This morning the High Court ruled in favour of Moses “Shyne” Barrow, Michael Peyrefitte, Shary Medina, Alberto August, and Hugo Patt and against Tracy Panton and Phillipa Griffith Bailey.
As we reported, the leadership struggle within the United Democratic Party (U.D.P.) escalated with a lawsuit filed against Interim Party Leader Tracy Taegar-Panton and former Secretary General Phillipa Griffith Bailey. Barrow, along with members of the party’s Central Executive Committee, sought a court order to restore control of the U.D.P. Headquarters to chairman Mike Peyrefitte and remove Taegar-Panton and her team. The lawsuit also questions the legitimacy of Taegar-Panton’s leadership and accuses her of unlawfully taking control of party media outlets. The claimants are represented by attorney Immanuel Williams who told News 5 that the injunction orders were granted with immediate effect.
As of this morning, Hurricane Rafael remains a powerful Category 3 storm, sustaining winds of 120 mph, says the National Hurricane Centre. The 17th named storm is moving across the Gulf of Mexico as one of the strongest hurricanes to form in the region during this late season. While it is expected to weaken over the weekend, it may still produce tropical storm-force winds and dangerous surf across the Gulf Coast and threaten the southern United States.
The hurricane has already caused significant damage in Cuba, where millions of people are still without power after the storm knocked out the country’s entire power grid. Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel visited the affected areas, and more than 283,000 people were evacuated due to the storm, with large numbers coming from the capital Havana.
The NHC advises those living along the Gulf Coast to stay updated on forecasts and prepare for possible impacts as Rafael continues its path.
The leadership struggle within the United Democratic Party is heating up with new developments. A lawsuit has been filed against Interim Party Leader Tracy Taegar-Panton and former U.D.P. Secretary General Phillipa Griffith Bailey. On November fifth, an ex parte application notice was submitted by Opposition Leader Moses “Shyne” Barrow, along with Michael Peyrefitte, Shary Medina, Alberto August, and Hugo Patt. These individuals are the members of the Central Executive Committee of the embattled party. The lengthy document filed with the High Court is seeking to restore the previous state of affairs by granting immediate custody and possession of the U.D.P. Headquarters to chairman Mike Peyrefitte. The application also requests an order to allow Shyne Barrow and the Central Executive Committee to immediately re-enter and take control of the headquarters. Additionally, it seeks to have Tracy Taegar-Panton, and her executives promptly removed from the building. In another legal move against Taegar-Panton and Griffith-Bailey, the applicants are asking for a declaration to clarify whether Barrow or Taegar-Panton is the true leader of the U.D.P. Barrow is also seeking a ruling that Taegar-Panton has no legal or trust-based authority to possess the U.D.P. headquarters. Additionally, he wants declarations stating that Taegar-Panton cannot remove the claimants from the headquarters and that she unlawfully took control of the Guardian Newspaper and Wave Radio, which are U.D.P. organs. Shyne Barrow and the four other claimants have attorney Immanuel Williams in their corner, representing them on behalf of Glenn D. Godfrey & Company Limited.
This week, two different digital versions of the Guardian Newspaper made the rounds. One was edited by Alfonso Noble, who has been at the helm of the publication for the past sixteen years, working out of the office at Youth for the Future Drive. Noble is now under the leadership of Albert Area Representative Tracy Taegar-Panton, who took over the headquarters last week. That version clearly lists Noble as the editor. The other copy focuses mainly on the efforts of Mesopotamia Area Representative Moses “Shyne” Barrow, who is currently in a legal tussle with Panton over control of the headquarters and the party’s radio station and newspaper. It has no named editor. News Five’s Marion Ali reports on the confusion these two versions are causing among U.D.P. supporters.
Marion Ali, Reporting
U.D.P. supporters and the general public were likely scratching their heads this week when they received not one, but two different digital versions of the Guardian Newspaper. Last week, the only edition of the Guardian was a digital one, released after Albert Area Representative Tracy Taegar-Panton took over the U.D.P. Headquarters and assumed control of Wave Radio and the Guardian Newspaper. Circulated last Thursday, it featured the headline “New Leadership, New Direction for the U.D.P.” prominently on the front page, showcasing Panton, her Deputy Leader Beverly Williams, and Attorney Sheena Pitts as part of the new U.D.P. Executive.
On the lower right-hand side of page two, you’ll see Alfonso Noble listed as the Editor. Noble has been at the helm of the Guardian since 2008 and continues to oversee the edition produced from the party headquarters. This week, things took an interesting turn with two different digital versions of the Guardian Newspaper making the rounds. Both versions sported the same front-page font and logo, but with different headlines. The version on the left, titled “Investing in the Future,” prominently features Mesopotamia Area Representative Moses “Shyne” Barrow throughout the publication. This version lacks a staff box and doesn’t name an editor.
On the other hand, the version on the right, headlined “U.D.P. Names Central Executive,” was produced at the Youth for the Future headquarters with Alfonso Noble listed as the editor. When we asked Noble about these dual versions, he dismissed the one he didn’t edit, calling it child’s play and suggesting it would only add to the confusion among U.D.P. supporters.
Alfonso Noble
Alfonso Noble, Editor, Guardian Newspaper
“I thought it was a school project. You know, children are given these assignments to do various things, sometimes in the media and what have you, and create a newspaper and that kind of thing. And I was flattered, actually, that a child, um, would actually, um, come up with such an idea. way of, um, of, of, of doing a school project and absolutely no concern whatsoever. The Guardian newspaper is a Guardian newspaper. When you open it in the, um, the, the, the first, the first page after the headline, you have the, who publishes it and the name of the editor and what have you. So it is clear who the Guardian newspaper is.”
Noble was direct in his criticism of the author of the other edition of the Guardian.
Alfonso Noble
“The child, I guess, um, must be suffering from some Maccoby Goma of what has taken place in the leadership of the UDP and they would want to place the former leader on every page That they possibly could have mustered and I’m happy for them. I really am but thanks to that child for flattering us in this manner.”
Marion Ali
“You refer to the individual as a child Is a U.D.P. supporter as well. He just supports the other.”
Alfonso Noble
“I think it to be a school project that’s really when I first saw it. I saw this is a school project somebody’s school project.”
Marion Ali
“Nonetheless, there are issues that are addressed in the, in their edition that that clearly opposes what you guys are putting out. So you have opposing views or you have differing views or you have different views or different issues. And so there is confusion because people out there, your supporters, particularly UDP supporters, want to know, well, which one is the correct edition of the Guardian that I should be reading.”
Alfonso Noble
“The reader must be able to decipher for themselves what is real and what is not, what comes from the multiverse from the other dimension, or the parallel reality.”
Noble maintains that he and the version that he edits represent the work of the U.D.P. under the leadership of Tracy Panton.
Alfonso Noble
“We are working out of the United Democratic Party headquarters. We are doing the work. Of the United Democratic Party, we’re serving our people. And that is as much as, that can be said, we, there is no confusion here.”
News Five tried to get in touch with Shyne Barrow to find out who his editor is, but we didn’t get a response. We also attempted to identify the author of the other version of the Guardian, but the people we contacted, who are Barrow’s supporters, were either surprised to hear about its circulation or had no idea where it came from. Marion Ali for News Five.
Amid the confusion over which version of the Guardian Newspaper is legitimate and who the rightful leader of the U.D.P. is, last week saw Alfonso Noble taking to Wave Radio with some serious accusations. He claimed that Moses “Shyne” Barrow was undermining the Guardian staff by withholding their week’s salary, instructing a signatory not to sign the checks. Today, Noble explained that when he went public with this information, Albert Area Representative Tracy Taegar-Panton was unaware of the issue. She quickly took steps to ensure the staff got paid. While Panton declined an interview to discuss the two versions of the newspaper, Noble assured that she has made sure the staff will receive their pay moving forward.
Alfonso Noble
Alfonso Noble, Editor, Guardian Newspaper
“When I had went public, our party leader was not aware of the situation. If you would have noticed during the morning show, I took a break. I took a break from the show, um, to come out and take a call. And I generally offer the respect, that kind of respect to our party leader. And, um, she, um, told me in no uncertain terms, you will get paid, that whatever you’re exposing, you need to control yourself on that because this is not the way of the United Democratic Party doing business, and she assured me that we were going to be paid. We were paid on that very day. As a matter of fact, immediately after the morning show, checks were issued, and everybody and staff that needed to be paid was paid. The party leader is continuing to maintain that position until our accounting systems are put in order.”
The Ministry of Human Development has rebranded the Women’s Department as the Family Support and Gender Affairs Department. This change, announced today in a Cabinet Brief, reflects the Ministry’s commitment to equality and inclusion. We reached out to Minister Dolores Balderamos-Garcia for more details on this update.
On the Phone: Dolores Balderamos-Garcia, Minister of Human Development
“I think the name change, and of course names are important, the name change reflects the focus of our ministry in the modern day, much better than when we were just saying Women’s Department or Family Department. I think we wanted to signal that we are inclusive. As you know the motto of our ministry is equality and inclusion and we wanted to signal that not only do we deal with women, but we also support families, children, men and the most important word of course is gender. So it is Family Support and Gender Affairs Department. We are not just signaling to the Belizean people that we are only looking at women. Gender is a set of issues that have to do with men, women, children and all the roles we play.”
Today, a twenty-three-year-old man named Brett Mejia was sent to prison after being accused of trying to murder his sister’s boyfriend. His family insists he was acting in self-defense. Over the weekend, reports started circulating about a man who had stabbed his sister’s boyfriend, allegedly to stop him from raping her. Mejia, a self-employed food vendor, showed up in court without a lawyer and faced charges of attempted murder and using deadly means of harm against twenty-four-year-old Kenroy Lanza. Because of the serious nature of the crime, Mejia didn’t enter a plea and was remanded to Belize Central Prison until January sixth, 2025. After the court session, his sister shared her side of the story, explaining what led to her brother’s arrest.
Voice of: Mejia’s Sister
Voice of: Mejia’s Sister
“He grabbed me and my shirt and I end up to release me hard. And I run ova to my ma. When I run ova to my ma, he run behind me with a knife and a machete fi want chop my ma. I mi di try help my ma get the machete and I couldn’t get ot so I run gone hail my breda. My breda reach, when my breda come, my breda mi di try get the knife and the machete but the knife end up di turn right back round and stab my bwai.”
Reporter
“So your brother came to your aid because of what he saw your boyfriend was doing to you?”
Voice of: Mejia’s Sister
“Yes ma’am.”
Reporter
“You said that you all went to make a report but the police she, you di talk lone fool?”
Voice of: Mejia’s Sister
“He said I dih seh lone stupidness. Nothing weh I di seh di mek sense. Well my brother mi charge but ih noh done because weh happen I noh think I could get he back because dat da past craziness. Just mek he keep fi he way. Best thing I could do da just get wa restraining order. What he want give he son, he could give ih son through the police. I wa try fight it with my baby the best I could because I no wa left nobody fi kill my ma and me and just go like that. And now my brother gone da jail.”
Today, the Belize Social Security held its second media mixer to chat about social security matters. This was the first mixer since Doctor Leroy Almendarez and his deputy, Jerome Palma, took on their new roles. Interestingly, the data showed that payouts hit a high of around sixty-seven million dollars in 2020 due to COVID. Another interesting point was that when the minimum wage went up, the contributions didn’t follow suit because no adjustments were made. Since 1981, there have only been two changes to the scheme’s contributions and payouts. The latest actuarial report suggested it’s time for another update. We asked the C.E.O. how the S.S.B plans to move forward with this.
Leroy Almendarez
Dr. Leroy Almendarez, C.E.O., S.S.B.
“I know there’s a proposal to increase the retirement age, that requires its own discussion because unions are having their own discussions where that is concerned as well. In terms of, since 1981, because that’s when the scheme started, 1981, and those who have been at Social Security before the 12 of us, my understanding is there have only been two adjustments. Imagine, in 43 years, with all the economic changes, with all the fact that if you take what is called a personal, a personal analysis of social security, especially the E, the economic, and some of the downturns, etc., the climate change responses, the environmental aspects, and all of those different things that have happened, and only two changes, or two adjustments have been made, and yet When the last one was made, I know there was, it was not immediate acceptance, but let’s understand this. If you want to, especially when it talks about taking more of my money, you have to convince me why there’s a need to take out more of my money. And so it is our responsibility to do this, to have tongue house and to listen. And this afternoon we’ll be doing that as well. Right. We have a stakeholder consultation this afternoon. Because when we talk about the way forward, these are some of the things that we have to look at. But you have to prepare people. You have to sell it to them. And for them to understand that if you pay a dollar more, the returns on paying that dollar in terms of benefits will far exceed. And not only that, it’s not only for you, but for the son, the daughter, those who will join the labor force and will expect you know, those kind of benefits as well.”
We also asked Almendarez to clear up a topic that often leaves people scratching their heads: when can you claim and qualify for injury benefits? Today, Almendarez broke it down for us, but the key takeaway for anyone looking to claim is that you must have been injured on the job to qualify for those benefits.
Leroy Almendarez
Dr. Leroy Almendarez, C.E.O., S.S.B.
“Remember you transition from injury to invalidity. How that works is this: and that is why you have to understand that if you get injured on the job, if you get sick on the job, and you make your claim, there’s a period of time for which – it’s twenty-six weeks – after you are assessed to see whether or not you can continue to work because the injury could have made you disabled or unable to work anymore. The illness could also make you unable to work anymore. Then you claim, or make a claim for invalidity and once you make a claim for invalidity, that’s when you get a medical assessment, even the injury. Because remember, some injuries can also be self-caused injury and it must be on the job. If the injury was not caused on the job, then that injury does not really qualify. But you make your claim and that investigation takes place, it’s not just a no. The investigation takes place.”
According to the latest info, most of S.S.B.’s sickness claims since the COVID pandemic have been for upper respiratory illnesses. While it’s pretty straightforward for patients to claim sickness benefits for these conditions, it’s going to take a lot longer before we can claim for anything related to long COVID or lingering health issues from COVID. The reason? It’s still tough to get a definitive diagnosis for long COVID, and we won’t have enough data to make those connections for at least another ten years. Plus, the World Health Organization and the Pan American Health Organization are still in the early stages of developing the diagnostic codes doctors need to identify long COVID-related illnesses. Sean Sebastian, S.S.B.’s Manager of Research and Analysis Services, explained the lengthy process before these options can even make it onto the sick forms that doctors fill out.
Sean Sebastian
Sean Sebastian, Manager, Research & Analysis Services, S.S.B.
“When we collect data, the sickness benefit claims data, we use a data classification system called ICD 11. It’s International Classification of Disease, version 11. That’s the most recent version of that system in the world right now, so we are already using that at Social Security Board. But that paper came out in 2024, so they haven’t included that sickness code into the International Classification of Diseases system as yet. So as soon as that is done, we will update our system and include that so the doctors would have that code to correctly classify or identify the Long COVID diagnosis, and then we’ll be able to accurately measure and report on the impact that Long COVID has had on our working population.”
