2024-04-12 - Channel 5 Belize

Michale Peyrefitte, A Constant in the U.D.P.

With all the breaking and mending that has been taking place within the United Democratic Party, Chairman Michael Peyrefitte has been a constant party figure. There has been no conversation about him leaving the party, whether by force or willingly. So, does that mean that members are satisfied with Peyrefitte’s performance, despite the U.D.P.’s recent defeat at the municipal polls. Well, we asked him and he said his party is pleased with his performance, at least to his knowledge.

Michael Peyrefitte, Chairman, U.D.P.

“Listen to me, I was giving someone the statistics the other day. We look at this PUP like some juggernaut. When the UDP won the Belize City Council in 2006, it wasn’t for another twelve years that they won the city council if my math’s is correct. We have been in this situation for three years, going on four years. It is not a very long time; it feels like a long time given what has happened. And we have a current prime minister who was not the leader of the party eighteen months before he became prime minister. Things change. So, politics I am very fluid. What I can tell you about me is that nobody will tell me when it is time to leave. I will make that determination. I was voted in by the national convention to be the chairman. There are a provision within the constitution of the party, that you can call a national convention and you can remove me if you want. People are free to do that and then having not done it, and we show no lack of interest in triggering these things, if that is what people want to do within the party, they would have done that, but if enough people come to me in the party and tell me they want me to go, I’ll go.”

ANU Commander Demoted after Failing To Meet Requirements

The Anti-Narcotics Unit is operating under new leadership after Assistant Superintendent and former Deputy Commander, Roberto Novelo, was replaced with Francis Williams, who was Novelo’s deputy. When asked about the change in the unit, Commissioner of Police Chester Williams explained that Novelo was removed from his position as he did not meet requirements upheld by the U.S. government that are needed to fulfil the role. Williams was also pressed about a recent search being conducted by the unit, which he said is still under investigation.

Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police

“No, the ANU has a commander. the substantive commander, as you rightly said, was removed. We do have a MOU with the U.S. government in particular this year. As it relates to the administration of the ANU, where the commander and all members must undergo certain procedures every three years. And if you don’t pass those procedures, then you are removed. And so the farmer or the substantive commander, um, did not meet the requirements and so he was removed. And the deputy commander is now the new commander.

Reporter

“He failed the lie detector test?”

Chester Williams

“He did not meet the requirements.”

Reporter

“And then we saw the ANU doing a search at camp twenty. At a residence of a man and we know that there’s a lot of hubbub about this, it’s supposedly a land fraud case, all types of allegations are being made and we know the personalities are personalities who might be of interest to police. What do you know about the raid at Camp twenty by the AMU?”

Chester Williams

“I know that the police, not just the AMU, but police officers are always and if it is that the police have information of any, um, wrongdoing being done by anybody, then the police will go in and do what needs to be done. And so Camp twenty is no different. Once there’s information, then we go in and try to verify what we’re getting.”

Reporter

“But you’re aware these people are alleging land fraud orchestrated by someone associated with a Belize city gang?”

Chester Williams

“Well, I am not aware of that aspect of it. if that is the case, then I would encourage them to come and make a report on it and then we investigate and see.”

Work on Major Highways to Commence within A Few Months

Earlier this week, Chief Engineer, Evondale Moody indicated that a portion of a budget has been allocated for the replacement of the BelCan Bridge but the remaining portion has to still be identified to replace the bridge that needs replacement. Moody also told us about major work on the Philip Goldson and the George Price Highways that are set to enter new phases in the coming weeks. He said that the work on a stretch on the Philip Goldson Highway should get started by September, while the work on the George Price Highway will begin sooner, perhaps in a couple of months.

Evondale Moody, Chief Engineer, MIDH

“We have the Philip Goldson Highway project from mile 8 to mile 24.5. That project, we have awarded a contract to the consultants for them to do the design review for that project, and we expect to commence the procurement of contractors for that project within another three months. So we’re expecting to have a contractor on the ground for the upgrading of the Phillip Goldson Highway from mile 8 to 24, I would say, by September of this year. We are also looking at the George Price Highway, which the Belcan Bridge is a part of, because it’s, five sections. However, we have obtained financing from Caribbean Development Bank for Section 3 of the George Price Highway, which is from Belize City to Hattieville. And so we expect that we could commence the procurement process for that, maybe within the next quarter as well. So we should commence those works on the George Price Highway very soon.”

Belize Signs On To the Tuna Transparency Pledge

The Tuna Transparency Pledge is an initiative led by the Nature Conservancy that is seeking to achieve one hundred percent on-the-water monitoring by 2027. Belize joined the Federated States of Micronesia, Walmart, Albertson companies, and Thai Union as one of the first signatories of the pledge. The endeavor was launched to combat unstainable and illegal practices in tuna fisheries by uniting key players across the seafood supply chain. We spoke with the Deputy Director of Belize High Seas Fisheries Unit, Robert Robinson, who explained the process in more detail.

Robert Robinson, Deputy Director, Belize High Seas Fisheries Unit

“The pledge seeks to achieve one hundred percent underwater monitoring by all the signatories and by 2027. And what this will do, all the signatories who will be at different levels in the supply chain will ensure that their tuna, is either coming from a source that is under covered by underwater monitoring or the governments will ensure that all vessels operating under their jurisdiction are covered by underwater monitoring. And by underwater monitoring, that means. either human observer or electronic monitoring means.”

Britney Gordon

“And how does that benefit to the production and acquisition of tuna?”

Robert Robinson

“Well, people across the world have been increasingly concerned about where their food is coming from specifically seafood. And what this helps to do is to bring full transparency to the tuna supply chain. So that consumers are comfortable and confident that their seafood was sustainably caught. There is a large black market where illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing is concerned. And this industry represents somewhere around sixty billion dollars per year. Recent estimates indicate this figure. And what this pledge will, will help to do as more people sign on to it, it will bring full transparency to the tuna fishing industry and will help to eradicate IUU fishing. So it will be a big win for sustainability and for good stewardship for, for world’s marine resources.”

Belize To Implement On-the-water Monitoring System By 2026

The launch of this initiative coincides with Belize’s mission to implement an electronic monitoring program that its distant water industrial fishing fleet by 2026. This program is intended to enhance Belize’s monitoring, control, and surveillance framework and improve the effectiveness of its human observation program. Robinson explained.

Robert Robinson, Deputy Director, Belize High Seas Fisheries Unit

“IUU is illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, and that really covers the full gamut of illegal activities because there are some activities that are not necessarily, that are not necessarily regulated and this also falls under the scope of IUU fishing. So, if something is regulated and unregulated, If a fisherman would intentionally contravene that regulation, that is illegal fishing. If you catch something and you don’t report it, that would constitute unreported fishing. And if there is no regulation concerning particular fishery and they engage in it, then that would constitute unregulated fishing. So two years ago, the Belize High Seas Fisheries Unit undertook an exercise to determine how it could enhance its monitoring, control and surveillance framework. And we already have in place a vessel monitoring system that tracks the vessels, wherever they are in the world via satellite-based means. We have a human observer program, which covers a large percentage of the fleet. And we have a discharge inspection program, which allows us to know what the vessels are discharged after, um, their fishing expedition. And together with that, you also submit catch reports, which is basically the fisherman’s love book to declare his catches. No we found that by true introduction of electronic monitoring, it would really close a loophole that exists within our MCS framework. And we will have almost real time monitoring of our vessels while they’re engaged in fishing operations. And we will be able to take immediate action. For any noncompliance events that we detect through the electronic monitoring means.”

Belize Federation of Fishers Advisor Concerned Over Lobster Population

Belize’s fisheries stocks, particularly the lobster population, could be in a critical state within a few years, says an advisor with the Belize Federation of Fishers. The spokesman told News that there is data that suggests that if steps are not taken from now to reverse the overfishing of this marine product. Today, the Federation took part in a workshop held by the Earth Journalism Network, which looked at marine stocks, and problems that the marine industry faces because of overfishing, illegal fishing and related practices. George Myvett is a voluntary advisor with the federation. He paints a grim picture of how Belize’s lobster industry could decline if we do not put measures in place to give the lobster population to reproduce.

George Myvett, Voluntary Advisor, Belize Federation of Fishers

“In Belize, depending on who and when you speak to them, there are over four thousand commercial fishers. One of the issues with this is that Belize has what is referred to as an open-access fishery, meaning there is no limit to the amount of fishers in the industry. One of the recent policy changes that has happened…could crash in as little as three years.”

EJN Trains Journalists How to Report on Environmental Issues

Sam Schramski is a Special Projects Editor with Earth Journalism Network, which engages journalists around the world to engage in environmental and climate journalism. The organization held a workshop for journalists this week to discuss data journalism as it pertains to fisheries data and related topics. He appeared on Open Your Eyes on Thursday and explained what it is they engage journalists on.

Sam Schramski, Special Projects Editor

“In order to do good environmental and climate journalism, you have to humanize your stories, even in a data story that seems very unhuman because it’s numbers and charts, etc., always ground your data stories and any environmental story you do in the human context. That’s how you hit home to your viewers, your listeners, your readers, your audience that the issues are important to them. These are existential issues: climate, bio-diversity, fisheries issues – I would say that even if you live in Belize City and you’re a professional and you don’t even go to the sea, you’re connected to your fisheries, right, in terms of whether you eat them, whether you have a relative who’s involved in fisheries sector. The economy of Belize as a whole is deeply connected to fisheries in many ways. So these are issues that, at their base are basically connective of humanity, so I think that’s the way that we really try to engage these environmental themes, these climate themes is by focusing on the human angle and the human sensibility.”

Call all Climate Journalists

Climate Tracker is offering journalists from across the Caribbean region including Belize an opportunity to be a part of a journalism fellowship. The fellowship revolves around climate justice and aims to empower and assist committed climate journalists across the Caribbean in effectively covering climate justice issues. Successful applicants will receive one-on-one mentoring, a stipend for each story produced and international exposure. We spoke to the Regional Coordinator for Climate Tracker, Dizzanne Billy.

Dizzanne Billy, Regional Coordinator, Climate Tracker
“What we do at Climate Tracker is create opportunities for training, for publishing, for young climate journalists who need that opportunity. Because what we’ve noticed is that although the global south is, you know, largely affected by climate impacts, young journalists in the regions of these countries don’t. Or the countries of these regions don’t have the opportunities to publish, uh, because of different constraints. So what we try to do is create that space for young climate journalists or aspiring climate journalists to get training in what climate change means for their region and also pair them with media houses and NGOs that will enable them to publish the stories that need to be told.”

The Importance of Climate Reporting

According to Billy, the Caribbean region needs more reporters who focus on climate change. She says that the fellowships also aim to do just that.

Dizzanne Billy, Regional Coordinator, Climate Tracker

“It’s a fellowship that started two years ago, and it was the brainchild of Climate Tracker and Open Society Foundations, our amazing partner, and what it does is we are a community is create an opportunity for young reporters in the Caribbean to tell climate justice stories. So climate justice, when you think of climate justice, you’re thinking of representing marginalized groups, groups that often go reported groups that don’t often get their voices told or their stories told. And so what we’ve done is create this opportunity where journalists in the Caribbean can go through a. Couple months of learning about different aspects of climate justice, whether it refers to what climate justice is on a whole, then also how the legal framework of climate justice for the region, how it reflects in gender justice, how it reflects in climate financing, how it reflects in energy justice, and all these different ways that climate justice is so pervasive across society. So that they can understand the pervasiveness of climate justice, how it impacts different areas of the region, and therefore be able to go in and tell the stories that need to be told. That’s what the fellowship is all about.”

The deadline to apply is April twenty-second.