The political climate in San Ignacio and Santa Elena makes for an interesting one all because for the past three years, the Mayor and one of the councillors were U.D.P., while the remainder of the councillors were P.U.P. While that equation brought on its own challenges due to continued internal bickering among councillors and a mayor that did not see eye-to-eye, history has shown that most times, city or town halls that hail from the opposing side have even more challenges when they have to work with a different government. Today, the P.U.P.’s Mayoral candidate for Belize City, Bernard Wagner agreed that having political alignment makes the work easier and that much more can be accomplished, and that the team that he has is one that is formidable with a positive energy.
Bernard Wagner, Mayoral Candidate, P.U.P
“The main thing there is about ensuring that you have a national and a sub-national government working in tandem. That’s what development occurs when you have synchronicity and you have the same energies and you have the sub-national and the national being at the same political persuasion. That’s how development occurs in any modern city. Clearly, the pandemic was always an issue with us getting on track because that really took away from all our resources. I know that has been getting back to where it normally is. And we are confident that we are able to work in tandem with national government to drive development for the city.”
Reporter
“Mayor, specifically on drainage, what is the commitment if you win again?
Bernard Wagner
“Getting back to the basics -drainage. We have done a lot of streets, and drainage is always not sexy, but we want to ensure that we get back to the basics: chopping the grass, digging the drains, ensuring the streets are maintained, the parks are maintained, but never forgetting that we have 730 streets in the city, and some of those still need the occasional repairs. I believe that this team really, have a better type of energy, positive energy, always important in any team. You can’t say what will happen in the future, but you’ll, manage it.”
One of the questions posed to Wagner had to do with the source of campaign financing. The former mayor said that financing for their campaign is not an issue that he is responsible for or tasked to come up with. In fact, Wagner indicated that it is his party’s national entity that is tasked with coming up with the funds for their campaign. And as for the coverage of the campaign, Wagner said that while he could not walk the city’s over seven hundred streets to reach every household, they’ve covered quite a lot by splitting up in groups.
Bernard Wagner, Mayoral Candidate, P.U.P.
“I just do my campaign. That is essentially what I do. I can’t worry about funding, who fund the ads – that is from a national perspective. So I don’t get involved with that. I make sure my energy is focused on the campaign.”
Reporter
Have you reached all divisions now?
Bernard Wagner
“I’ve went to all divisions, I may not have went on all streets. That’s very tough – 700 plus streets but I’ve covered a lot of ground and by splitting up the teams we have been able to maximize our efforts.”
The Belize Tourism Board has embarked on another endeavor towards cultural preservation and community development with the commencement of a Multipurpose Center in San Jose Succotz in Cayo District. The project was launched in collaboration with Cayo West Area Representative Jorge Espat, in order to redefine the landscape of the Maya and Mestizo village of San Jose Succotz. A groundbreaking ceremony was held on Friday, March first, where Jorge Espat spoke on the project’s launch.
Jorge Espat
Jorge Espat, Cayo West Area Representative
“History will continue in the village of San Jose Succotz through building of this multi purpose building and all of you residents and tour guides that at the end of the day, it’s of most benefit to all. Continuing to have a place where we will celebrate our activities, the festivities, weddings, meetings, trainings, and especially the day of San Jose Succotz. This was the area and will continue to be the area where the village will celebrate its day. So this is history and continues to be history. Forty three years we are shy away and twenty days for the anniversary of this specific building, Forty three years and after that we are going to bring state of the art building, something that this village really needs, something that will put Cayo on the map as well. Teaching all that is there to teach of our culture and heritage of this village and villagers. So at the end of the day, I thank each and every one of you for the support that you all had given us.”
The Belize Tourism Board has affirmed its commitment to developing areas throughout Belize in order to elevate their appeal in the hopes of boosting economic development and the preservation of Belize’s culture. As part of this initiative, a Multipurpose Center is to be constructed in San Jose, Succotz. A groundbreaking ceremony was held on Friday, March first, where Minister of Tourism and Diaspora Relations, Anthony Mahler spoke about the importance of these projects beyond just the infrastructure.
Anthony Mahler, Minister of Tourism and Diaspora Relations
“The Cayo district is always among the top three destinations in the country. So it’s very, very important for an industry that generated 1. 2 billion dollars provides so many working opportunities for people, injects the foreign exchange that we get a lot of it. And so almost half of our economy is dependent on tourism. Now, for far too long, the infrastructure that supports tourism has been neglected. Multiple governments, and I’m not gonna say who or what, but they haven’t looked at the physical product. That we sell and say, all right, we need to inject some serious money into this product so that we can sell internationally. For most of it, it has been built organically. No planning, no zoning, no discipline, no structure. We have a beautiful area in San Pedro called Secret Beach that’s just chaotic. We have to corral that. You have Mountain Pine Ridge, again, that poses some opportunities for us, but also some issues that we have to rectify and address as we move forward as disciplined and organized leaders that we work every day to ensure that we make Belize a better place. So these projects that we’re rolling out are just a part of the product building exercise and exercises that we have going on, um, under the Ministry of Tourism and Diaspora Relations and the Belize Tourism Board. Now, a part of that, even though we have to fix the infrastructure, we have to continue to build our people, so training is important. We are going to launch some training initiatives on this side as well during the summer months. And so all of these things create a world class tourism destination.”
Pickstock Criterium Takes Over Central American Boulevard
Goodnight and welcome to another edition of Sports Monday, I am Paul Lopez. Benny’s Belize Hurricanes dominated inside the Belize City Civic Center on Friday night against the Belmopan Trojans. Hurricanes won their game against the Trojans by thirty-three points. The Hurricane’s entire starting five were good for double digits. The same was true for two of their bench players. Sidibe “The African” Bourama, played eighteen minutes and finished the game with sixteen points and nine rebound. Bourama displayed dominance under the rim, especially in the third quarter. 2023 league MVP Victor Evans finished with thirteen points and ten rebounds, contributing the most rebounds for his team that night.
Paul Lopez, Reporting
Amar Ross “The Three Point Boss” played twenty-two minutes of this and finished with sixteen points. He exited the game and went back to the locker room with an injury to his angle. But, soon enough he returned and continued to play. Ross was sixty percent from the three-point line on Friday night. Off the bench, Marquise Cunningham was good for fourteen points and six rebounds. For the Belmopan Trojans, Jevaughn Mckenzie was good for fifteen points and Dartavious Young finished with fourteen points, lead their team in scoring, though they lost the game. After the match we heard from the Hurricanes’ lead scorers.
Sidibe Bourama
Sidibe Bourama, Benny’s Belize Hurricanes
“My teammates are looking for me, Ross and Vick and Cope they are always looking fo the big men. When you run the floor you get awarded with the ball and then after that I just came and play hard you know. I just wanted to come out harder and set a standard because in the first half I got into two quick fouls and I was mad about it but I said I was just going to come out and play hard and if I foul out I foul out and I just go after it.”
Amar Ross
Amar Ross, Benny’s Belize Hurricanes
“I mean it is God honestly. God has been here for me from the beginning. He ishere for me now. He keep me going through it. Even my angle getting rolled, it’s just him that I still have the strength to play through that. Like, so I am just thankful and grateful and blessed.”
Paul Lopez
“Are you concerned any at all about the games coming up, you have a huge game against the Belize City Defenders?”
Amar Ross
“Well I will just say it like this, you all going to see me play. There is no way I am sitting out, so that is it. You all are going to see me play, I will figure it out.”
From basketball we take you to some football action in the Williams Dawson Peace Cup. This weekend we were in Sand Hill Village for the match between Kelly Street and Port FC. This one ended two goals to zero in favor of Kelly Street. Here is how those two goals played out. In the eight minute of the game, Port FC’s goal keeper kicked the ball to his teammate on the right. That player kicked the ball towards his teammate near the goal.
Number eight for Kelly Street applied pressure on the goal keeper, leading to a turnover and placing Kelly Street’s number ten in position to score the team’s first goal of the match, a costly error there by Port FC. The second goal of the match came at the seventy-first minute. Good defensive presence and offensive strategy placed number ten on top of the penalty box to receive the pass. He missed kicked but his teammate was in front of the goal to save the play and make the goal. As we said, Kelly Street won the match.
And finally for tonight, we bring you some highlights from the Pickstock Criterium on Sunday in Belize City. This race followed the Belmopan Cycling Classic that was held earlier in the day and won by Wasani Castro. In the Pickstock Critirium, elite riders raced along the Central American Boulevard from the Pallotti Roundabout to the Hand Roundabout and back for twenty-five laps. Four laps into the race and a small gap has been opened by a group of seven riders as they made their way pass around the Pallotti roundabout. Eleven laps in and the lead has been cut down from seven to four riders.
Among them are Byron Pope, Gregg Lovell and Derrick Chavarria. with eight laps remaining, a group of seven rider, lead by Devonte Bennett is working to bridge that longstanding gap. With six laps remaining Wasani Castro and Giovanni Lovell breaks away from the chase pack and presses in an attempt to bridge that gap. Three laps remaining and Wasani Castro has taken the lead in this one, as his effort pays off. At the finish line, its Giovanni Lovell in first place, followed closely by Wasani Castro in second.
Well Folks that is all we have for you in tonight’s coverage of Sports Monday. Catch you in the next one.
Tonight, there are growing concerns over child safety in primary schools. On Wednesday, we received reports of a child being badly injured by another child while attending classes in Orange Walk Town. An afterschool fight between two primary school children in Cotton Tree Village resulted in a shootout between adults. News Five has learnt that the altercation happened on Wednesday evening. The adult siblings of one of the female minor intervened during the fight. According to an account from one of the adult siblings, the shootout was sparked by a misunderstanding that stemmed from the fight between the two minors. We are informed that the brothers of the second minor confronted forty-seven-year-old Richard Williams, the father of one of the children that were involved in the fight. Armed with a machete and a firearm, they allegedly opened fire at Williams and his children. A police officer was in the area at the time. He returned fire with his license firearm. During the exchange, Williams’ sister- in- law was injured. We spoke with one of Williams’ daughter. Here is what she told us off camera.
Voice of: Witness
Voice of: Witness
“Deh mih have this lee gial and ih sista right and then afterwards, ih sister come and get in a fight with my sister and we end up at Belmopan Police Station. When we come back we mih the come through suh and we sih some bway and deh mih the throw up signs, so we went to the bus stop. When we come back deh seh that how deh mih wah ketch my big bredda, he mih the come from shop. When he run, deh seh sih he deh, but the bally couldn’t lift up the gun. He mih have it on the ground and one fire shot between my breda and sista. And then afterwards he run in the yard then a next one come to my pah and my pah she, do what you have to do. So the two brothers come and took the one with the gun. A man mih the yah and he fire shot after them too and dah suh deh gawn back suh.”
Paul Lopez
“Why were they after your brother if it was two kids fighting initially?”
Voice of: Witness
“Because, they tell lie and seh that dah my breda punch their little sister in her eye and buss it which is nothing like that. I see everything that happened. She was there and had a stick with a nail to hit my little sister and when she lift the stick ih wap ah dah ih eye and when the stick wap ah, she gone her breda deh that dah my breda punch ah.”
Paul Lopez
“It was your uncle’s partner that got shot or what happened to her?”
Voice of: Witness
“She get scratch on her hand and deh seh maybe from a shell.”
An altercation between competing bus drivers in Mahogany Heights has resulted in a conviction of damage to property and a fine being levied on twenty-two-year-old Jeshron Flowers. This afternoon, Flowers, originally from Burrell Boom Village, appeared before the lower courts where he was arraigned on two offenses, including common assault. It is alleged that on Tuesday, Flowers damaged a glass window on a bus belonging to Jeromie Samuels. According to Flowers, when he was passing by Samuels’ bus, the driver accelerated the engine as if to run him over and that’s when Flowers threw a bottle at the vehicle. In court, Flowers wasted no time and admitted to the offense. For his guilty plea, he was imposed two non-custodial sentences. For damage to property, he was fine five hundred dollars and for common assault, he was fined six hundred dollars. Those fines are due by April thirtieth and May thirty-first, respectively, or in default he will spend three months in prison.
The sensational case of thirteen-year-old Fay Lin Cannon who died under questionable circumstances in the care of an American couple living in San Pedro made headlines in 2017. Sixty-three-year-old Anke Doehm was jointly charged along with her husband David Doehm in the wake of the child’s death. Her husband took his own life a few years later and today, Anke Doehm appeared before newly-appointed High Court Judge Derrick Sylvester and a jury of nine persons. The allegations against her is that she willfully neglected Cannon in a manner that was likely to cause injury to her health. Both sides presented oral submissions before the bench, beginning with the Director of Public Prosecutions who addressed the jurors by first showing them three gruesome images showing Cannon’s severely bruised body. The D.P.P. also presented an image that showed an emaciated thirteen-year-old girl who Doehm claims was never neglected. The D.P.P. concluded that Fay Lin Cannon’s death was not an accident. On the other hand, Doehm’s attorney, Adolph Lucas Senior, urged the jury not to believe the allegations made by the D.P.P. and asked jurors to acquit his client because the Crown failed to prove the charge of cruelty to a child. The case against Anke Doehm will be summed up on March fourth.
The International Monetary Fund has wrapped up its Article Five consultation. In its concluding statement, the I.M.F. reported that Belize’s economy has continued to perform well. The report noted continued G.D.P. growth over the last three years, adding that this growth has been led by the expansion of tourism, construction, and the business process outsourcing sectors, among others. The I.M.F.’s report further stated that unemployment has decreased from fourteen percent in 2020 to three point four percent in 2023. The report also provided a positive outlook for Belize’s inflation rate and G.D.P. growth. Today we caught up with, Christopher Coye, the Minister of State in the Ministry of Finance, who told us more.
Christopher Coye, Minister of State, Ministry of Finance
“I think the IMF article four consultations reflect and the concluding statement reflects what we have been experiencing in Belize. We have been experiencing a resurgence of the Belize economy. The growth continues to perform for Belize, relatively well. I think in this last calendar year we experienced an estimated five percent growth. I think they are estimating four point five, Central Bank is estimating the same number. I believe we will outperform that a little bit. But nonetheless, it is around five percent growth. They also highlight our debt dynamics. Our debt fiscal position remains robust. We expect a primary surplus once again this year and the inflation continues to moderate. They are estimating that inflation for 2023 will be a little over four percent, for 2024 it will reduce to a little over three percent and then reduce further to about one point three percent thereafter. The unemployment rate, their estimate is about three percent there about and that we would remain at or above full employment for the foreseeable future. So, all in all, the consultations went quite well and the report indicates how the economy and the government has been performing in a positive way.”
Two weeks ago, the National Trade Union Congress of Belize fired off a letter to the International Monetary Fund, informing that the umbrella organization was boycotting all further consultations with the financial institution. The N.T.U.C.B. stated that its reason for shunning the I.M.F. was because it was simply being used as a checkbox. The congress wrote, “we are deeply troubled by the negative recommendations towards hard-working public sector workers, teachers, police, doctors, nurses, firemen, etcetera The negative impact that the I.M.F.’s interventions have had on the working class, economies, and people of developing countries within the Caribbean and Latin American Region is of serious concern”. Today, Minister of State in the Ministry of Finance, Chris Coye said that the union’s decision was unfortunate.
Chris Coye, Minister of State, Finance
“The IMF tries to have as broad a consultation as possible as it goes through its Article 4 process. In order to put together it’s concluding statement, that concluding statement it provides insight as to how the economy is performing, how the government is doing how the financial sector is doing and, what, they see is likely to occur in the future. So it’s important to become as informed as possible from as many stakeholders in the economy as possible. It’s unfortunate that that meeting did not happen so that the NTUCB could give their, views and opinions. But nonetheless, the work has to go on and ultimately the IMF will produce their report.”
