The United Democratic Party is gearing up for what could be a pivotal weekend.On Saturday, the party is set to host a National Party Council meeting right here at its Belize City headquarters, a gathering aimed at healing internal rifts and setting a clear path forward as the country’s main opposition. But unity may be easier said than done. The meeting is already stirring controversy, with First Deputy Leader Hugo Patt calling it illegitimate and clashing with Party Leader Shyne Barrow, who stepped down and later rescinded his resignation. Earlier this week, we brought you the back-and-forth between Patt and the UDP’s Vice Chairman, and we also heard from Opposition Leader Tracy Taegar-Panton on where she stands. This morning, News Five caught up with Vice Chairman Alberto August, who explained the purpose of the meeting and why some key figures won’t be getting an invite.
Alberto August
Alberto August, Vice Chairman, United Democratic Party
“Why are we doing this? We are right now at the raw stage of organizing our party. We are aware of some opposition out there who might even be protesting the meeting of the National Party Council on Saturday, and they are well within their rights. But what we are saying is that at this raw stage, it would be almost foolish if you invite the opposing elements of this party to a meeting at this point in time. You were there for the last meeting of the National Party Council, we never had this level of rift within the party and that meeting of the National Party Council, sir, as you are aware, did not even go beyond the reading of the agenda for that meeting. It ended up in a total disaster. The chairman had to immediately postpone the meeting. Total disaster. I have heard people saying, well if you want to be inclusive, bring these people together. We are not going to go anywhere at this raw stage in the unification process. So once we have agreed, once the National Party Council agrees to move forward in terms of resetting the party then several things happen.”
As the U.D.P. gears up for its National Party Council meeting this weekend, questions about its legitimacy continue to swirl. First Deputy Leader Hugo Patt has openly challenged the validity of the gathering, but not everyone agrees. We asked Party Chairman Alberto August to weigh in on Patt’s claims. While he chose his words carefully, August made it clear he believes the deputy leader is being misled — basing his stance, he says, on assumptions and innuendos rather than facts.
Alberto August, Vice Chairman, U.D.P.
“I am thinking hard before I respond to your question, simply for the purpose of not wanting to drag this party any farther into where it is. I have nothing but respect for the honorable Hugo Patt. I believe that in this instance, the honorable Hugo Patt was ill-advised. The reason why I say that is because the National Party Council is mandated by the constitution to meet at least once every three months. In other words, four times per year. The National Convention, like I told you just a while ago, is mandated to meet every two years. So, within one meeting of the National Convention the party council would have met eight times. So this is just basically a routine meeting of the National Party Council. Like I said, the National Party Council meets eight times before the National Convention meets. I would have suspected, and of course, it’s in hindsight now, after the fact, for the honorable, first deputy leader of our party to have attended Saturday’s meeting of the National Party Council and on the basis of the information that he receives then makes his decision, either here nor there. But like I said, I don’t want to be dragging the party’s business into the political fray like this, but for the honorable gentleman, for the honorable Hugo Patt for whom I have nuff respect, to have based his decision on assumptions and innuendos, does not speak well.”
The countdown is on for Shyne Barrow’s leadership of the United Democratic Party, at least according to Party Chairman Alberto August. He says Barrow’s time at the helm will officially end on October fifth, when the U.D.P. holds its National Convention. But before that happens, Barrow is making one last major move. He’s proposing a change to the party’s constitution, specifically, Article Eighteen, which currently allows the leader to be recalled at any time, without needing a reason. It’s a bold amendment that could reshape how leadership challenges are handled within the party.
Alberto August
Alberto August, Vice Chairman, U.D.P.
“The leadership tenure of Shyne Barrow, with effect from today, is finite. There’s only one hundred and fourteen days from today to the fifth of October. The honorable Shyne Barrow, under the present situation, cannot, after the fifth of October, even purport to be the leader of the United Democratic Party and I would just leave it at that. Let me explain something to you, the honorable Shyne Barrow can come to the meeting tomorrow and he can propose to the National Party Council that “I want to remain the leader of the party until I die.” Just going to an extreme situation, he can propose whatever he wants, but the national, the constitution of our party, at article eighteen, states that any motion or resolution for amendment to the constitution must be brought to the floor of the national convention, put to a vote and will only pass if a two-thirds majority of those in attendance of the national convention. Surprisingly, in terms of amendment to the constitution, Shyne is proposing one aspect, as far as I know, to amend the constitution and that is, he is saying that he will propose an amendment that will make it difficult for any future leader of the United Democratic Party to have to go through what he went through while he was the leader of this party. What is he proposing? The constitution of our party states, I don’t know how it came in there but that’s another matter, states that the leader of our party can be recalled at any time, for no reason whatsoever. Now in this life dehn tell yoh, man for everything you have to have a reason. Now you are going to constitutionally remove the leader of your party and you don’t have to give no reason. Once you get the requisite amount of signatures then you can move for a resolution to recall your party leader. Shyne Barrow is saying, “Hold on, mein. That is what has us in the predicament that we are in today.”
The National Trade Union Congress of Belize is not holding back. In a fiery press release, the NTUCB is calling out what it describes as a wave of union busting and targeted attacks, including ads and online videos, aimed at discrediting union leaders across the country. The Congress says these actions are more than just political jabs, they’re a direct threat to workers’ rights and to the democratic values Belize stands on. And they’re sending a clear message to both government and employers: the right to unionize is protected by the Constitution, and any attempt to silence union voices will be met with strong resistance. The NTUCB says it’s standing shoulder to shoulder with its affiliate unions and it’s ready to take legal and industrial action if necessary.
Dean Flowers
Dean Flowers, President, Public Service Union
“The Government of Belize, through its press office operatives, have chosen a path of division, defamation, and deception, instead of dialogue. They have launched a taxpayer funded campaign to discredit the joint unions and personally attack my character. This government has once again weaponized the state resources to spread false financial claims about the salary adjustments we seek, aiming to turn citizens against hardworking public officers. They have engaged in union-busting tactics that promote hatred and undermine the dignity of Belizean workers. I call on all right-thinking Belizean to reject these despicable actions. Public funds must serve the people, not finance political vendettas. To public officers aiding the government in these attacks, If you use your position in the press office to attack the unions that is fighting for you, then please do the honorable thing, man. Formally renounce future benefits won by the PSU. Submit a written declaration to the Financial Secretary and please copy in the PSU.”
It’s a classic case of protest and punishment, or at least, that’s how Gerald Henry sees it. After more than twenty years in the Office of the Auditor General, Henry took to the streets this week, picketing against what he calls unfair treatment within the very institution he serves. But just days later, he received a letter, not of support, but of salary deduction. The office claims he’s been habitually late, racking up over nine hundred minutes of tardiness from February to May. That’s now costing him over four hundred dollars. Henry, however, says this is no coincidence, he expected retaliation the moment he went public. So, is this about discipline… or dissent?
Gerald Henry
Gerald Henry, Public Officer
“This has been something that has been an issue throughout the entire public service, especially for officers who reside in Dangriga. There is only one bus you can catch from Dangriga in the morning that is reasonable, which is a six thirty express from James. If you miss that bus it’s all over, because there is no other bus that will get you here for eight. Some public officers, a lot of public officers have been suffering in silence. There is a lot of them that have been forced to catch that five o’clock bus to reach here for sixty-thirty or seven, because there is no other bus. Once you miss that five o’clock you are left to catch six thirty. So it is always full all the way from PG, so there is no room for anyone to get on. This is something that I expected to happen and compared to previous time we have refused to do their bidding, this actually came late. I expected that something would have been done from Tuesday. We did our action Monday morning and we expected Tuesday morning to get something. So I am a little disappointed if you want to put it that way. But it is clearly retaliation against the actions we took for our rights and what we are duly owed. That is just the nature of the public service and the officer w work for currently.”
Henry noted that he was never given any previous warning and there is no justification for the assessment period to begin from February first. He further explained that he has been waiting for two years to have his appraisals done.
Imagine being tasked with guarding the nation’s checkbook, only to be sidelined for trying to do just that. Gerald Henry, a key figure in the Office of the Auditor General, says he’s been benched for standing up against what he believes is an illegal Code of Ethics. And here’s the kicker, he actually agrees with the public’s long-standing criticism of the office he serves. According to Henry, if he were simply allowed to do his job, corruption in public spending could be drastically reduced. So, what’s really going on behind the scenes at the agency meant to keep our government accountable?
Gerald Henry, Public Officer
“I understand my role as a public officer and as an auditor. We should be playing critical roles in terms of the accountability of the public funds. For several years now we have not been doing so. I still remain hopeful that at some point, I was hoping we would have a new auditor general and that the direction would have changed. We are going further in the same direction. So, it is a bit discouraging and I only have a few more years left. Whatever contributions I can make to the country, that is how I see it. People out there won’t understand that I do not assign myself work, I wish I could do that. Trust me, we would not have half the corruption that is taking place over the years. But I cant. I have to wait until I am assigned tasks by the auditor general through my supervisor. That is how it is suppose to be. Unfortunately for the past two and a half years from October 2022 I was not assigned to do a single piece of work in the office. Although we weren’t working, I still had to come all the way from Dangriga, just to clock into the office, do nothing all day and then clock out when there is a telecommuting policy that could have been applied. Since you don’t want me to do any work we will workout that you stay at home until we resolve this thing in whatever way, but no they wanted to punish me.”
The wheels are turning on a bold new vision for Belize’s public transportation system, but not everyone’s on board. The Ministry of Transport is pushing ahead with plans to create a single national bus company, a move that Minister Louis Zabaneh says would streamline services much like utility companies do. But while the government sees efficiency, bus operators are seeing red flags. Since the idea was first floated in May, concerns have been mounting. Now, the Belize Bus Owners Association is demanding transparency, specifically, they want to see the financial blueprint behind this proposed monopoly. And with growing unrest among trade unions, skepticism is only gaining speed. Tonight, we hear from Association President Thomas Shaw, who’s calling for answers.
Thomas Shaw
Thomas Shaw, President, BBOA
“When Rodwell left he was talking about a tier system. He had promised operators a five to ten year permit. What operators are looking at is that they went through this process just to find out now that you want to form a national company of which operators in our meeting, they are saying you are looking at a brand, their livelihood, what they fought for all their lives. It is the only business or industry left that is owned and operated by Belizeans. We look at the sugar industry, we look at the citrus, everything is failing right now, and the crisis with teachers, KHMH, stevedores and it goes on and on. Operators are a bit hesitant with taking heed to this concept. Whenever we are taking about a concept operators want to see something tangible where it is going to benefit commuters, country, themselves and the government on a whole.”
As the government drives forward with plans for a single national bus company, bus operators are hitting the brakes, demanding answers to some tough questions. Chief among them: what’s the backup plan if this grand vision fails? Association President Thomas Shaw says the numbers just don’t add up. Operators currently charge commuters sixteen cents per mile, but he argues the government would need to double that rate to keep a nationalized system running. And now, the association is calling for more than just dialogue, they want the investors behind this plan to come to the table and face the people who know the roads best.
Thomas Shaw, President, BBOA
“We are only hearing about the buying out and who will pay who, but the investors and lending institution, none of them have presented themselves to these consultations and if social security will be a main factor playing a main role in this, because what the operators are saying they listened to the budget and there is nothing put aside for the bus industry. So if there es nothing put aside, operators want to know where the funds will come from and who will in case this thing and at the end of the day they are afraid that this thing does not work and if it falls through what will happen to their investment that they have worked for all these years. One of their concern was that they are finding these firms that will do the appraisals, value these buses, and let us say that an operator has only one bus and they value his bus at thirty-thousand he puts that back into shares, he wants to know how will I survive because operators collect on a daily basis to feed their families pay their light water. At the lowest point you are looking at, some companies you are looking at a million dollars, or over a million dollars if you are talking about James or Westline. They are in a better position because they will have better dividends. Som of them have thirty runs. But we are not only catering to the big operators, there is the small operators as well.”
A rare murder conviction has just been handed down in Belize, and it’s making headlines. Today, twenty-two-year-old Cassian Steve Billary was found guilty of the 2020 murder of nineteen-year-old Micah Baltazar, a case that shocked the nation with its cold and calculated nature. Baltazar was lured to his death under the pretense of meeting a girl, only to be gunned down with seventeen bullets. Billary, who was just eighteen at the time, claimed he acted under duress, saying he was threatened with death if he didn’t pull the trigger. But Justice Candace Nanton wasn’t convinced. She ruled that the evidence, including a detailed police interview, proved intent, and that duress is not a legal defense for murder in Belize. Billary’s mother was visibly shaken outside the courtroom as the guilty verdict was delivered just before noon. He’s now awaiting sentencing, scheduled for July eleventh.
Police officers across the country are now better equipped to respond to mental health emergencies, thanks to a specialized four-day workshop that just wrapped up in Belize City. Hosted by the Ministry of Health & Wellness and the Pan American Health Organization, the training focused on crisis response, giving officers the tools and understanding they need to handle situations involving individuals in the midst of a mental health crisis. We were at the closing ceremony to hear firsthand how this training is reshaping the way officers approach these sensitive encounters. News Five’s Britney Gordon has that story.
Britney Gordon, Reporting
When someone is acting out or behaving aggressively, how the police respond can literally save lives. That’s why this week, officers from the Belize Police Department took part in a special workshop focused on mental health. The objective is to learn how to handle these tough situations with care and understanding. Assistant Superintendent Jane Usher, who leads the department’s training efforts, shared some of the helpful tips she picked up during the sessions.
Jane Usher
A.S.P. Jane Usher, Director of Training, Belize Police Department
“They also gave us coping skills, coping techniques. But what was also very relevant to us was the self-care aspect. They taught us how to deal with our own mental health, how to de-stress and then also how to deliver this so that this training can be cascaded to the larger department. So it was a very total package that they put together for us.”
The training emphasized the use of de-escalation tactics over lethal force to preserve lives and avoid unnecessary injuries. Commander of the National Policing Unit, ACP Howell Gillett, believes this training is long overdue.
Howell Gillett
A.C.P Howell Gillett, Commander, National Community Policing Unit
“Too often, as we’ve seen in the past, we are troubled by the way we treat our people who are with mental illnesses. And sometimes in the past it has been even to the loss of life. And we don’t want that. So what we learn here this week, among other things we learn about de-escalation. Our officers respond to these scenes, how we protect ourselves and protect others, but importantly, how we treat victims with mental illnesses.”
National In-Service Training Coordinator Kenroy Elijio says the key takeaway is knowing how to recognize a mental health crisis in real time — because identifying the signs early can make all the difference in how a situation unfolds.
Kenroy Elijio
Insp. Kenroy Elijio, National In-Service Training Coordinator
“I learned, and it was emphasized and reemphasized that there is such a thing as mental illness. It’s a real issue. It exists and for most people, what would be considered as being mentally healthy is a state of well-being. Mentally. However, there is a spectrum that we looked at, which drifts all the way from being mentally healthy, and then it shows what happens when stress is added, which then moves up to distress. And then it ends up being a mental illness. One of the other things that I took away is that most mental illnesses can be treated and people can be on their way, but the key thing is to try to address it from its early stage and definitely get to the root of the problem.”
Another key component of the workshop was the importance of self-care. Officers were informed that suicide rates within law enforcement tend to spike higher than the general population, opening officers’ eyes to the stress factors that may be impacting their mental well-being.
Deshawn Cabral
Sgt. Deshawn Cabral, Instructor, Belize Police Training Academy
“ What really resonates with me was the topic under stress that had to do with a stress bucket. The stress bucket was just a visual that showed us different stressors that comes into the bucket that is filled. And the coping mechanisms were holes that were placed at the bottom of the bucket. So for example, if you have financial struggles, if you have family issues, if you have problems with management at work, those would be considered the stressors. However, the holes to the bottom were the coping mechanism, what you do to release those stressors. Those were sometimes for us police officers or us to take leave. Maybe to go on a vacation, to spend quality time with our families to do anything that will allow us to relax ourselves so that we can get back on that normal contingency before we move on.”
Officers were taught to handle instances of mental health crises by taking the time to regulate their own stress levels and properly assess the situation before acting. This training is a crucial step towards ensuring that remediable situations do not end in trauma nor tragedy. Britney Gordon for News Five.
