Unions “Bury” Corruption

Today marks seventeen consecutive days that the unions have been on strike. This is historic. No union in Belize has ever undertaken strike actions for such an extended period. On Monday, we saw main thoroughfares across the country being blocked by protestors and now, protesters are getting more creative in their attempts to get public support.  Today, mock funeral processions were held across the country. News Five’s Paul Lopez has that report.

Dean Flowers, Vice President, P.S.U.

“For the last forty years what we have seen is that the politicians have been married to corruption and we are saying to them symbolically today that we are putting corruption to death and we want them to now come with transparency, good governance, accountability and provide us with the enabling power to whistle blow when it is we see corruption attempting to rare its ugly head again.”

Paul Lopez, Reporting

Teachers and Public Servants marched through the streets of Belize City dramatizing a funeral procession. The deceased is symbolic, corruption personified.

Tanya Flowers-Gillett

Tanya Flowers-Gillett, B.N.T.U. President, Belize District Branch

“Today if you notice we have our coffin symbolizing the death. We hope to bury, corruption, nepotism, all the negative things that are bringing our country down as we stand for good governance.  We got to stand strong, so that those people in Government will hear us. Hear what we are standing for. We know the 10 percent is out there and it is going to affect a whole lot, in fact almost all Belizeans, especially the poorer class of society.”

Gail Garcia

Gail Garcia, P.S.U. Chair, Belize District Branch

“Without the unions, who will be there to hold the government accountable? Without us, who will be there?”

These processions were held in similar fashion across the country, including the City of Belmopan, Orange Walk and Dangriga towns.

Dean Flowers

“We will not sit idly, quietly, and idly by going forward when we see corruption. We will be calling it out. I have a whistleblowers sign. This is especially important to me as a public officer. We will be actively pursuing to ensuring that corruption is buried.”

Dean Flowers

Paul Lopez

“Is corruption really dead?”

Tanya Flowers-Gillett

“If it’s dead? No its not, so we want to let it die today. That is what we are fighting for. Please stop the corruption because this is what have us where we at right now.   We are talking about all those individuals that have a hand in the corruption of this nation. So whichever political party, whoever you are, and you have a hand, taking what is not yours, that is it right there.”

Reporting for News Five, I am Paul Lopez.