Prime Minister John Briceño has announced that he will retire from electoral politics after the 2025 general election. If his administration wins at the polls this year, he plans to serve out the term as his last, marking the end of a political career that has spanned over three decades. So, who will step up to replace Prime Minister Briceño as the leader of the People’s United Party? And can they avoid the kind of implosion the U.D.P. is currently facing? We asked the PM.
Prime Minister John Briceño
Prime Minister John Briceño
“If you were to ask me today I would tell you it is going to be my last election. That is my plan, my hope and even in family. But it is important that once you get elected, God willing we win the election. I don’t want to be in a position where people say oh he the lef, mek we start plan and connive and whatever. I find that unacceptable. I have to continue to mange the party and the government the way that I have done with a firm hand and I have to show that I have full command of the party and the government and the minsters, that is important, or else we will waste time the fight and not think about the government. So I do plan to stay in a finish my term and I am expecting and hoping I can spend time with. What has happened to the UDP is they had a very small bench. After Dean Barrow who could have taken over the UDP. When you look at it with all respect with Mr. Faber, he needed more and one of the most important think is financing. I do believe the PUP is in a much better position. We have a deep bench. From Francis Fonseca to Cordel Hyde, Anthony Mahler and Kareem Musa. I am just giving names right now, as I remember I am giving the names.”
On Tuesday, we reported that businessman Lee Mark Chang has officially launched his candidacy in Mesopotamia. Chang will be going head-to-head with U.D.P. Area Representative Moses “Shyne” Barrow and P.U.P. Candidate Larry Ellis. The big question is: Can Lee Mark Chang gather enough support to unseat Barrow and keep the constituency under U.D.P. control? Prime Minister Briceño believes Chang is popular in the division, but he also thinks the P.U.P. can capitalize on the U.D.P.’s split. This morning, we asked the Prime Minister for his thoughts on the developments in Mesopotamia and whether he thinks it gives his candidate the edge.
Prime Minister John Briceño
Prime Minister John Briceño
“Wherever you have your opponents supports being divided, it gives you an opportunity. But you are right, Mesopotamia division has been voting UDP since 1974 when they defeated Lindy Rogers. It is on us to take advantage of it, but it is still difficult. We have a very good candidate. I am very hopeful he will be able to do well. Larry was born in that area. He grew up in that area. A really nice guy, so we will have to take advantage of this opportunity that has been offered to us.”
Reporter
“Do you view Lee Mark as a formidable candidate?”
Prime Minister John Briceño
“Of course. He is well known. He grew up in that area and his family business started in Euphrates in that area. He is well known, and I suppose he has access to enough funding. So yes, we see him as a formidable candidate.”
With the general election on the horizon, though no date has been set, Prime Minister Briceño says the P.U.P. expects financiers to step up and fund their campaign. On Tuesday, during his appearance on Open Your Eyes, Lord Michael Ashcroft suggested that party financiers could take a vacation with their money, claiming the P.U.P. has essentially secured a second term. However, Briceño has a different take on the matter.
Prime Minister John Briceño
Prime Minister John Briceño
“Any election cost money and I think that Mr. Ashcroft said that tongue in cheek because we have not asked him for no money and we won’t ask him for money. But our local financiers are helping us because we have been a good government. Our economy has grown tremendously. I think the last numbers I have it was like thirty point five percent, up to 2023, 2024, not to the end of 2024. So, we have done tremendous work and all business people have benefited form the work we have done. So, I am hoping and expecting they are going to provide some finances. It is expensive to run a campaign. It does not matter about the opposition. But, you have to put campaigners, get T-shirts, so many things, the TV ads, all of these things that has to be done.”
In Orange Walk East, P.U.P. area representative Kevin Bernard is eagerly awaiting the call for elections. Earlier today, he proudly highlighted a list of achievements in his constituency since his victory over his political opponent in November 2020.
Kevin Bernard, Area Representative, Orange Walk East
“I ready long time. I hate to see what’s happening in the UDP, but I really, I’m going to say this here, I don’t think I have any challenge. At the end of the day, I have been doing my work as a representative. The many things that I highlighted just now never existed for the thirteen years and I made sure that I fulfilled my commitment. When I looked at my manifesto, I started to check mark the manifesto that I did for Orange Walk East and I have achieved nearly every single thing that was on that manifesto. That’s the goal and commitment that I set. You do things and you commit to things that you know you can achieve and then the people will be happy. You make sure that you are communicating with your people. You’re making sure that they have access to you, whether it’s through the office or the services that we provide as a government, those are the things that a representative should do. And so, I’m ready whenever the prime minister calls this election.”
On Thursday, the nation will get its first look at the designs for Belize’s new currency notes. The new notes, featuring images of Goldson and the Right Honorable George Cadle Price, are set to be unveiled by the Central Bank of Belize. Today, Prime Minister Briceño shared with reporters that these notes are not only modern but also packed with advanced features to prevent counterfeiting.
Prime Minister John Briceño
“We have seen them before. I know what to expect. It is a beautiful note. We have been using our two national heroes, George Price and Phillip Goldson and we have them in different denominations. It is more modern and with more features to prevent counterfeit. It is something that Belizeans will accept, and it is our people on our note. I know some people will say well we don’t have the queen. Well the queen is dead and that has nothing to do with the Belize dollar, it is based on our economy and the amount of U.S. reserves, that is not the pound, it is the U.S dollar.”
It’s still unclear how much revenue the Government of Belize lost during those two GST-free weekends in December. The figures were supposed to be released by now, but Prime Minister Briceño says they’re not ready yet. He was also asked if the initiative was a tactic to win over voters ahead of the general election.
Prime Minister John Briceño
“It has nothing to do with the elections. It is simply something we believed its time had come. We could not have done it earlier because we were trying to recover, rebuild and regain the confidence of our citizens and the private sector. When that idea came up, we said, it is not a bad idea. It is a good idea and to be able to build on it. If it was just for the election, we would not do it this year.”
Reporter
“Were you concerned that you could have lost more than you could afford?”
Prime Minister John Briceño
“Not necessarily, because we felt the economic movement or what we could generate, remember in economics there is this thing that with every dollar you spend moves around four to five times. So, the economic generator of that dollar spending in Belize we, we will be able to get it back with taxes in other area.”
On Tuesday, during an appearance on Open Your Eyes, businessman and investor Michael Ashcroft announced that he’s moving his investment finances elsewhere. Ashcroft criticized the Government of Belize for not fostering a climate conducive to foreign investment, expressing regret that he couldn’t do more for Belize. When we asked Prime Minister Briceño for his response to Ashcroft’s criticism, he said that it’s his decision, his money, he can do whatever he wants with it.
Prime Minister John Briceño
Prime Minister John Briceño
“Michael Ashcroft has done very well in Belize, exceedingly well. If he wants to take his money elsewhere, he should take it. It doesn’t bother us one bit. Foreign investment in Belize continues to increase. In 2024, we have a record foreign investment. It is his decision, his money, he can do what he wants with it. I don’t know what climate he talks about. If we want a climate where we bend over and give him what he wants, that is not going to happen in Belize. We got into government, we met with him and negotiated with him hard. I think we got a good deal with the settlement. It is unfortunate that then P.M Barrow chose the route of litigation, cost us hundreds of millions of dollars. I think that I come from a business background, and you are negotiating to settle. The port was going nowhere because he was not getting clearance from NEAC. Then he wanted to beat us into submission and took out endless ads. But that still did not beat us into submission. We are a sovereign nation, and we decide what is in the best interest. Now he wants to take his money elsewhere he is welcome to do so. He wants to sell out the Belize Bank, he is welcome to do so. I think Belizeans will be happy. Because he has been use to getting what he wants and that is ok. Every businessman or woman wants to get what they want. We welcome his investments. If he wants to continue investing in Belize, we welcome it, but it has to be under our conditions and what we believe is in the interest of Belize. When you see the deals he signed with previous government, I remember telling them him, I don’t know what these people were thinking, I would have never signed those agreements.”
The Government of Belize is teaming up with a Miami-based company to develop a masterplan for the Port of Belize Limited. Prime Minister Briceño claims that after acquiring the port, the previous owner wanted to charge an exorbitant amount for their already finalized masterplan. So, the G.O.B. is funding its own plan, which will include the construction of a world-class cruise and cargo port. But what does this mean for Stake Bank Enterprises?
Prime Minister John Briceño
Prime Minister John Briceño
“The Cabinet has already agreed. I presented a paper to the Cabinet several months ago on what could be the different options. A is the cruise and container port and be is to be able to do just the container port and we saw the options and Cabinet felt it is in the best interest to do both. We are working on the master plan to do that. The previous owners were working on a master plan, but they wanted to just charge us an exorbitant amount of money if we want to take over that plan they are working on. So, we will do our own, pushing us back a few months. There has been a number of companies expressing interest. MSE has interest, Carnival has expressed interest and other investors have expressed interest, but we are not going to do anything until we say this is the plan, who are going to be the strategic investors. There are many people that voice interest, but we don’t want to just jump on it. We need to have a plan. So I believe that by the end of the next government we should have a cruise port and a modern container.”
Reporter
“So does that mean Stake Bank is dead. It makes no sense to have two mega cruise port in the Belize District within miles of each other.”
Prime Minister John Briceño
“We all knew that Stake Bank was short to medium term investment. The berthing facilities cannot take the big shop. These cruise ships wants to berth on land. The tendering is a big issue. We know that was a temporary fix and we have to build somewhere nearshore.”
Belize’s very own Filly the Jaguar is on her way to the United States! Filly was rehabilitated at the Belize Zoo in 2019 after being identified as a conflict animal, preying on livestock in the San Felipe area. Now, she’s set to be transferred to the Milwaukee County Zoo in Wisconsin as part of the Species Survival Plan. Earlier today, News Five’s Britney Gordon caught up with the team at the Philip Goldson International Airport to get more details on this remarkable collaboration.
Britney Gordon, Reporting
It’s been about five years since Filly the Jaguar was taken in by the Belize Zoo for rehabilitation. She was identified as a conflict animal, preying on farm animals due to habitat loss in the San Felipe area. After years of dedicated care and training from the team at the Belize Zoo, Filly is now ready for her next adventure—heading to the Milwaukee County Zoo in Wisconsin. Director of the Belize Zoo, Dr. Celso Poot, shared more details on Filly’s exciting move.
Dr. Celso Poot
Dr. Celso Poot, Director, The Belize Zoo & Tropical Education Center
“Over the years, our program has transformed from just removing the cats from the wild and keeping them at the zoo to rehabilitating them and releasing those that can be released back into the wild with GPS collars so that we can track their movement. The whole idea is to have Jaguars and Deleuze running around wild and free the way they should be. However, some of these cats come to the zoo with injuries. They’re injured, and they cannot be released back into the wild because they would return to be conflict cats. What we do is we assess these cats. And those that can be part of the breeding program with the Species Survival Plan are then assessed reproductively to see if they are viable.”
The Jaguar Species Survival Plan is all about keeping the genetic diversity and sustainability of jaguars in zoos. Filly is the second big cat to make the journey to the Milwaukee Zoo, following Pat the Jaguar back in 2008. Excitingly, Filly is being considered as a potential mate for Pat’s youngest son, Frankie. Katie Kuhn, the assistant large Mammal Curator at the Milwaukee Zoo, will be traveling with Filly, along with a vet and Filly’s primary caretaker.
Katie Kuhn
Katie Kuhn, Asst. Large Mammal Curator, Milwaukee Zoo
“Genetic diversity is important because otherwise, you get the effects of what inbreeding would look like. So the animals can get different health concerns. They can get certain diseases a lot easier. They could have deformations in their body and how they grow from the time that they’re young. So genetic diversity is very important to any population, whether it’s jaguars or whales or people. It’s important to maintain that genetic diversity so that we can have the healthiest population and individuals possible.”
As many Belizeans know, jaguars are a protected species, and Belize is proud to have the world’s first jaguar sanctuary. Filly, named after San Felipe, where she was found, is just one of several jaguars that have been rehabilitated by the Belize Zoo.
Dr. Celso Poot
“ Since 2003, the Belize Zoo has been working with the government of Belize to address and try to reduce wildlife conflict, particularly those with jaguars and cattle ranchers or livestock owners. In the past, these cats were killed indiscriminately. They were either shot or they were poisoned. And we work with the government to try and strike a balance along with farmers on how jaguars, wildlife in general, can coexist with society, with farmers, with ranchers.”
Filly is known for her calm demeanor, though she can be quite shy. At the Belize Zoo, she wasn’t put on display for public interaction. Kuhn mentioned that Filly’s new caregivers at the Milwaukee Zoo plan to respect her boundaries and give her the space she needs.
Katie Kuhn
“When Filly gets there, she’s not going to be on habitat for people to see right away. We give them plenty of time to acclimate. We go at their pace. We kind of read what they’re telling us. So she’s going to get to be in her spaces without being viewable to the public until she’s ready. So we’re going to watch her fuse and once she says I want to be out there, then she will. So we’ll keep the public informed on our end when we’re ready for that stuff. But this entire process has just been one step at a time.”
Filly has been training for her long journey for several months and the team at the Milwaukee Zoo is ready to welcome her when she arrives.
Katie Kuhn
“The staff is pretty excited. There’s been a lot of anxiety and, you know, this is a long process. It takes a lot to move any animal anywhere. Nut they’re excited to have a new friend for our jaguar. I think he’s ready. But we’re just excited to get to learn Filly and what makes tick and who she is as an individual. The staff here at zoo has done a a fantastic job with her. She knows a few behaviors already. So the staff is just really looking to continue to connect with the keepers here so that we can continue that training and her care at our zoo.”
Belize has reported its fifth case of New World Screwworm just under a month after the first case was identified in the Toledo District. News Five has confirmed that four of them were discovered in cattle and the fifth in a dog. With the cattle industry being one of the largest contributors to Belize’s exports, there are concerns about the potential impact if infections aren’t contained. However, Prime Minister Briceño reassures everyone that there’s no need to worry—protocols have been put in place, and Mexico is still accepting cattle from Belize.
Prime Minister John Briceño
Prime Minster John Briceño
“It is expected. We did not bring the screwworm it is a stupid mistake done in Panama when they released the insects in error and that progressively came to us. They didn’t put enough effort to stop it back then. Now it is here and we are trying our best to contain it. What is important is that we are worked out a protocol with the Mexicans on how to export our cattle. This is not something that affects the meat. If you see the animal with the screwworm you cure it and five days later it is a healthy animal. So the plan is we have a coral area where we inspect the animal in Belize and it goes over to the Mexican side and they inspect. If they see any animal with signs of screwworm, they send it back, we cure it and five six days later we can send it back.”
