Category: Politics

With just thirteen days left before the 2025 general election, the People’s United Party (P.U.P.) launched its Plan Belize 2.0 manifesto on Thursday night. The event took place in San Ignacio, a strategic choice as the party aims to improve its performance in the upcoming municipal election there. Plan Belize 2.0 builds on the original Plan Belize, promising starter homes, more road construction, another minimum wage increase, and the continued roll-out of National Health Insurance. News Five’s Paul Lopez gives us an in-depth look at the manifesto launch event. Here’s his report.

 

Paul Lopez, Reporting

On Thursday night, the People’s United Party unveiled its Plan Belize 2.0 manifesto in the lively town of San Ignacio. This new manifesto builds on the solid groundwork laid by the original Plan Belize, promising to continue the progress and bring even more positive changes.

 

Cordel Hyde, Deputy Party Leader, P.U.P.

“You know we have not been perfect, and we wouldn’t dare tell anyone we are. But from where we started and where we are now, we have come a long way. The great George Errol once wrote that poverty alights the future. I dare say we are annihilating poverty and lighting up the future.”

Party Leader John Briceño announced several key undertakings that the PUP intends to fulfil once elected for a second term.

 

John Briceño, Party Leader, P.U.P.

“Thirteen days from now the Belizean people will get a chance to decide who will govern this nation for the next five years. March twelfth is a moment to cherish. On March twelfth we will engage in free and fair elections to decide on those thirty-one people who best represent the interest of all Belizeans. I say to you now, the most qualified, the most destined and the best thirty-one people you can find for this job are right here on this stage.”

Among the PUP’s biggest promises are raising the minimum wage from five to six dollars, constructing five hundred homes with a ten-million-dollar budget, and passing laws to make GST-free weekends a permanent event twice a year.

 

John Briceño

“I am pleased to announce that right here in San Ignacio, effective next school year Sacred Heart College will be the school to enjoy free education from first form to fourth form. We all remember what it was like in 2019 and 2020 but look at where we are now. Just four years later, we have turned things around. We have steadied the ship of state. There is no weeping or grieving because we are not just back on track but right pan track ladies and gentlemen.”

 

Briceño also revealed the completion of the National Health Insurance rollout under Plan Belize 2.0, huge investments in solar energy, and an impressive eight hundred-million-dollar public-private investment in the Port of Belize Limited.

 

John Briceño

“We will transform the Port of Belize that we the Belizean people now own. Under Plan Belize 2.0 we will build hospitals in San Pedro, Belmopan and Punta Gorda. And we will defend our territory and we will win at the I.C.J. Yes we will raise the minimum wage again so that we can continue the fight against poverty and raise the standard of living. And I know the ladies are going to love this. We will pass laws to make GST to make GST free weekends permanent for Christmas and back to school.”

 

Choosing San Ignacio for the Plan Belize 2.0 manifesto launch was no accident. It’s the only town that voted for a United Democratic Party majority in March 2023 municipal elections. The PUP aims to change that on March twelfth. On Thursday night, all the PUP candidates from the west had a chance to speak directly to their voters. Briceno made it clear what he expects from them.

 

John Briceño

“Are you ready Cayo? Are you ready for the sweep? We want six. How much? How much? That is right six and most important ladies and gentlemen we have you the starters of the revolution. Together we are the PUP and just as we delivered on Plan Belize we are going to deliver on plane Belize 2.0.”

 

Reporting for News Five, I am Paul Lopez

Chairman Puga was asked why the Elections and Boundaries Commission didn’t use its power to assign different colors to the two factions. Puga explained that the commission tried to get the factions to agree on their own. When they couldn’t find common ground, the commission went with a majority vote on Tuesday.

 

Oscar Sabido Puga, Chairman, E.B.C.

“That was the problem we were having, because everybody had this severe antagonism by one side against the other. The suggestion was being made that they should get together and  agree how they can differentiate and that is why the issue of the symbols came up. But at the end of the day they did not bring up the symbols when the application was made. It is on nomination day that the color is allocated, you have to present your color and symbol, which was asked of them and they did not. So they insisted on retaining the colors for themselves to the exclusion of another, this one retaining it to the exclusion and they wouldn’t bog, no way they were going to bog.”

 

Paul Lopez

“Legally, did the commission have the jurisdiction to assign such symbols?”

 

Oscar Sabido Puga

“Yes, yes, we could have done it with symbol and colors, we had legal precedents for that, that is clearly established. But in order to not force it on them, because we would have had to force the symbol on them, because they would not provide the symbols on nomination day we would to proceed on that basis.”

 

Should prisoners on remand at the Belize Central Prison be allowed to vote? Attorney Michelle Trapp Zuniga from the Justice for Humans Project thinks so. She has written to the Chairman of the Election and Boundaries Department, asking that prisoners on remand be allowed to vote in the upcoming general election. Zuniga is advocating for this right to be given to prisoners serving sentences of twelve months or less and who are registered in their respective divisions. She also requested that reasonable arrangements be made to facilitate this process, emphasizing that their constitutional rights would be violated if these arrangements weren’t made. Attorney General Anthony Sylvestre, who was copied on the letter, mentioned today that he hasn’t seen it yet.

 

Anthony Sylvestre, Attorney General

“I checked with the Chief elections officer and my office and we have not received any specific correspondence as yet. I don’t know if this is some previous correspondence that has been sent. I read the social media post and the impression it gave is that some letter was sent yesterday or recently. As far as my office is concerned we have not received any such document recently.”

 

Reporter

“But if you were to receive one and the elections and boundaries department.”

Anthony Sylvestre

“They would clearly have to review it and send it to our office and we would review and the would seek our advice on the matter.”

Reporter

“This is the first time something like this is being raised though.”

 

Anthony Sylvestre

“Yes to my knowledge, but what I should point out that before someone could even entertain he prospects of voting they have to be on the voters list. All of those are things that would have to be looked at.”

 

Attorney General Anthony Sylvestre used to be a politician before becoming the chief attorney for the Government of Belize. Today, we asked him about the automatic wins given to Anthony Mahler and Henry Charles Usher after their opponents didn’t show up on Nomination Day. Sylvestre shared what the constitution says about this situation and reflected on his own experiences as a political candidate.

 

Anthony Sylvestre, Former Electoral Candidate

“You will appreciate that the law takes cognizance of the fact that you will have such occurrences where a person may have initially had the thought process to run, to contest an election and they change. I can say, as you indicated, I have been in the belly of the beast. In my previous life I contested an election against no less than the then prime minister. I can tell you it is a daunting, extremely overwhelming experience. One has to factor and weigh all of those things before one even sets out and aspires to do that. It is a very difficult decision-making process and I am sure the gentlemen may have had their reason why they did what they did. The law and the constitution take cognizant the fact you can have someone be elected without an election. It can be said there fore that there is something untoward or illegal about that. It is just the nature of democracy.”

The Albert constituency is one of the oldest areas in Belize City, with roots stretching back to colonial times. Before Mark Espat claimed victory for the PUP in 1993, this area was a stronghold for the UDP, with Philip Goldson consistently winning the seat. After Espat’s win, the constituency swung back to the UDP, with Herman Longsworth taking the seat in 2012, followed by Tracy Taegar-Panton in subsequent elections. Today, News Five dives into the upcoming March twelfth general election, taking a closer look at three of the four candidates vying for the Albert seat. Marion Ali reports.

 

Marion Ali, Reporting

On March twelfth, the ballot paper for the Albert constituency will feature three names: the incumbent Tracy Taegar-Panton, the PUP’s Kaya Cattouse, and the UDP’s Jose Luis Uc Espat, who is running under the leadership of Opposition Leader Moses “Shyne” Barrow. Each candidate brings their own perspective on the key issues facing the community. Tracy Taegar-Panton believes that the people of Albert are looking for a significant drop in the cost of living, along with support for housing, skills training, and more job opportunities.

 

Tracy Taegar-Panton, Area Representative, Albert

“The big, big issue of course is the high cost of living. That’s the major one, the cost of fuel. In Albert, housing and housing repairs is a big issue – a need for greater support for entrepreneurship initiatives, whether seed capital or training, so that they can find ways to earn an income and not have to be dependent on a government job or for the market, so to speak, to open up because the productive sector is growing. People want to – I think it’s really important for them to be part of the solution in terms of their income earning.”

 

Tracy Taegar-Panton’s PUP rival, Kaya Cattouse, shared with News Five that she kicked off her campaign in the area back in mid-2024. She says the response from the community has been incredibly encouraging, fueling her drive to make a difference.

 

Kaya Cattouse, P.U.P. Standard Bearer, Albert

“People are looking for a change. People in the constituency have been living in uncomfortable situations for a very long time. It has a lot to do with the current area representative in the constituency and the lack of work, the lack of effort for the people in the constituency. I mean, it’s simply giving people a more comfortable environment to live in, more comfortable housing, and that may be something simple like that. assisting people with their roofs, or their siding, or their flooring, or just making their homes more livable.

 

The other UDP candidate is Jose Uc Espat, who is running under the leadership of Moses “Shyne” Barrow.

 

Jose Uc Espat, U.D.P. Standard Bearer, Albert

“Jobs, the economy, cost of life, health, all these things are issues that are in the community of the Albert Division, different communities, and also national issues that affect this entire nation.”

 

Espat says that even if he is not victorious at the polls, he will show the constituents that his bid to serve them is genuine.

 

Jose Uc Espat

“I will not, at the end of the day, look at who vote for PUP, look at who vote for who vote for me. When election is done, if given that opportunity by the people. For me, every single one of my constituents is equally important.  If you voted for me, if you did not vote for me, and if you abstained, you, I need to let you know, and show you, as I always show through leadership, through action, an example, why, why you should vote for me, or why I’m here, and I will show you with action, and like I always tell everybody, I’m not going to talk this, I’m going to fix this.”

 

One of the issues of any election is that of campaign financing and Panton says the monies she receives are just enough to spread around to her campaigners.

 

Marion Ali

“Where’s the campaign financing coming from?”

 

Tracy Taegar-Panton

 ”Where our campaign finances have always come from, from the business community within our constituency, from the families in the constituency that can afford to lend their support financially or otherwise to the campaign. That is where we garner our support. Most of our campaigners volunteer their time. The people who are in charge of our callback and we do offer a stipend, but it’s nothing significant. It’s really a token to say thank you for lending your support to the campaign and that’s how we’ve done it in the last two elections and that’s how we expect to do it again.”

 

There’s always a lot of chatter about vote-buying around election time, but it’s a topic that politicians often avoid. However, Kaya Cattouse told us that it’s not a relevant issue for her in Albert.

 

Kaya Cattouse

“In the Albert constituency that people can see that they have not been receiving love any at all for the past three terms. You don’t need to buy their votes. The people will come out and support us regardless.”

 

Marion Ali for News Five.