October, 2024 - Channel 5 Belize

Tracy Panton and Moses Barrow Fight for UDP Leadership

While Moses Barrow maintains that the event hosted on Sunday by the Tracy Panton-led Alliance for Democracy was not a legitimate U.D.P. convention, the alliance is standing firm. In a press release issued today by Panton under the U.D.P. banner, she declared that Barrow is no longer serving as the party leader, effective immediately. During the press conference hosted earlier by former U.D.P. Minister Anthony “Boots” Martinez, he said that Panton is the interim party leader until another convention is held to elect a new leader since Barrow was recalled on Sunday.

Anthony “Boots” Martinez, Former UDP Minister

“As far as I know deh have to invite people fi di position. If my memory serves me right, there must be a convention. Not earlier than thirty and later than twenty days to fill the various post and so as I understand it, that is the interim leader until such time.”

Reporter

“It is confirmed in a leadership convention?”

Anthony “Boots” Martinez

“Yes sir. So the delegates again I’ll have to come back and confirm that. Not with the fanfare sir, Not with the fanfare. So I don’t think it will be so much expense. So the delegates will have to be returning back to make certain decisions. That da just my humble view and my interpretation ah it. Of course I’m no lawyer, but I could read. Well as far as I could read fairly well. You know them kinda way de.”

Shyne Says He Spent Millions on the U.D.P.

Returning to Moses Barrow, he claims to have invested millions of dollars in the U.D.P., including funds for standard bearers who do not back his leadership. Barrow further stated that The Alliance is eager to claim the U.D.P. name due to the challenges of securing funding for the party’s operations.

Moses “Shyne” Barrow, Leader, U.D.P.

“Nobody wants to give any opposition party money. That’s why they want to hold on to the UDP name. Because even as a UDP organization, it is difficult to get monies from the donor community. Imagine a third party. And that is what they’re afraid of. And that is why they’re engaged in deception and fraud. But when Patrick Faber was a leader of the UDP and Tracy was right next to him, they couldn’t raise any money. They complained about that over and repeatedly that they had no money, they cut the salaries of the staff, they could not do anything, they did not have one protest, they did not have one event, they did nothing while Patrick Farber was leader. The point I’m trying to make to you as far as the municipal elections, when I raised that money and I spent, personally, I spent millions of dollars on this party. Since I have been leader and I spent at least a million dollars personally in the municipal elections. When that money is given to colleagues, you trust them to deliver and perform. And the performance was dismal.”

Anthony “Boots” Martinez’s Clarifies Statement

At today’s press conference, former U.D.P. minister Anthony “Boots” Martinez explained that he never relied on the party to fund his political campaigns. Instead, he funded his campaigns out of pocket, acquiring the money by any means necessary. He, however, used an old saying—one that he shouldn’t have—and retracted his statement after one of the reporters pointed it out to him.

Anthony “Boots” Martinez, Former UDP Minister

“Let me make it clear, United Democratic Party, all the years that I served, I have paid five percent of my salary to this party. And when time there is elections, I fund my own election. Whether theif, borrow, or beg, I fund my own election with nothing from the party. I just dih seh. I find it, by any means, I find it.”

Reporter

“But you she theif?”

Anthony “Boots” Martinez

“I just di use wa analogy.”

Reporter

“Yo cya use ney kind ah analogy deh.”

Anthony “Boots” Martinez

“I di she I find my resourcefulness wherever I get it. I get it. But any which ways. Let me reframe that. Borrow or beg. Mek we go deh. I wa take back dat theif deh cause you know. Maybe da wa work weh, to me, inna lotta senses, the general public, looks on politician as thieves. Noh mek we hide from that but maybe that’s why maybe I include the word. When you talk about any. The first thing people she, alla unu thiefing politicians. No matter red or blue and that da di truth. But any which way.”

Disney’s The Honorable Shyne Trailer Released

Disney has released the trailer for the upcoming documentary The Honorable Shyne, which explores the journey of Moses “Shyne” Barrow. Barrow gained fame in the late 1990s as an emerging rap star, but his career took a downturn after he was charged in connection with a high-profile nightclub shooting involving rap mogul Diddy. In 2001, Barrow was convicted and sentenced to ten years in prison, while Combs was acquitted. According to Disney, the documentary offers a personal look at Barrow’s evolution. According to Barrow, the documentary shows a true image of his life.

Moses “Shyne” Barrow, Leader, U.D.P.

“It’s quite a journey of tragedy and triumph, and that was the main focus. I did not want to tell a victim’s story. People have been coming to me to do a documentary forever. I would say for the last maybe 20 years, people have wanted to do a documentary with me, but I did not want to tell the Sean Puffy Combs documentary. I did not want to tell the, Oh, you know, this is what happened to me. It’s all your fault documentary. I think now is the right time. And so I’m very fortunate to have the right partners that I could have entrusted, um, to tell the journey truthfully, not even bias to me and I believe this is a truthful depiction of my journey, triumph, tragedy, triumph again, and we continue the fight. And I would not have been able to survive anything that I have if maybe I grew up differently, you know, in my father’s bosom, you know, being pet and powdered. And you know, my father and I have never had a better relationship now and I’m not ashamed of that. And you will get to see in the documentary that my father is not this great orchestrator of Shyne Barrow. In fact, we, we differ on many things.”

Man Goes Missing After Getting Bailed

A man is reportedly missing, and his cousin came forward to ask the public to help her locate him. Nichole McDonald told News Five today that he was informed by a police officer last week that thirty-seven-year-old Akeem Morgan did not report to court for a case he has pending for a gun charge. McDonald said she bailed Morgan from prison because he had complained of abuse and was trying to improve his life. Now she is concerned about his whereabouts because he normally reports to the police station each week, as per one of the conditions of his bail.

Nichole McDonald, Cousin of Akeem Morgan

“I bailed him out of the prison because he was charged with kept firearm without a gun license. Unfortunately, he told me that the police beat him up and planted the gun on him. I got a call on Friday from the court police that he did not show up to court and he’s out on bail under my watch. Every week he goes to the station to sign. He works in Cayo. I got a text, I put it out on my Facebook on Sunday and I got a text that police was looking for him in Corozal. They had him detained. Unfortunately, when I went to the police station on Monday, they did not find him. They didn’t even want to take my report. I spoke to Sergeant Arzu and she said that I need to locate his address, but he was releasing my custody. I’m his cousin. His mom is my aunt. She don’t live in Belize. He spent years and years and years in prison.”

Benita Keme-Palacio

“When was the last time you saw him and interacted with him?”

Nichole McDonald

“I last interacted with him in September and he came to sign in and he said Cuz I come sign in. Then ah gwein back da mi work da Cayo cause ih mi di work da Cayo for some – I don’t know the person name, but he – I can see he was trying to change his life Could see he was trying to change his life.”

Indigenous Leaders Say ‘We Want to Be Part of Conversations’

A network of Indigenous leaders from across the country recently convened for a dialogue to amplify their voices and address environmental issues in their indigenous spaces. Supported by the University of California, the event was held both online and in person at the Sir Colville N. Young Building in Belize City on Tuesday, featuring leaders from the Maya and Garifuna groups. The event highlighted the importance of including Indigenous voices in environmental policy discussions and urged policymakers to listen and involve them in decisions about their lands and resources. Here’s more from one of the leaders who attended. Garifuna Leader, Cynthia Ellis, told us more.

Cynthia Ellis, Garifuna Leader, Indigenous People’s Network

“This gathering is to presence the indigenous voices, the people whose voices that are often not heard, you know? The thing is that these people have for long been living in the on these lands and in these communities, and they have woken up sometimes and seen different projects and programs that are being developed in our space. And we have not been involved in the planning and implementation of these projects. So we are just presencing ourselves. Plan recommend themselves, and these plans say, Here I am to participate in my own development. We are having an indigenous peoples network, which includes Maya, Garifuna, Creole, and all these people who have an interest in upgrading and uplifting the spaces of our people. I’m talking the forest. I’m talking about Barranco, Hopkins, and Seine Bight; all these coastal communities where we have the situations of intense development, high-rise resorts, and all that kind of development, which often compromises the situation of our cultural way of life.”

A Deer Dance-Inspired Miss Universe National Costume

Culture and beauty come together in a stunning display of designer craftsmanship, as showcased in the Miss Universe Belize 2024 national costume, unveiled this morning. The costume draws inspiration from the traditional Mayan Deer Dance, which is still performed at special ceremonies today. More than just a performance of masked dancers moving to the marimba’s rhythm, the Deer Dance tells a deeper story—depicting the relationship between the Maya people and the land, as well as scenes from the era of the Spanish conquest. News Five’s Paul Lopez has more in tonight’s Kolcha Tuesday segment.

Paul Lopez, Reporting

A Mayan custom that tells the story of the relationship between the Maya people and the land will come alive on the 2024 Miss Universe stage in Mexico City. Miss Universe Belize, Halima Hoy, revealed her national costume this morning, and it has a striking resemblance to the deer dance attire.

Halima Hoy, Miss Universe Belize 2024

“The back story about it is that a deer farmer spoke to the mountains and the mountains told him to build a marimba. He played the Marimba and the deer came dancing and other animals as well. But behind that, it is the resilience of the Maya people during their colonization period and how they were able to keep their identities and stay true to themselves.”

The soundtrack to the deer dance is played on a three-person marimba. A portion of the dance portrays how this music called all the animals from the mountains and woods. As the story progresses, the Spaniards appear ready to take over the lands. The deer dance attire is typically adorned with an abundance of mirrors to reflect the resistance of the Maya people to the invading forces.

Halima Hoy

“Xwankil, the Maya deer dance is a very respected and part of the Mayan culture. We had the submissions from artist in Belize. We wanted it to be a Belizean custom. They submitted their designs and we got a lot of good ones but Xwankil caught the attention of the Belizean population and the organization. They got the most votes and we chose that one because it has such a deep meaning and it respects one of our ethnic groups here in Belize.”

Towards the end of the story, the dancers act out a scene in which the invaders produced a gun and shot a deer. One iteration is that this did not end well for them. Another iteration suggests that the shooter was a hunter and that he shot a rabid deer. According to that account, the animals banned together to escort the hunter out of the forest so that he does not continue to hunt while also celebrating a successful hunt. The costume was designed and created by Ronelli Requena, Emilio Perrera and Damian Moore.

Ronelli Requena, Founder, Zayvah Sarai

“We named the costume Xwankil. It is depicting the Maya deer dance which is very special and we wanted to integrate the real story of what it is the deer dance, the hunting scene, being out in the jungle. But there is a very deep meaning beyond just the hunting scene. It is more about the harmony which man and earth come together. It is basically saying like respect for mother nature and in today’s day and age everything falls into place perfect. In 2024 that has been one of the biggest topics, climate change and climate action.”

The traditional costume also features a headpiece with antlers made from branches or other natural materials. It is often decorated with feathers and beads. Deer skull headdresses and masks are also traditionally worn. The colours of the traditional costumes are very vibrant. Requena and the team of creators were sure to include every aspect of the traditional wear while making it functional for a beauty pageant.

Ronelli Requena

“We had the costume. We had one big thing that was left, what was the message we wanted to send. We wanted to come up with a tag line. When you see the costume, you could see the beauty of Belize but also what the costume is about. The fires that happened down south and it really touched me, so I thought it was only right to integrate it into the costume itself. And it was very important for me to stay true and very respectful for the culture and the deer dance but yet find ways on how we can make it more feminine, because it is a pageant.”

As Halima Hoy prepared to leave Belize and travel to Mexico today, she told us that the support for her journey and now the costume has been overwhelming.

Halima Hoy, Miss Universe Belize 2024

“I know there is a lot of hard work behind it, Damian, Ronelli and Emilio put their heart and souls into this costume. It was a group effort. We did a lot of fittings, adjustemetns, we were true to the costume. If you ever seen the deer dance in real life or on the videos. The costume is a replica of that. It is bold and brilliant, and I love it. I will say it is the best, because it is my costume.”

Reporting for News Five, I am Paul Lopez.

Tracy Panton Issues Statement Under UDP Banner, Says Shyne No Longer Leader

The infighting in the United Democratic Party continues. A few minutes ago, Albert Area Representative Tracy Taegar-Panton fired off a press statement under the UDP banner.

The release is titled “Hon. Moses Shyne Barrow, No Longer Leader of the UDP.” It says that effective immediately, Barrow is not authorised to represent the UDP in any capacity, including soliciting and collecting funds. The release said, “The UDP is moving forward under the new leadership of Hon. Tracy Panton, who was overwhelmingly endorsed by Party delegates at the convention. We are committed to upholding the values of transparency, integrity, and unity as we continue to work on behalf of the Belizean people.”

Both Panton and Barrow are at odds. He says he is the party leader, but Panton says she is the interim party leader, following a convention on Sunday.

Belizean Women Make History on Mount Meru Summit

Two adventurous Belizean women from Dangriga, Belize, have made history by completing the first leg of their climb up Mount Meru in Tanzania, reaching 4,566 meters (14,990 feet). Stacy Webber and Judie Zab proudly represented Belize by leaving their flag at the summit of Africa’s fifth-highest mountain.

Dream Catcher Tours posted on Facebook, “The dream of visiting Africa and climbing Mount Meru (16,000 ft) became a reality. The journey was challenging, but the views were breathtaking, and the feeling of accomplishment is indescribable.”

Webber also shared her excitement, saying, “Proud to say we are here experiencing a dream to a reality… so far being here 5 days no one knows Belize… seems we are gonna be the first 2 females from our little jewel to make this accomplishment.”

Mount Meru, visible upon arriving in Arusha, features two main peaks: Meru Summit and Ash Cone, shaped by past volcanic activity. The climb typically takes 3 to 4 days via the Momela Route and requires proper acclimatization. It is also a sacred site for the local Waarusha people, who make annual sacrifices to the mountain for rain.

Taiwan’s Foreign Minister to Visit Belize

Dr. Lin Chia-Lung, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of China (Taiwan), will lead a delegation to Belize from October 29 to 30, 2024. During the visit, Prime Minister John Briceño and Foreign Minister Francis Fonseca will hold bilateral meetings with Minister Lin.

Foreign Minister Lin is also scheduled to visit the site of the proposed San Pedro General Hospital, a project generously funded by Taiwan.

This will be Minister Lin’s first official visit to Belize since assuming office in May, as the two nations mark 35 years of diplomatic relations.