The leaders of the P.U.P. government are about to face some serious scrutiny in the coming weeks for the policies they’ve implemented over the past four years. One person who’s particularly critical of their performance is the Leader of the Opposition, Moses ‘Shyne’ Barrow. He believes that the government’s efforts have fallen short, especially when it comes to improving the quality of life for citizens, which he feels hasn’t gotten any better over the last four years.
Moses “Shyne” Barrow, Leader of the Opposition
“Under the People’s United Party, all of their promises, for the most part, have been broken. The ones that truly counted, which was housing as a human right, which was the improvement of social services, and which was improvement of the economy, we don’t feel those benefits because if you did, all of these different sectors would not be up in arms. It is not me, the Leader of the Opposition, criticizing the government. Every union, for the most part, is criticizing the government as we speak, and not just regular criticism, but to the point where their members are voting to have protests. And that is a reflection that people’s lives have not improved over the last four years.”
Meanwhile, Albert Area Representative Tracy Taegar-Panton didn’t hold back in her criticism of the government, accusing it of displaying a high level of arrogance. She pointed to the recent Senate Hearing, aired two days ago, as an example, highlighting how the Leader of Government Business, Senator Eamon Courtenay, responded to a U.D.P. senator.
Tracy Taegar-Panton, Area Representative, Albert
“I had an opportunity yesterday to listen to parts of the Senate hearing, and when I heard the leader of the government business in the Senate, Mr. Courtney, being dismissive to our representative on the opposition side, the level of arrogance, that is palpable. It is clear that is not what the people of this country are prepared to continue to support. We need leaders with humility, with integrity, and who will take into account the voices of the people.”
During our chat on Tuesday, the Leader of the Opposition didn’t hold back on his thoughts about the P.U.P. administration’s handling of the economy, saying it leaves a lot to be desired. Barrow pointed out that under the U.D.P.’s last term, the economy was in much better shape, and they left behind a strong economy when they exited office in 2020.
Moses “Shyne” Barrow, Leader of the Opposition
“The Prime Minister always talks about the economy. We left a great economy for the People’s United Party. Before COVID, we had years where we were growing the economy at 4.4, 4.2 back to back years. The John Briceño administration has not done that. The only thing they have done is recover the economy that we left. And the United Democratic Party built such a strong economy over the thirteen years. That is why they were able to recover, but the Briceno administration has not gone even close to the growth, the GDP growth that we had through the thirteen years. And you not only think that based on the statistics, but you live that. That is a lived reality, that the cost of living is worse than it has ever been. The quality of life has deteriorated to levels that we have not seen in quite some time.”
Jose Uc Espat, Barrow’s standard bearer for the Albert Division, shared his thoughts on the key issues that need addressing as we head into the elections. He emphasized that political leaders, both past and present, should be held accountable and liable. Espat pointed to the UN Convention Against Corruption, which would hold these officials legally responsible.
Jose Uc Espat, U.D.P. Standard Bearer, Albert
“Cost of living, infrastructure of the whole, the quality of the homes. And I speak of the houses first because the quality of the home is another issue that needs to be addressed. We have a lot of broken homes in this country that is caused by politically driven poverty to have a people in oppression to remain controlled by those in power. That’s not my objective. The only way every one of these: justice, the high cost of living – everything can be fixed, is if its not just a check and balance. We need liability, not only accountability because we have had so many senate inquiries and no one has set one foot in prison nor paid for what they have been found guilty of. So we can’t just have accountability and people know weh di happen. We have to have liability. If yoh da wa minister and you misappropriate certain amount ah money, yoh have to respond to that and yoh have to pay by the law, what you have to pay for misappropriating those monies because decisions made by leader sin this country, they nuh realize it, and their constituents nuh realize it and the people nuh realize it but every decision made by one of these people affects every single one of us out ya. So they have to be held not only accountable but liable.”
This afternoon, the Protected Areas Conservation Trust made a generous donation of over four million dollars to fund projects that will boost climate resilience in Belize. These grants are set to help communities tackle climate change issues like flooding and wildfires. News Five’s Britney Gordon was at the ceremony to get the scoop on how this money will be used and the positive impact it will have on the lives of Belizeans. Here’s her report.
Britney Gordon, Reporting
In 2024, wildfires ravaged hundreds of acres of forest and nearby areas, impacting thousands of Belizeans. These fires are a harsh reminder of the devastating effects of climate change. The Protected Areas Conservation Trust is dedicated to fighting and reducing these impacts. Today, PACT stepped up by donating over four million dollars to climate resilience projects across the country.
Abil Castaneda
Abil Castaneda, Executive Director, PACT
“PACT is currently the only institution in Belize that are credited to both the Green Climate Fund and the Adaptation Fund, which are climate finance mechanisms that provide financing support to countries to build resilience against the challenges and impacts of climate change. So this particular award ceremony was is directly related to the Adaptation Fund. There was a particular mechanism that’s called EDA and Enhance Direct Actions that that are geared towards specifically to fund programs that target community resilience. So it’s more for the local communities to be able to address specific vulnerabilities that they are facing..”
The ten-million-dollar program kicked off on February twelfth, 2024. Now, celebrating its first anniversary, four recipients have committed to using the funds to improve their communities. PACT also plans to award grants to another four organizations in the coming months.
Abil Castaneda
“Today we highlighted four partners. One was the Belmopan City Council. And they are, I’m sure my colleague from Belmopan, here could appreciate the vulnerabilities of Ten Cents Creek. And the idea is that this project will assist in improving the drainage. Infrastructure within the Ten Cents Creek area, and so we hope that will assist them upon to be able to better address flood issues into the future. We also have a partnership with ICA, the Inter American Institute for Cooperation in Agriculture. They received a grant to provide additional support and lending to improve livelihood initiatives within communities across the country. And so that’s not specific to one community that would be funding that would be later sublet to additional communities within the country.”
The Forest Department also received a donation as it is one of the key regulatory departments within the Ministry of Sustainable Development and Climate Change. That project will focus on addressing wildfires in Belize. Sarteneja Village is the final grant recipient of the day. Village Chairman, Paulino Guerrero, expressed his gratitude to PACT for the generous donation of four hundred sixty-four thousand dollars.
Paulino Guerrero
Paulino Guerrero, Chairman, Sarteneja Village
“I feel happy because first time we have this break in our village. Because every year in the dry season we have problem with fire. And now I think that we will have the solution of that.”
Britney Gordon
“What do you plan to invest the money in specifically?”
Paulino Guerrero
“We have the repair the building and some machines for engines for the fire.”
Castaneda reassures everyone that PACT keeps a close eye on how the funds are used, making sure they go towards the intended projects and objectives.
Abil Castaneda
“To be honest with you, to be able to access these funds, PACT as an organization has had to invest a lot in specific policies and procedures and systems that allow us to monitor and evaluate what are the impacts of these. And so we have installed within PACT a project management unit that’s part of our climate finance unit specific to this program. But also as we saw today, there are other elements that are in place. So there is a technical expert team that is there to provide guidance and also a project steering committee that will be providing overall oversight on the program. We do have various mechanisms to be able to ensure that we are meeting our targets. We have about three years or so to finalize these investments. And we need to make sure that we meet all those objectives before the time runs out.”
Guerrero also thanked PACT for their continuous support of the village, noting that PACT also funded its water system.
Paulino Guerrero
“I think the people of my village will be happy because every year, then it’s the ones that suffer the bad moments.”
Election bells went off on Tuesday after Prime Minister John Briceño announced the date for general elections, and political parties are now gearing up for March 12.
Today, the People’s National Party (PNP) officially named Andrew “Lion Truth” Reynolds as their candidate for Belize Rural North, a division long contested by major political parties. Specific details about his background and campaign plans were not shared.
Reynolds will be challenging Marconi Leal Jr., the new Standard Bearer for the People’s United Party (PUP) in Belize Rural North. Just a few weeks ago, Leal Jr. took charge of the division after his father, Marconi Leal Sr., announced that he would not be seeking re-election.
Meanwhile, the United Democratic Party (UDP) is still facing internal turmoil. Tracy Panton told News 5 on Tuesday that her faction is “absolutely prepared” for the upcoming elections, but the party is still yet to see progress in its mediation process.
Panton specifically blamed Moses “Shyne” Barrow, the area representative for Mesopotamia, for the delay. She accused him of having “no interest in sitting and talking” and obstructing the party’s efforts to unify. “If we are in limbo, it is because he is adamant and he refuses to respect the voices of the people,” Panton said.
The frustration among Belizean drivers over delayed vehicle plates, stickers, and driver’s licences may finally come to an end after a prolonged wait. As reported by News 5 in mid-January, many drivers, particularly those in rural areas, have been left without their credentials for months, and in some cases, even years.
The Minister of Transport, Rodwell Ferguson, had said during the Open Your Eyes morning show that his ministry had “made an order for a large amount of license plates, stickers, and cards.” He added that the delay experienced by many drivers would “be an issue of the past” and that “once those license plates are produced and stickers, we can say that the department of transport is on top of that now.”
Yesterday the Ministry of Rural Transformation, Community Development, Labour, and Local Government’s Chief Executive Officer, Valentino Shal, announced on his Facebook that the “major order we have placed is almost ready.”
Albert Ayala, a 27-year-old Belizean, has been arrested in connection with a Sunday night shooting that left a man critically injured on the southwest side of Indianapolis, Indiana, USA. According to CBS4 News, Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department (IMPD) officials confirmed Ayala’s arrest on preliminary aggravated battery charges following an investigation by aggravated assault detectives.
The shooting occurred around 11:01 p.m. in the 7200 block of Vega Way, near Kentucky Avenue. IMPD officers responded to reports of gunfire and found a male victim outside a nearby building with a gunshot wound. He was transported to a local hospital in critical condition after briefly speaking with police.
Detectives split their efforts between the crime scene and the hospital, gathering evidence and interviewing witnesses. One witness heard the shots and saw the victim running toward them, while another spotted a white pickup truck with dual rear-wheel (dually) tyres speeding away from the area. Police are still investigating whether the truck’s occupants were involved.
Authorities have yet to determine the motive behind the shooting. The investigation remains ongoing.
A San Pedro town resident has been missing for several days now, and family and friends are growing concerned as the days go by. According to statements shared by family and friends on social media, Ernesto Lopez has been missing for more than 3 days, and there has been no progress in locating him.
One friend took to Facebook, saying, “Anyone who has seen him or knows his whereabouts, please reach out to me! Ernesto Lopez is like a little brother to me, as we grew up together, and he’s not someone who just goes off without sending me a message!”
He urged that anyone with useful information come forward. “I hope nothing bad has happened to you, bro, and wherever you are, that you’re okay,” he added.
The friend stated that Ernesto was last seen in San Pedro on Saturday night. “His mom is worried and is asking the community of San Pedro if you saw him to please contact us.”
Another of his friends said, “We are all Ernesto Lopez’s real friends. Why haven’t they gathered themselves as friends to make a search? Now is the time to show support.”
Wen laas sohnbadi karek yu Kriol? How gud yu Kriol gud? Noh need fi fret, now- there’s now a revised Kriol-English dictionary right at your fingertips!
This morning, the National Kriol Council of Belize launched the second edition of the Kriol dictionary at the Leo Bradley Library in Belize City. The first edition was released in 2007, and this updated version features new words and revised spellings to more accurately reflect the dynamic culture of Belize. The council hopes that, with this resource, more people will recognise Belizean Kriol as a legitimate language.
Editor-in-Chief Silvaana Udz explained that the dictionary is a tool to encourage young people to stay connected to their roots. She spoke on the importance of making Kriol more accessible, particularly for the youth. She explained that over time, words can evolve and take on new meanings, so compiling all the ways a word is used across generations in one concise book is critical to keeping the language recognised and alive.
This new edition boasts “more than 560 new entries, and a new entry might be a new sense ah the word,” Udz said. “This particular edition has been in the works since 2018,” she added. While the Kriol-English Dictionary is available in print, it can also be accessed for free on the 501 Academy website and downloaded online.
At the launch today, the special price was $35, and physical copies will soon be available at Angelus Press in Belize City.
Udz shared that this is just the beginning, and the team is working on developing an app to make the dictionary even more accessible with just a click or quick search.
The online version will be updated annually, and the third edition of the printed version is already in the works.
