2025-02-20 - Channel 5 Belize

Taegar-Panton Presents Fifteen Candidates for the U.D.P.

Nomination Day is set for Monday, and today, U.D.P leader and Albert Area Representative Tracy Taegar-Panton officially introduced a team of fifteen candidates for the March twelfth election. Taegar hopes to win with her entire team and at least one more candidate from Moses ‘Shyne’ Barrow’s faction. While she is counting on Barrow’s slate to help secure a win, she is confident that Lee Mark Chang, nominated under her banner, will replace Barrow in Mesopotamia. Taegar-Panton also reached out to Barrow’s supporters, expressing her desire to work together in unity after the election. News Five’s Marion Ali was at the presentation and filed this report.

Tracy Taegar-Panton, Leader, U.D.P

“We are running as one United Democratic Party.”

Marion Ali, Reporting

This morning, U.D.P Leader and Albert Area Representative Tracy Taegar-Panton officially kicked off her party’s campaign and introduced the candidates for the March twelfth general election. While she has presented fifteen candidates, she insists that the UDP has a full slate of thirty-one to represent all constituencies nationwide. However, she expressed doubts about the candidates aligned with Moses ‘Shyne’ Barrow.

Tracy Taegar-Panton

“There are 31 standard bearers who represent the United Democratic Party. They were either contested, they either sat in a contested convention, or they sat in an endorsement convention. Those are the candidates that we recognize as the legitimate standard bearers for the United Democratic Party. I doubt very much and I would be very surprised if any of those handpicked persons who were foisted on us as a United Democratic Party has any chance in winning any seats for the United Democratic Party.”

So, how is Panton confident that the UDP will form the next government if Barrow’s candidates don’t win? While she isn’t counting on all of Barrow’s candidates, she believes that with her fifteen candidates and at least one more, they can secure a win. Panton also has faith in candidates like Manuel Heredia in Belize Rural South and John Saldivar in Belmopan, despite their previous losses, because they were chosen by their communities. Regarding Lee Mark Chang’s selection in Mesopotamia, Panton said it was done according to the UDP Constitution after the October twentieth convention she led.

Tracy Taegar-Panton

“We consulted with constituents of the Mesop constituency and we consulted with our UDP supporters in Mesop and it was almost unanimous that there was time for a change and Lee Mark. was their preferred candidate.”

Despite the nearly year-long leadership feud between Panton and Moses ‘Shyne’ Barrow, she is confident that Barrow will lose his second attempt to win office in Mesopotamia.

Tracy Taegar-Panton

“There is no way that Shyne Jamal Barrow is going to win his seat in Mesop. The people of Mesop and I say I bet on the people every time, will make that determination for the rest of us.”

So, how does the candidate aiming to unseat Barrow feel about this challenge? He says he takes no challenge lightly.

Lee Mark Chang, U.D.P. Standard Bearer, Mesopotamia

“I like to fight as the underdog at all times. I fight and I fight hard. So I will make no premature prediction, just that I will say that I’m very comfortable where I am. If you have time, maybe you should go and speak to some of the people or do your own polling in the division and you will hear a clear and resounding poll of their feelings.”

Marion Ali

“In terms of the campaign financing, where is all of that coming from?”

Lee Mark Chang

“Well, I mean, the party has their financiers that they get money from. I’ve gotten some from the party. I’ve gotten some from people that I know.”

Collet Area Representative Patrick Faber invited the public to stay tuned for their manifesto launch.

Patrick Faber, Area Representative, Collet

“Those ideas, I promise you will be very solid. We are putting our time and effort into making sure that we prepare a very solid agenda for you for the next five years and we will come with very solid ideas. We promise you.”

Faber is one of the key seats Panton is banking on for the March 12th election, and he is confident he’ll be elected for a sixth consecutive term.

Patrick Faber

“When I go to houses, it’s all love in the homes and people are telling me that I have no worry. Um, that they know the relationship that we’ve shared for the many, many years and they have no intention of changing course.”

Taegar-Panton also delivered a direct message of unity to UDP members who support Moses ‘Shyne’ Barrow’s leadership.

Tracy Taegar-Panton

“We say to you here publicly that we embrace you as part of our wider UDP family and we look forward to joining hands and hearts with you after we win the general elections on March 12th, 2025.”

Marion Ali for News Five.

How Will U.D.P Candidates Differentiate Themselves on the Ballot?

The latest dispute within the U.D.P. is how candidates will set themselves apart from those running under Shyne Barrow. Panton says her team will stick with the traditional U.D.P. red but mentioned some tweaks to identify her candidates. She also took a jab at the other U.D.P. candidate running in Albert for good measure.

Tracy Taegar, Panton, Leader, U.D.P.

“If in fact we cannot come together before nomination day and it requires a symbol I am one hundred percent sure that the people who are supporting the team that is being led by me will know exactly who to vote for. I will use myself as an example. I am undisputedly the UDP Area Rep in Albert. No – and I want to be kind, I would say imposter but let me be kind. Da wa imposter noh, can come into Albert handpicked and thrown in the mix and expect that the U.D.P supporters and the people of Albert will accept him as their U.D.P. area representative.”

Hernan Riverol is the Most Recent Panton Candidate Secured Today

The latest addition to Panton’s team is Hernan Riverol, who was originally chosen by Moses ‘Shyne’ Barrow. Panton secured Riverol’s candidacy under her leadership just this morning. Initially, Riverol was running as an independent candidate. Panton clarified that Riverol hasn’t switched sides but has decided to run under her leadership after being approached by Barrow.

Tracy Taegar-Panton, U.D.P Leader

“When we spoke when we started to look - prepare for the elections, as you say, to interview candidates and see their work on the ground, Mr. Riverol was not yet confirmed by the executive committee of Corozal Bay. I think they had a couple candidates that they were considering and Mr. Riverol is now the standard bearer for Corozal Bay, the UDP standard bearer. I can tell you that his candidacy was determined by Shyne really but he – the people in Corozal Bay have said to him, his committee has said to him, and the constituents that they feel that he has a better chance if he’s a part of our team because of the things that we say we stand for.”

Marion Ali

“So he has switched allegiance from Mr. Barrow?”

Tracy Taegar-Panton

“I don’t know if he has switched allegiance, I don’t know if he had declared his allegiance for Shyne, but I do know that Shyne had spoken to him about running for the party.’

Panton Believes Willoughby Will Deliver in Port

The Port Loyola Area has four candidates, three of whom are from the U.D.P. There’s former Area Representative Anthony ‘Boots’ Martinez, who isn’t aligned with either leader. Then there’s Doctor Nelma Mortis, running under Shyne Barrow’s ticket, and Phillip Willoughby, running under Panton’s leadership. Besides competing against each other, they are also up against the P.U.P. incumbent, Gilroy Usher. When asked about Martinez’s chances, Panton said she would welcome him but is confident that Willoughby will secure Port Loyola.

Tracy Taegar-Panton, Leader, U.D.P

“Boots is a friend, Boots is a former colleague. Boots has always aligned himself with the United Democratic Party and Boots has run for multiple constituencies on behalf of the United Democratic Party. I will say this and I want it to be clear: whatever happens in Port Loyola, whichever UDP candidate emerges as the winner, and when I say UDP candidate, we only have one, but any UDP-associated person, we will embrace them and we will welcome them back to the party. But I believe that Philip has the wherewithal to deliver the seat for Port.”

A Third Party With 7 Candidates Fights the PUDP

Roody Wade, from the Cayo District, is taking on both major parties. As the Leader of the Belize Justice Movement, he has introduced a slate of seven candidates. The BJM is one of the few third parties running in the March twelfth election. Historically, third parties haven’t received much support at the polls in Belize. On Wednesday, we asked Wade about this challenge.

Roody Wade, Leader, Belize Justice Movement

“It is so sad in this country how this two-party system has us, especially the youths. They don’t really know the history of these people. If you dig back to the history of these people you kind of want to think twice to go and vote for a PUP or a UDP. But if we watch how the two party system governs our country for decades, they don’t want people to be empowered. So, hopefully at some point the Belizean people will see a need for change. 2025, where are we at. We need change. The only thing that can happen in terms of change is the people. They are the only one that can make a change.”

Dane Gillett is Acquitted of Murder

Dane Khalil Gillett, twenty-seven, has been acquitted of the shocking, execution-style murder of fifteen-year-old Dwayne Gabourel, an SJC student, who was gunned down in September 2021. Gabourel’s death was believed to be a gang-related retaliation for Michael Henry’s murder. Wearing a red shirt, Gabourel was shot four times by a masked gunman who jumped off a motorcycle, approached him at a shop, and fatally shot him before speeding away. After his acquittal, we spoke with Gillett and his attorney. Here’s News Five’s Isani Cayetano.

Dane Gillett, Acquitted of Murder

“Dis just go fi show that di system full ah lotta abstract, yoh undastand. Di court clearly prove todeh that whateva dehn mi charge me fah, no evidence deh fi prove that di person, da me da di one weh pull di trigga. No evidence deh fi prove that.”

After spending three years and five months on remand for the shocking murder of a fifteen-year-old SJC student, the alleged shooter, Dane Gillett, is now a free man. Today, Justice Derick Sylvester delivered a thirty-five-page ruling, setting a new precedent.

Orson “OJ” Elrington, Attorney-at-law

“We had both oral submissions and, as well as written submissions, and at the conclusion, the judge felt as though the evidence was so tenuous that a conviction on the evidence presented by the crown would have been unsafe and, therefore, upheld our no case submission.”

The case relied heavily on video and circumstantial evidence, which was too weak to convict. Justice Sylvester concluded that the evidence was so tenuous that a jury couldn’t safely convict the accused.

Dane Gillett

“And dehn know that fi dehn evidence weh dehn got mi cyant prove that from di start. Dehn still mek I sihdown da jail three years and five months and tek weh lotta time outta my life and outta my family, yoh undastand. I just mi wah mek people sih. End a di day I just wahn di system do dehn job properly because then at the end ah di day fi deh backa dehn place deh soh, man di suffer back deh, back deh rough.”

Dwayne Gabourel was tragically shot on September twenty-fifth, 2021, while running an errand for his mother at a grocery store on North Front Street. He was an innocent bystander, targeted simply because he was wearing a red shirt. The murder was thought to be in retaliation for Michael Henry’s execution. After being released, Gillett expressed his condolences to Gabourel’s family.

Dane Gillett

“I just woulda wahn tell di lady condolences fi ih loss. I know how ih feel fi lose somebody close, like that. I got somebody weh mi dead, fourteen years old, dehn shot he up nine times, yoh undastand. No justice neva come out fi he neither. So I know how da lady wah feel. I know dehn mussi di sihdown deh and dehn mussi bex right now because dehn mussi feel like da me kill dehn pickney. Ah hope dehn realize that di court prove todeh that I da noh di one weh do di crime, yoh undastand. So I just would wahn dehn clean fi dehn heart towards me. I just wahn dehn clean it up. Condolences and everything towards di people and love all the time.”

Isani Cayetano for News Five.

License Plates Finally Back in Belize

The long wait is over! This morning, the Department of Transport started handing out license plates, stickers, and driver’s license cards to those who have already paid. Many drivers, especially in rural areas, have been waiting for months, even years, for these. The department began its tour in Belmopan today, where we spoke with Minister of Transport Rodwell Ferguson. Here’s News Five’s Britney Gordon with the story.

Britney Gordon, Reporting

After years of waiting, Belizeans can finally collect their license plates, stickers, and driver’s licenses. Today, the Belize Transport Department launched a nationwide distribution tour in Belmopan, sending out multiple teams to district offices across the country to provide extra support. Minister of Transport Rodwell Ferguson admitted that the delay has caused significant inconvenience to the public.

Rodwell Ferguson, Minister of Transport

“ I feel very guilty to a certain extent because I’m the minister responsible for transportation that covers rice and plates and stickers. And so on a regular basis, I keep telling the staff that we need to fix this issue. And so over the last month and a half, the CEO and myself sat down and tried to find a solution. And so we made a very large order to the Ministry of Finance and asked them for their approval. So today and over the next three weeks, we are going to have ten thousand license plates total of different categories.”

This initiative is designed to make the distribution process smoother, clear up the backlog, and improve customer satisfaction. It kicked off today in Belmopan and will continue in Belize City on Friday, then move to Corozal and Orange Walk on Monday, and wrap up in Dangriga, Independence, and Punta Gorda on Tuesday.

Rodwell Ferguson

“So we’re hoping that we can now be able to come back to normalcy to make sure we always have license plates and stickers. As a person comes to license, he’s a whole vehicle. It’s an embarrassment to the ministry and I want to make sure that embarrassment is over. So I can safely say that this will be a thing of the past. So today, as we are issuing, I think in San Ignacio, Santa Elena and Belmopan, and eventually we’ll go north, Belize City, and end up all Punta Gorda. So I asked the staff to also have a license plate show, so that the people come in and bring their receipts and get their license plates and their stickers as they come in.”

To pick up their documents, customers need to show their receipts as proof of payment and the original Certificate of Title from the same office where they paid. One driver, Daniel Orellano, is relieved to finally have his license in hand.

Britney Gordon

“So how long have you been waiting to get your driver’s license or license plate?”

Daniel Orellano, Cayo Driver

“Around one month. Yeah.”

Britney Gordon

“So how are you feeling after coming here today and finally picking it up?”

Daniel Orellano

“Well, after a long, a long month waiting, I feel comfortable already. Because every time I pass through a checkpoint, they always, they ask for the plate, for the license. So now, I feel good.”

Britney Gordon

”Which one are you picking up?”

Daniel Orellano

“The plate and the license.”

Ferguson has implemented a new strategy with the Transport Department to ensure that this delay never happens again.

Rodwell Ferguson

“It could be a miscalculation. And we live in a very small developed country, we don’t expect to have so many motor vehicles. So I emphasize to the staff that now there must be a minimum stock level and a maximum stock level. So once you reach a hundred for argument’s sake, it’s time to reorder license plates. Don’t wait until you reach zero or five.”

Ferguson says the ministry is pushing for a budget increase to keep enough stock on hand and prevent future shortages.

Rodwell Ferguson

“There should be no shortages. And hopefully by May, because of the backlog and present requests by May, we can put in another big order. We even asked the Minister of Finance to increase the budget for license plates and stickers. We’re hopeful that this will not happen in the future.”

Britney Gordon for News Five.

Agriculture Minister Discusses Halted Sugar Crop

On Wednesday night, we reported that Belize Sugar Industries (B.S.I.) is temporarily halting sugar production for the 2024-2025 season. B.S.I. explained that heavy rains have led to poor quality and low quantities of sugar cane, and bad road conditions have made the situation worse. Today, we heard from the Minister of Agriculture, Jose Abelardo Mai, during his appearance on Open Your Eyes.

Jose Abelardo Mai, Minister of Agriculture

“The mill has closed because of insufficient cane reaching the mill. The fields are excessively wet. The quality of the cane is horrible. The mill will run out of excess bagasse. They burn baggase to produce energy. There is a cold front coming in that will bring some rainfall. If the mill closes because of this issue, or if sugar cane is not reaching the mill, the mill will be forced to closed down, because they are using up all the reserved baggase. They will be unable to restart the crop. That puts at risk the entire sugar crop for 2025. So, I read that thing on Facebook. It is wrong and political mischief. But I must say that we continue to fix sugar roads and because of the weather, the frequent rainfall pattern, it is destroyed. You fix it again, it is destroyed. So, the government is losing. The cane farmer because of the quality is losing. The TCS, the ton of cane to sugar is at sixteen tons. You are losing money.”

New Cane Quality Assessments to be Implemented by B.S.I.

Production at the Belize Sugar Industries has been paused due to persistent rainfall, which has led to muddy yields from farmers. But that’s not the only problem. The mill has also been dealing with a fusarium infection affecting northern cane crops and poor road conditions. B.S.I. says a new system is needed to prioritize cane quality over quantity. B.S.I. Communications Director, William Neal, shared more details on the issue.

William Neal, Communications Director, B.S.I.

”We’ve had projects of that nature before, we’ve had pre harvesting cane testing pre harvest cane testing and so the farmers are aware of that. We’ll definitely have to get back to our quality system where farmers are paid for quality and that will improve the way they manage their cane and also the way they harvest their cane because we definitely need to do it on a quality basis. As I said, you can’t tell if cane is ripe just by looking at it. So we’ll have to have a system that we’ve already demonstrated actually works. There will be a need for that to be put in place to be more beneficial to the farmers themselves. But we have these projects coming up that we’re implementing, like I said, the one for building the adaptive capacity of sugarcane farmers in Northern Belize, which is funded by GCF. And being managed by the Five C’s. So, those are some important things, but definitely we need an overhaul and a transformation of the delivery system to make sure that we’re bringing the best scheme possible to the mill.”

Composting, Your Plant’s and the Environment’s Best Friend

Chemical fertilizers are being swapped out for compost, a greener alternative. Composting involves breaking down organic material into nutrient-rich soil that boosts plant growth. Studies show that food scraps in landfills release a lot of methane, a potent greenhouse gas. But those same scraps can be turned into compost instead. It’s not just food scraps—animal manure is also great for composting. In tonight’s installment of Belize on Reel, News Five’s Paul Lopez dives into the composting process.

Paul Lopez, Reporting

Have you ever wondered what happens to your organic food waste after you toss it in the garbage bin, and it’s picked up by the truck? Fruit and vegetable scraps, eggshells, bones, and leftover bread all end up at a nearby transfer station and are used as landfill. When mixed with other household garbage, these organic scraps decompose and release gases that are harmful to the environment.

Tara Hoisington, Consultant, Recycle Organics

“With climate change being a concern, there are three sources of methane contributing to climate change. The first is fossil fuel, the second is agriculture and the third is coming from landfills and waste. They found that twenty percent of methane contributing to greenhouse gases typically comes from organic matter being suppressed among other trash and in the anaerobic environment creates a gas called methane.”

Tara Hoisington, a consultant at Recycle Organics, explained that methane is twelve times more effective than carbon dioxide at trapping heat in the atmosphere. Recycle Organics is on a mission to reduce the amount of methane released into the air through backyard composting. But what exactly is composting? We asked Louis Wade Junior, the owner of Blessed Garden, to explain.

Louis Wade, Owner, Blessed Gardens

“Composting is the human effort to duplicate humus, which is the natural process that takes place in the ecosystem. What composting does. It takes organic material and speed up the natural process of decay and decomposition, ensuring that the right nutrients are available for the plants you want to grow.”

Tara Hoisington

“Canada had donated two hundred compost bins to get backyard composting education program started in the country. We had gone into four town, San Pedro, San Ignacio, Belmopan and Corozal and we had distributed these bins. We done workshops. We are doing a six-month pilot program where we go to the person’s home who decided they want the bin, we give them tutorials, lessons on how to properly compost, as well as having a form to fill out every month to gauge how much food waste is getting diverted from the trash, as well as organic matter like leaves.”

Hoisington shared that the initiative is off to a great start, with most participants eagerly using their compost bins and repurposing over half a pound of organic food waste daily. In Belmopan, Louis Wade has made composting a central part of his gardening operation.

Louis Wade

“Most people want black dirt, they ask for black dirt, but they mean something by that, because soil color does not determine fertility. You can have very black soil, but if it does not have compost or organic material in it, then it is still not going to give you the results you want. So, when people say they want black dirt, what they are really talking about is that they want highly fertile soil that produces a good quality.”

Unlike Recycle Organics, Wade uses animal manure for his composting. To the untrained eye, a mix of horse and chicken manure, rice waste, and a special blend of microbes from Belize Agro Enterprise Limited might look unappealing. But after weeks of decomposition and careful moisture management, the result is like gold for farmers.

Louis Wade

“Horses and cows eat only grass, so you really should not be afraid of their poop. But when people think about poop, they have all these negative connotations. When in reality, the stomach of the cow and horse breaks it down in such a way that you still have these organic materials in cow and in horse. Another thing you can also use is tilapia. I will show you my little tilapia experiment. You feed the tilapia and fish also release ammonia, a little bit of uric acid into the water and so you can actually take that water from the tilapia, and you can actually water your plants with tilapia water and you will get the proteins you need.”

Wade mentioned that dried leaves and freshly cut grass are also great for making organic compost. He combines these materials with black soil to create a highly sought-after product that he sells all over the country.

Louis Wade

“How do you know very good soil, how do you measure very good soil. You measure very good soil, by squeezing it and then it is suppose to hold together and when you loose it it should break back apart. That is your test right there.”

Reporting for News Five, I am Paul Lopez