Month: August 2024

A little over a hundred protestors marched in front of Prime Minister John Briceño’s office in Belmopan this morning. The gathering was relatively small, but the representation was far reaching. Members of the various trade unions and workers associations were present to raise their voices against the government’s decision to purchase fifteen acres of land for six point nine million dollars for the construction of a tertiary hospital in Belmopan. The contention is that the Ministry of Health has refused land that is being offered by the University of Belize free of cost for the project, and that the newly purchased is situated near the capital city’s sewer pond. Today’s demonstration was organized by activist Nigel Petillo who was prepared to brave the elements by himself if push came to shove. Fortunately for him, he was not alone. Our cameras were also out there. News Five’s Paul Lopez report.

Paul Lopez, Reporting

Today’s protest in front of the Sir Edney Cain Building that houses the prime minister’s office in Belmopan began at eight a.m. with a handful of demonstrators, including grass roots activist Nigel Petillo and members of Belize National Teachers Union. By nine thirty a.m., a total of seven organizations among a group of just over a hundred protestors had representation in front of the building.

As has been reported, the protest was sparked by the government’s decision to purchase fifteen acres of private land in Belmopan at a steep cost of seven million dollars to build a university hospital, while the University of Belize is offering the government free land for that project. The Government of Belize contends that a technical study of the lands being offered by the University of Belize reveals that it is too remote and inadequate to construct the health facility. That report remains confidential.

Luke Martinez, President, N.T.U.C.B.

“For me seeing is believing. The National Trade Union Congress with the other social partners. Don’t think we are standing alone. As a matter of fact, we have the diaspora standing behind us. We are the in the process of writing to the minister of health to give us those documents and we are using the freedom of information act to get those documents. And if they refuse to give the information we will get in and take it, because the people need to know.”

The private property that the government has purchased from businesspersons, Kenny Zheng and Annie Zhu to build the hospital, sits next to a sewage pond, further exacerbating public concerns.

Luke Martinez

“You could ask an infant one student if ih rather build a house in a sh*t creek or a land that is far away from that. You could even go back to your nursery rhymes. You have the pig that build his house out of straw and the house out of rock, which was will blow down when the winds come? This government wants to build a house out of straw, it is not going to work for us, plain as that.”

But will the Government of Belize heed the calls of the N.T.U.C.B. president and those who are raising strong objections to the land purchase and newly proposed construction site? Opposition Leader, Moses “Shyne” Barrow, says the opposition intends to take legal action against the Briceno administration.

Moses “Shyne” Barrow, Leader of the Opposition

“We will continue to protest. We will take legal action. We have written to the auditor general, the contractor general, and the ombudsman and the Saudi Fund. I hear brother Luke talks about location. But we cannot lose sight of the most glaring fact of corruption. The government used taxpayers’ dollars to spend six point nine million dollars on a property that is worth, six hundred thousand dollars, according to the Belmopan City Council Valuation we saw that happened this year.”

Belize has only one tertiary healthcare facility in the country. That is the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital in Belize City.  The proposed university hospital will be the second of its kind in Belize. Andrew Baird is the President of the K.H.M.H. Workers Union. He says this latest move by the government is untenable.

Andrew Baird, President, K.H.M.H.W.U.

“Anybody from the health sector, including the CEO should have concern with infection control, having a hospital of that magnitude built in that area. Now, forget the infection control. Let us go to that location, man dah hog wash deh the put pan we. Because it is a tertiary hospital, it can be built on the U.B. Campus. The same six point nine million dollars they use to buy the land, they could put it in infrastructure to have proper access to the hospital built on the U.B. compound.”

At one point during the demonstration, a committee of vultures flew above the heads of protestors as a sign of affirmation to those protesting the construction of the tertiary care hospital near sewer ponds.

Dean Flowers, President, P.S.U.

“It is extremely sad when we have a population who are looking at me right now from behind a screen who cannot understand how these corrupt decisions affect them. What we want? All of us want Belmopan to develop. I live in Belmopan area. So I can tell you that form the Maya Mopan road. So I can tell you, had that road been built I would have been able to access the western and southern highway easily. The entire community would have benefited form that. Now we have spent that six point nien and nobody has benefited except for  an Asian couple. I really think that is sad for us. You  may be laughing at the small number of people out here, not knowing you are laying the foundation for your children to suffer in the future, to get a piece of land, to access education, to access quality education.”

Today’s demonstration was executed without any outbreak of violence. It almost happened when the prime minister’s vehicle arrived in front of the building. He was not inside, but some protesters viewed it as a form of provocation. Nigel Petillo, the organizer, says this is only the beginning.

Nigel Petillo, Demonstration Organizer

“I sure all these ministers hear. I sure Bernard hear, Hyde hear, Briceno hear. But this is to show how they treat us. It is about power for them and money for them and over and over I have been telling people. While we the out here the fight for good governance they find way to wap we, to enrich themselves and future generations. And if push comes to shove and one of these days dah probably looting and breaking up things. We hope it doesn’t get there. But if you continue to ignore the cries of the people, believe you me we will have to find other ways to get your attention and retract this deal.”

Reporting for News Five, I am Paul Lopez.

Union Senator Glenfield Denison was also present at today’s demonstration in Belmopan. As a member of parliament, Denison says the government is pulling the wool over the eyes of the citizenry. He says that the Briceño administration was clever in how they presented the Saudi loan motion in the recitals versus the resolution. Denison placed the Briceño administration on notice, signaling incoming court actions.

Glenfield Denison, N.T.U.C.B. Senator

“The social partners senators will be putting out a release next week. But, to look at the loan motion itself. I think the government is really pulling wool over our eyes, because they did something very clever. They put in the recitals that they would build the hospital on the UB land. They removed that wording from the resolution. They put that the hospital will be built. In Belmopan, and nobody said anything then. So, I think it is important that we acknowledge that the governance structure is broken. The legislature and the executive just are one and with the exception of the four social partners who are barely holding it together, the legislature is just done. The executive is the legislature, and it is incestuous. The important thing is that there is a third branch of government and thankfully it was recently fully staffed with a lot of technical people from out of Belize who are not tainted with the politics of Belize. I clamored against the filling of the judiciary with foreign judges. I still do, but I think a surprise will come for the executive very soon when the judges start issuing judges against the government and surprise, surprise they all security of tenure. These judges are all appointed until sixty-five. You might not be afraid for the union or so, but when the court actions start coming, I really hope the executive starts to pay attention.”

During today’s interviews with union representatives at the demonstration in Belmopan, N.T.U.C.B. President Luke Martinez sought to put the Belmopan land acquisition into perspective. In this light, he pointed back to the U.D.P. administration that was heading the municipality when the fifteen acres were sold to the Asian couple back in 2018.

Luke Martinez, President, N.T.U.C.B.

“The man weh sell out Belmopan, that man cant even come out of his hole that he went to build, can’t even come out. Listen, talk about vex, vex with dah bally deh. Dah bally deh give weh fih we.Which bally dah, he nuh weh ih deh the hide in a hole, he and John Saldivar, every single piece of green space, sell out everything f**king thing for free.”

Moses “Shyne” Barrow, Leader of the Opposition

“But the People’s United Party did not get elected to continue in the way of past transgressions. That is not what the P.U.P. got elected for. We cannot justify current transgressions by bringing up past transgressions. The people of this country voted out the U.D.P. for all of these crimes that you are now brining up and they will vote out this government if they don’t correct these actions. So, the people are not out here for now U.D.P. or P.U.P. The people are out here for what is right for the Belizean people. And, this is absolutely wrong.”