The argument between Leader of the Opposition, Moses “Shyne” Barrow and Albert Area Representative Tracy Taegar-Panton rages on. They are debating the legality of any vote taken at an upcoming convention planned by the Alliance for Democracy. Today, both sides cited different sections of the U.D.P. Constitution to bolster their arguments. Barrow said that the U.D.P. Constitution designates the specific year and month when a National Convention may be called. He pointed to a section that gives power to the Party Chairman to determine if an emergency exists to trigger an unscheduled National Convention. Barrow reminded that in 2023, over five hundred U.D.P. delegates voted at the National Convention to elect him and other leaders until after the next General Elections. He said there is no provision in the U.D.P. Constitution that allows a minority of the Delegates to renege on that binding majority decision. He also said that the usual term for the Party Leader and other elected officials is two years. It’s only been a year since he was elected to that position. He also pointed out, “if every time a quarter of the delegates petition for a National Convention it was automatically triggered then we would have a National Convention every 90 days and there would be no stability in the U.D.P.” Barrow said that the U.D.P. reserves the right to whatever actions it deems necessary at the appropriate time. Meanwhile, Panton contends that the U.D.P. Constitution does not put any restriction on the delegates as to when or how many times one fourth can call a convention. She argued that Barrow cannot impose a restriction just because he finds it disruptive. Panton pointed to a time when an attempt was made to recall the Collet Area Representative, Patrick Faber and reminded that Faber was only one year into his term as the Party Leader. Panton also vows that the Alliance will “leave no stone unturned to ensure the voices of the delegates are heard. It is absolutely unconstitutional to deny the delegates a National Convention which they have petitioned for.”
Just days before her visit to Arizona, Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign office in Arizona was targeted in a shooting incident on Monday, September 23, 2024. The incident occurred shortly after midnight on Monday, with police confirming multiple shots fired at the Democratic National Committee (DNC) campaign office near Southern Avenue and Priest Drive. Just over two weeks ago, former president Donald Trump faced two assassination attempts.
No injuries were reported. “No one was inside the office during the overnight hours, but this raises concerns about the safety of those who work in that building, as well as those nearby,” Public Information Officer Sgt. Ryan Cook said in a statement.
This shooting marks the second incident of criminal damage at the office in recent weeks. Police said that on September 16, the office’s windows were also damaged, possibly by a BB or pellet gun. The investigation is ongoing.
The back and forth between the United Democratic Party’s leadership and members of the Alliance for Democracy movement continues with both sides issuing press releases on Monday, slamming each other. The U.D.P.’s release denounced what the party referred to as quote, “the deception and fraud being committed by the Alliance for Democracy Party in their continued efforts to disseminate outright lies regarding the U.D.P.,” unquote. The party accuses the alliance of using various social media platforms to do this and it again, vehemently states that it is not conducting a National Convention on October twentieth. In fact, the party’s release states that the next National Convention is not scheduled until after the 2025 General Elections. Today, U.D.P. Vice Chairman, Alberto August told News Five that the results of the votes at the upcoming will be totally void.
Alberto August
Alberto August, Vice Chairman, U.D.P.
“There is no national convention and, and we are, we are basing on the fact that the national party council had agreed by resolution that there will be no national convention of the United Democratic Party until after the next general elections and that we’re going to proceed to those elections with the current executive leadership in place. That is where we stood. But then we heard it talking about 205 delegates or something to that effect, requesting a national convention. There are several things that has to happen in terms of a national convention. And article six of the U.D.P.’s constitution deals with the conduct of conventions. And at article six, five of the constitution clearly informs Before you proceed to a national convention, there has to be what you call a voters list for the purposes of those conventions. Just like an ordinary election, um, the elections and bungo department and on nomination day provides you with a list of those persons who are going to the polls in the upcoming elections. The constitution of the U.D.P. is designed in similar manner. The constitution at Article six five informs that the list of the names of delegates and alternate delegates. must be provided, must, you know, say shall or should or maybe or must be provided to the secretary general of the party at least six weeks before the conduct of a national convention. The last time I checked with the secretary general of the party, there was no such list submitted to the secretary general. We had what, five, maybe even four weeks before this convention. So the six weeks period has already passed. So whatever they’re having on the 28th of October is basically being conducted with non-authorized delegates of the party. that way, if you want to put it that way, because there’s no official list in accordance with article six, five of the constitution, none.”
The Alliance for Democracy, meanwhile, maintains that the U.D.P. constitution does indeed allow them to conduct a convention and to vote. Albert Area Representative, Tracy Taegar-Panton, who is a member of the alliance, explained to News Five why they believe that their event and the voting will be totally legal and they plan to proceed full throttle with their October twentieth convention at the Bird’s Isle.
Tracy Taegar-Panton
Tracy Taegar-Panton, Area Representative, Albert
“Delegates of the party are voted on or elected in a constituency convention in their respective constituencies. The last time constituency conventions were held were in 2022, when we were preparing for the leadership convention and thereafter. And so, those delegates, as far as we are concerned, as far as the constitution mandates, are in place until 2024, sometime in November of this year. For most constituencies, it’s November. For other constituencies, it’s a little bit beyond November. So those delegates are valid. I know that -I’ve heard – there’s an argument that delegates are not valid if they’re not registered with the Secretariat. All those constituencies registered their delegates with the Secretariat of the United Democratic Party and delegates can only be removed if they voluntarily resign or if there’s a new constituency convention that is held to lift delegates.”
Marion Ali
“So, there wouldn’t be another portion of the U.D.P. Constitution that would be contradictory to what this part of the Constitution is saying, that you are allowed delegates up until the next convention?”
Tracy Taegar-Panton
“As far as I know, no, as far as my understanding of the constitution of the party, no. The delegates are ultimately the trustees of the party. They are the highest decision makers of the party and they have said in an overwhelming number that we need to have a reset. They have asked for a convention to be convened.”
Tracy Panton, Area Representative for Albert, issued a strong statement on behalf of the Alliance for Democracy. Panton says that the UDP Constitution allows one-fourth of the delegates to call a meeting of the National Convention. According to Panton, the Party Chairman, Michael Peyrefitte, does not have the authority to block such a convention. In her statement, Panton also accuses Peyrefitte, Vice Chairman Alberto August, and Party Leader Moses Barrow of “hijacking” the party and disregarding the constitution.
She said that, despite opposition, the delegates will make their voices heard on October 20, 2024, stating, “The power lies with the delegates, not the dictators.”
In response, Barrow condemned the claims made by the Alliance for Democracy. In his statement, Barrow accused the group of spreading “deception and fraud” about the UDP’s internal affairs, clarifying that there is no National Convention scheduled for October 20, 2024. He said that the next UDP National Convention is not set until after the next General Elections, in line with the decision made at the August 2023 National Convention.
Barrow also refuted the Alliance for Democracy’s claims by noting that the UDP Constitution does not mention a National Convention Secretariat or Protem Secretariat, urging the public and party members not to be misled by “false advertisements” from the Alliance. He called on the Alliance to “cease and desist from fraud and deception” in promoting the October 20th activity as a UDP event.
In just one week, the People’s United Party will celebrate its seventy-fourth anniversary. The annual celebration highlights the history of the party and its service to Belize. The P.U.P. was founded by George Cadle Price, in September 1950. With seventy-four years under the party’s belt, Prime Minister John Briceño reflects on its contributions to Belize and invites the public to celebrate the upcoming occasion. Here’s more on that.
Prime Minister John Briceño
Prime Minister John Briceño
“It’s an exciting time for us on Sunday, on the twenty-eighth. The birthday, the party’s birthday is the twenty-ninth. What we do it on Saturday, we’re to celebrate, we’re going to bring out thirty-one constituencies of a national party. Also, unlike the U.D.P., the P.U.P. is the People’s United Parties and Institution. And, and we are run by an executive and the National Party also, and the national Convention and so on this day, we come out to celebrate as a party. The history. The work that the P.U.P. has done and the role that the People’s Selective Party has played in the development of this country. In every corner of this country that you go, you can see the tremendous work that the P.U.P. has done and continues to do. We’re going to have our delegates from the thirty-one constituencies approximately, let me see, it’s over three hundred delegates that are going to be here, but we’re also going to be inviting other people to join us. So we invite everyone to come out and join us on this joyous occasion.”
Since offering herself as a candidate for the People’s United Party in Albert, Councilor Kaya Cattouse has been working in the constituency. On National Service Day, she was in the Conch Shell Bay neighbourhood where she met with residents in Lindo’s Alley. Cattouse was there to see the final touches being done on an elevated walkway that would ease the headache of walking through floodwater during the rainy season.
Kaya Cattouse
Kaya Cattouse, P.U.P. Standard Bearer, Albert
“What you’re seeing here today is the culmination of a couple weeks of work. When we started campaigning back in July, we came into the area and we saw that what was previously a court served as a water catchment in the area and it affected about seven households in the area of Lindo’s Alley. When it rains or floods they would have to walk in water to get out of the area. So we decided that as a project for service day we would get this started and build an elevated walkway to alleviate that problem. So even when it rains and if it floods, they don’t have to walk in water to get out of their homes to the street.”
Isani Cayetano
“Aside from this particular initiative, talk to us about perhaps other works that you are undertaking in this constituency.”
Kaya Cattouse
“So right now, we are in different or various parts of the Albert Constituency and we’re going house to house, literally, and it is very sad to see the deplorable conditions that people have been living in, in the Albert constituency for the past fifteen years. I mean, we are trying our best to assist them with different housing projects, you know, assisting people with building steps to get upstairs of their homes, to deal with their yards. They have a lot of different issues in the constituency that we’re trying to address, slowly but surely.”
Isani Cayetano
“Talk to us a bit about, perhaps, some of your canvassing, outside of, you know, being able to meet some of the needs of these residents, what has the experience been like, in terms of walking Albert?”
Kaya Cattouse
“The feedback has been very good, I mean, people want a change. They want a young, dynamic leader who is coming in to work for them. Coming in from the local government level, they have seen the work that I have been doing, not only in Albert constituency, but across the city and now to be zoning in only on that one constituency, it means a lot to them and it means a lot to me.”
On Tuesday, Prime Minister John Briceño addressed the country in his annual State of the Nation speech. In his presentation, the PM highlighted the growth of Belize’s gross domestic product and made the announcement that Belizeans earning under twenty-nine thousand dollars per annum will no longer pay income tax. On Wednesday, Leader of the Opposition, Moses “Shyne” Barrow delivered his response. Barrow countered by noting several businesses that have failed to keep their doors open in recent years, as well as the rate of income tax paid by civilians in comparison to corporations. We asked the Prime Minister for a response to these claims. Here’s what he had to say.
Prime Minister John Briceño
Prime Minister John Briceño
“I would just smile and leave him as it is. I think he lives in his own world and his best, it takes two to tango, but it’s best to leave him there by himself. I think people have seen the work. People are feeling the work that the tremendous work that our government has been doing. More people are working, less people are in poverty. With the changes of the income tax regime, we’re allowing even more people to go into the middle class. The increase of the of the minimum wage to go to five dollars, that in itself. Like you said a tide rises our ship, so raising up to five, the people that were working at five, their salaries have gone up. It has had a a chain, not a ripple, but a chain effect because, it’s spreading off. We are living in a much better place than we were in November of 2020.”
PM Responds to LOO’s Stance on Taiwan
On Wednesday, Opposition Leader Moses “Shyne” Barrow explained his decision to abstain from voting on a motion to celebrate thirty-five years of diplomatic relations with Taiwan. He explained that he is currently dissatisfied with the nation. We asked Prime Minister John Briceño for a response to the opposition leader’s claims. He told News Five that as Belize and Taiwan have been in similar situations, there is a moral obligation to continue to support each other.
Britney Gordon
“Can you respond to the leader of the opposition’s continued stance on Taiwan?”
Prime Minister John Briceño
Prime Minister John Briceño
“I don’t have time to waste with the leader of the opposition. I think it’s shameful the way he’s behaving. It is obvious that what he’s trying to do is trying to intimidate. And it’s sad because Taiwan has been a very trusted ally of Belize. They’ve been a good friend of Belize. And they’re where we were before 1981, when, every year we’re asking all our friends to speak or to say that they support Belize. Every year we used to pass resolutions in the United Nations for support for independence. And I believe that we have a moral obligation to be able to support Taiwan. Because at the end of the day, I believe that people should have a right to self-determination in any country. And like Belize, we said Belizeans should determine their destiny, whether they want to stay as a colony or want to be a part of Guatemala. Our Belizeans overwhelmingly, we said we want to be a free and independent nation. Taiwan should also be given that opportunity for their people to decide what should be their destiny.”
Leader of the Opposition, Moses “Shyne” Barrow delivered his State of the Nation address today in response to Prime Minister John Briceño’s presentation on Tuesday. Barrow spoke for forty minutes on matters related to the economy, education, health, crime and more. But, unlike the elaborate setting that was prepared for the prime minister’s speech, today there were no dignitaries, diplomats, or students in sight. Neither was there any other politician in the room other than the opposition leader himself. Notwithstanding the nearly empty room, Barrow delivered his address and got his points across to the nation, live. News Five’s Paul Lopez was there. He filed the following report.
Paul Lopez, Reporting
Opposition Leader Moses “Shyne” Barrow delivered his response to the Prime Minister’s State of the Nation address in solitude from the United Democratic Party’s headquarters. His speech ran for forty minutes, twice the length of time PM Briceno took on Tuesday. But the setting was a stark contrast to the pomp and circumstance and fanfare at the Sir Edney Cain Building. Barrow made his remarks to a virtually empty room. That, however, did not faze him, as he painted a picture of national despair from the onset.
Moses “Shyne” Barrow
Moses “Shyne” Barrow, Leader of the Opposition
“As we celebrate our glorious history, we must yield to our obligation to be mindful of the present State of our nation which unfortunately is floundering. After four years of the Briceno Administration, ask yourselves, are your lives any better? Can you afford the highest cost of living ever? Are you closer to getting your first affordable home? Did you get your first piece of land? Are you getting affordable quality public healthcare? Are we safer? Do you feel safer? Can you afford to send your children to school? Do you have food security? Are you living the Belizean dream or the dreaded nightmare?”
Barrow went on to point out several businesses that have shuttered over the last few years, including Renco, Smiling Meats, Hofius and Bottom Dollar. He used these closures to bolster his argument that the nation’s economy is in dire straits. The opposition leader responded directly to the prime minister’s claim that his administration has recorded a historically high six billion-dollar G.D.P.
Moses “Shyne” Barrow
“Despite Bricenos annual attempts to deceive Belizeans we do not see the G.D.P. growth he boasts of, nor do we feel it! The State of the Nation is falling when regular Belizeans pay twenty-five percent income tax while special Belizeans pay six percent, and million-dollar corporations pay three percent. The State of the Nation is falling when you fail to collect proper taxes from those making the most especially those price gauging businesses who exploit the vulnerable while evading tax compliance.”
Barrow contended that while the Briceño administration boasts a three percent unemployment rate, the poverty rate remains at thirty-nine percent. On the topic of health, the opposition leader chided the government for spending six point nine million dollars on land in Belmopan to build a tertiary level hospital. He referred to former Minister of Health Michel Chebat as the worst Minister of Health in the country’s history. Furthermore, he argued that the current Minister of Health has created more havoc than health solutions.
Moses “Shyne” Barrow
“The Ministry of Health’s report card from 2020 to 2024, has been a horrific and unhealthy for the country of Belize. Instead of the Health of our people accelerating to the next level, it has deteriorated since November 2020 over the last forty-seven months under this P.U.P. Briceño administration.”
The Leader of the Opposition spent much of his speech discussing education. Here, he lamented the reported shortage of teachers in the classroom. Barrow also argued that the requirement for teachers to have one hundred and twenty CPD hours in five years is daunting for many educators. He recommended a reduction in the number of hours required for continued professional development.
Moses “Shyne” Barrow
“We need to reduce the CDP hours. A more manageable requirement for CPD hours will alleviate the pressure on teachers. Reducing the number of hours needed would make it easier for educators to fulfill their professional development obligations without overextending themselves. These and other solutions will provide for a more equitable framework for teacher development.”
Turning to the issue of crime, Barrow declared that homicides have increased by forty percent from the same period last year. The Commissioner of Police maintains that while those figures were accurate at the start of the year, that percentage decreased significantly in the third quarter and continues a downward trend. In response, Barrow noted that he would revisit that figure and make the correction if necessary.
Moses Shyne Barrow
“Our crime rates and the state of our policing system are deeply troubling. Morale within our Department is at an all-time low, hampered by political interference and micromanagement. Ineffective policing has led to the extension of the State of Emergency, a measure that according to John Briceno underscores the failure of the State. It is imperative that we restore confidence in our law enforcement by depoliticizing the process and implementing meaningful reforms.”
Barrow also spoke on national security and the Guatemalan Armed Force’s continued incursions into Belize’s territory. He also touched on Belize’s energy crisis and ended his address by speaking on the issue of social justice.
Moses “Shyne” Barrow
“But all hope is not lost, the resilient people of Belize have the absolute power to change the State of the Nation in the next General Elections. Long live democracy, long live Belize. Que viva Belize. Dios te bendiga Belize. God bless Belize.”
