Category: Politics

Tonight, we officially commence our pre-election coverage of the 2024 municipals with a series of profiles that will introduce mayoral and councilor candidates from all nine cities and towns to the masses of Belizean voters.  In our inaugural segment, we take you to Punta Gorda where we met with mayoral hopefuls from the Belize Progressive Party, the People’s United Party, as well as councilor candidates from all three political organizations.  Here’s our first episode of Meet the Candidates.

 

Anita Nicholas, B.P.P. Mayoral Candidate, PG

“From a child, I was always around with politics with both of my grandparents, my grandfather and my grandmother.  When they would go to any political activities, they would take me along with them and I thought there was where my interest and my love for politics grew.  However, I decided, based on what I have seen and based on what I have learned, to hold the politicians accountable and I was not seeing accountability in both of the major political parties, I decided to join the Belize Progressive Party which was a new party and that was how I decided to run with the Belize Progressive Party.”

 

 

Seleni Cus, U.D.P. Councilor Candidate

“What motivated me was that I saw the state our town is in at the moment and as a youth, I have been out before I even thought to get involved with politics and I thought that, you know, I could make a difference here in town and I would be a voice for the youths and women here in my town as well. Based on records, I believe that we don’t have most females being involved in politics and being the first Maya female to put up my name on a ballot paper here in Punta Gorda, I think that it is something, you know, that our youths can look at, especially young females.  They can look at that and, you know, take a stand because it’s time for females to come up and join the political field.”

 

Jahrine Avila, P.U.P. Councilor Candidate

“For me, personally, I’ve always been involved with different organizations in my community, giving back and always volunteering my time.  So when I was approached by one of our past leaders, Mr. Galvez, he spoke with me and my first thought was, you know, I’m not that type of person to be into politics but he was like, look at the bigger picture, look at what you have done in your community and see what you can do now on a bigger platform.  So I thought about it and said, “Hey, why not!”  This is not for myself, but for my community.  I’ve always been involved.  I have love for my people and my community, so why not give it a shot and do what you do best.”

 

 

Kevin Choc, U.D.P. Councilor Candidate

“What inspired me to run again, put my name on the ballot, is the people, you know.  I have a passion to serve, you know, and the people have seen that and they, basically, I have a group of people who are behind me, pushing for me to be, some ah dehn mi even wahn I run fi mayor, but, you know, yoh haffi climb up di ranks.  I believe that everything takes time.  So di people is what inspired me to put my name on a ballot.”

 

 

Isani Cayetano

“What do you believe is perhaps different this time around from the previous time you ran for office?

 

Kevin Choc

“What is different is being in opposition.  That is very different, you know, and I believe that hard times create strong men.”

 

Malcolm Galvez, P.U.P. Councilor Candidate

“PG needs a lot of help, you know.  We need people, well we need leaders that are willing to stand up and speak on behalf of the voters, on behalf of the residents.  One of the things that I personally did was, I got up at our national party council meeting and I mentioned that, you know, Toledo East has always been, the south has always been known as a PUP stronghold.  I mentioned that to the prime minister and deputy prime minister and at the time we had the worst streets in the country.  It’s not the best place to mention some of the problems, but it is important to us, so every opportunity the current council got, we tried to mention those issues.”

 

 

Franklyn ‘Kranka’ Polonio, U.D.P. Mayoral Candidate

“I went there because I realize that we need to build that hope again, you know, that trust, that integrity as Belizeans and also as politicians.  I believe that trust needs to build back and that’s one thing that I basically have with the people of Punta Gorda.”

 

 

 

 

Carlos ‘Obeah’ Galvez, PUP Mayoral Candidate

“People, voters here in PG, had asked me on numerous occasions to come back in participate in electoral politics and, you know, I decided after thirteen years, I decided, you know what, I said listen it’s at the call of the people, at the request of the people, why not?”

You just met several of the candidates vying for a seat at Town Hall in Punta Gorda on March sixth. They are all optimistic that their respective slates will be successful on Election Day.  Beyond the campaigns, however, are serious concerns being shared by residents of PG and those issues have to do with the deplorable conditions of streets and drains.  In the following story, News Five’s Isani Cayetano takes a look the infrastructure crisis that is frustrating Punta Gorda’s socioeconomic progress.  Here’s that story.

 

Isani Cayetano, Reporting

The southernmost municipality is often described as forgotten, lost in a world of its own where growth seems to evolve at a much slower pace than in other parts of the country.  Infrastructure is a key factor for socioeconomic development, as it provides the physical and digital means for people to access opportunities, goods and services.  All of that is quickly changing and residents of Punta Gorda are keenly aware of what it takes for their hometown to advance in those respective areas.

 

Punta Gorda Resident

“When it comes to, like, road infrastructure, I don’t think anybody that lives here or that has come around here will think that they are doing a good job.  However, we have seen some work going on.  I don’t know how much that is going to accomplish, but until we see much and see how much it has done then we‘re going to be in a good place to render judgment.  When it comes to roads, I think they are still lagging behind.”

 

 

As municipal leaders, the aim is to leverage social and economic infrastructures to support sustainable growth and development.  It is necessary to invest in projects that meet the needs and demands of the citizenry, as well as align with the strategic vision and goals of the town council.

 

 

 

 

Carlos ‘Obeah’ Galvez, P.U.P. Mayoral Candidate, PG

“The crying you’re hearing from a lot of people is infrastructure, infrastructure, infrastructure.  With the present conditions of the streets and roads in town, we need to get to work as of now, not waiting until we get into office.  So currently, we are currently working and repairing a lot of streets, major streets.”

 

 

 

For some, the recent roadwork may be long-awaited, given the deplorable state of streets and drains across the town.  For others, it remains an extremely difficult situation that hinders the development of Punta Gorda.

 

 

Franklyn ‘Kranka’ Polonio, U.D.P. Mayoral Candidate, PG

“We have a municipality right now [that] is ailing in all aspects, you know, in regards to, when it comes to roadwork, when it comes to the economy, you know.”

 

 

 

 

Roads and physical infrastructure are critical because they improve the connectivity and integration of different communities in PG.

 

Punta Gorda Resident

“Weh da di improvement ah PG?  I noh sih nothing.  Dis maanin’ ah ride gone by da bridge, by Joe Taylor deh, di way I sih di foundation, da bridge, dehn got sohn lee, weh dehn wah do deh?  Wah lee pass walk… dehn tek down Haulover Bridge and dehn ker it da Cayo.  We noh got no two-way bridge, soh why dehn neva bring dat ya? Infrastructure, we have a lot of things here [that are] yet fi get done and we noh di sih no movements yet.  Now I need fi send wah message to my government, to my prime minister and di government that I support, I need di staat sih my Joe Taylor Bridge staat build, I need fi staat sih my road paved.”

 

Transport networks, including bridges, can facilitate the mobility of people and goods, reduce trade costs and connect markets.  Returning mayoral candidate Carlos Galvez contextualizes this by looking at the achievements of the present Punta Gorda Town Council.

 

Carlos ‘Obeah’ Galvez, P.U.P. Mayoral Candidate, PG

“What they have done, they have initiated that Joe Taylor Bridge.  That’s approximately two million dollars, a new bridge, a two-lane bridge.  The contract has been signed already, M&M Construction, and also six major streets.”

 

 

 

 

Social infrastructure, on the other hand, improves the quality of human resources, such as education, health, and social services, which leads to an increase in the wellbeing and efficiency of the population. As an example, public education can enhance the skills and knowledge of the workforce, as well as foster innovation and creativity.  Together, they foster social cohesion, cultural diversity, and political stability.

 

Franklyn ‘Kranka’ Polonio, U.D.P. Mayoral Candidate, PG

“On my manifesto, there are two things, two big things that we looked at, one is a House of Culture.  When we get a House of Culture built here in PG, we will be looking at the tourism industry, the sector, you know, affecting that in all manner.  We have the different cultures, we know that PG is one of the melting pots in Belize, you know.  That will bring jobs, we have different crafts, different food items in PG.  And of course, another one is looking at a call center.  That will very much boost the economy of PG, money will be spending and things will begin to look better in that regard.”

 

To create a more livable, resilient, and prosperous municipality for the people of Peini, municipal leaders should collaborate with other stakeholders, such as the private sector, civil society, and international organizations, to mobilize resources and expertise in infrastructure development. Isani Cayetano for News Five.