The back-and-forth between Police Commissioner Doctor Richard Rosado and PSU President Dean Flowers took center stage recently and now, Minister of Home Affairs Kareem Musa is weighing in. According to Musa, Flowers fired the first shot in this war of words. So, should the top cop even be involved in a union dispute? And what does the minister think about those bold ads targeting union leaders? We put those questions to him today. Here’s his response.
Kareem Musa
Kareem Musa, Minister of Home Affairs
“Well the Belize Police Department and Doctor Rosado are not creating any sort of ads or attacking the unions. So let us not try to bridge those two or combine those two together. I believe those are political ads. If you look back at the history of how this all started I believe that Mr. Flowers was personally heavily attacking the commissioner of police calling him a bully and puppet, which is unreasonable in my opinion. Dr. Rosado was only acting in the most professional capacity. I think they handled all the demonstrations quite professionally. Obviously the one in Dangriga went on a bit longer, went on for almost two hours and of course the police department has a responsibility to commuters and citizens. That situation got a little tense obviously. The commissioner was able to sit down with the unions after that and they were able to make peace. The commissioner has aways been open to honoring the unions’ request when they want to peacefully protest, it is just that there has to be this level of cooperation and understanding which the unions have since demonstrated.”
In a gripping courtroom moment, Yenie Alberto, the sole surviving witness in the Ramnarace family triple murder, took the stand to describe the terrifying events of New Year’s Eve 2022. Alberto, the common-law partner of victim David Ramnarace, recalled a peaceful evening spent with David, his brother Jon, Jon’s wife Vivian, and their baby at the couple’s home in Maya Mopan. They were cooking, chatting, and playing games—just enjoying the holiday. But everything changed when the dogs started barking. Jon and David stepped outside to check, and Alberto followed. She noticed someone walking toward them but didn’t get a good look. Moments later, Vivian joined them at the door. As Alberto turned to speak with her, gunshots rang out. Alberto said she instinctively pushed Vivian inside and tried to shut the door. She was shot in the stomach and collapsed in the living room. Despite her injury, she managed to escape through the back door and hide. She later ran to a neighbor for help and was rushed to the hospital. Under cross-examination, Alberto admitted she couldn’t identify the shooter, only describing the person as dressed in black. Defense attorney Doctor Lynden Jones questioned whether the group initially mistook the gunfire for New Year’s fireworks. Earlier in the day, three medical professionals testified. Two doctors confirmed that Vivian was alert and coherent in the days following the shooting. A mental health expert also spoke about helping Vivian prepare to tell her daughter about her father’s death. The final witness was Justice of the Peace Catherine McKenzie, who supervised Vivian’s police statement before her death. That statement, which reportedly names the shooter, will be examined in court tomorrow. The trial continues before Justice Nigel Pilgrim.
A major drug bust in the heart of the city—police have taken over seventy pounds of suspected cannabis off the streets. It happened just after midday during a joint anti-drug operation in the King’s Park area of Belize City. Officers executed a search at a residence and made a surprising discovery: thirty parcels of suspected cannabis hidden in two containers—one of them a black plastic barrel. At the center of it all? A twenty-four-year-old Belizean woman, Rebecca Marlene Daniels, who was at the home during the search. She’s currently unemployed and now facing serious questions from the authorities.
There’s a new constitutional amendment on the table and it’s got people talking. Critics, from the National Trade Union Congress to the opposition and defense attorneys, are sounding the alarm. They say it could lower the bar for declaring a state of emergency and open the door to government overreach. But Minister of Home Affairs Kareem Musa is pushing back. He says the Thirteenth Amendment isn’t introducing anything new, it’s simply giving constitutional backing to a law that’s already on the books. In fact, he points out, the language comes straight from a 1993 law passed by the United Democratic Party. So why the outrage now? Musa argues that critics may be forgetting their own history.
Kareem Musa
Kareem Musa, Minister of Home Affairs
“As you know this is now going to be the thirteenth amendment to our constitution, which obviously is a very limited amount of constitutional amendments that have been made since our independence. What we have to understand is that whenever you are making and amendment to the constitution, whether for better, or in some cases, you might consider it to be worst, there will be criticism from various entities, especially the opposition. But if you ask me, fisherman will never say their fish stink, because when you look at the state of emergency that came under scrutiny in the high court, that was a state of emergency that was instated by the UDP. So now we are having to defend that. But then you see the opposition condemning the SOE and criticizing this legislation, but what we have to understand is that this legislation is in large part, if not wholly a migration of an existing law. So if you look to the 1993 passage of the legislation in the crime control and criminal justice act, it is the exact language that you see in there that is now being migrated into the constitution. So this is a law by the United Democratic Party. I don’t think they realize that, that this is their legislation. So it is just giving it that extra protection cloak by enshrining it in the constitution, which will make it less open to being attacked constitution, because it now forms part of the constitution.”
Does embedding this law in the Constitution protect public safety, or does it make it harder to challenge in court if it’s ever misused?
The proposed Thirteenth Amendment is stirring up serious debate in Belize. The government says it’s about tightening laws around states of emergency, especially in areas hit hard by crime. But critics, like returning U.D.P. Chairman and attorney Mike Peyrefitte, are raising red flags. Peyrefitte argues that no law should block people from accessing the courts. In his view, if someone believes their freedom has been taken unfairly, they must have the right to challenge it in court. Anything less, he says, could be unconstitutional. So, here’s the big question: Can a government strengthen public safety without weakening individual rights? And if courts are the last line of defense for our freedoms, should any law limit access to them?
Mike Peyrefitte, Returning Chairman, U.D.P.
“I don’t know that you can write any law, I think that’s well established, that could prevent access to the courts. I think the court’s original jurisdiction to hear all matters would naturally, in my view, make that law unconstitutional or illegal. I believe it’s well established that no law can be passed to say [that] you cannot take a matter to court. I think all matters could be taken to court for which the court for which the court would have jurisdiction. Certainly, if someone is deprived of their liberty and they believe that it’s being done in a wrong way, I cannot imagine the court saying that they will not hear them, or hear their issues and make a determination on it.”
As this amendment moves through parliament, it’s not just a legal issue, it’s a test of how we balance justice, safety, and democracy.
A major telecom showdown is brewing—Smart’s parent company, SPEEDNET, is taking the Briceño administration to court. The company has been granted judicial leave to challenge two government contracts awarded to BTL, claiming they weren’t even given a chance to bid. One of those contracts is tied to the Ministry of Education’s ConnectED program, and another was signed just this year. But that’s not all, SPEEDNET is also going after the Ministry of Home Affairs over a CCTV contract. Today, we asked Minister Kareem Musa for his take on the legal battle.
Kareem Musa
Kareem Musa, Minister of Home Affairs
“I have not seen it. I was informed by the AGs ministry yesterday so I am hoping to have a meeting with the AG and the council over at the AG ministry to over what the letter, because I don’t think it is a claim, I think it is a letter of action, so I want to have a chance to review it with the attorney general before discussing it.”
And in other contract news—this one’s not heading to court. Minister of Home Affairs Kareem Musa has confirmed that the owners of ISecurity and Four Diamonds won’t be suing the government, despite their airport security contract being cancelled. Instead, the contract is going back to tender. So, it’s back to the drawing board for airport security services.
Kareem Musa, Minister of Home Affairs
“I think there were certain rules and regulations within the act that were not confirmed with. So those security contracts, they have come out of them and as I understand it, the parties who were awarded the contracts are not intending to sue. So that is a good result, but as your rightly said, the prime minister has clarified that point, it did not go through the proper tendering process. So, it is now going back to tender.”
A senior police officer, Aaron Guzman, is set to earn seventy thousand dollars a year, plus a government vehicle, for serving as an advisor to the C.E.O. of the Ministry of Home Affairs. The deal is raising eyebrows, especially as public scrutiny over government spending grows louder. Critics are asking: Is this a smart use of taxpayer money, or just another example of questionable government contracts? But Minister of Home Affairs Kareem Musa says there’s nothing unusual here. According to him, these kinds of contracts are standard practice across ministries.
Kareem Musa
Kareem Musa, Minister of Home Affairs
“It is not anything new. These government contracts exist in all ministries. Obviously the CEO comes from an administrative background, not a policing background. So having the type of advice and council from a senior like Aaron Guzman has been very valuable to the ministry and valuable to the CEO in the conduct of her duties.”
Still, the question remains: Should taxpayers be footing the bill for this kind of advisory role? And if it’s so common, should there be more transparency about how these contracts are awarded and evaluated?
Belmopan is about to become the new hub for climate action in the Caribbean. The University of Belize’s main campus will soon be home to the new headquarters of the Caribbean Community Climate Change Center, also known as the 5Cs. Ground was officially broken today, marking the start of a major project on five acres of UB land. And it all comes as the 5Cs celebrates twenty years of leading the fight against climate change. News Five’s Paul Lopez was there and brings us this report.
Paul Lopez, Reporting
Today, the University of Belize and the Caribbean Community Climate Change Center broke ground for the construction of 5Cs headquarters on UB Belmopan Campus. An official groundbreaking ceremony was held at the location in tandem with the 5Cs’ twentieth anniversary. Executive Director at 5Cs Dr. Colin Young says it’s a mutually beneficial partnership.
Dr. Colin Young, Executive Director, CCCCC
“This is going to a mutually strategic partnership where the 5Cs will assist UB to develop a center of excellence, have climate change programs, provide scholarships and training for faculty and students and the 5Cs will also assist with resource mobilization to assist the university.”
The event saw the presence of a Caribbean delegation, including Prime Minister of Saint Lucia Phillip Pierre. Prime Minister John Briceño was also present to give remarks and participate in the ceremonial groundbreaking.
Prime Minister John Briceño
“For me it is a sense of accomplishment. As I have said before, the climate change center, when the 5Cs agreed to come to Belize, I was the deputy prime minister, and we worked several years along with the prime minister back then to get the support from the Caribbean to put the 5Cs in Belize. Now we can look back and realize that yes it is the right decision. Belize has everything. It is a living laboratory where you can go from the sea all the way up to the mountain and the forest, the wildlife, fisheries, the marine life. We have everything here. Twenty years later, as the prime minister, it gives a sense of accomplishment to see that something that you started off has come to this.”
It was a full-circle moment today at the University of Belize, as UB President Dr. Vincent Palacio called it a ‘homecoming.’ Two decades after the Caribbean Community Climate Change Center first started in a small room on campus, the university is now breaking ground on the center’s brand-new headquarters, right back where it all began.
Dr. Vincent Palacio, President, University of Belize
“So now look at us today, breaking ground for the headquarters. I say to 5Cs, welcome back home. Today marks a significant step forward in how we prepare our nation and region for the climate challenges ahead. The University of Belize has allocated five acres to the 5Cs because we understand that education must engage with national development. Climate change is not an abstract issue, it is here and our response must be rooted in institutions that serve.”
Saint Lucia’s President Phillip Pierre also took to podium to share a few remarks.
Prime Minister Phillip Pierre, Saint Lucia
“I see it as the start of the construction of a center of excellence. a center where there can be a part from the regular things that happens in these buildings. A center where there can be rigorous intellectual debates, a center of research where we can sit with our academics, intellectuals, people in the forefront of climate change and work to get some homegrown solutions to the climate crisis.”
The Caribbean Community Climate Change Center will continue to celebrate its twentieth anniversary throughout the course of the week. Tonight, an award ceremony is being hosted in Belize City. Reporting for News Five, I am Paul Lopez.
Today’s not just another day at sea, it’s International Seafarers Day, a time to recognize the unsung heroes who keep global trade moving and our shelves stocked. Right here in Belize, efforts are underway to make sure every vessel in our waters is not just seaworthy, but safe for the hardworking crews on board. The Belize Port Authority and IMMARBE have teamed up for a two-week training focused on flag safety procedures. News Five’s Britney Gordon was on the ground to bring us the full story.
Britney Gordon, Reporting
Before any ship sets sail, it must pass a serious safety check and that includes meeting international standards tied to the flag it flies. For vessels registered under the Belizean flag, that means strict compliance with global maritime and environmental rules. To make sure those standards are met, the Belize Port Authority and IMMARBE have teamed up with experts from the Italian Shipping Academy for a special training right here at home. Acting Ports Commissioner Kaylon Young says it’s a big step forward in keeping our waters and our crews safe.
Kaylon Young
Kaylon Young, Acting Ports Commissioner
“Internationally we are obligated to inspect vessels. And that’s from flag state perspective and coastal State perspective. So vessels that fly oil flag internationally, they must be inspected by IMMARBE. And the foreign vessels that come into our waters must be inspected by the Belize Port authority. We don’t have these trainings here in country, so we often have to send people outside of the country to do these training and get this technical expertise. What we’ve done now is to maximize on our on our resources and brought this, brought the Italian institution here to Belize to come and train the participant’s”
The International Merchant Marine Registry of Belize (IMMARBE), which facilitates the registry of vessels under the Belizean flag, plays a crucial role in ensuring that these vessels adhere to conventions, laws and regulations that Belize has in effect. Kenisha Allen, of IMMARBE, says that the organization jumped on the opportunity to strengthen their inspection capacity.
Kenisha Allen
Kenisha Allen, Office Administrator, IMMARBE
“We’re sister companies, I guess that’s the term that we can utilize. With the International Maritime Organization, Belize is a member state. Being a part of that organization, you have the flag, which is the registry, the port and coast. So we’ve all integrated into ensuring that we all have similar types of training and collaboration for different maritime events, such as the Day of the Seafarer, which is today June twenty-fifth, and is celebrated globally.”
The Italian Shipping Academy typically trains a limited number of participants through the International Maritime Safety Security and Environment Academy department. This year, the organization wanted to increase the number of participants they were able to reach by travelling to Belize for the session.
Carmen Giordano
Carmen Giordano, Italian Shipping Academy
“The Italian Shipping Academy I.M.S.S.E.A. department is used to provide for vocational courses on maritime safety and security issues according to the IMO models, with the IMO collaboration with the IMO. I.M.S.S.E.A. is born on 2009. So since that date we are going to provide for this kind of course. And when IMMARBE and the Belize Port Authority reached us out for asking us for expertise and to improve the capacity building of their officers, we always, we directly said yes. Absolutely, yes.”
The academy built a model course tailored specifically to Belize’s needs to identify inefficiencies and promote safer, cleaner shipping procedures.
Kaylon Young
“For ships that come into Belizeans waters, we have to ensure all their emergency equipment are open park emergency, fighting gears, emergency generator. If the ship loses power, we have to ensure that the ship has sufficient means to regain back its power. If the ship loses steering. We have to ensure that the emergency steering is functional. We have to ensure if there’s a fire board, the ship has the capacity to fight this fire board. We have to ensure that the ships are not polluting discarding any pollutants in our waters. And so this training helps us to develop that capacity to know what to look for. So when we go and do our inspections, we are more equipped with the knowledge and the expertise to ensure the safety of our resources.”
This training is not just about technical procedure, it is about preserving lives and ensuring the Belize is doing its part to create safer waters globally. Britney Gordon for News Five.