NTUCB Backs Protest, But Will Lawmakers Be There To Listen?

The pressure is building, but will it reach the people protesters want to hear it? The National Trade Union Congress of Belize is backing Friday’s “Enough is Enough” demonstration, throwing its weight behind demands for relief from rising living costs, better governance and action on long-standing national concerns. But the timing is raising eyebrows. The protest is scheduled for a day after the House of Representatives meets, meaning lawmakers could be gone before demonstrators take their message to Belmopan. NTUCB President Ella Waight says the unions are encouraging participation, but after learning that the House meeting is set for Thursday, she says organizers will have to decide whether to change course or stick with Friday’s protest.

 

Ella Waight, President, National Trade Union Congress of Belize

“Some of the presidents will be out there on Friday. CW has asked our members who can, especially those in Belmopan, to show up on Friday. And not just because of the Enough is Enough protest, but because, remember, we still have our eleven demands that we are campaigning on. It’s taking us a long while. There are some things and then some aspects of the eleven demands that will not happen overnight, will not happen in six months. But if we keep pressure on them, we keep pressure on these demands, one day they will change, especially when we talk about the structure of PUC, when we talk about the structure of BTL. We have to ensure – it’s not my fight, I may not be president anymore, whichever president comes along, keep up this fight. That is the only way we will promote good governance and ensure that you, we, the citizens of Belize, control these entities so that they act on behalf of us.”

 

Shane Williams

“But there’s an issue Ms. President and I’ve heard you repeated it and I’ve heard others, and I think the permit for protest is on Friday. But the house meeting is set for November 12th, which is a Thursday.”

 

Ella Waight

“Thursday. I have not heard of that. I am communicating with the leader, one of the leaders of the, um, uh, Enough is Enough. She told me Friday, so that is where we’re,  we’re acting -Remember, we’re just lending our voice to them. We do not have any bond. We have not gone to get any permission to protest. We are lending our voices to them. Okay. So they would have to get that sorted out. Or if they still insist on doing it Friday.”

 

Attention readers: This online newscast is a direct transcript of our evening television broadcast. When speakers use Kriol, we have carefully rendered their words using a standard spelling system.

 

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