belize District, and the Junior Farmer of the Year is Maura Esther Escobar of the Cayo District. The three winning farmers will be recognized during the National Agriculture and Trade Show, which will be held from April twenty-sixth to the twenty-eighth. This year’s theme is “Integrating Sustainable Food Systems: Mitigating Climate Change, Strengthening Agricultural Resilience”.

Two Men Charged with Police Officer’s Murder

Investigators believe that twenty-nine-year-old Hugh Middleton and eighteen-year-old Marlon Gideon murdered police officer Dylan Anthony on Saturday, March 23rd. Police Commissioner Chester Williams told reporters on Monday that “from our investigation, it tells us that Gideon was the driver of the motorcycle and Milton was the pillion rider and the one who executed the act upon PC Anthony.”

The twenty-nine-year-old Camalote Village resident was on his way home when he was murdered in a case of mistaken identity.