The People’s United Party is certain of a victory in Toledo East. That’s according to Prime Minister John Briceño, who is yet to hit the ground in that constituency to lend support to P.U.P. standard bearer, Doctor Osmond Martinez. As we’ve reported, the by-election is set for July seventeenth and three candidates from separate political parties have been officially nominated, including Wil Maheia for the People’s National Party, Dennis Williams for the United Democratic Party and Doctor Martinez for the ruling P.U.P.
Prime Minister John Briceño
Prime Minister John Briceño
“I have every confidence in Osmond Martinez. Osmond is a man of the soil. You know, when he was, when I met him and we would go on trips and he would tell me about how he grew up, you know. That’s a story that everybody should aspire or look at and say I’d love if I can be like him. And now, here he is now offering himself to the people where he grew up from, to say, “You know what, I want to be a part of you, I want to see how I can serve you to be able to bring more opportunities for the people. So it’s a success story and a story that Belizeans should look at and say, well, if he can do it then I can do it. And it’s all hard work, determination, making sure that I can get it done.”
Amidst preparations for Hurricane Beryl, you may have missed that on Tuesday, the three candidates vying for the seat in Toledo East were officially nominated. They are Wil Maheia, of the People’s National Party, Doctor Osmond Martinez, of the People’s United Party, and Dennis Williams, of the United Democratic Party. On July seventeenth, one candidate will be selected as the Toledo East Area Representative. Today, we spoke with Wil Maheia to find out how he feels about placing his name on the ballot sheet as the day of the bye-election approaches.
Wil Maheia
Wil Maheia, P.N.P. Candidate, Toledo East
“That’s usually a great feeling to know that your name is on the ballot. You’re one of the persons that will more than likely be the representative for Toledo East. My people that came out and supported me, there are a wide range of people. And I believe that these people have faith in me, and that’s why they came out to support me, and it was so great to be out there, and for the first time, I believe in the history of nominations, that a so-called third party was the first party to get nominated, and again, that’s because of the leadership that I bring. These things also don’t happen, you have to speak up, and you have to try and get things done. I have been involved for a long time now. And I’m born and raised here in the Toledo district. So all my energies have been focused in the Toledo district, and I entered the race because I believe that I could contribute more than what I have already contributed to the Toledo district and especially to Toledo East. I decided to run as a member of the People’s National Party because I believe that Belizeans are just tired of the two-party system, and they want an alternative, and I believe that I’m a viable alternative. And you know, that’s one of the questions I’m asked the most. If you win, you’re only a one person party only candidate that would not be a P.U.P. or U.D.P. But I believe my record has shown that I can work across party lines. When the U.D.P. was in, I worked with them. When the P.U.P. is in, I have a really good relationship with them. I believe that the prime minister of this country is about forty people and will listen to whoever the people want. I believe that once elected, Me, I can work with this government to get things done and I’ve done that without being elected and I want to continue to do that.”
Members of the Opposition have criticized the Ministry of Infrastructure Development and Housing for not making public records accessible. When we got the chance to speak with the minister on Friday, we asked him to respond. He said that anyone who wants to review the contracts can do so upon request and that shortly, contracts will be available online.
Julius Espat, Minister of Infrastructure Development and Housing
“Any contract that we have signed I’m welcoming anybody to have a look at it. There’s for example, the coast. A lot was, as I said, that was designed. It was done. The contract was awarded before our time. So let’s open it up if he has any concern. Are these contracts made available online? Can people just sure I don’t believe it’s online, but it’s available upon request.”
News Five has learned that members of the Opposition are planning to boycott today’s Sitting of the House of Representatives in Belmopan.
News Five has a team in Belmopan and will bring you the latest update.
As we have reported, Opposition Members lodged a formal protest against the scheduled House Sitting for today, citing a deviation from the established protocol of providing five clear days’ notice. In a letter addressed to House Speaker Valerie Woods, the Opposition argued that the failure to follow the five-day notice protocol, as mandated by Standing Order 19(3), disenfranchises the Opposition by obstructing their ability to pose crucial questions to ministers.
In response, Speaker Valerie Woods informed Opposition Leader Moses “Shyne” Barrow that the notice for today’s sitting does not contravene the Standing Orders. Woods explained that the Clerk of the National Assembly was notified by the Cabinet Secretary on Sunday, June 23rd, and the notice was issued on Monday, June 24th, after verifying the Orders of the Day. She acknowledged the concern about notice but maintained that the notice period for this meeting was compliant with the Standing Orders.
The Leader of the Opposition, Moses “Shyne” Barrow, has received a formal response to his protest regarding the notice period for the House meeting scheduled for today.
The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Valeria Woods, tells Barrow that the notice for today’s sitting is not in contravention of the Standing Orders.
“The Clerk of the National Assembly was notified on Sunday, June 23rd, by the Cabinet Secretary on behalf of the Executive for June 28th to be set aside for a House meeting. This was brought to my attention and the notice went out on Monday, June 24th when the Orders of the Day were verified. I do appreciate the concern on notice; however, the notice for this meeting is not in contravention of the Standing Orders.”
She noted that since assuming office, efforts have been made in collaboration with the Clerk’s Office and the Cabinet Secretary to enhance notification practices. Although the Standing Orders do not specify a notice period for regular House meetings, the practice of providing at least one week’s notice has been adopted to facilitate the application of Standing Order 19(3) on Notice of Question.
“This effort has been undertaken since in Belize, by practice, all administrations to date have not utilized Standing Order 11 (1) of establishing House meetings weekly on Fridays,” Woods said.
The Speaker reminded Barrow that the notice of meetings and other Standing Orders are currently under review for proposed amendments. The Committee on Standing Orders is expected to set a date to consider these amendments before the year’s end.
The Opposition Members of the House have written a formal protest against the regular Sitting of the House scheduled for tomorrow. The Opposition says that tomorrow’s Sitting of the House deviates from the established protocol of providing five clear days’ notice.
In their letter to House Speaker, Valerie Woods, Opposition Members said, “Failure for this Honorable House to follow the 5-day notice protocol
disenfranchises the Opposition obstructing our ability to satisfy the required 5-day notice as per Standing Order 19(3) for the extremely crucial Questions to Ministers.”
The letter says that ” Questions to Ministers are one of the limited tools the Opposition has to compel the Government to answer to the people of Belize.”
The Opposition points out that there has been no emergency cited that justifies “such material breach of protocol that consequently infringes on the Opposition privileges in the House.” They assert that, in the event of an emergency, the Executive should have requested a Special Sitting of the House from the Speaker, thus avoiding any deprivation of the Opposition’s rights and responsibilities to hold the Government to account as provided by Standing Order 19(3).
The Opposition also criticises the Executive for repeatedly presenting bills and motions either the day before or on the day of House Sittings. They request that the House Sitting be rescheduled for July 5, 2024, in adherence to established protocols and Standing Orders, to enable the Opposition to fulfil its essential role in sustaining a strong democracy.
Former Port Loyola Representative, Anthony “Boots” Martinez has been making strides to get the P.U.P. Area Representative in that area, Gilroy Usher removed through the court system. The U.D.P. had Phillip Willoughby as its standard bearer in the area since Usher’s victory. But the party is looking for someone else to represent it at the next general elections. That’s because during a recent meeting of the U.D.P.’s leadership and executive bodies, a decision was taken to remove Willoughby from that position. Willoughby recently got married, and reports are that it was Barrow who sponsored the wedding rings. But the person who Willoughby married is the daughter of his political rival in Port Loyola, Gilroy Usher. And when the news broke it came to the party leader as a surprise. Today, Leader of the Opposition Barrow said that this revelation, along with Willoughby omitting that bit of information when he shared the news is something he should not have done.
Moses “Shyne” Barrow
Moses “Shyne” Barrow, Leader of the Opposition
“The decision was not a unilateral decision at all by any means, but I certainly was disheartened. I was disappointed because I had stood up for Mr. Willoughby when he received massive criticism after the extremely poor performance, very much in the municipals, and I was going to stick with him and see him through to the general elections. But, when the news came out, coupled with the omission, you saw the information that he mentioned everything except that it was the daughter of his opponent, which I would think, definitely something he would want to tell the leader of his party. And regardless of whether I was generous or not to help him with the wedding ring I would. I think as the leader of the party, it would certainly be something, if you’re telling me that you’re getting married, you might want to mention that part. But I took the matter to the cabinet, because he used to serve in the cabinet, and unanimous, everybody said that there’s a conflict of interest there. This is not – I’m not saying that Philip is a bad person, or, I don’t, I’m not here to condemn him or crucify him, I’m just saying there’s a conflict there. And we can’t take the risk. It’s just a matter of risk management. And certainly, all of us feel that omitting the information definitely casts a cloud of suspicion that just cannot be removed because, like, why?
We don’t even understand why you did it. We don’t even understand anything about it. Like, you said, it’s unprecedented. But if there were a benefit of the doubt to be given, it would have been given at that point. And he could have said, this is what it is, man. Please understand. This da Romeo and Juliet and walk me mentally through it so that when we got to that point, I would have stood up for him possibly, the way that I stood up for him on the other situations where he was under attack but there was nothing that I could do. I call him Philco, I called him, and told him do the right thing brother, nuh put the party through this. I’m not upset, with Phillip I don’t have any grievances with Philip. Maybe he does with me, but I don’t have any problem. I wish them well, and I’m happy to have contributed to the wedding ring, and I hope that they live happily ever after.”
While the U.D.P. looks for a new standard bearer to represent the party in Port Loyola for the next general elections, out in Belize Rural South, the Leader of the Opposition is banking heavily on the support of the party’s former area representative, Manuel Heredia to take that seat from the P.U.P.’s Andre Perez. Barrow said that they must do what is in the best interest of the U.D.P. and they are relying on whoever Heredia recommends, and maybe the party holds a convention if there are other candidates in that constituency.
Moses “Shyne” Barrow
Moses “Shyne” Barrow, Leader of the Opposition
“We had a situation in Belize Rural South and the candidate had to be moved. We voted for the candidate to be moved and then we need to move forward. So certainly I played a role as far as going to the constituency and meeting with very many members of the executive past and present, including Manuel Heredia. And so no one is mentioning that the crooks of the matter with Belize Rural South. No one is icing Mr. Guerrero. He has applied. But what happened is no one else was allowed to apply. There was a rush to fill the vacancy and at the objection and protests of people like Manuel Heredia, who I will say right here and right now, we cannot win Belize Rural South without the support of Manuel Heredia, bottom line, and I want to win. Andre Perez – the weakest candidate of the P.U.P.s, he and Usher are neck and neck. We can definitely win in Belize Rural South, but we cannot do that without the support of the former minister. We have to do what is in the best interest of the party in order to win in the Belize Rural South constituency. And so the fact that Mr. Guerrero was not sworn in allowed for us to correct the error and open up the application. It is not that Mr. Guerrero, his application is there, but now, the former minister and whoever he thinks will be the best candidate and anybody else in Belize Rural South that is a member of the United Democratic Party can now apply and we may have a convention.”
On Friday, a store was robbed at gunpoint by three men in Mahogany Heights. Police carried out an investigation and have since arrested and charged Shaun Crawford and Jahstar Gonguez. Further investigation led police to the residence of Gonguez and his common-law wife, Shondra Gonzalez. There, they found an unlicensed nine-millimeter and twenty-eight rounds of ammunition. Both Gonguez and Gonzalez were charged with illegal possession. The charges come a month after Gonguez walked away from a murder charge.
“On Friday, the twenty-first day of June 2024, around two p.m., police responded to a robbery report at a store at Mahogany Heights. Upon arrival, a complainant reported that she was at her store when three persons armed with firearms entered the building and robbed them of cash and other items. Police responded and thereafter detained several persons. An investigation was carried out. And since then, Shaun Crawford and Jahstar Gonguez have since been arrested and charged with the crime of robbery. Further investigation was carried out, which led police to a house in Seine Bight Village, where a nine-millimeter pistol was recovered in regards to this robbery report. An additional person is being charged for possession of a licensed firearm and possession of a license ammunition. That is Shondra Gonzalez.”
On Wednesday night, political aspirant Cyril Garcia shared his disappointment with the People’s United Party’s decision to turn down his application to challenge Doctor Louis Zabaneh in Dangriga. Garcia anticipated an opportunity to face the sitting area representative and become the next standard bearer for that constituency. Instead of accepting the challenge, the P.U.P. sent him a letter informing him that his application had been rejected. The secretary general then asked Garcia to support Doctor Zabaneh’s candidacy without giving him a reason for the decision taken. Earlier today, News Five spoke with the incumbent area representative who sought to outline the process being used to determine the eligibility of all applicants.
Dr. Louis Zabaneh
Dr. Louis Zabaneh, Area Representative, Dangriga
“The People’s United Party has a very clear process to vet aspirants and I have great trust for the people in those committees and they followed their procedures. One of the number one criteria is that you need to be a member of the party, an active member, in fact, for that, aspiring to that position. The gentleman has never been an active member of the party. His mom, Aunt Lily, may have been, but none of the children have ever participated actively in the party. So it would be clear that that criteria is something that everybody would appreciate and understand. We expect that the people who are applying would have demonstrated their commitment and their hard work over the years to serve the party and, of course, then get the opportunity to serve.
Isani Cayetano
“How would you respond to a criticism about your party where they are essentially saying they’re not making sufficient room for young politicians to come into the fray?”
Louis Zabaneh
“Well, I think that is something said in ignorance, meaning that the facts would bear out otherwise.”
Isani Cayetano
“Now, essentially, you’re going to be endorsed for a second term as the standard bearer for the People’s United Party in Dangriga. What is that looking like for you?”
Louis Zabaneh
“Well yes, our executive will be meeting this weekend and we’ll be setting a date very early in July so that we can prepare that activity and get everybody geared up. But then that reminds me to say that when I had applied to enter the fray, we had a convention, it was myself and five others. I recall that when I applied, I had to send in recommendation letters. In the case of recommendation letters, you find people in the community, elders. In my case, I had the great opportunity for former Mayor Cassian Nunez, may she rest in peace, former minister Silvia Flores and both of them, in their own hand, wrote their letters and signed it themselves.”
