The grass along the streets in some areas of Belize City have grown taller than some of the people walking on those sidewalks. There is a stretch of sidewalk on Elston Kerr Street in front of Gwen Liz High School that seemingly has not been cut in months. Today, we asked Deputy Mayor, Allan Pollard to explain why the Belize City Council has not maintained those parts of the city. He said that the street was recently paved and that works continue to proceed in the Collet area where the street is located.
Allan Pollard
Allan Pollard, Deputy Mayor
“We have done a lot of work in terms of infrastructure in the Collet area. As you know, Elston Kerr [Street] has recently been paved. We have spent significant resources in that area. As far as the maintenance of the grass, the teams are working every day, so it’s just a matter of getting them out there. As you know, it’s a big city, and we’re trying to prioritize a lot of the areas that are more visible during the September celebrations time. And, you know, we have to apologize for that, but we will get back on track with the regular maintenance of the city. But, as you know, we have to prioritize our September celebrations and our people who are, you know, along these routes for carnival, for parade, for, you know, different types of celebrations.”
On Friday, the Leader of the Opposition abstained from voting on a motion to celebrate thirty-five years of diplomatic relations with Taiwan. Patrick Faber and Tracy Panton both supported the motion, though Shyne Barrow asserts that they do not speak for the U.D.P. Hugo Patt also supported the motion. Today, Barrow was asked if he will switch the country’s allegiance to China if he becomes prime minister.
Moses “Shyne” Barrow
Moses “Shyne” Barrow, Leader of the Opposition
“Prime Minister Manuel Esquivel as U.D.P. leader established diplomatic ties with China. That is the truth in 1984. So let us be factual. So, every U.D.P. leader has not supported Taiwan. Sir Manuel Esquivel in 1984 established relations with China. That is the history of U.D.P. Tell the truth. Tell the factual history of it. Don’t see that every leader in the U.D.P. has supported Taiwan. There is a history in the U.D.P., where the U.D.P. supported China.”
Reporter
“Will you follow his lead?”
Moses “Shyne” Barrow
“My position as it relates to Taiwan was on a specific basis.”
Reporter
“What about Hugo Patt, do you hold the view that your member, your U.D.P. member should have also abstained?”
Moses “Shyne” Barrow
“We discussed it before the fact, and I told him he was free to abstain and he knows the history and why I have taken the position and many in the party take the position I take and it is something we need to sit down and discuss and I will be guided by whatever decision the party makes. I will not make the decision unilaterally. This is a form of protest, expressing the dissatisfaction with the facts. I have great difficulty with the behavior of Taiwan. China is the world’s second largest economy. America, the UK, France, all of the G7 has relations with China. There are only ten nations out of all of the UN that have relations with Taiwan.”
The Belize Defense Force has deployed two senior officers to Haiti in support of its restoration efforts. Recently, infamous Haitian gang leader Jimmy Cherizier, also known as “Barbeque”, told a reporter that he and his men will consider these interventions as aggression, heightening concerns for foreign military personnel. Opposition Leader Moses “Shyne” Barrow shared his thoughts.
Moses “Shyne” Barrow, Leader of the Opposition
“I believe that the same risks and sacrifice we are prepared to make for our Haitian brother and sister we need to take our maritime borders equally as serious. It is unfortunate that we don’t see that from the foreign minister and prime minister. But I do believe that as CARICOM nations we need to stand together, and we must give what it is we expect. So, if Belize ever finds itself in need of the CARICOM nations, we hope that they would come to our aid and so I commend our BDF for stepping up to the tax of sacrifice and putting their lives at risk and I support standing in solidarity with our Haitian brothers and sisters. They need us right now and we need to be there for them.”
Hip Hop mogul, Sean “P. Diddy” Combs is behind bars after he was arrested on Monday by Homeland Security on suspicion of sex trafficking, racketeering conspiracy and interstate transportation for prostitution. Former Bad Boy artist, now Leader of the Opposition, Moses “Shyne” Barrow says he does not take joy in seeing Diddy’s downfall. However, when we spoke with him at the U.D.P. headquarters today, he put forward that he was not close friends with Combs as some may want to believe.
Moses “Shyne” Barrow
Moses “Shyne” Barrow, Leader of the Opposition
“When I was an eighteen-year-old kid just wanting to do nothing other than make my mother proud and make Belize proud and be recognized for my talent and take over the world. I was defending him, and he turned around and called witnesses to testify against me. He contributed; he pretty much sent me to prison. That is the context by which you must always describe that relation. I forgave. I moved on. But let us not pretend as if I was in Miami for Thanksgiving and Christmas. I went again to a charity event for impoverished youths in London. So, let us not lose sight of what the cold hard facts are. This is not someone who I vacationed with and who he and I enjoyed this great, intimate relationship of brotherhood. This is someone who destroyed my life and who I forgave and who I moved on and for the better interest of Belize, because he was in a position at that time to give scholarships and to maybe invest, I would not deny attempting to bring the investment to Belize and contribution to education to Belize. But don’t distort it as if he and I were bomb bally. This is someone that destroyed my life. But do I take any joy with what he is going through, absolutely not. I am different than other people, no one needs to fail for me to succeed.”
Reporter
At the height of your professional relationship or through your reconciliation, when he was instrumental in promoting you through Revolt Media, were you aware of these freak-offs event and did you participate in them? Were you aware of the freak-offs?
Moses “Shyne” Barrow
“Sir, I had nothing to do with Sean Comb’s life, everything was strictly on a professional level.”
The Belize City mural has been unveiled a few days prior to Belize’s forty-third anniversary of independence. The project, commissioned annually by the National Celebrations Commission, has become an integral part of the September festivities. This year, well-known Belizean artist, Gilvano Swasey led a team of students from Wesley Primary School to paint a mural on the Roger’s Stadium fence. News Five’s Britney Gordon was at the unveiling today for more details on the creation of the piece.
Britney Gordon, Reporting
A nation proud and free, Belize at forty-three is the theme for this year’s September celebrations. As part of the festivities, the National Celebrations Commission, the Belize City Council and NICH have unveiled this year’s Independence mural, joining the other works of art on the Roger’s Stadium fence at the corners of Dolphin Street and Cemetery Road. Deputy Mayor Allan Pollard says this year was special for the project.
Allan Pollard
Allan Pollard, Deputy Mayor, Belize City
“We’ve started it a couple years ago where we’ve had artists actually take on this Roger’s Stadium fence and depict some of their artistic creativity and blend it with a bit of patriotism. And we have continued along this side. And this year we’ve done a little twist in incorporating some of the artists from the primary school. So it went for younger artists and as you can see, it’s still a beautiful masterpiece. And, just having them all here, coming together as a class, being creative, and coming up with something so masterful very appreciative from us at the city, and it really adds to the overall aesthetics that we have here in Belize city.”
Gilvano Swasey, one of Belize’s most respected artists, was commissioned for the project. He was inspired to invite the children of Belize onboard to bring their vision to life.
Gilvano Swasey
Gilvano Swasey, Lead Artist
“About three months ago, when you get old time, it’s hard to tell. Wesley upper inviting me to talk about art. And usually I ker some lee painting. This is Benjamin Nicholas. This is art about culture. But they said, no, mister Swasey, we want you to talk about curating. How do you set up an exhibit? And I was like, wow, nobody never asked me about that. And that is very crucial. Presentation is very crucial. How do I let people understand my art? How do I let them appreciate it? You have many artists who have created amazing things, but they don’t know how to present it or express it or defend it. And so I was very much amazed by that request and even by the questions that I got from the students. So when I was asked about this mural, I said, right down the street, Wesley deh, you got Queen Square, you got St. Ignatius, all the primary school across this way. So why would I want to come out and paint these when the kids can do it themselves?”
The mural comprises three paintings; designed to look like composition notebooks, decorated with the sticker of the national symbols of Belize. Swasey was inspired after researching art from 1981, the year that Belize gained its independence.
Gilvano Swasey
“I had to look at the pictures from colonial time passing over to our time. I had to look at even the stamps. And that’s how I got to start with this concept. If you look at the small post over here, the stamps, those are the actual, some of the actual stamps from 1981. that celebrated, like I said, Mr. Price said, we needed an identity and national symbols, the national bird, the national flower, our flag, the mahogany tree, and the tapir. So in that research, I found all things Belizeans, there are many things Belizean.”
Six students from Wesley Primary School were selected by their teacher to assist Swasey with the project. Among them are Omarion Neal and Amani Cooper. Amani, who painted the toucan, said that this experience was an honor.
Amani Cooper
Amani Cooper, Artist
“I painted the toucan, and I didn’t think I could do it, but I did it.”
Britney Gordon
“How did you get involved in it?”
Amani Cooper
“Gina Itza, my brother’s teacher.”
Britney Gordon
“And how was it bonding with all the other painters and being a part of this celebration for Belize?”
Amani Cooper
“It was very fun. Very fun.”
The artists began painting last Thursday and completed the mural on Monday. Omarion Neal, who painted the tapir, joined the project when his teacher saw him drawing and invited him to participate.
Britney Gordon
“How long did it take you to draw it?”
Omarion Neal
Omarion Neal, Artist
“Well bout ten minutes I could seh.”
The Belize City Council facilitated the artists by ensuring that the surface of the fence was clean and coated with an underlayer of paint. Pollard says that it is due to the hard work of Swasey and the students that the mural is such a success.
Allan Pollard
“There’s not many words I can use to describe how big of an artist he is, how big of an impact he has on art history in Belize. So to have him lead the students and, really bring out the best of them artistically is something that we really appreciated from him. And as you can see how he incorporated that with the books and education. Only a curator like himself could successfully, create that and bring that message across to the students. So I think he did an awesome job with the kids and of course some guidance from their teachers as well. It was a awesome blend, an excellent blend and we are very pleased with what we’re seeing here today, with the outcome.”
The Caribbean Chicken Store on Guayana Street, Orange Walk District was targeted in an armed robbery on Tuesday afternoon, September 17. According to the store manager, two men entered the establishment—one armed with a firearm and the other with a knife. The men reportedly demanded money and stole an undisclosed amount of cash. No injuries were reported. The police are now actively searching for the two suspects.
In another incident, a zinc structure on Taylors Alley, Belize City, was reportedly consumed in flames just before 2 o’clock this afternoon. The 15-foot by 12-foot zinc structure belonged to 70-year-old Benjamin Belisle. Belisle stated that a man had visited him around that afternoon, asking for cigarettes. Shortly after, Belisle’s property was seen in flames. No injuries were reported. The house was not insured.
Additionally, police are looking into a stabbing incident in Caye Caulker that left three youths injured. Officers responded to a report at a pier in the village on Tuesday night, September 17. According to the police, 18-year-old Darren Estrada was found with stab wounds. Initial investigations revealed that Estrada and two minors were allegedly attacked by three men armed with machetes while riding their bicycles toward the Bahia Area. Estrada was taken to Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital, while the two minors are reported to be stable.
Police Commissioner Chester Williams has responded to comments by Opposition Leader Moses “Shyne” Barrow during his State of the Nation address. In a press release, ComPol Williams said, “Barrow made glaring errors when speaking about crime in this country, specifically in regards to the murder count being up by 40% and the death of Mr. Daniel Caal.”
Acknowledging that crime remains a significant issue, Commissioner Williams said, “We are surely not where we want to be, but we are proud of the significant progress we continue to make. He pointed out that major crimes have decreased by 54% compared to the same period last year, a testament to the dedication and bravery of the men and women of the police force.
Williams also refuted Barrow’s claim that Daniel Caal was murdered in police custody. “For the Leader of Opposition to have stated proudly that Caal was murdered in police custody, even after he had heard the result of the post-mortem examination, is both reckless and desperate,” Williams stated.
On the topic of police morale and land distribution, Commissioner Williams said that over the past four years, more than 800 officers were promoted, and over 600 were recognised for long service and good conduct. Williams added that land has been distributed to more than 400 officers, with ongoing efforts to provide more.
“The hard-working men and women of the Belize Police Department will continue to work with
the Belizean people to fight the scourge of crime. We recognise that crime is everyone’s problem.
and the only way we can win is by working together.”
The Leader of the Opposition, Moses “Shyne” Barrow, delivered his State of the Nation Address from the United Democratic Party’s headquarters, in stark contrast to the Prime Minister’s address on Tuesday.
Barrow questioned the state of Belize under Prime Minister John Briceño’s leadership, challenging Belizeans to reflect on whether their lives had improved. He said, “Despite Bricenos annual attempts to deceive Belizeans we do not see the GDP growth he boasts of, nor do we feel it!”
He asked whether they could afford the rising cost of living, if they had access to affordable housing, public healthcare, or if they felt safer. Barrow painted a picture of a Belizean reality marked by economic and social challenges, leaving many people struggling.
Barrow cited the closure of several businesses, including Renco, Smiling Meats, and Hofius, as evidence of an economy in decline. He directly countered the Prime Minister’s claims of a six-billion-dollar GDP, arguing that despite the numbers, ordinary Belizeans had not felt the impact.
“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 only three percent,” Barrow stated, criticising the government’s tax policies and its failure to collect taxes from businesses that exploit the vulnerable.
The opposition leader also addressed the disparity between the low unemployment rate of three percent and the poverty rate, which remains at 38%. He chastised the government for spending millions on land in Belmopan for a new hospital and criticised the handling of the health sector, calling the Ministry of Health’s track record from 2020 to 2024 “horrific.” Barrow attacked both the former and current Ministers of Health for their alleged failures.
In his address, Barrow lamented the shortage of teachers and the challenge of completing 120 CPD hours within five years. He proposed reducing the required personal development hours to alleviate the pressure on educators, suggesting that this would help teachers manage their professional development more effectively.
On the topic of crime, Barrow claimed that murders had increased by forty percent this year. However, he acknowledged that the Commissioner of Police had contested this figure, noting that the murder rate had decreased in recent months. Barrow promised to review the data and correct the figure if necessary.
Barrow also touched on issues of national security, particularly the continued incursions by the Guatemalan Armed Forces into Belizean territory. He ended his address on a note of optimism. He called on Belizeans to embrace their power to change the country’s future in the upcoming general elections.
“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,” Barrow said, closing with, “Long live democracy, long live Belize. Que viva Belize. Dios te bendiga Belize. God bless Belize.”
Zimbabwe’s creditors are exploring a debt-for-climate swap as part of efforts to restructure the nation’s $21 billion arrears. Raul Fernandez, the United Nations Development Program project manager for climate development, noted that discussions with various development partners indicate “an option that they are willing to consider.” He highlighted the need for “action from the government” and a commitment to structural reforms to move forward.
Debt-for-climate swaps allow developing countries to reduce their external debts in exchange for commitments to invest in climate or marine conservation projects. Fernandez noted that such arrangements “can lead to substantial debt reduction” and may improve payment conditions for Zimbabwe, which has a “window of opportunity” to secure climate finance.
A recent example is Belize, which signed a debt-for-nature swap with The Nature Conservancy in November 2021. This agreement reduced Belize’s external debt by 10 percent of its GDP and significantly improved prospects for marine protection.
Zimbabwe has been locked out of international capital markets since 1999 due to a debt default, resulting in escalating interest payments. In 2022, the nation sought assistance from Akinwumi Adesina, president of the African Development Bank, and Joaquim Chissano, the former leader of Mozambique, to initiate restructuring talks with creditors, including the Paris Club and World Bank. Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube did not respond to enquiries outside of office hours.
Today, Belize embraced international collaboration as Governor General Froyla Tzalam welcomed five newly appointed ambassadors—an initiative poised to enhance the nation’s global partnerships.
The ambassadors who presented their letters of credence included Maria Clara Girbau Ronda from Spain, Beliz Celasin Rende from Türkiye, Amr Abdelwareth from Egypt, Jorge Rosado La Torre from Peru, and Dr. Hardy Boeckle from Germany.
In a press release, the Government of Belize stated that the ambassadors “each expressed their hopes of forging stronger bonds with Belize during their tenure.”
