Protestors take to the street about national issues

The issues were many, but the size of the crowd was not as weighty. Many politicians as well as activists joined Saturday’s protest in downtown Belize City, organized by COLA. News Five’s Jose Sanchez covered this story.

Jose Sanchez, Reporting

About one hundred and fifty to two hundred protestors joined the march through the principal streets of Belize City.  Their message was to voice dissatisfaction on a myriad of issues such as crime, dialysis, justice, dams, and borders.  The main cause célèbre was Belize Natural Energy’s oil revenues.

Jose Sanchez

“When it comes to oil sharing, how much should the government be collecting?”

Mark Espat, Deputy Leader of the Opposition

Mark Espat

“As you know I have advocated for as high as seventy cents. Certainly, I think fifty percent of gross would be reasonable. Seventeen point four cents is outrageous, scandalous. This administration has had two years to do something about it and they have done nothing. I’m glad more Belizeans are on to what his happening. We need that kind of activism if we are going to turn that around.”

Jose Sanchez

“When you look at that Belfast article, Susan Morris’ comments made it seem as if Belize is being saved, as if it is now an oil independent nation.”

Mark Espat

“Well, clearly we’re not. Last year we spent over two hundred million dollars importing oil. You and I and Belizeans are paying more than we have for a very long time at the pump. In fact, in this year’s budget more than thirty million dollars tax increase was levied on the Belizeans so it is exactly the opposite. The fact is that tens of hundreds of millions of dollars that should be rightly going to the coffers of the people are going elsewhere and it is a situation that requires immediate redress.”

Cordel Hyde

Cordel Hyde, Deputy Leader of the Opposition

“Our oil has netted almost six hundred million dollars. So where is our fair share? That is the question we have to ask. Everybody and dehn granny knows that we no di get ours, except the government.”

Jose Sanchez

“You are a member of the opposition and your critics would say these contracts were made under a P.U.P. administration. So how do you come to grips l with that?”

Cordel Hyde

“That is an old line but at the end of the day we lost the elections two years ago precisely because of contracts like these, precisely because of our fold ups and miss ups. At the end of the day we have a new government. They have an overwhelming majority; they are the ones who own this job; they are the ones who adopted this baby; they are the ones who are responsible to get this right.  If we didn’t get it right in the first place we ought to get it right now.”

Jose Sanchez

“So the contracts should be negotiated.”

Cordel Hyde

“Of course man, why not? We have not even got an indication if there has been an attempt to renegotiate these contracts.”

Saturday’s protest wound up at the Battlefield Park where rousing speeches were given. Greg Ch’oc Whose group manages the Sarstoon Temash National Park, came with other P.G. residents to speak about seismic testing and incursions in the reserve.

Greg Ch’oc, SATIIM

Greg Ch'oc

“There’s been a lot of development, oil exploration, dam development in the south. It has been a major challenge for us and we feel that it is important to bring these forward for the Belizean public to understand and appreciate the positions we have in relation to those developments. I’m hoping that this march today is the beginning of a long process that I certainly believe will build into a movement that no doubt will make the kind of changes that we desire as Belizeans.”

While the crowd became heated in the moment, the homeless slept under the shade of a tree in the park.  Ian Arnold felt that poverty was the strongest issue that needed to be conquered.

Ian Flowers Arnold

Ian Flowers Arnold, Protestor

“I hope everybody open dehn eye inna dis country and si di poverty level weh we di live inna. Through di last administration I think dehn talk bout dehn wah open doors to di homeless, di poor people and thing and I neva si ih happen. Wah new party deh een and dehn di talk bout di same thing. I di talk from my heart and I di talk fi dehn people weh I come and si di sleep inna dis park yah daily. I want di whole government open dehn eye, di House of Representative, everybody deh weh have di potential and di strength fi assist di poverty level inna Belize because we have wah lot ah children weh go dah school dah morning time wid empty stomach. We have wah lot ah people wid no food and we got wah lot ah people weh di suffa inna Belize City. Poverty level deh dah wah heights now like sometimes some people get frustrated and do crime bredda. So I di ask everybody dah Belize right now fi mek dehn pray to di almighty fi mek dehn people inna government fi mek dehn realize dat di real issue inna dis country dah poverty.”

The day was poignant for the participants, but was it good enough to budge the policy makers in Belmopan? Reporting for News Five, Jose Sanchez.