October 23, 2024 - Channel 5 Belize

‘Boots’ Martinez Calls ‘Shyne’ a Dictator

Veteran U.D.P. member Anthony “Boots” Martinez is firing back at Moses “Shyne” Barrow tonight. Martinez, who supports Tracy Taegar-Panton, summoned the media this morning in front of the U.D.P. headquarters. He held his press conference in front of the building, in the parking lot, and NOT inside. Martinez chastised Barrow after Barrow’s interview with News Five on Tuesday night, during which Barrow accused Martinez and others of corruption. Well, the emotive Martinez is not having it, and he didn’t only throw shade at Barrow. He threw the entire tree! According to Martinez, he has a lot of problems with Barrow’s leader and accuses Barrow of ignoring the party’s constitution.

Anthony “Boots” Martinez, Former UDP Minister

“One thing I will say, that he don’t know nothing about me, Sso when you di try malign me in terms of what you believe or what you think of me. Let me say this, mister Barrow, the former, not even say Mister Barrow, Jamal, deh dah soh chancey and bully individual. And I got certain things that I will say relating to this party. I have been in this party since 1980 with the YPF, longest active member of the United Democratic Party, up to 2024. Tek mi lick fi this party, get mi eye buss. All kind of thing. And listen to me now, there’s nothing wrong with people making their choices. But I have a problem with Mister Barrow wanting to take this party into a dictatorship kind of leadership, It don’t work like that. They noh follow no part of the constitution. They don’t do nothing to follow the part of the constituition, including helping the party. See unu de dah party headquarters yah? There is no full-time secretarial chair coming here five and ten minutes. The last time because the secretary was on holiday, you kniw what happen? The supplement that was delivered from elections and boiundaries was carried back you know. Neva come back until the last day for onjections I just dih show you. They run this party like fi ney own business. And I have wa fundamental problem with that. Where is the voice of reasoning within this party? Where are the senior people within this party? Where is the voice of reasoning. We can’t just allow thing to happen. How you, there is a code of conduct for everybody you know. Including him. How you wa get on television and wah di call this one yah corrupt and this one yah woman beater?”

Reporter

“You dih talk about last night?”

Anthony “Boots” Martinez

“Yes. And then you have fi you own difficulty, memba you stamp yo wife inna ih back and that is recorded da police station. So who are you sir? Who are you sir to come to this nation and like you dih save this nation by getting rid of whatsoever the case may be. Yu see the tye of capable weh mi deh out deh? Deh da mi weh da mi doctorate in terms or birds and bees. Nenya da people weh had legitimate degrees. Denyah da people who have contributed to the development of this party. And you dih fling people like dat?”

‘Boots’ Says Shyne Is Not Capable to Run Belize

And Martinez did not stop there. Aside from saying he believes that Barrow isn’t a millionaire, Martinez brought up Barrow’s criminal past in the U.S. He accuses Barrow of deception and bullying and maintains that he is not acting in the best interest of the people. Martinez also likened Barrow to a scorpion, and it’s time for him to just go away.

Anthony “Boots” Martinez, Former UDP Minister

“Listen to me, I think that he tricked a lot of people in Belize by posing as this millionaire and I noh think it got ah at all. I noh think it got ah at all. I have some lee fundamental problems in terms of the main thing the structure the party. You wa got NPC meeting by WhatsApp. There is process for everything. I believe in due process and ney dig talk bout this and that and warough and tarough listen to me, when we were here fighting, he was a convicted. Convict serving his time in jail. So I’m sorry, when ney di talk bout you want to get rid of people to help people. Sorry, you cya dih bring yo criminal behavior back to this country. I am sorry. I think dat I da mih one weh think that everybody should be reformed, and everybody have second and third and fourth chances and soh, Byut ney always seh ah scorpion is scorpion noh care how you try, Ih only job da fi stin. And that is his modus operandi. He want to take over this party as a dictator. Inna my humble opinion, you noh respect the will of the people, you need fi give up breda. But I know and I said ti a person before, I knew. Seems like he wants to dead with the chair inna he hand. He noh want let ah go regardless ah what. Ney noh follow no kind of process at all. No knd of process and the minute there is disincentive voice, oh you da dah LGBTQ, you da dis, you da dat. Man you see di ting that he is saying about not only standard bearers, citizens of this country, He is very rude, bully, disingenuous, and disrespectful as far as I know. He noh have the capability to run this country, I am sorry.”

Anthony ‘Boots’ Martinez On the Future of the U.D.P.

During his extended press conference, Anthony “Boots” Martinez expressed skepticism on getting rid of Barrow. He says that the party’s success hinges on its leadership and insisted that, until constitutional reforms are implemented, individuals should be free to change their minds.

Anthony “Boots” Martinez, Former UDP Minister

“I know he no gwen easy. He wa hold on to that chair like I she. I was the first peopson whe come and seh dat he sleep with the chair under ih bed, And he sleep crossfoot with ih foot di mind da chair deh. And mek I tell yo something, things speak volume mein. Like this country need a viable opposition I noh care weh nobody seh. You quarrel with the speaker, you quarrel with yo memba, you quarrel with te PUP. You quarrel and noh conscious yo dupe into lotta thing. This country need a viable opposition with a reasonable leader. He is unfit, Michael Peyrefitte and Alberto August, they are the two most powerful people in the constitution of the United Democratic Party, so what people do now? So when yo seh the constitution she, one fourth delegate trigger a recall. Two thirds call a national convention. People have the right to change their mind, I noh care weh happen until you change that outta the constitution. This is where you need to have a constitutional reform. If you a she yo only could recall ah man within ine term ah ih leadership that is it, Nut you have a constitution there for a revolving door. Tomorrow somebody could start a petition and the whole thing start ova again. Them da di reform weh di party need fi look pan. And so at the end of the day, when you just ignore people in terms of the chairman and soh and no regard to what it is in the constitution that is dictatorship sir, So where is the party rules even for the party leader? He seh anything he want about anybody and nobody she nothing. I am sorry. I got family. I got friends too and so is he. And mek I tell yo something, one thing I could she that I was never charged abroad or here or even convicted inna any part of the world. I am sorry. Ney people get a bly.”

Moses Barrow Accuses The Alliance of Corruption

During our interview with Moses “Shyne” Barrow, he accused those who support the Alliance for Democracy of corruption. He said that the Alliance wants to take over the U.D.P. and he went further to say that the real leaders of The Alliance are John Saldivar and Patrick Faber.

Moses “Shyne” Barrow, Leader, U.D.P.

“What is at play here is not the constitution of the UDP, is not dictatorship, it is ego, it is entitlement, it is all personal agendas, personal ambitions. And that is why those politicians, the Alliance for Corruption they are against me because I’m not a part of their cabal. I am not a part of their network that existed. Many of them are friends because they used to do their hustling and corruption together. I am not a part of that. And I represent change. I represent integrity. I represent justice. This is an era of politics where elected representatives will actually make sure that the people of this country are getting the goods and services that they deserve and they will not sell themselves to the highest bidder in the private sector and special interests. They want to steal the UDP. They want to overthrow the UDP. This is a failed coup d’etat. And this is not about constitutionality. This is not about any dictatorship. This is about the dictators in the alliance wanting to have control and power. In particular, John Saldivar, Patrick Farber, and they are merely using Tracy Panton as exactly what they say, interim. Even in the Alliance for Democracy Party, she is the interim, because the real leaders of the Alliance for Democracy Party are John Saldivar and Patrick Faber.”

Marion Ali, Reporter

“Do you get advice from former Prime Minister Dean Barrow?

Moses “Shyne” Barrow

“Yes, we speak.

Marion Ali
“Does he agree with you, with what’s happening and the way you’re handling the Alliance?”

Moses “Shyne” Barrow

“Yes, he supports, supports my position.”

Panton Maintains that Shyne has been Recalled as Party Leader

On Sunday, hundreds of U.D.P. supporters and party members gathered to participate in a convention hosted by the Alliance for Democracy under the U.D.P. The convention was to recall party leader Moses “Shyne” Barrow, which Panton says they successfully did. Barrow has described the convention as a farce, saying that it was a waste of time and money. But according to Taegar-Panton, the purpose of the convention was to unite the United Democratic Party.

Tracy Taegar-Panton, Area Representative, Albert

“That convention sought to do a couple of things. One, to convene it so we can hear the voices of the delegates of the party. And two hundred thirty-two delegates requested that the convention be convened. Two, to recall the former party leader, Shyne Barrow from his position of party leader. And we had two hundred eight delegates who triggered that recall. And we met the threshold and at the convention the party leader was recalled. Three hundred forty-seven delegates voted. Three hundred thirty-four in favor of the recall and thirteen against the recall. And the third objective of the convention was to deal with the business of the party. What would be our platform, the need for constitutional reform was the big one. Also where we stand on women and youth and economic development and all those the policy platform committee, which would have to be working now in preparation for the next elections because it requires quite a bit of consultation with with our supporters and members of the social partners, et cetera. And of course the last motion of the day was to seek the consensus, if you will, of the people. The National Convention as it relates to who is the leader of the position in the house. So that business was conducted on and on behalf of the United Democratic Party.”

“The Institution is not a Building, the People Are”

Following the U.D.P. convention on Sunday, participants have expressed their views on the legitimacy of the event and the removal of Moses “Shyne” Barrow as party leader. This raises the question of the future of the building on Youth for the Future Drive, which has long served as the U.D.P. headquarters. The Albert Area Representative, who was named interim party leader at the convention, stated in an interview with News Five that the building is not the U.D.P. but rather the people.

Marion Ali

“The headquarters and the elected executive, as they were, are still in control of the UDP headquarters. So in terms of getting the business off the ground.”

Tracy Taegar-Panton, Area Representative, Albert

“There’s a there’s a fixation, I believe, on this building. The institution as I maintain is not a building. The people represent the institution. If you talk about that workspace, I have a workspace, Patrick has a workspace. Our chairperson has a workspace. If we’re looking at the workspace, I know the headquarters may be symbolic in terms of the institution, but it’s not the institution and we will give it no greater importance than that.”

Six Prisoners Challenge Denial of Parole in High Court

Today, six Belizean prisoners appeared before the High Court to contest the parole board’s decision to deny them parole. The inmates, who were convicted of serious crimes such as manslaughter, murder, and kidnapping, argue that the board’s decision was unconstitutional, as it failed to follow the legal mandate to assess whether their release would pose a public safety risk. Leslie Mendez, their attorney, explained after the court session that the parole board did not properly address this key consideration.

Leslie Mendez, Attorney-at-law

“The parole did not make its decision according to the law and the considerations that they ought to have taken into account. So what we say and what the cases say, and in fact what the Caribbean Court of Justice has said, that when you’re determining whether or not to grant parole, the question is whether or not the prisoner continues to pose a threat to public safety. And in this case, we’re seeing that the parole board did not take that, or did not answer that question, really, when it decided to deny parole.”

Reporter

“All the prisoners would have because it’s parole, completed their time served, time allotted. And they have had good behavior and so in prison to warrant parole?”

Leslie Mendez

“Right. So again sentences in Belize and what the case is established, as I mentioned, are served in two parts. Basically, the first part is your non-parole period. And sometimes the judge sets that or the parole acts as that. But after you have served that non-parole period where you can absolutely not be released, you have to remain confined. The next part of the sentence is a security period where you remain confined. If you continue to pose a threat to public safety, it’s a very specific question that must be answered by the parole board in order to for them to determine whether to deny you parole.”

Prisoners Fight for Supervised Reintegration into Society

The six prisoners who appeared in court argue that they do not continue to pose a threat to public safety and can be reintegrated into society with adequate supervision. Their defence attorney, Leslie Mendez, told reporters that the purpose of the trial is to review the decision of the parole board to deny the prisoners, with the goal of coming to a new decision, having made the adequate risk assessments.

Leslie Mendez, Attorney at Law

“The submissions were concluded today, but what the court did is that the court heard us, she has all our written submissions as well, all our authorities, but the court asked that we come back in November because the court wants to have time to review the written submissions, and then basically continue the discussion, have further submissions before the court. We’re not here for the court to grant parole or not. We’re here to review the decision of the parole board. So all of that evidence of good behavior or bad behavior would have been presented to the parole board. At this point what we’re telling the court is that based on what was before the parole board, there was no reason to deny them parole because none of them have established a real risk that they continue to present a threat to public safety. And so what should obtain now is their re-integration into society but supervised.”

Eight Claimants Take the FSC and AG to Court

Eight claimants, including Anwar Barrow, Aquity Holdings Limited, and six other companies, have filed a constitutional claim against the Financial Services Commission (FSC) and the Attorney General. The claimants allege that the FSC misapplied a merger fee during the consolidation of thirteen companies. They are also challenging the FSC’s policy requiring domestic companies with foreign shareholders to pay for services in U.S. dollars. The claimants argue that these actions violate their constitutional rights to legal protection and protection from discrimination. We spoke with Hector Guerra, one of the attorneys representing the claimants, for more details.

Hector Guerra, Attorney-At-Law

“This claim emerged because Aquity Holdings Limited was engaging a merger of thirteen different companies and was required each company that participated in that merger was required to pay a fee. Aquity’s primary grievance is that that was not required under the Company’s Act. It is also alleging other things, for example, when the Company’s Act was passed in 2022 it introduced various new requirements. These included the need for companies, domestic companies with foreign shareholders, even CARICOM shareholders to file documents through what is called a registered agent. It also required companies with foreign shareholders to make payments using U.S dollars. So, the companies are saying, what that amounts to is discrimination, in that we are all Belizean companies but you are putting additional burdens on me to operate in the Belizean market that companies who have solely Belizean shareholders are not required to do. So that is in a nutshell what the claim is about. It really to benefit the financial service area in Belize, because it has been a matter that has been raised repeatedly but it has not been properly litigated. So, what we are saying is this litigation will inure to the benefit of the financial services market.”

Woman Fighting for Her Life After Being Shot in the Neck

Police are investigating a case of attempted murder that occurred on Tuesday night in Belize City. At around eight forty-five p.m., forty-eight-year-old Mary Flowers was exiting the residence of her former partner on Santa Barbara Street when suddenly she heard two loud bangs. Flowers reported feeling a sudden sensation in her neck and started bleeding. After Flowers fell to the ground in pain, Smith rushed to her aid and transported her to the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital. Police canvassed the area and found no expended shells; however, the neighbouring house was also found with gunshot damage on the side, and one slug was retrieved from that specific area. Police have reviewed surveillance footage and spoken to several people in the area as their investigation continues.