Benita Keme-Palacio - Greater Belize Media

Minister Mai: “The Mill has Not Closed Because of Sugar Roads”

On Wednesday night, the Belize Sugar Industries (BSI) reported that it is temporarily halting sugar production for the 2024-2025 crop season due to poor-quality sugarcane caused by heavy rains. To compound this, the poor road conditions have further exacerbated the situation.

This morning, Minister of Agriculture Jose Abelardo Mai clarified during his appearance on Open Your Eyes that the mill’s closure is due to insufficient cane reaching the mill, not the state of the sugar roads, and called it a “political mischief.”

He explained that excessive rainfall has left fields waterlogged, leading to poor cane quality.

“The mill has not closed because of the sugar roads; 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 bagasse—reserved bagasse—they burn bagasse to generate energy,” Mai said.

With the mill running out of reserve bagasse, the mill “will be forced to close down,” he said, which will “put at risk the entire sugar industry crop for the year 2025.”

Mai added that the sugar roads are being continuously worked on, but unpredictable weather conditions make maintenance difficult. He said, “Climate change is putting a serious beating on the industry.” Given the challenging conditions, he said it was in the best interest of all parties—the cane farmer, the sugar mill, and the government—to halt the season and wait for better weather to resume production.

He also projected this year to be “a very bad year for the cane farmers,” stating that the compounding affecting sugarcane quality also includes the current Fusarium fungal disease affecting sugarcane fields.

Tracy Panton Announces Candidates for General Election 2025

The Alliance of Democracy under the United Democratic Party (UDP), led by Albert Area Representative Tracy Taegar-Panton, has officially launched its campaign for the upcoming March 12 general elections.

This morning, Panton revealed that 13 candidates are under her leadership, with one new addition confirmed this morning. On Friday, the Belize High Court ruled in favour of Panton, dismissing two contempt claims from Moses ‘Shyne’ Barrow. Despite multiple attempts to mediate, Barrow refused every time, and Panton said that the “ship has sailed.”

Panton said her team tried their best to mediate and keep things united for as long as possible. However, the final chance for unity will be on Monday, Nomination Day.

With the 2025 general elections just around the corner, Panton said that her faction “seeks to successfully contest the general elections.”

Panton who is running as the candidate for Albert, unveiled her slate of candidates “running for the United Democratic Party in 14 constituencies.”

In her address, she stated that her candidates will take on their opponents, no matter what “incentives” their opponents may offer.

Here’s her list of candidates:

Lee Mark Chan—Mesopotamia

Second Deputy Leader, Beverly Williams—Belize Rural Central

Patrick Faber—Collet

Godwin Haylock—Queen’s Square

Manuel Heredia—Belize Rural South

Denny Grijalva—Orange Walk Central

Dr. June Young—Cayo South

Marlo Perera—Orange Walk East

Ivan Williams—Stann Creek West

Cecil Jenkins—Lake Independence

Phillip Willoughby—Port Loyola

Andrew Bradley—Caribbean Shores

John Saldivar—Belmopan

Hernan Riverol—Corozal Bay

Belize Has 3 New High Court Commissioners

Chief Justice Louise Esther Blenman officially swore in three new Commissioners of the High Court of Belize: Errol Norman Flowers, George Lincoln Gomez, and Mr. Ion Cacho Sr.

The ceremony marks the beginning of their important roles in serving the legal community and the people of Belize.

In a statement, the court stated, “The Honourable Chief Justice and the Senior Courts of Belize extend best wishes to the newly appointed Commissioners of the High Court as they embark on this important responsibility in service to the people of Belize and the legal community.”

Commissioners are tasked with taking affidavits and declarations in legal matters. When granted special permission by the court or a judge, they may also conduct witness examinations or accept document submissions. If assigned a specific duty by the court and authorised to do so, a commissioner can also exercise certain powers typically held by a judge.

Long-Awaited License Plates and Stickers To Be Distributed

The long wait is finally over. A week after CEO Valentino Shal announced on his Facebook that the “major order we have placed is almost ready,” the Department of Transport has officially announced that it is launching a nationwide distribution of license plates, stickers, and driver’s license cards for individuals who have already made payments.

News 5 had reported previously that many drivers, particularly those in rural areas, had been left without their credentials for months, and some even for years.

The distribution will kick off today in Belmopan, Spanish Lookout, and Santa Elena. Tomorrow, it will shift to Belize City, followed by Corozal and Orange Walk on Monday. Finally, residents of Dangriga, Independence, and Punta Gorda can collect their items on Tuesday.

Customers will need to present their receipt as proof of payment and the original Certificate of Title to collect their license plates. Additionally, they must pick up their items from the same office where the payment was made.

The Transport Department added that all offices will remain open during regular working hours, including the lunch hour, on these scheduled dates.

During his appearance on the Open Your Eyes morning show, Transport Minister Rodwell Ferguson explained that the delays stemmed from an ordering issue, not a shortage of supplies. He stated that this “will not happen again on my watch.”

Convicted Criminal Hurls Fan at Magistrate

Tensions flared at the Punta Gorda Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday when prisoner Mason Kelly attacked Magistrate Sashawna Jody-Ann Thompson. Kelly has a history of violent offences, including burglary and attempted murder. He lashed out during his court appearance.

According to police, Kelly was arraigned at 3:30 PM on Wednesday, February 19, where Magistrate Baha Shoman appeared virtually. Kelly recently completed a 15-year sentence for attempted murder and pleaded guilty to contempt of court. He denied the aggravated assault charge, claiming he threw a fan but did not aim it at the magistrate.

Magistrate Shoman accepted the guilty plea for contempt of court and imposed a fine of $175.00 or six weeks imprisonment. The aggravated assault case was adjourned to April 16.

It has been reported that the out-district magistrates are left to fend for themselves without proper security measures in place.

Belize Prepares for Online Criminal Records Registry Launch

Sixteen Belize Police Department officers are now at the forefront of modernising law enforcement and public service as they successfully completed training on the new Online Criminal Records Registry (CRR). The training was held on Friday, February 14, at the National Police Training Academy.

In a statement, it said that this new system will allow the public to apply, pay, and receive police records entirely online, enhancing convenience and transparency. It said, “This initiative focused on the effective use of the Online Criminal Records Registry (CRR) system, with sixteen participants successfully completing the training.”

Supported by both the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Ministry of Public Utilities, this initiative is expected to transform record-keeping and governance in Belize. The trained officers will be passing on their expertise to peers across the country.

EBC Rejects Omar Figueroa’s Request to Remove 124 Voter Names

Back in December, UDP’s Cayo North Standard Bearer, Omar Figueroa, alleged electoral fraud and called on the Election and Boundaries (EBC) to remove 124 names from the constituency’s voter list. On Monday, the EBC issued a statement reaffirming that there has been no electoral fraud and that all voter registration processes comply with the Representation of the People Act.

Orlando Espat, EBC Commissioner, said today that the situation is far from settled and that the People’s United Party is appealing the decision, which prevents the commission from removing the names.

“Well, just remember, it is an appeal. So, if you go to court and the magistrate or the high court tells you they find you guilty and sentence you, but you launch an appeal, there is nothing you can do until the Court of Appeal listens to it,” Espat said.

Espat explained that the matter is now in the hands of the High Court. “We cannot remove any elector and disenfranchise them from the voters list without the authority of the High Court. If they say keep them, we keep them,” he added.

Espat explained that until the appeal process is resolved, those 124 names will remain on the list.

What will be the Symbols to Differentiate the Two UDP Factions?

On Tuesday, the Elections and Boundaries Commission (EBC) ruled that Moses “Shyne” Barrow and Tracy Panton will both appear on the ballot in the traditional United Democratic Party (UDP) red, but with different symbols.

Election Day on March 12 is drawing near, and this decision has raised major questions.

EBC’s Commissioner Orlando Espat weighed in on the growing colour dispute between the two factions of the UDP. Espat confirmed that both sides of the UDP have requested the colour red for the upcoming election ballot. Espat told reporters this morning that “in the case that the political parties cannot agree with a colour, then there’s a section in the representation of the People’s Act that empowers the commission to assign colours or symbols to the political parties.”

Espat added, “What is confirmed is that the two sides will get red on the ballot. What is not confirmed yet is the symbol that they will choose to put on the red.”

While the choice of colour remains settled, the question of symbols is still up in the air. Espat said that the party members will need to return next week with a symbol to distinguish between the two.

But will UDP supporters march to the polls and get confused at the moment of casting their vote? Espat acknowledged the potential for voter confusion, stating that “it is the duty of the political parties to educate people too. It’s not only the duty of the Elections and Boundaries Commission and the department.”

Espat also clarified that while it’s unlikely, a faction could technically request a different colour on nomination day. However, once nominations are in, the EBC will begin the major task of preparing the ballots, and it would be too late to make last-minute changes.

Muddy Fields Disrupt Sugar Production

Belize Sugar Industries (BSI) has temporarily halted sugar production for the 2024-2025 season due to ongoing challenges caused by heavy rainfall and poor road conditions. Since October, consistent rains have severely affected both the quality and quantity of sugarcane, which has made harvesting difficult.

BSI’s Communications Director, William Neal, told the media today, “We’ve been having rains since October, and that has made it extremely difficult in terms of the field conditions for farmers.” He added, “The amount of mud and the difficulty that farmers have to extract their cane makes it extremely difficult.” Williams stated that feeder roads to the fields have worsened, which has contributed to the strain in the delivery process.

He added that the situation at the factory is no better, as it struggles to handle the excess mud brought in with the cane. Neal said that “it’s not a good time to be harvesting” because the additional effort required to process poor-quality cane makes the operation unsustainable. “The cost in terms of what we’re spending to try and extract sugar from cane that has very poor quality at this juncture, simply because the rains have been so consistent, makes it just not viable for us to continue,” Williams said.

24-Year-Old Woman Raped by Male Cousin

Police are investigating a case of rape reported by a 24-year-old woman in the Cayo District.

The victim reported to the police that the incident happened on Sunday, February 16, around midnight. Police say that the woman reported socialising, during which her cousin offered her a ride home.

According to the woman, the cousin did not take her home. Instead, he reportedly took her to a secluded area and abused her against her consent.

Police have not yet released the identity of the alleged abuser.