The Belize Defence Force (BDF) has issued an update to clarify the situation regarding the salary adjustments for its soldiers.
It said that a nationwide education campaign has been launched to inform all personnel about the discrepancies in the pay scale.
According to the press release, in 2019, an error in the salary adjustment for enlisted soldiers was identified. “To address this, the Ministry of National Defence and Border Security engaged with the Ministry of Finance, Economic Development, and Investment and agreed that the Job Classification and Compensation Unit from the Ministry of Public Services, Constitutional and Political Reform, and Religious Affairs would conduct a thorough reassessment.”
The BDF says this reassessment will take into account rank, years of service, and job specifications to ensure a fair and accurate pay scale. The reassessment will be conducted under the guidance of the Ministry of Finance.
Once the reassessment is complete, the Ministry of Finance will review the pay scales and recommend the next steps. “No soldier’s salary will be adjusted until this exercise is completed. After the review, all salaries will be placed on the new pay scale based on the revised findings.”
The Ministry of National Defence and Border Security, alongside the Ministry of Public Services, is working to establish new allowances for BDF soldiers and officers through the Joint Staff Relations Council. These allowances aim to increase overall monetary compensation and include jungle, maritime, and specialist allowances.
The Office of the Prime Minister informs that the Prime Minister, Hon. John Briceño departed the country on 20th June2024, to attend the “Belize Diaspora Summit” held in Los Angeles, California, USA.
The Prime Minister returns to Belize on Monday, 24th June 2024. During his absence, Hon. Francis Fonseca, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade, Education, Culture, Science and Technology, will hold over as Prime Minister.
It’s been a tough few weeks for forty-eight-year-old Doris Grant. From being charged with forty counts of theft and obtaining property by deception, to police raids on her properties in Gardenia Village and Belize City. On Sunday morning, the businesswoman and her common-law husband came under gunfire on Fairweather Street, while heading home from a concert event. While the pair is recovering from injuries received during the ambush, things have only gotten worse for Grant and thirty-one-year-old Austin Underwood. Tonight, the couple is on remand at the Belize Central Prison after being charged for gang membership. Shortly after twelve o’clock today, Grant and Underwood appeared before the lower courts where they were arraigned on a single charge each. It is alleged that they are both members of the Southside Gang. The couple pleaded not guilty, nonetheless, they were denied bail at the Magistrate Court level. With that, Grant and Underwood are being held at the Belize Central Prison until July thirty-first. Attorney Ronnell Gonzalez sought permission to make submissions on their behalf for the court to consider granting bail under special circumstances, however, the court did not entertain the request. As we’ve reported, Grant is being investigated for her alleged involvement in a land scheme in which several Mennonites were defrauded out of millions of dollars.
Concerts and fetes are among the most popular activities to take part in across the Caribbean. Dancehall and Soca artists, as well as D.J.s from all over, are often flown in by promoters to perform in different countries. Many of these events occur without incident, however, there have been several instances in which crimes such as assault or even gun violence occur on the premises or in the general vicinity. We spoke with a few Belizean promoters to find out whether the music and artists play a part in these instances and what security measures are taken to ensure that they do not become commonplace. Here’s News Five’s Britney Gordon.
Ian Gaynair
Ian Gaynair, Promoter
“The music sometimes influence the type of people you bring out, so I went for some DJ, but I let them know strictly that no lot of bad man tunes. So we came up with a thing called eighty percent gyal tunes, twenty percent for the man and I had an event Saturday and I think it went pretty well because we brought out a lot of females due to they hear that, it’s eighty percent gyal tune and it was a good success.”
Britney Gordon, Reporting
Deciding which artist to book for the next major event is one of the hardest parts of being a promoter. Whether the promoter is new to the scene or has been in the game for many years, it is their responsibility to cultivate an environment that is enjoyable for concertgoers, while maintaining a safe and manageable environment. John Marsden, a long-time Belizean promoter, says that each event draws its own crowd.
John Marsden
John Marsden, Promoter
“I believe that each event carries my, I don’t have a better word, my clientele, right? Different events attract different people different events attract different people. In the want of people, if I go to a church event, I expect church music. If I go to a dance hall event, I expect dance hall music. If I go to a club event, I expect everything that comes with a club event. A trend, I don’t think we have a trend, so to speak. I believe that each promotion and each promoter has their following and they attract their following.”
Recently, at a Trinibad event here in Belize City, there were a few fights that occurred just outside the premises and Doris Grant, recently charged with being a member of a gang was shot while on her way home. Marsden believes that artists play less into these incidents than what many believe and that the large crowds and alcohol are more likely contributors.
John Marsden
“That’s an optics that most people would say. However, as a thinkable human being, I expect or I go along with seeing that I am supposed to carry myself the way I want to carry myself. However, sometimes the music does initiate a feeling into you that maybe you get a bit more excited, a bit more conscious of people that might not like you, people that you might find you have a disagreement with. Because maybe someone doesn’t like this person. Someone find alcohol to be a reason to contribute to it. But I don’t think that it’s contributed by music, so it has to do with the personalities and your agreeance with people and disagreeance with people.”
Ian Gaynair, who was the promoter of the most recent Trinibad event, says that he has taken several measures to ensure that the audience is safe while attending his events and only plans to up security measures in the future.
Ian Gaynair
“What I did was up my security force had more police there and give them like strict orders, make sure that everybody get searched properly. No lot of smoking. You can’t bring in any bottle or anything outside and any lee problem make sure we find the best way to solve it quickly. Anybody give any problem, put them out.”
Tonight, four foreigners are awaiting expulsion after they pleaded guilty to illegal entry. For the same incident, two Belizeans who were accused of facilitating the foreigners after they entered Belize illegally have also pleaded guilty. The four foreigners are Emil Dasdamirov, Mistaftar Oglu, and Karman Amurili, all from Azerbaijan near Iran, and Brazilian national, Gilson Fernandes Junior. Allegations are that on June nineteenth, they entered Belize through the banks of the Mopan River in Benque Viejo del Carmen. They all pleaded guilty and apologized for committing the offence. One of them told the court that he entered Belize through Honduras and that he thought that after they crossed the river, they would have met the Immigration Office, something they have done before. He said they were told they could travel through Belize with their European visa which allows them multiple entries. Another said he was told they could enter the same way. The four men were fined a thousand dollars each, plus a five-dollar cost of court fine and they were ordered to pay their fines forthwith or they would spend six months in jail. The magistrate also issued an expulsion order for them to be sent back to their native countries. Following the arraignment, two Belizeans who were caught assisting the group of four upon their illegal arrival into Belize were charged for facilitating the commission of a crime. Twenty-eight-year-old Jasmine Espat, a Store Manager and Clerk at Naybaz Store in Belmopan and her common-law husband, Samuel Peters, a traffic officer of Santa Elena, pleaded guilty to facilitating the commission of a crime. Espat was the front-seat passenger in a Chevrolet Malibu vehicle that was intercepted the same day at the intersection of the Phillip Goldson Highway and the Burrell Boom Road carrying the four foreigners. Peters was said to be the driver of the vehicle. Espat told the court that she fell into hardship and had to deal with a sick child, and health issues and that when the men approached them and offered to pay five hundred dollars, she accepted. Peters told the court a similar story. He said he felt ashamed, having been employed only three weeks ago as a traffic officer. Their guilty plea was accepted, and the magistrate said she wanted to send them both to jail for the offence, but because it was their first offense, she would warn them of the serious offense they have committed. She said that no hardship should have made them break the law. The couple who was not paid for the job they accepted from the foreigners are now facing fines of a thousand dollars each plus cost of court. Espat was ordered to pay her fine immediately, or face five months in prison and Peters was given until July thirty-first to pay his.
On Wednesday night, political aspirant Cyril Garcia shared his disappointment with the People’s United Party’s decision to turn down his application to challenge Doctor Louis Zabaneh in Dangriga. Garcia anticipated an opportunity to face the sitting area representative and become the next standard bearer for that constituency. Instead of accepting the challenge, the P.U.P. sent him a letter informing him that his application had been rejected. The secretary general then asked Garcia to support Doctor Zabaneh’s candidacy without giving him a reason for the decision taken. Earlier today, News Five spoke with the incumbent area representative who sought to outline the process being used to determine the eligibility of all applicants.
Dr. Louis Zabaneh
Dr. Louis Zabaneh, Area Representative, Dangriga
“The People’s United Party has a very clear process to vet aspirants and I have great trust for the people in those committees and they followed their procedures. One of the number one criteria is that you need to be a member of the party, an active member, in fact, for that, aspiring to that position. The gentleman has never been an active member of the party. His mom, Aunt Lily, may have been, but none of the children have ever participated actively in the party. So it would be clear that that criteria is something that everybody would appreciate and understand. We expect that the people who are applying would have demonstrated their commitment and their hard work over the years to serve the party and, of course, then get the opportunity to serve.
Isani Cayetano
“How would you respond to a criticism about your party where they are essentially saying they’re not making sufficient room for young politicians to come into the fray?”
Louis Zabaneh
“Well, I think that is something said in ignorance, meaning that the facts would bear out otherwise.”
Isani Cayetano
“Now, essentially, you’re going to be endorsed for a second term as the standard bearer for the People’s United Party in Dangriga. What is that looking like for you?”
Louis Zabaneh
“Well yes, our executive will be meeting this weekend and we’ll be setting a date very early in July so that we can prepare that activity and get everybody geared up. But then that reminds me to say that when I had applied to enter the fray, we had a convention, it was myself and five others. I recall that when I applied, I had to send in recommendation letters. In the case of recommendation letters, you find people in the community, elders. In my case, I had the great opportunity for former Mayor Cassian Nunez, may she rest in peace, former minister Silvia Flores and both of them, in their own hand, wrote their letters and signed it themselves.”
So what becomes of Cyril Garcia’s political future? It’s a question that we asked him in light of the unfavorable news he received last Friday. Aside from launching a signature petition, Garcia says that it’s far from over for him.
Cyril Garcia
Cyril Garcia, Political Aspirant, P.U.P.
“This is certainly not the end for my ambitions. Currently I have about over four hundred registered voters who have signed a petition, I’m talking going around, me and my team getting registered voters to sign a petition and we’re going to get as many as possible and I want to know if the leaders of the People’s United Party will seriously ignore the voices of the Dangriga people. I think what Dangriga really and truly needs is an area representative who will engage with the people and find out exactly what Dangriga truly needs. And when it comes to the powers that be, I think they should really carefully reconsider what they are doing. General elections are near and Dangriga will speak. Personally for me, I was raised in a home where it was all about service, serving others, putting others above self and that’s how I was raised. So living in Dangriga and seeing what has been happening over the couple of years, how our people are treated and ignored, this is one of the main reasons I was moved to do what I am doing. So I wanna ask the people of Dangriga to really look at the two individuals.”
Notwithstanding the many application rejections, one political hopeful in Corozal North did get the response he was hoping for from the People’s United Party. Doctor Einstein Bodden has been a medical doctor for the past ten years. He was diagnosed with scoliosis at birth and has been wheelchair bound for his entire life. But that is not stopping him from pursuing his vision to represent Corozal North and differently abled people in parliament. The Corozal North convention is scheduled for July fourteenth. The winner of that convention will face off against U.D.P’s Hugo Patt. We spoke with Doctor Bodden over the phone.
Via Phone: Dr. Einstein Bodden
Via Phone: Dr. Einstein Bodden, P.U.P. Convention Candidate, Corozal North
“It was a difficult decision to make. I never came from a politically inclined family meaning that I am from the P.U.P. or U.D.P. My family was very neutral when it came to politics. So, working as the doctor in the area for over several years I have noticed that there is a lot of need in the area. The area in my humble opinion has been abandoned for quite a period of time, at least for the time that I have been there working. As a big fan of plan Belize and working with the NHI I would have liked to see plan Belize roll out more in the area and I haven’t been seeing that as much as I would like. The area has been neglected by the current elected area rep and also the P.U.P. standard bearer so after repeatedly hearing many of the concern by residents I decided to throw my hat into the political arena. After discussing it with close family members and supporters they were like politics is nothing different for you. It is just another challenge in terms of my disability. Being disabled I am aware of the many needs that disabled people go through and I don’t see a lot of those needs are being addressed and so I thought that getting into politics’ I will be a voice for disability as well.”
On Wednesday, we asked long-standing Freetown Area Representative Francis Fonseca if he would have been open to going up against anyone in a P.U.P. convention for his seat. Now, this question comes after the party’s national executive has made its decisions, but Fonesca says he was the only applicant in Freetown.
Paul Lopez
“Was there any application to contest your seat in Freetown and as a senior sitting area representative would you have been opened to contesting someone at a convention?”
Francis Fonseca, Area Representative, Freetown
“Yeah, people were free to apply. The prime minister made that clear. Everyone was free to apply. They would have been vetted. The national campaign committee would have looked at it, made a recommendation to the national executive. In the case of Freetown, no. I was the only applicant so, but if somebody had applied that would have been fine with me.”
Domingo Valerio has been teaching for over three decades in Stann Creek District. As a resident of Georgetown Village, the career educator has also had his eyes on the Stann Creek West constituency. But, unlike other hopefuls who at least had an opportunity to submit an application, he was denied from the onset. That’s what he told News Five earlier today, that he was forced to sit out the 2020 general elections when his bid to challenge Area Representative Rodwell Ferguson was rejected. He attempted once more to run against Ferguson in a convention but was told upfront that there would not be a convention to elect a new standard bearer. Here’s Valerio’s story.
On the phone: Domingo Valerio, Political Aspirant
“This election that went, I applied and they rejected so I went back and I told them that I was going to contest because so many people had already been requesting a change. Since I have taught in Stann Creek West for thirty-three years, I thought I could do the job with the assistance of the people who are requesting a change. So when I applied, I went to the party chairman in Independence, Mr. Emilio Zab, gave him my application. He said, “What is this?” I told him, “open it.” He opened it and stated that Mr. Rodwell Ferguson will not be contested. He immediately called the [secretary] general and placed him on speaker so that… and he said, “Yes, this is what we planned. Mr. Rodwell will not be contested due to [the fact that] he has no challenge against Mr. Williams.” So I do not sit with that, I went all the way to the party office in Belize City on Queen Street. I spoke with Collet Montejo and I explained to him and he said, have I hit the ground? I told him yes, I hit the ground and that is why I am interested because people are requesting my presence to represent them. He said well all the way from the top has decided that there will be no convention against Mr. Rodwell because they came to the ground and they have done their due diligence and they found out that the people are happy with honorable Rodwell, whereby that’s not true. We had a back-and-forth, myself with Mr. Collet Montejo, but I left there with my application and my application fee because they did not want to take it. They said if I applied and they have decided, then my thousand dollars is non-refundable and the application form will just be on the table. That’s the end of my discussion with Mr. Collet Montejo.”
Isani Cayetano
“So you received a letter subsequent to that informing you that your application would not have been accepted?”
Domingo Valerio
“No, they did not give me any letter. It is Mr. Montejo who just immediately told me that and t hen the party chairman, Mr. Emilio Zabaneh, told me that in Independence. There was no follow up with a letter.”
Isani Cayetano
“This comes along with the fact that there was an open call, essentially, for anyone interested in running in any of the thirty-one constituencies to offer their names.”
Domingo Valerio
“Exactly.”
Isani Cayetano
“So what’s your feeling? Do you feel hard done by the People’s United Party?”
Domingo Valerio
“It’s a biasness, I would say, and I feel that I would have done the best if they had given me the challenge to contest honorable Rodwell because one convention, let the people speak and I would be satisfied.”
