The National Party Council passed a motion on Friday endorsing Shyne Barrow’s leadership of the United Democratic Party. The vote taken by members of the NPC effectively draws distance between the U.D.P. and the Alliance for Democracy which is planning a Unity Convention on October twentieth. According to Barrow, the recent exercise indicates that as many as two hundred and seventy-two delegates are in support of several of the motions passed during Friday’s virtual session.
Shyne Barrow
Shyne Barrow, Party Leader, U.D.P.
“The NPC is not just me. It was a negative vote, meaning does anybody object. But colleagues voted on record in solidarity with the leadership. So it’s crystal clear that the National Party Council, a majority of the standard bearers, seventeen times sixteen is two hundred and seventy-two. Almost all, I believe all of the central executive, that’s two hundred and ninety-two delegates. So you always talk about the two hundred and eight or the hundred and seventy, what about the two hundred and ninety-two [delegates]?
Reporter
“Explain to me how are you trying to motivate your faithful standard bearers, those who are faithful you, to not allow their delegate group to be splintered and attend, because we know that can happen. That can happen even in Mesopotamia.”
Shyne Barrow
“As you noted, this is not even a matter of being legitimate, it is not UDP activity. So, the National Party Council has put that question to rest once and for all, so they can do whatever they want. That has nothing to do with the United Democratic Party.”
Reporter
“But it does, though, because these are UDP personalities with relationships…”
Shyne Barrow
“These are people who were UDP. You can do it like how people do it in America where people identify as whatever they want to identify as, but identifying as a UDP does not make you officially a UDP.”
The U.D.P. Party Leader mentioned that many of the standard bearers are backing his leadership, even though the Alliance for Democracy has been critical. He pointed out that the upcoming event on October twentieth is pretty much like what happens when the People’s United Party or politician Wil Maheia organizes a convention.
Shyne Barrow
Shyne Barrow, Leader of the Opposition
“We’ve had at least three recent instances where there’s a consistent demonstration of support by the majority of the standard bearers. There was the meeting in Orange Walk, where we met at the ranch in Orange Walk South with German Tillett and there were about fifteen standard bearers there. We had the fifty-first anniversary and fifteen, including the deputy party leader, an elected member of the house. We had the fifty-first anniversary again, Hugo Patt, fifteen standard bearers. We had the letter that was signed when we were trying to do mediation, seventeen standard bearers, and we had this National Party Council which, according to my opponents, is the highest authority and they had so much reverence for the National Party Council when it suits them. There’s a consistent pattern of support. So I have no doubt that those seventeen standard bearers and their delegates would not participate in anything that has nothing to do with the UDP. What is happening on October twentieth is similar to a PUP convention or a Wil Maheia convention. That has nothing to do with the United Democratic Party.”
The Leader of the Opposition also weighed in on the plight of teachers who are facing issues with their salaries, as well as hours accumulated for continuous professional development. The Belize National Teachers Union called a press conference last week where they informed that as many as one hundred and thirty teachers are being affected. Barrow places the blame squarely at the feet of the Briceño administration, particularly the Ministry of Education. Here’s what he shared on the issue.
Shyne Barrow, Leader of the Opposition
“It is startling and reprehensible that a hundred and thirty teachers have not been paid and have been compelled to hold a press conference with the BNTU president to demand their payment. This is in conjunction or on the heels of the teachers protesting on Independence Day due to the lack on increments. Remember, we had an increment freeze in 2020 due to COVID-19. But the honorable prime minister bragged and boasted to anyone that had listened that the economy was recovering robustly and, in his words, the economy has grown every quarter since the People’s United Party has taken office. Thus, the teachers want to know, with such great economic activity, why can’t they get their increments. Now we have instances of teachers not being paid, as I said with the BNTU president, the national president, at the head table in a press conference demanding pay for the teachers. This then follows with the continuous development hours that the teachers have not been able to get due to cost of living, due to not getting their increments, due to not getting their pay on time and we see no solution for this government.”
The San Ignacio Magistrates Court is hearing voters registration objections submitted by the United Democratic Party’s Cayo North Standard Bearer Omar Figueroa. The U.D.P. submitted one hundred and one objections. Today, three individuals took the stand to testify on behalf of the U.D.P. The sitting Magistrate also visited three of the locations under question. Twenty-eight voters are said to be registered at one of the locations. However, at the time of the visits, none of the landlords or the persons that claim to be registered at these locations were there. The hearing was adjourned for tomorrow morning, where one final testimony will be heard before the court decides. Leader of the Opposition, Moses “Shyne” Barrow, spoke on the issue today.
Shyne Barrow, Leader of the Opposition
“When you look at the issue with Dr. Omar Figueroa in Cayo North where there are a hundred people living in one place. I know that the media paid keen attention and had significant interest in me transferring to my residence in Mesopotamia and I was the only person to transfer to that address in the last transfer period last year. There has been a total of ten people that transferred over an eight-year, seven-year period. The media paid very, very keen interest to that, but I invite you guys to pay interest to a hundred people during this transfer period registering at one house, if my numbers serve me correct. A significant amount, if it’s not the hundred, it’s fifty. It’s significant amount that cannot fit in the two-bedroom bungalow that they are claiming to reside. And you merge that, so that’s a form of electoral fraud, and you merge that with the nationality documents, the decentralization of the nationality documents which instinctively you’d be alarmed that you’d take the most important document, again, we’re talking about elections, we have to put it in the context of elections. People that vote decide who the area representatives are going to be, the people that vote decide what constitutional amendments will happen based on the government that they elect.”
Shyne Barrow is practically on the lowest rung of the ladder as far as his popularity as a politician. That’s what the results of a recent poll undertaken by Viking Strategies indicate. While there were a few discrepancies with the outcome of the survey, Barrow has responded to his lack of popularity by challenging the credibility of the survey.
Shyne Barrow
Shyne Barrow, Leader of the Opposition
“What credibility does that have? I saw people bashing that, saying that it had no credibility so I don’t know what credibility is.”
Reporter
“So how do you feel being on that poll as one of the least liked politicians in the country?”
Shyne Barrow
“Politics is fluid, it changes every day and we continue to work hard in each constituency to improve relations with the electorate.”
Reporter
“You know, you were the only politician in which the word association actually produced a curse word. That has to hurt you, sir. Mr. Ashcroft, I thought he was one of your supporters.”
Shyne Barrow
“I don’t allow any external things to penetrate my state of mind and the work that I have to do.”
Belize is often called Mother Nature’s Best Kept Secret, but that might change soon! A series of eye-catching ads lit up the big screens at a packed U.S. football stadium, aiming to make Belize the go-to vacation spot for Atlanta residents. On Saturday, the Belize Tourism Board launched a strategic ad campaign at the bustling Atlanta Mercedes-Benz Stadium during a soccer match between Atlanta United FC and New York Red Bulls. Leading the charge were the Minister of Tourism, Anthony Mahler, the Minister of Sports, Rodwell Ferguson, the Minister of State in the Ministry of Sports, Gilroy Usher, along with other officials. Belizeans from the Atlanta Diaspora, and representatives from the Belize Hotel Association and the Belize Tourism Board were also in attendance. News Five’s Marion Ali brings us the scoop on this new marketing strategy that’s set to boost tourism from Atlanta.
Marion Ali, Reporting
To stay ahead in the fierce competition for tourist dollars, the Belize Tourism Board (BTB) came up with a creative strategy: sponsoring the Atlanta United Football Club for 2024. This partnership gave Belize prime-time advertising at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium, where Atlanta United triumphed over New York’s Red Bulls. According to Gale Malic Ozaeta from BTB’s Marketing and Communications, these ads showcased Belize to forty-five thousand fans at the game and at least five million Atlanta United fans across the U.S.
Gale Malic Ozaeta
Gale Malic Ozaeta, Marketing and Communications Mgr., B.T.B
“We chose the Atlanta United FC team because they are based in Atlanta – Atlanta, Georgia being one of our key source markets for arrivals. They are one of the top ten destinations within the U.S. where we get our highest arrivals from. Atlanta is also a hub destination. Delta Airlines flies directly from Atlanta to Belize. So, by partnering with them, by being a destination sponsor of them, we had the opportunity to reach that entire audience through different mediums. So, being at the game, having our ads running within the stadium, a stadium full of 45, 000 people, we’re directly targeting these 45,000 people. But we also had ads running outside the stadium.”
Minister of Sports, Rodwell Ferguson was one of the attendees at the game. He said the ads even took on creative sports/tourism concepts.
Rodwell Ferguson
Rodwell Ferguson, Minister of Sports
“It shows sites in Belize, in particular, the blue hole. No matter how far there was a net and a ball, when you kick the ball, then there was a feature of the Blue Hole and somebody was sitting on a chair. And when somebody scores a goal, The person that the person that you are dropped up in the water into the blue world. It was very, very significant.”
The idea followed last year’s one closely where Belize did marketing advertising in New York’s Times Square. And now the B.T.B is expecting that the sponsorship we invested at the Atlanta game on Saturday will yield new visitors and great returns.
Gale Malic Ozaeta
“We would be able to definitely identify where the increase is coming from because the immigration form does ask them what state you’re coming from and so we will be able to measure.”
Halloween is just around the corner! While it’s not a huge holiday in Belize, plenty of folks still love getting into the spooky spirit. One popular activity is carving jack-o-lanterns from pumpkins to display. But finding the perfect pumpkin can be a bit tricky if you don’t know where to look. In this week’s edition of Kolcha Tuesday, News Five’s Britney Gordon visited some local vendors to find out what kinds of pumpkins are available for those eager to carve up some Halloween fun.
Britney Gordon, Reporting
From pepitos seeds to pumpkin soup, Belizeans have found plenty of delicious ways to enjoy pumpkins. But there’s one tradition that hasn’t quite taken off yet: Halloween pumpkin carving. While it’s a big deal in other parts of the world, it’s tough to do here since the special pumpkins used for carving aren’t typically grown locally. That’s why the owners of Cesar’s Fruit and Vegetable Shop have made it their mission to import these pumpkins every year. Victor Perez, one of the shop’s vendors, shares how this all started.
Victor Perez
Victor Perez, Vendor, Cesar’s Fruit Vegetable Shop
“As I was a kid and I was fascinated with Halloween. That’s like my favorite month of the year. And then I had my other sister that pitched the idea to my mom that we should bring in pumpkins, for all the, cater to all the the young and everyone who has, who likes the Halloween season and that’s basically how it came about.”
When Perez and his family started importing pumpkins in 2014, it was only ten per season. But as they have expanded their business, they now import up to thirty-five, which are available for preorder. One of the biggest challenges with importing the fruit is the effects of Belize’s weather.
Victor Perez
“Our main challenge is our climate because these pumpkins, whenever they hit in our country, the heat just tends the shelf life, it starts to run. Like fifteen to twenty days would be the most a pumpkin could last in Belize before it starts to rot.“
In addition to the climate, one of the challenges Perez faces is the growing cost of the fruit. Since he began, the cost has increased annually.
Victor Perez
“We’re gonna get a small amount because the reason is that the price went up. Every year it’s going up, but just last year we took it hard because they increased each pumpkin between ten to fifteen depending on the size. If it’s the small, the medium, or the large, then it would be ten to fifteen dollars. And then again, the reason why we’re getting less is because it’s too hot. And then last year we had to throw away like, I think six pumpkins.”
For those unable to get their hands on the limited supply of imported pumpkins, Raylene Tejeda, a vendor at the Michael Finnegan Market, says her pumpkins are perfect for carving and eating.
Raylene Tejeda
Raylene Tejeda, Vendor
“You use them to make pies, you can make jam out of them and you carve them for Halloween.”
Tejeda explains that the large, orange pumpkins are too expensive for her to acquire but details how her pumpkins can be used in a very similar way.
Britney Gordon
“What type of pumpkin would be best out of these ones to do something like the carving, if you could pick one?”
Raylene Tejeda
“Like the long ones, they were long like this. You could carve out the eyes and the mouth. Then you’re carving inside the nose and then thing, then you put inside of them from the bottom, you dig out the inside and from the bottom you put light inside it and then it look beautiful.”
Tejeda has noticed a slight uptick in pumpkin sales every October, as people flock to the stalls in search of the biggest ones. Even though Halloween isn’t a traditional holiday in Belize, Perez believes it has a place here because it brings the community together for some fun. He hopes Belize will create safe spaces for kids to dress up and carve pumpkins, just like he did when he was a child.
Raylene Tejeda
“There’s a plenty of space for it. I just like I mentioned, I feel like the Halloween spirit in Belize it’s dying. It’s not like before back in the day children can go trick or treating no problems, but now it’s different because there’s a lot of robbery The guys ride on their bikes and they just look for their prey and they teeth their sweets.”
The Development Finance Corporation (DFC) is shaking things up with a fresh vision and mission. As part of this rebranding effort, DFC officially launched its new corporate relations department today. This department is designed to boost efficiency for the institution’s commercial partners, offering loans that surpass those typically given for mortgages and education. Think about industries like shrimp farming and cattle ranching. An official ceremony was held in Belize City today, where we got the scoop on this exciting new development.
Shanelle Reneau
Shanelle Reneau, Chief Lending Officer, DFC
“As it relates to what it will look like, it will impact our business positively. Customers will have, our cooperate clients, which we know are our largest clients, will have that one on one. We will have a dedicated team of professionals that will be assigned to the department and able to meet their every need, go to the business directly, communicate with them on timely basis. There will be a quicker turnaround time as it relates to our processing. So, it will enhance our overall effectiveness and efficiency as a development bank. I would say when we look at our portfolio, because of the size of the loans our corporate clients have, I would say that they represent at least sixty percent of our entire portfolio at this point in time.”
Rainaldo Guerrero
Rainaldo Guerrero, Chairman, DFC
“Keep in mind that as an organization that is poised to be a catalyst for change, it is the people that is at the forefront. We deal at the macroeconomic development level, which filters down to improvement for everybody. So, if we are dealing with cattle, we are not dealing with just one big farmer who is selling cattle. We are dealing with the mini farmer who sells cattle to the bigger farmer who then enhances their value by keeping it in a pasture, before it gets out there. So, there are hundred of farmers out there. They have wives, children and they are going to school. It trickles down. So you are looking at the benefit that is not just to the beneficiary who gets the loan but to the people who benefit from that.”
According to Raineldo Guerrero, the Chairman at DFC, the institution has been able to reduce its non-performing loans portfolio from twenty-five percent to nine percent over the last few years. This is a significant achievement. Guerrero says that DFC has increased its revenue collection department to collect these funds.
Raineldo Guerrero, Chairman, DFC
“Like everything else, it requires focus. What we saw is that here we are lending all this money, but then we are losing. It didn’t have the level of focus that this new DFC is putting into it. So, you put a group of specialized people who came up with proposal on how we can manage it. That team we have been able to make significant contributions to lower that. So, a strategy had to be formulated to make that a specific focus area. And that is why we are where we are and we intend to go lower. It is a step by step process. We didn’t initially develop the strategy. We decided that this is what we wanted to do then the strategy evolved and the staffing, the people and the contracting of people out there, all of that became a part of it.”
Seventeen-year-old Nyasha Harris secured Belize’s first gold medal at the 2024 CODICADER Games. Harris won gold in the female one-hundred-meter sprint finals. She was beaming with pride as she stood on the podium with the Belize flag around her shoulder. We spoke with her today about that moment.
Nyasha Harris
Nyasha Harris, CODICADER Gold Medalist
“For the one hundred we had two heats. That was the semi-finals. I ran the first heat, which I came in first and that automatically advanced me to the finals. I ran the finals, and I came in first as well with a time of twelve thirty-one. I was a bit nervous at first, but like I said the team was you know it made it less nervous for me then. It is not a personal best, but it is still better than the semi-finals, because the time I ran for the semi-finals is twelve fifty-eight. So, it was quite faster. I feel grateful, happy and really excited.”
Paul Lopez
“And what does it mean for you to win this gold for Belize and see the type of support you are receiving on social media?”
Nyasha Harris
“A lot of support from my fellow teammates, people back home and the peopleonline as well. I want to say thank you. The support has been great. It helped me a lot with my races and it makes me feel confident while running my race. I would say I got it from the genes, my mom did track, my dad and my aunt too. So, I would say I discovered it from preschool. I usually came in first for sports day, in primary school as well. I did competition for track in primary school. Mostly it started in high school when we had competitions like CSSSA or NSSSA, that is when it started.”
