The People’s United Party is celebrating another landslide victory after soundly defeating its political opponents in a by-election for the Toledo East constituency on Wednesday. Several weeks of active campaigning saw three politicians, including Doctor Osmond Martinez, Dennis Williams and Wil Maheia, canvassing an area of the district to gain the support of voters. When the final ballot was counted, former C.E.O. Martinez had cemented his victory by a wide margin. Official results shared by the Elections and Boundaries Commission this morning indicate that the P.U.P. candidate trounced the more formidable of his opponents by a ratio of three-to-one. Seventy percent of the four thousand, six hundred and seventy votes cast were in favor of Doctor Martinez whose stronghold appears to be Bella Vista Village. He garnered three thousand, two hundred and sixty-nine votes. By contrast, the United Democratic Party candidate, Dennis Williams, received one thousand, one hundred and fifty-nine votes, while P.N.P. candidate Wil Maheia turned in a meager two hundred and two votes. The voter turnout for the by-election stood at a little over sixty percent. With the resounding victory, the People’s United Party maintains its hold over Toledo East.
Tag: 2024-07-18
Dr. Osmond Martinez Receives 70% of Votes Casted in Toledo East
On Wednesday, voters of Toledo East visited various polling stations across the constituency to cast their ballots in favor of their candidate of choice. By the close of polls at six p.m., over four thousand, six hundred votes were to be counted at the Toledo Community College. It was the culmination of weeks of groundwork by the mass parties. But it was a show of force by the People’s United Party whose machinery included a host of ministers, area representatives, standard bearers, and C.E.O.s and all hands were on deck to deliver this victory. News Five’s Paul Lopez takes a closer look.
Paul Lopez, Reporting
It was a sixty-fourth birthday that Prime Minister John Briceño will remember. A full bite from a birthday cake that PUP supporters in Bella Vista Village surprised him with, and a commanding victory for Dr. Osmond Martinez in Toledo East.
Prime Minister John Briceño
“This is the best gift I could ever get for my birthday and for that I am very grateful to the people of Toledo East and Osmond Martinez to be able to deliver such a decisive victory for the party.”
A decisive victory indeed. Dr. Osmond Martinez secured seventy percent of the ballots cast, defeating his U.D.P. opponent by a ratio of three votes to one. Wil Maheia received only four percent of the total votes.
“When you look at the municipal elections sixty-one out if sixty-seven and March was even bigger than in 2020 and 2021 and now here is another election where we win three to one, it is a mandate. The people are saying they are satisfied of the work of the P.U.P. government.”
Dr. Osmond Martinez, Newly-Elected Area Rep.
“We had our targets and we worked towards it. We did a lot of data science analysis. We were not worried about the margin. Our main objective is to win.”
Paul Lopez
“Don’t you think this is an overkill for a by election?”
Kareem Musa, Area Representative, Caribbean Shores
“No, it is absolutely not. I think it is very important for us as a party to come and show support to doctor Osmond.”
Henry Charles Usher, P.U.P. Chairman
“We are all creatures of politics. We are political creatures. We live for these moments. I don’t see it as any type or over kill or anything you said there. This is about his colleagues from across the country supporting him, supporting the people of Toledo East.”
Michael Peyrefitte, Chairman, U.D.P.
“It is usually you take a holiday, you take a nice drive down to PG and you relax for a weekend or something. But it is great to be here.”
Hugo Patt, Deputy Leader, U.D.P.
“We have thankfully people with experience that have done this before. And here in Bella Vista I can say we have a lot of youths taking up the helm to assist the party from that end.”
“We won everywhere, including Punta Gorda. I was well embraced and for the first time in history we won Monkey River. The Maya communities we did excellent there. When you look at their numbers it is almost eighty-five percent of the voters from there.”
Paul Lopez
“I see the prime Minister behind is beaming with joy like a proud father. What was the initial discussion had with him after realizing you won this won?”
Dr. Osmond Martinez
“This is his gift. We worked together and it shows that the People’s United Party under Prime Minister John Briceno is stronger than ever. This shows the unity of the party. We had support from each and every Minister In some way or the other. All I can say is that the P.U.P. is stronger than ever after four years.”
Reporting for News 5, I am Paul Lopez.
Will the Prime Minister Call Elections in Early 2025?
Often referred to as the forgotten district, the needs of residents in the Toledo District are many. There have been cries for improved road infrastructure, greater access to healthcare facilities and educational institutions, job creation and more. Doctor Osmond Martinez must hit the ground running, especially given the fact that he only has a short time before his name is once again on the ballot. It can be as early as the first quarter of 2025. News Five’s Paul Lopez tells us more.
Paul Lopez, Reporting
At the opening of the polls on Wednesday morning, Doctor Osmond Martinez marched through the streets of Bella Vista Village with a crowd of his supporters all wearing blue. He made an early statement to his opponents. Now that he has been victorious in the by-election, Martinez has his work cut out in Toledo East.
Serwin Pou, Toledo East Resident
“We have been abandoned for so long and I think Dr. Osmond Is the right person we should give the opportunity to prove that there Is still people with good heart who want to take us out of poverty.”
Xavier Cruz, Toledo East Resident
“The problem we have in Bella Vista is land. We need our leaders, whether P.U.P. or U.D.P. to help us get tittle to our land. I have worked for fifteen years with U.D.P. and I did not get a lease or title. I did not receive a single land document.”
Toledo East Resident
“The main problem here in Bella Vista is land issue. We need an auditorium here in Bella Vista Village. We need a school because the school is too small. We need a football field, the field to get fixed.”
High on Doctor Osmond Martinez’s list of priorities for Toledo East is job creation.
Dr. Osmond Martinez, Newly-Elected Area Rep.
“First and foremost we need to generate jobs. Our P.M. has said it over and over, that the best social protection program is to create jobs and as an economist I believe that the most sustainable way to sustain an economy that can grow in a healthy way is by creating jobs. Therefore, we are working with a call center already that has started a pilot with ten agents. It is our hope that by December or late January of next year we will be hiring one thousand workers. Along with the Prime Minister when we were in South Korea we were working to get the financing to get the Punta Gorda Hospital. That is also in the pipeline. Nonetheless we have to prioritize. We won’t be able to solve all the problems at once, but more important we won’t stop. We will work until we get the job done.”
“You replaced Mr. Espat, a Minister of State. Have you been promised a position like that?”
Dr. Osmond Martinez
“The only promise I have is to represent the people.”
As former C.E.O. in the Ministry of Economic Development, Martinez is no stranger to governance and administration at an executive level. But it is a question perhaps better suited for the prime minister who appoints government ministers. He gave this response when asked if Martinez will be receiving a seat in Cabinet.
Prime Minister John Briceño
“I think first we have to get him to the National Assembly, get him. It is something we have to look at. I have not thought about it as yet but we certainly need the talent of Osmond Martinez. He has been working as the CEO for the Ministry of Economic Development. It shows the depth of the party, that we have a lot of people with talent and experience and ability and Osmond Martinez represents that.”
Reporter
“It would be a third time you are running, do you have that drive?”
Dr. Osmond Martinez
“I will go in the Guiness Book.”
“We will not have elections in 2024.”
Paul Lopez
“Are we looking at March 2025?”
Prime Minister John Briceño
“2025 we have from January to November? We actually have until 2026. I can tell you there won’t be a general election in 2024. If we wanted to be just cold and calculated about just getting reelected, we could call an election right now and Mr. Barrow has hardly any support in the party. The influentials are not supporting him. The leadership of his party is not supporting him. So, there is no reason why we should not. But the most important thing is that we were elected to serve the people.”
Reporting for News Five I am Paul Lopez.
Preparing For a Possible Early 2025 General Election
Earlier, we told you that Prime Minister John Briceño may be more inclined to calling an early general election following the overwhelming support that the People’s United Party received in Toledo East. So, what do the P.M.’s Cabinet colleagues think about having an early election at this point? On Wednesday, we asked a couple of them that very question. Henry Charles Usher told us that he remains ready. Jose Abelardo Mai says he still has work that he wants to finish ahead of another election.
Henry Charles Usher, Area Representative, Fort George
“My guess is that we have to continue the work. We will continue on Plan Belize and we will continue to have these victories.”
Paul Lopez
“Would you be ready for a snap election?”
Henry Charles Usher
“We are ready for elections anytime.”
Jose Abelardo Mai, Area Representative, Orange Walk North
“That’s the Prime Minister’s decision. But there is still a lot of work to do. In my area I have major objectives that I need to finish, and I wouldn’t want that they call elections before I can do that. We really need to see the paving of the Guinea Grass Road, the electrification of Indian Church, San Carlos and Fire Burn and the upgrade of those roads. And when that is done the Prime Minister can call the elections. I will be happy with that.”
Voters in Toledo East Challenges in Getting to Polls
Four thousand, six hundred and seventy voters turned up at the polls on Wednesday to vote in Toledo East. That is sixty percent of the total number of registered voters in the constituency. On average, Toledo East records a seventy percent voters’ turnout during general elections. That number has been falling over the years and is now at an all-time low. Voters in the constituency have expressed frustration over the challenges faced while traveling on less than adequate road infrastructure to exercise their right to vote. Prime Minister John Briceño was asked about those concerns.
Prime Minister John Briceño
“The truth is that as a government we have invested millions and millions of dollars in infrastructure. But, because of the rains we have in the south and now because of climate change, at one time it used to rain constantly and now it is heavy showers and flashfloods, and it is creating a problem. So, we have to see how we can address that in the long-term basis. The challenge we have in Toledo is that we have a lot of small communities. I use the example between Orange Walk and Toledo District. Orange Walk has about twenty-one villages. Toledo district has about sixty villages. Our population is about twice the size of Toledo District, but yet each of these communities, need, not only want, they knew schools, community center, they need water. These are the basic needs of these communities. It puts a tremendous challenge on any government, so it is something we have to try a long-term solution and it is not going to be easy.”
P.M. on Weak Opposition: “Democracy at Its Best”
P.M. Briceño was also asked if he is any at all concerned about the fact that the opposition’s continued failure at the polls may lead to the erosion of Belize’s vibrant democracy. Of course, weak opposition is always a plus for an incumbent administration. So, it comes as no surprise when Prime Minister Briceño responded, saying that this is democracy at its best.
Prime Minister John Briceño
“Absolutely not, this is democracy at its best, when people come out and decide who they want to support. When I was leader and during the difficult time I had, it was never as bad as this. But I was still out there, talking to people, meeting with them, and I think we have managed to cross that point where people now feel confident in our leadership and the work we are doing. We want to continue that and we want to reach out to everybody. Like I tell everybody, even during election time, I want you to come out and vote, even if you don’t vote for the P.U.P., come out and vote, it is important. That is democracy at its best. And when you look at central America and this region, Belize has one of the most vibrant, active, strong democracies in the region.”
APAMO Demands Respect From G.O.B.
There are currently one hundred and three protected areas in Belize and of that number, twenty-eight of them are managed by members of the Association of Protected Areas Management Organization. And today, at a press conference hosted by APAMO, members have voiced concerns over possible changes to the management system to be put in place by the Ministry of Sustainable Development and Climate Change. These concerns include a lack of communication, accountability and funding. New’s Five’s Britney Gordon attended the press conference today to hear more about these issues. Here’s that story.
Britney Gordon, Reporting
In a country where roughly fifty percent of the GDP is dependent on tourism, the management of natural resources is a vital part of maintaining economic stability. In Belize, there are several entities responsible for the protection and upkeep of all protected areas. The Association of Protected Areas Management Organization, APAMO, is responsible for managing twenty-eight of those areas. However, some changes recently proposed by the Ministry of Sustainable Development and Climate Change have raised concerns with the organization. Amanda Acosta, Chair, of APAMO details those concerns.
Amanda Acosta, Chair, APAMO
“APAMO has sent a letter to the ministry that is, Substantively responsible for these acts, which is the Ministry of Sustainable Development and Climate Change. We sent it June twenty-second. We have not gotten an acknowledgement nor a response to that email. But in that letter we broke down our concerns specific to the ENPASS Act and to the PACT Act. There are individual concerns per each piece of legislation. I would say there’s more regarding the end pass bill. But overall, our major concern is the process. It has not been an active participatory process. We feel that the 2030 years Plus worth of experience that the APAMO membership provides has not been tapped into to make this legislation as robust as it can be or as perhaps as effective as it can be.”
“So the co management agreement that several of us have signed or the framework under which we have worked has given us day to day authority for the protected areas. So in other words, we determine the opening hours, we determine activities, of course, based on the designation of the protected area. Each protected area is designated either a national park or a wildlife sanctuary, and that really sets up the framework of what can and cannot happen there in terms of activities. So we feel that it’s superfluous, it’s not necessary to have to break down into the details of informing them. There is a need for governance, and we understand that we ultimately, it’s national parks, it’s for the people of Belize, and so there needs to be governance structures and accountability, but it does not have to come down to micromanagement, for lack of another way of putting.”
Maria Garcia, Chairlady, Itzamna Society
“They have been on the ground for years. They have the experience, the rangers working on the ground. They don’t have holidays and they don’t do it for the money. Look at the fire that just happened. Who was there? The caretakers of all these protected areas. Because the government didn’t have enough people to help you, you know, you call Forestry Department. They say we don’t have, you know, the resources. We have them in, in the South. We have them, you know, in the Mountain Parish. So who took care of all these protected areas? The people in charge of the protected areas. So we are one, and we want this legislation to be humbled to our level.”
Amanda Acosta
“So we’re asking for today is really to be more involved in the dialogue and be able to raise these concerns to the people in making the decisions. So we’re asking for open dialogue. We’re asking for a response. to our letter. Again, acknowledgement of receipt with a time frame of when we are planning and also to have holistic involvement of all that the legislation will affect.”
Britney Gordon for News Five.
No Grants issued By PACT in Nearly 2 Years?
The Protected Areas Conservation Trust, PACT, was created to provide N.G.O.’s and conservation organizations in Belize with the necessary funds to keep the country’s natural resources safe and thriving. The fund has been in operation for thirty years, providing grants for the comanagers of Belize’s protected areas. However, according to the Association of Protected Areas Management Organizations it has been nearly two years since any of its sixteen members have received a grant. At a press conference hosted by APAMO today, chairperson Amanda Acosta explained why it has been so long since the last grant and how this delay has affected the comanagers in the country.
Amanda Acosta, Chair, APAMO
“PACT hasn’t issued any funds in almost two years, just to be blunt about that one. No funding has been on the ground. They’ve had a transition process from the first CIS to the second CIS. And there has been no grants issued in that time frame. This is the time. This is where we’re saying we need to be part of the be part of the conversations. Again, the top-down approach is not a conducive environment for us. When we are putting in double the funding, when we are putting in significant staff and bodies. There needs to be an equal conversation and this is what we have been saying and the same goes for PACT. The PACT board was reconstituted in 2015. If that’s a conversation that we need to have, that is the conversation we need to have. Again, it is, again, a government majority. That naturally means that the agendas that are put on the table, the vote is a government majority. The board constitution needs to change. And I will say that the PACT. Is important money. It’s little money, but it’s important money in that. It’s about roughly four million that is issued per annum into the system four to five again, depending on tourism. That money can be used for essentials and for core and the legislation speaks to that. I don’t want to get into speculation as to the intent of. I don’t have any chair or any of the entities because I don’t know what is in their mind. What I can speak to is, like I said, what we know factually. The fact of the matter is there is no executive. They are in the process of hiring. They have changed the organogram, and they are in the process of hiring. Other than that, I think it would be speculation on my end to say where PACT is going. They are looking at issuing funds for fire relief. They are looking at CIS, but I think we would need to get it from, excuse the term, but from the House’s mouth.” We need to ask CEO directly what division or what his, as the chair, what is the vision there.”
APAMO Says They are not to be Taken Lightly
Earlier this year, a series of wildfires spread rapidly throughout the country, devastating the livelihoods of farmers and displacing dozens of families. Also impacted by these fires were several protected areas and natural resources. To save these assets, multiple government and private sector organizations banded together to douse the flames. Also, on the ground during this process were the comanagers of these protected areas. Today, the Association of Protected Areas Management Organizations, APAMO, held a press conference to voice concerns regarding the recently proposed policy changes and demand recognition for the work put in by comanagers. Christina Garcia, Executive Director of the Ya’axche Conservation Trust voices these complaints.
Christina Garcia, Executive Director, Ya’axche Conservation Trust
“One of the main things is capacity. And I say capacity from the side of the government. Because nobody thought that huge of a disaster would have happened in these areas. And I think that earlier someone mentioned the commitments that the government has signed on to. We get a lot of forest loss. What do you think will happen to the carbon there? And I know government debunk on that. There’s a legislation that is going to go forward specifically for carbon. The legislation does not inspire any confidence to sign a comanagement agreement. So who will manage these protected areas? The government? We have seen over and over that there’s no capacity and funding to do this. So how are they going to meet those commitments? So I think that the conversation is long overdue. It needs to happen, whether they want it or not, because there’s lots at stake at the moment, and I don’t want to say this in a mean kind of way. But we bring a lot to the table. We bring a lot of changes. There’s not only protected areas involved, but communities as well. We work heavily with communities, unless if they want to see the deforestation rate goes up, we already, they have problems with deforestation. The fires even made it worse. . So what’s going to happen next? The training and community, the training of the community, a lot invested in these areas, so they shouldn’t take us lightly.”
Sporty Bird: All About Sports and Healthy Diet
We have been covering various camps and trainings since the beginning of summer. Today, we visited a different kind of activity, one where young athletes are learning how to prepare healthy meals that will keep them fit and energized when they are competing in various sports. Visiting celebrity chef Art Smith and his business partner, rugby athlete Lucas Cancelier, are leading the sessions organized by Ambassador Shabazz. We stopped by OURS Café and Lounge this morning where healthy cuisine is the order of the day. News Five’s Isani Cayetano reports.
Ismar Vasquez, MMA Fighter
“As soon as I heard this, that it’s a cooking class and it’s dedicated for athletes, it’s more on the education for sports side of things, I was excited so that’s when I knew I wanted to come for it.”
Isani Cayetano, Reporting
Nutrition plays a crucial role in supporting athletes’ performance and overall health, as they engage in intense physical activities that require more energy than the average person. A well-balanced diet provides the necessary fuel for training and competition.
Lucas Cancelier, Former Athlete/Chef
“All my life I did sports and I know that doing sports, it all depends on what you do during the day it’s what you will need, more proteins, more carbs. So my idea here is teaching them, it all depends on how they feel and what they need to eat and knowing what you have in the fridge too. We all don’t have the possibility to have everything in our fridge, so we need to know what we have and what are the properties of what we have in the fridge.”
“I like that they are emphasizing how important the vegetables are that any meal that you want to do as an athlete, you want to start off with your vegetables. It helps with your digestion and, as well, you know, it adds to the food, the flavors and the healthy aspect of it.”
Art Smith, American Chef
“Sports and food, there’s very few places that actually have excellent food and there wasn’t a noted chef behind food and sports. And so, Oprah once said, Quincy Jones said this, the great Quincy Jones, the producer, he said, “If you can see it, you can be it.” And I saw the need for a chef and so, together, working with Sporty Bird and Lucas Concelier and others. I just met with the president of the Chicago Bears and as a way of bringing food and chef-driven food to the stadium because a lot of it is fast-food.”
The sessions attended by these athletes are part of a series organized by Ambassador Attallah Shabazz, the eldest daughter of Malcolm X. She has been friends with Chef Art for the past thirty years.
Amb. Attallah Shabazz, Organizer
“We’re at the OURS Café and Lounge, and OURS means, Our United Reclamation Shared. So it has a sensitive and dedicated component to it and so while we have a restaurant and special events, host special events and the like, when my visiting chef series comes in they are responsible for Monday to Monday. During that Monday to Monday, they get to know Belize personally, we identify areas that are associated to them such as this one which is sports and food and nutrition, the power of food. Then on Sundays, following, we always end with a special community brunch for everyone to participate here.”
Lucas Cancelier
“I always had the idea to mix sports and food because I like to teach people [about] what is right to eat. So we started doing some media together. After that, I told him, why don’t we mix your fried chicken, because he is so famous for fried chicken, with my Argentinean Milanese. I had my mom’s recipe that is pretty good, and he said, “Let’s try it.” So we tried it, people loved it and we started putting some stores, the name is Sporty Bird. So we have a Sporty Bird in Chicago and we are expanding to other states now.”
Together, Cancelier and Smith are teaching Belizean athletes how to eat healthy and excel in their respective disciplines. Isani Cayetano for News Five.