Semanas después de intensas negociaciones con maestros y sindicatos del servicio público, el Sindicato de Profesores y Personal de la Universidad de Belize (UBFSU) llevó su demanda directamente a la puerta del Gobierno. Exigen la entrega de un subsidio de diez millones de dólares, una promesa incumplida desde hace casi una década.
La marcha llegó hasta la oficina del primer ministro en Belmopán para dejar claro que, según el sindicato, no esperarán más dilaciones. El reclamo se centra en un subsidio que originalmente era de diez millones de dólares, pero que el gobierno anterior del UDP redujo a 8.5 millones y que la actual administración de Briceño prometió restituir.
Julianne Pasos, presidenta del UBFSU, señaló: “El año pasado exigimos al gobierno que cumpliera su promesa y emitieron un comunicado alegando que el COVID les impidió pagar. Pero prometieron que en este presupuesto fiscal lo aumentarían. Sin embargo, ya se presentó y leyó el presupuesto sin incremento alguno”.
El sindicato insiste en que la restauración total de los fondos es vital para la supervivencia de la universidad. Sin embargo, el exministro de Educación, Francis Fonseca, defiende la posición oficial: “El sindicato tiene derecho a protestar. Pero debo decir que este gobierno y este Ministerio de Educación han dado un apoyo sin precedentes a la UB. Además del subsidio, aportamos más de cinco millones anuales en asistencia que cubre salarios y apoyo estudiantil. Nunca antes la UB había recibido tanto financiamiento”.
El reclamo sindical recibió un respaldo clave de Leonora Flowers, presidenta del Sindicato de Trabajadores Cristianos, quien enfatizó: “Imaginen vivir con el mismo salario por diez años. No pueden pagar sus cuentas, apenas sobreviven. Les prometieron este aumento que nunca llega. Como digo, ‘todos ganamos’, pero ¿quiénes están ganando realmente? El personal de la UB no está ganando. Los ciudadanos de Belize no están ganando”.
Tras la manifestación, el ministro de Transporte, Dr. Louis Zabaneh, aseguró que la demanda no caerá en oídos sordos: “Debatiremos esto en el Gabinete. La idea es escuchar a todos, que el Gabinete oiga la voz del pueblo y especialmente del dedicado personal de la UB. Veremos cómo evoluciona”.
De acuerdo con Pasos, los fondos adicionales no solo servirían para cubrir salarios atrasados, sino también para mejorar las condiciones laborales y garantizar una educación de calidad.
One of the most outspoken voices is attorney Dickie Bradley. We caught up with him to get his take, and let’s just say, he held no punches. Bradley likens the proposed legislation to living in a Nazi state, arguing that it strips citizens in so-called ‘special areas’ of their fundamental rights. Here’s how he puts it.
Richard “Dickie” Bradley
Richard “Dickie” Bradley, Attorney-at-law
“It is an incredible thing that in 2025 we are going to interfere with the fundamental rights and freedom of Belizeans by saying to them we are going to put in the constitution that you have no rights once the police come for you. That is like out of those Nazi movies and communist. This cant really be Belize. This is unbelievable that this is where Belize is, that you could put in your constitution, which is them to protect you, things which are going to take away your protection. It is incredible.”
Paul Lopez
“A lot of the comments on social media, and I am sure you don’t follow them, says well you are an attorney it pays to have crime because you could represent these people. What do you think dah the solution to tackle this serious issue of crime and domestic terrorism if not this heavy-handed approach?”
Richard “Dickie” Bradley
“What is happening here that a couple of the new slave masters can come and have a discussion, that is what they should be doing to speak to the communities and citizens about what we can do to deal with crime in your area. Lake I is soaked in the problem the police have. This is perhaps the one area infested with the most shooters and killers, why couldn’t they do this to say tell us how we can deal with this problem? It is an emotional argument to talk about lawyers and crime, deh people weh deh the pick up can’t pay no lawyer. Only sixteen people successfully sue. They cant afford to go to no lawyer. I don’t drink and smoke weed but this is something like you are in a semi-stupor state to know this is happening in Belize.”
It’s déjà vu in the United Democratic Party, Michael Peyrefitte is out… again. Yep, less than a month after stepping back into the spotlight as UDP chairman, he’s already walked away from the job he just reclaimed. And yes, if that sounds familiar, it’s because he already stepped down earlier this year. Peyrefitte first resigned after the March twelfth general elections, where the People’s United Party swept the polls. Then came the twist. In a move no one really saw coming, Shyne Barrow and Tracy Taegar-Panton pulled him back into the mix, hoping he could help steady a party still rocked by internal drama. Peyrefitte agreed, but with a clear warning: if the infighting didn’t stop, he wouldn’t stick around. Fast forward to this past Saturday’s National Party Council meeting, and things went sideways. Not only was Opposition Leader Tracy Taegar-Panton left out of the meeting, but the party also held a virtual vote to kick Senator Patrick Faber out entirely. So, what happened behind the scenes? And what does this mean for the future of the UDP? Before we get into the fallout, let’s rewind to June twenty-fourth, when Peyrefitte sat down with us after reclaiming the chairmanship.
Mike Peyrefitte, Returning Chairman, U.D.P. (File: June 24th, 2025)
“I can tell you that all three of them fully support me coming back as chairman. I spoke to all of them yesterday and again today. And all three of them, I won’t go as far as to say that I was encouraged by them to come back to help with this process. But that, to me, is just a matter of details. We are in current discussions about how we go forward. I think there was a lot of positivity that was expressed to me yesterday and today and I look forward to us solving this in the very, very near future. And hey, if it doesn’t work out, I can always resign again because if I believe that we’re not moving in a direction that I’ve been promised we would be moving, then I reserve the right to say well I thought I was coming into an environment where we all accepted that we all grow where each of us grow and we all are to be blamed for whatever is wrong with the party.”
La líder de la oposición, Tracy Panton, lanzó fuertes críticas contra el Consejo Nacional del Partido (NPC), acusándolo de violar las reglas internas y de manejar de forma irregular una reciente votación. En una conferencia de prensa realizada este martes, Panton aseguró que ni ella ni su equipo han recibido información oficial sobre la resolución tomada por el NPC.
“Hasta este momento, no hemos recibido un informe oficial ni extraoficial de nadie dentro del partido. No hemos escuchado del presidente, del vicepresidente, ni del secretario general. No hemos tenido noticias del ex líder del partido. Lo que hemos escuchado es lo mismo que se ha difundido en el ámbito público”, reclamó.
Panton calificó el proceso como antidemocrático y criticó duramente que la resolución se aprobara sin quórum, tanto en la reunión presencial como en la virtual. “Ni siquiera hemos recibido la cortesía de un mensaje de texto informándonos que esta resolución se presentó virtualmente. No tenían quórum en la reunión en persona. No tuvieron quórum en la reunión virtual y decir que estas resoluciones eran resoluciones que se llevaron, porque como vi en uno de los medios de comunicación, había un mensaje del presidente que decía que la votación terminaría a las cinco. Si no te opones específicamente, significa que votaste a favor. Eso es una locura. No es la democracia que conozco. No es la democracia en la que creemos ni la que pretendemos promover o defender”, sentenció la líder opositora.
Con estas declaraciones, Panton deja claro que planea impugnar cualquier resolución adoptada bajo este proceso, profundizando la división interna en el partido.
Panton, intensificó sus críticas contra la dirigencia de su partido al calificar la reciente reunión del Consejo Nacional del Partido (NPC) como un simple espectáculo diseñado para aparentar unidad y reconciliación interna.
Según Panton, la reunión no fue más que un montaje para reforzar una narrativa conveniente, sin aportar soluciones reales a la crisis que enfrenta la agrupación. “La decisión de expulsión fue inconstitucional, ilegal, ilegítima, nula y sin efecto. No sé por qué habría sido necesario un NPC para determinar que no somos miembros del UDP. El juez lo dejó claro la primera vez, y lo dejó cristalino la segunda. Ese proceso, en mi opinión, no era necesario, pero sin duda se usó para reforzar cierta narrativa de que están haciendo un gesto genuino hacia quienes defendemos firmemente nuestra democracia”, declaró Panton ante los medios.
La opositora reiteró que la votación careció de transparencia y quórum, como ya había señalado anteriormente, y afirmó que no permitirá que se manipule la percepción pública sobre la verdadera situación dentro del partido.
Panton, hizo un llamado firme para que el Partido Unido Democrático (UDP) se someta a un reinicio completo de su liderazgo durante la próxima convención de octubre.
En declaraciones contundentes, Panton cuestionó la legitimidad de Jamal Barrow como líder, recordando que perdió su escaño en las elecciones pasadas. “Que quede claro, Jamal Barrow perdió en Mesop. Quedó tercero en una contienda de tres. Y cualquier líder prudente y responsable del UDP respetaría la voluntad del pueblo. Bajo el marco constitucional actual, no puede ser líder del UDP. Perdió su escaño”, afirmó.
Panton instó a la dirigencia y a la base del partido a alinearse con lo que considera correcto constitucionalmente y a escuchar la voz del electorado. “Así que el resto de nosotros en este partido debemos unirnos y mantenernos firme en lo que es constitucionalmente correcto y, más importante, en lo que dice el pueblo de este país, lo que expresó en las elecciones generales y lo que dicen ahora. Necesitamos un reinicio del liderazgo en el UDP, y debemos permitir que ocurra en el menor tiempo posible”, insistió.
Con esta declaración, Panton deja clara su postura: el partido debe renovarse desde la cabeza para poder reconstruir la confianza de los votantes y recuperar su fuerza política.
Minister of Agriculture Jose Mai is weighing in after the High Court granted leaveto the Belize Sugar Cane Farmers Association to move forward with their claim against Belize Sugar Industries Limited and Tate & Lyle Sugars. At the heart of the dispute? Unpaid Fairtrade premiums from the 2021/2022 and 2022/2023 crop years. Minister Mai spoke openly, he says this is about farmers getting what’s rightfully theirs.
Jose Mai
Jose Mai, Minister of Agriculture
“It is about money, money owed to the cane farmers an the farmers want their money. I think the ruling states that Tate and Lyle will be a part of it, they were not dismissed. You were a part of it so you have to stay and be a part of it. The matter is in court and I don’t want to discuss it. But the farmers want their money and at a point in time where the fields are in bad shape, the monies could be well implemented in mitigating and battling the effects of fusarium. We have a very low crop, a very low sugar content so the industry is in very bad shape. The farmers are asking for their money. They want their money.”
En la costa sur de Belize, un grupo de mujeres está cambiando la forma de ver y aprovechar los recursos del mar. Desde la aldea de Placencia, estas productoras encabezan un floreciente movimiento de cultivo de algas marinas que impulsa la economía local, protege el océano e inspira a nuevas generaciones.
“En las cálidas y cristalinas aguas frente a la costa de Belize, una revolución silenciosa está echando raíces, liderada por mujeres”, describe Isani Cayetano en su reporte.
Jalima Gold, presidenta de la Asociación de Mujeres Productoras de Algas de Belize, explica su motivación: “Soy muy apasionada por nuestras aguas aquí en Belize, así que cuando descubrí que se podía cultivar en el océano, despertó mi interés. Algo que se puede cultivar en el mar, en el entorno donde siempre me he sentido cómoda y feliz”.
Belize es pionero en las Américas al transformar parte de su deuda nacional en una herramienta de conservación marina mediante la iniciativa del Bono Azul. Bajo este compromiso, el país se ha propuesto proteger el 30 por ciento de su territorio marino, involucrando a comunidades costeras como la Asociación de Mujeres Cultivadoras de Algas.
Para Alisha Westby, unirse a esta asociación fue un paso natural: “Llevo años escuchando sobre esta asociación, a través de la Sra. Jalima Gold. Ella siempre ha sido una gran defensora, y así, a través de ella, supe que estaban aceptando miembros. No tenía idea de todos los detalles. Ella me sentó y me dijo: ‘Oye, esta es una gran asociación a la que deberías unirte’”.
Más allá de su valor ecológico, las algas ofrecen un potencial económico significativo. Westby, que dirige un pequeño negocio llamado Natural Goddess Scrub, ya planea expandir su línea de productos: “Uso ingredientes totalmente naturales. Así que tiene sentido que eventualmente añada las algas a mis exfoliantes. Planeo empezar a hacer jabones a base de algas para complementar mis otros exfoliantes, una vez que logre descifrar cómo procesarlas para convertirlas en aceites naturales para mis exfoliantes de azúcar”.
Dawn Dean, fundadora de Barranco Botanics, destaca el potencial de esta industria: “Su plan es usar algas marinas en todos los jabones que hacen. Creo que, a veces en Belize, como propietarios de pequeñas empresas, como emprendedores, somos temerosos de compartir nuestros conocimientos sobre cómo creamos lo que creamos. Pero personalmente creo que hay espacio en la industria para muchos más jabones porque, idealmente, todo el mundo se baña todos los días”.
Con cada nueva granja de algas, estas mujeres están cultivando algo más que un recurso: están abriendo puertas y liderando un movimiento que fortalece la economía local y protege los océanos para el futuro.
Something strange is happening out in the farmlands of San Miguel, Toledo, and it’s got farmers scratching their heads. One farmer says rodents are running wild, tearing through freshly planted corn seeds, nibbling on young shoots, and even munching away at pumpkin plants and other vegetables. He says it’s unlike anything the community has ever seen. So, what’s going on? We asked that question to Minister of Agriculture Jose Mai. He told us that while his field officers haven’t yet investigated the reports, rodent activity in farm fields isn’t exactly unheard of. Still, with the damage being described, this might be more than just a typical case of pests.
Jose Mai
Jose Mai, Minister of Agriculture
“Rodents in agriculture are common. Every year they are common. Rodents in stand over cane are common. If you don’t harvest your cane forget it. It is not strange and surprising to anybody. If it is an invasion of rodents I don’t know. What do you call an invasion? If you have ten rats in your field eating a pumpkin, is that an invasion? My technician will have to go and make an assessment and report back to us. But, I have never heard of rodents eating out an entire field. It is like everything. If you have a bushy farm, your corn under overgrown weeds, the rodent will find a suitable place to live so he will live there. If you have a cane field that is bushy and weedy, the rodents will live there.”
There’s movement once again at the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital, where the Workers Union is back at the negotiation table. This comes after hospital management declared a trade dispute over ongoing pension talks. According to Health Minister Kevin Bernard, both the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Finance were present at a key meeting held on Monday. The union walked away with a counter proposal in hand, and they’d promised to respond within the next two weeks. Minister Bernard gave us the latest update.
Kevin Bernard
Kevin Bernard, Minister of Health
“Now the whole issue is those years that laps between 2001 and 2017 in terms of what benefits were lost for that employee, some of them already retired. So yes, I do agree that there needs to be some compensation but that is between the authority and the union. The government is the intermediary in all of this. KHMH is a statutory body. We only regulate the functions of KHMH. The authority has its own mandate. And I am happy that we have seen where cool heads have been able to sit down and negotiate. I know the union wrote a counter proposal. The authority felt it had to go to labor, because there were industrial actions taken hat had to be looked at. The ministry of labor had to step in. They are at the stage where negotiations are taking place. They made a counter proposal to what was being offered by the negotiation team, and I am hoping that within two weeks when they come back, because I am told that at the meeting last week, because I know they had a meeting on Monday where the union said they will take back the proposal that the negotiating team, which involves members from the ministry of finance, the financial secretary is part of the negotiating team, our ministry is part of the negotiating team, the union and the ministry of health. I am told they are going to meet with their membership and come back within two weeks with a response.”
El exrepresentante de área de Collet y exlíder del Partido Unido Democrático (UDP), Patrick Faber, defendió su presencia en la reciente reunión del Consejo Nacional del Partido (NPC) y negó categóricamente haber asistido con la intención de generar conflictos.
Durante una conferencia de prensa, Faber desmintió las versiones que lo acusan de provocar disturbios dentro del encuentro. “Y para quienes creen la narrativa de que fui allí a armar un escándalo. Sé que tú y otros estaban allí. Me vieron llegar a esa reunión y sé que me tomaron fotos. Déjenme contarles lo que realmente pasó, porque la versión que han difundido es totalmente distinta”, sostuvo.
Relató que fue bien recibido por varios asistentes y que permaneció sentado sin causar altercados: *“Fui recibido con abrazos y apretones de manos. Me dirigí a la esquina izquierda de la sala, cerca del podio, y me senté allí, negándome a moverme. Me quedé quieto y soporté los insultos, muy pocos de Michael Peyrefitte, lo cual me sorprendió. Claramente tiene algo personal, porque en la sala casi no habló. Ni siquiera me pidió que me fuera. Fue Alberto August quien me lo pidió, y le dije en voz baja: ‘No me voy, tengo todo el derecho de estar aquí, no he sido expulsado. Soy exlíder, senador principal, tengo todo el derecho de estar aquí’”.
Faber reiteró que, como exlíder y actual senador, mantiene su derecho a participar en los procesos internos del partido, pese a los intentos de algunos sectores de excluirlo.
Earlier, we told you about the government’s public consultation on the proposed Thirteenth Amendment Bill, and it’s a proposal that’s raising concern across the country. The Briceño administration says it’s a necessary move to restore order in communities plagued by crime. But critics argue it could open the door to serious human rights violations. The bill also proposes a new Gun and Gang Court and aims to retroactively legalize past States of Emergency, some of which were previously ruled unconstitutional. So, what does all this mean for your rights and your safety? In this edition of the Five-Point Breakdown, we’re unpacking the key takeaways from the Thirteenth Amendment and what it could mean for Belize’s future.
Kenneth “Big Tom” Flowers
Kenneth “Big Tom” Flowers, Belize City Resident
“These people in the community not even worry about these amendments. Some of them do or some of them don’t care. They don’t even know what it is. You understand? Till when time start knock on their door.”
Britney Gordon, Reporting
Earlier this year, a High Court ruling sent shockwaves across the country. Sixteen men who were detained during a 2020 State of Emergency were found to have been unlawfully imprisoned, and the government was ordered to pay them over three hundred thousand dollars in compensation. But here’s where it gets complicated. In a separate courtroom, another judge ruled that the government’s actions were legally justified. So, what now? Well, the current administration, though not the one that declared the SOE, is now footing the bill. And in response, they’ve introduced the Thirteenth Amendment Bill, a controversial proposal that would make all past states of emergency legally untouchable by the courts. So, what exactly is in this bill? And how could it reshape the balance between public safety and civil liberties? Attorney-at-law Darrell Bradley breaks it all down for us
What is the 13th Amendment Bill?
Darrell Bradley
Darrell Bradley, Attorney-at-Law
“The 13th Amendment seeks to address those things in. Three ways. Number one, it recognizes the declaration of special areas, so you can declare certain areas, special zones it can be areas which cover the entirety Belize, or it can be particular areas. And within these areas, the declaration will be made as a result of emergency situations as a, because of crime, the prevalence of crime. So it’s a crime. Fighting tool that you’re giving the government to deal with certain areas and within those areas, fundamental rights will be suspended during the period of the declaration.”
In these proposed “special areas,” police would be allowed to search, seize, and arrest people without a warrant. That’s raising red flags, especially in neighborhoods that have been repeatedly targeted under past states of emergency. While these tactics aren’t new, writing them into the Constitution would make them much harder to challenge in court. And that’s what has many people worried. One of them is Kenneth Flowers, better known as “Big Tom.” He says he’s been detained under every SOE for the past four years, and he’s concerned this new law could make it even easier for authorities to target people in his community without cause.
“Big Tom”
Who Will be Affected by the Bill?
Kenneth “Big Tom” Flowers, Belize City Resident
“I get victimized by my past. You understand? So that keep me go to jail whenever they have state of emergency, when I even committed a crime. So now I am against it because. A lot of children who are not involved in a crime and they children come on. So I think they should make better decisions because in a country like this, all of us are feeling government failing. Parents, feeling brother, sister feeling the churches are failing. So we should sit down and make better decision because crime have cons. But human have rights.”
Assistant Solicitor General Randall Sheppard says the language of the proposed law will be revised before it’s finalized.
How is the Amendment Different from Current Legislation?
Randall Sheppard
Randall Sheppard, Asst. Solicitor General, Office of Attorney General
“Instead of having the order being issued as we, as I mentioned earlier, the order under the Crime Control and Criminal Justice Act is actually issued by the minister instead of allowing for that, the new provision in the Constitution that is being proposed at section 19 A. It states that the order would be done by the Governor General on the advice of the National Security Council.”
Under the proposed amendment, the power to declare “special areas” would shift from the minister to the Governor General, who must first consult with the National Security Council or the National Advisory Committee. This change is also meant to cover emergency declarations for natural disasters. These states of emergency would be limited to one month unless extended by a two-third vote in the House. But not everyone’s on board. Opposition Senator Sheena Pitts says the bill misses the mark, arguing it doesn’t address the root causes of crime.
Is the 13th Amendment an Effective Solution to Crime?
Sheena Pitts
Sheena Pitts, Opposition Senator
“ What the government is not doing is making the police department properly equipped with the capacity to solve crime. What the government is not doing is identifying areas in which they can strengthen. Crime fighting mechanisms. All they’re doing is taking the heavy handed approach, which is only temporary because a period of emergency is not forever. It is imposed in the first instance for a month, and so all they’re doing is putting a pause of what they feel would be a crime ridden area for one month limit people’s movements and their freedom.”
The People’s Constitution Commission recently wrapped up a full review of Belize’s Constitution, offering reform ideas based on public input. But attorney Darrell Bradley is raising concerns, not just about the bill itself, but about how it’s being pushed forward, despite that broader constitutional review.
Darrell Bradley
“Which quarters of society came up with this? So which quarters of society are clamoring for these kinds of changes? Are you talking about the law enforcement? Are you talking about the police? So again, how do we make laws in society? Do laws emerge organically from civil society agencies, from human rights agencies, from the legal fraternity? Or does the law emerge from the government? And the government comes up with a policy and then the government does consultations. You recently did an extensive public consultation that the people told you what they want to address, and then now we come up with something like this.”
The bill is still in draft mode, and public consultations are playing a key role in shaping what happens next. While many Belizeans are still on the fence, or outright skeptical, the police department is all in. They’re backing the proposal, calling it a much-needed tool in the fight against crime. Britney Gordon for News Five.
