On Wednesday, over a hundred voters who tried to transfer to Cayo North were told to stay put in their current constituencies. This came after U.D.P. Standard Bearer Omar Figueroa raised concerns about possible fraud. The case went to the San Ignacio Magistrate court, where the magistrate even visited some of the voters’ addresses to check things out. After a lot of back and forth, the magistrate decided to send the case to the High Court, leaving the final decision up in the air. For now, those voters won’t be moving to Cayo North. We caught up with Prime Minister John Briceño to get his take on the situation. Here’s what he had to say.
Prime Minister John Briceño
Prime Minister John Briceño
“Well, I don’t think you want to open up can of worm when you have the leader of the opposition registering himself in his office that that’s where he lives. So we need to start there when you have the honorable member from Albert have over eighty people registered in her library, in her office. Those are the things we, if we want to be real, let’s look at everything. And that’s where we need to start. And you could go and check in Orange Walk Central. You noh wa find that.”
At Thursday’s cabinet meeting, the Government of Belize decided to scrap the old Food and Drug registration, licensing, and inspection regulations. They’re bringing in new, modernized laws to better oversee pharmaceutical products and make sure the medicines Belizeans use are safe and effective. Prime Minister John Briceño was asked how they’re ensuring the safety of pharmaceuticals without a drug inspector in the Ministry of Health. Here’s what he had to say.
Prime Minister John Briceño
“I think that the minister is working on that. We’re supposed to be appointing one soon But that’s the job not just of one person. It’s a department. And if you notice we have not had lately Issues that bad drugs come in like before with another previous government. We had a lot of bad drugs. We had, unfortunately, a person that I knew, a few million dollars plus of his goods were rejected because he was not meeting the standards. So it’s not just a person, but it’s a department we have strengthened department to ensure that the drugs that we put on the shelf are the ones that be able to meet the standards and to help our people. As opposed to, I remember, coming to 2020, I have a friend that was taking pressure pills, and he said, he said that the pressure pills weren’t helping him. And so he went to see a doctor, the doctor said, just take double, when you should not take double because the problem is that they’re not [working], so we’re dealing with it and we’re handling it and it’s not going to be a problem.”
Last month, Prime Minister John Briceño signed off on a new rule that gives a big break to new businesses exporting cattle to Mexico—they won’t have to pay business tax for two years. This tax exemption is meant to ease financial hardships for these exporters. We caught up with Prime Minister Briceño today, and he shared more about why this tax break is so important. He explained that exporting cattle to Mexico boosts Belize’s cattle market, helping it compete with Guatemalan cattle importers. He believes this tax break is crucial for the survival of both markets and benefits the ranchers. Here’s more on what he had to say.
Prime Minister John Briceño
Prime Minister John Briceño
“What has happened is that for a long time the cattle is being exported into Guatemala. Now, here in Belize, they break no law to export it into Guatemala. Obviously, we are negotiating an agreement in Guatemala to be able to formalize that. But, the people, they need the meat and they go with it. So, there’s no taxes that is being paid. Mexico came in. When Mexico came in, they want to have a long-term agreement with us to buy. They need a minimum of two thousand. That’s just for them to break even. They want to buy five, two thousand heads every month because of the competition, and I also have a cattle ranch and I remember in 2006, 2007 when we started off, we were being paid forty cents on the hoof, which means live. They pay forty cents. They weigh forty cents and they take the cattle. Today, because of the competition, because of them coming in, the Mexicans, now the price has gone up to over two dollars and fifty cents. So you imagine how much more, especially and then we have over five thousand small cattle ranchers. Eighty percent of them only have fifty heads or less. So that’s having a tremendous impact on their lives and helping them. But when you export to Mexico, you’re at a disadvantage. You have to pay the business tax so they can’t compete. It makes it easier for the Guatemalans to come and say, well, I’ll pay you a little bit extra more if you sell it to me. They want to drive the Mexican out of business, obviously, because once they do that, then they don’t have to pay two fifty or two seventy-five. They can go back and pay eighty cents. So it’s just good business sense for us as a country, to be able to protect the Mexican market. And that is why we removed the business tax to give them as best as possible a level playing field.”
2024 is officially one of the hottest years in Belizean history, with the sweltering heat becoming almost unbearable, especially for those stuck in poorly ventilated spaces like classrooms. As climate change continues to push temperatures higher, the need for cooler, safer learning environments is more urgent than ever. We chatted with Prime Minister John Briceño about what can be done to tackle this issue in schools across the country. Here’s what he had to say.
Prime Minister John Briceño
Prime Minister John Briceño
“That’s a massive problem. As I said earlier, many people don’t know, but I grew up in a, for a few years, in a touch house with my mother. And it was made of pimenta and also saskab. We had a cement floor. It was always cool. The Mayans knew what materials to use to be able to keep us cool. Cement, cement hold to heat. Zinc translates heat. And so, we have to find a way we can try to start to move towards that. Probably putting more insulation into the into the roofs. But even the types of windows that we use. If you look in the rural areas in Mexico and in Guatemala, they don’t have louvers. They have this huge room, they opened up the entire side of the, so the air can flow in easier. That’s what we have to do. See these, how these are some things like this? What we have to do to the other side, so that the air can circulate. So, there’s certain things that we need to do. I wish I could tell you we have the money to do everything, but we have to start to, to think. We need to adapt. I, during between 1998 and 2007, was the Minister of Natural Resources and Environment and whenever I’d go abroad, I used to get very upset when they were telling us about adaptation. I’d say, why should we adapt? We did not create this problem. We need to build some sort of resiliency. But no, unfortunately, we’ve passed resiliency. We have to adapt. The heat that’s going, I mean, it was the heat that we had earlier this month, this year. It’s a heat that I’ve never experienced in Belize, so that’s the reality, and we need to try to see how best we can address these issues.”
The Auditor General’s Office is currently without a leader after Dorothy Bradley’s contract wasn’t renewed. The government is now on the hunt for a new auditor general. This has sparked questions about whether it’s effective to have a contract officer, without tenure, holding the government accountable. Prime Minister Briceño argues that having a contract gives the auditor general more independence. Luke Martinez, President of the NTUCB, also shared his thoughts on the matter.
Luke Martinez
Luke Martinez, President, NTUCB
“We are hoping that the government would ventilate the proper procedures to ensure we have an auditor general soon. We know the appointment is a constitutional appointment. As it is right now the deputy auditor general has limitations. Until we have an auditor general in place certain things could happen. Our request to audit the six point nine, the deputy auditor general has certain limitations to audit that. So, the quicker the government ensures we have a competent auditor general the better it is going to be for us. We will see the results quicker.”
Reporter
“You agree in principle with having a constitutionally enshrined post filled with a contract officer?”
Luke Martinez
“That is something we are exploring. As a matter of fact you will see the NTUCB popping up with several interest groups. We are mounting support to get the feedback from other interest groups including our social partners to wrap our heads around this and see what will best fit to get all of this done. We know that the previous auditor general was pushing for an auditor general act and autonomy. We are saying the autonomy is important. You cant audit yourself. As it is the government the audit itself. So, it comes right back to the governance structure, how we strengthen the governance structure collectively to ensure it works for us.”
An investigation into allegations the B.D.F. soldiers stationed at the Machakilha Conservation Post are being bribed by Guatemalans continues. The team of investigators met on Wednesday and is expected to produce its findings on October eighteenth. One of the wild allegations is that Guatemalans are bribing soldiers with chicken. Today, Prime Minister John Briceño responded to the startling allegations as the situation has sparked national debate about the challenges faced by underpaid soldiers tasked with defending Belize’s borders. Could something as simple as food sway their loyalty? Hipolito Novelo has been investigating and has the following report.
Prime Minister John Briceño
Prime Minister John Briceño
“A chicken can’t pay to protect the interests of this country .”
Hipolito Novelo, Reporting Prime Minister John Briceño is speaking on allegations that Guatemalan loggers are bribing Belize Defense Force soldiers stationed at the Machakilha Conservation Post. That investigation continues, as News Five has learned that the investigating team met on Wednesday, October ninth, and is expected to submit its findings by Friday, October 18.Our own investigation has revealed allegations of Guatemalans bribing soldiers with chicken. Is that all it takes—chicken—for a BDF soldier to abandon their duties, not to mention their sense of pride and patriotism thrown out the window? But if you put yourself in the soldier’s boots, you will realize that they do work hard and get paid very little. That’s no excuse to sell out your country, but when you get food like this—expired Pan Crema, expired Tang, expired peanuts, ramen noodles, some rice, granola bars, and canned food—you might understand the dynamics at play. We asked Prime Minister John Briceño about it.
Britney Gordon, Reporter
“So there’s some claims that some of the BDF soldiers, due to poor payment and food rations, are even taking bribes of foods such as chickens. Have you heard of that?”
Prime Minister John Briceño
“That will happen any place. You get 1, 000, and somebody can’t give you another 100; you’re going to take it. So I don’t think it’s a matter of that. I think it’s a matter of that our BDF have to be more disciplined in what they’re doing. And that’s one of the things that we’ve been talking to the general about: that we feel that the BDF was at the pinnacle when it comes to discipline, and it’s, I think we’re slipping. And so it’s important to hit the reset button to ensure that these people or BDF soldiers say that we have to be able to at all times look after the interests of Belize. A chicken can’t pay to protect the interests of this country.”
Take this as a contributing factor: an entry-level B.D.F. soldier earns about forty dollars a day, and if that same soldier remains in the force for more than five years, then that figure increases to forty-two dollars. If increments are given in a timely manner, then it should be more. Again, trekking thick forests for long hours in whatever weather condition, sometimes for more than two days, is no easy task. And as our investigation revealed, one of the Guatemalans who attempted to bribe the B.D.F. patrol commanders said that he has been bribing soldiers for more than five years.
Prime Minister John Briceño “These allegations are always going to, I’m sure, always come up. We just have to be on top of it and ensure that we protect Belize at all times. And that is not for compromise. We have had these issues all along. We have to be able to put more checks and balances. One of the issues with FCD, Friends for Conservation and Development, that they have been talking to us to say that we have to ensure that the BDF would track, walk the borders, and because there’s no way then how we can be able to track that they were saying that they were not doing the patrols the way they did. So what we’ve been doing is getting them the equipment—some trackers that would mark where they’re walking—to ensure that we do the traveling.”
That tracking device will assist in keeping soldiers on this side of the border because some of them are known to frequent specific establishments on the Guatemalan side. These allegations stem from a September seventh mission when soldiers detained Guatemalan loggers operating in the Columbia River Forest Reserve. The men and their chainsaw were detained. A woman and two minors were released, and later in the evening, soldiers found themselves surrounded by over ten potentially armed Guatemalans near the conservation post. Communication with Fairweather Camp was lost, gunshots were heard, and the outnumbered soldiers released the detainees to avoid violence. The mission to destroy two illegal bridges was abandoned. Communication failures involving Harris and VHF radios exacerbated the standoff, prompting questions about the need for equipment upgrades.
Prime Minister John Briceño
“Well, that’s what I just said—that we have to be working at it. We have to use more technology, better technology. We’re using the tracking system so that we know where they are at all times. And where is it that they’re walking? And I think we know the issue of probably satellite radio when it is necessary. But these are all challenges that we face. So there is, you’re not in an office. So you’re going to meet the challenges at all times. And as we meet them, we need to see how best we could address it.”
And we’ll keep investigating. Reporting for News 5, I am Hipolito Novelo.
Earlier this week, opposition leader Shyne Barrow questioned the credibility of a survey by Viking Strategies after it showed him as one of the least popular politicians in the country. On Thursday, the principal of Viking Strategies broke down the methodology behind the survey, which also covers other key issues like politics, the economy, crime, and corruption. Here’s how the lead pollster responded to Barrow’s criticism.
Trygve Olson
Trygve Olson, Viking Strategies
“I would say it’s probably, I think he just doesn’t like the message. There were no complaints in 2023 when he was seen as reasonably popular. There’s a tendency to want to, if you don’t like the message, to attack the messenger. In terms of the credibility of how the poll is structured, the methodology. The methodology and how the process which we’re rigorous about is the standard process that you would use for doing a poll and, in fact, in a lot of ways I would argue because of Belize’s size and the fact that you have to do in-person interviews, it’s probably an even better methodology than what you get from a telephone survey or certainly an online survey in the US because we literally know who the people are that we’re talking to.”
Reporter
“So if Shyne Barrow were to ask you for your soundest advice on making his party electable, what, in a nugget, would that advice be?”
Trygve Olson
“I think it’s true that whoever’s gonna lead the party and so he’s the current leader and if they decide somebody else is going to be the leader, the same reality is true to them. They have to get as a party, they have to stop talking about themselves and their internal drama and start talking about the people of Belize and what the people of Belize care about.”
Even though the People’s United Party is gaining popularity, the Briceño administration is still grappling with challenges like citizen security, infrastructure development, and connecting with the public. The poll results also show that young female voters are open to women in politics, including Albert Area Representative Tracy Panton.
Trygve Olson, Viking Strategies
“PUP’s strengths, you know, they are the favorites. The rise in crime is their key challenge, economic difficulties are kind of neutral for them, corruption concerns, infrastructure, need for engagement. UDP, you know, they’ve got to navigate their leadership challenges that they have. But when you think about those people that are leading, right. So of them, most of them have either been around or are part of a family that has been around. Obviously, Tracy Panton has really good numbers. That younger generation of females had a tendency to be incredibly warm in their language and in their numbers towards other females, particularly Elena Smith, for people who were up in her area, so they knew her, and Tracy Panton, more nationally. There’s an element of them and I don’t know well enough to know if it’s because they’re just female so it’s like okay we’re sticking together or I am woman and here we are or it’s inherently a little bit different because there is a thing with younger men also being slightly more positive to them that they are different.”
The Social Security Board is facing backlash from the Belize Association for Persons with Diverse Abilities after releasing a statement on Thursday about Santiago Ciau Junior’s ineligibility for invalidity benefits. As we reported earlier this week, the former police officer passed away on Tuesday, just over a year and a half after being retired from law enforcement due to medical unfitness. Ciau’s retirement came several years after he suffered a severe fall while on duty in Belize City, an injury that led to a serious bone disease. The S.S.B.’s statement explained that, after reviewing the application and relevant documents, the Medical Board, guided by the Social Security Act, ruled that Mister Ciau did not meet the requirements for invalidity benefits. Kenrick Theus, president of BAPDA, has criticized the board’s decision to deny Ciau these benefits.
Kenrick Theus
Kenrick Theus, President, BAPDA
“You are saying that you can’t work, you are medically unfit to work but if you get the hip replacement at X cost which we’re not going to pay for, then you can come back and get your benefits now. Or, you will just get your hip replacement and work and not get any benefits. How do we read into that, you see? It’s unfair. Whatever happened to this gentleman is unfair and certainly, it’s something that needs to be broadcast to the entire country so people could understand what social security is about. I will say something else that’s controversial about social security. I have no objection to them giving the money to anybody they want to give it to, but the loan must be secured, it must be beneficial to as many people as possible, and it must be paid back in a timely manner. They’re able to let go the money so fast and we’re saying that this money came from the very… the beneficiaries of this money should be the people and when it comes to the people getting any amount of money, it seems to be a hard task. It’s something that they have to fight, go back and forth. This man can barely walk, ih got hip problems, ih got wah disease eena ih bone and you want him up and down, and up and down at your office every so often to come and prove what? And on top of that, he must now go to the High Court which is a tidy penny. In this case with this gentleman, it’s sad because now he has departed this life, I’m not sure if he has any children or not, but he has a family, mother, father, brothers, whatever, and I think that it should not just die there. If it is possible, at all, it should still go to the High Court and let them decide to accept or reject his claim for benefits.”
We also caught up with Luke Martinez, President of the National Trade Union Congress of Belize, to get his take on S.S.B.’s decision to deny Ciau’s invalidity benefits request. Martinez said he needs to look into the case further, but he emphasized that situations like this shouldn’t be happening.
Luke Martinez
Luke Martinez, President, NTUCB
“This morning I mentioned to a colleague that this is a case we need to study, because these types of things should not happen. The information we have is that I think it comes up from one of the pop-up medias. I am very careful with information that come up from these pop-up medias. I am not hitting on them, but as a responsible citizen I must do my research to get to the bottom of it and find out why he was denied and go back to Social Security response and see that these things discontinue.”
