Will Restore Belize be effective in ensuring safer neighborhoods?
Restore Belize, a government initiative to deal with the pervasive crime and violence that is now spilling from Belize City into the rest of the country, was launched this past Wednesday. It is a multi-faceted approach with numerous components, committees and ministerial representation spearheaded by the Prime Minister himself. The commitment is that it will be rolled out in August and government is still looking to secure long term funding. Tonight’s question is: Do you believe Restore Belize will be effective in ensuring safer neighborhoods? Get involved by emailing your comments and responses to questions@channel5belize.com or by sending a text, using SMART phones only, to 8686. You can also participate in our online poll at www.channel5belize.com.
Let’s hope so!
What this question is asking is “Are YOU ready to do your part in restoring Belize?”
And unfortunately, as the answers to the poll are showing, not many people are ready to take responsibility for crime in Belize.
Participants in this poll probably believe that Restore Belize is the responsibility of committees and government alone. It is not.
Come on people, let’s play our part. We should vote yes. We should say, “Yes, Restore Belize will work because I will do my part.”
Let’s give the organizers and the leaders of this initiative our support. Put your political differences aside. Stop being so pessimistic. We need positive people more than ever right now.
Restore Belize can be effective if the process is guared with the sustained political will and community participation. Resore Belize presents two actions one long term and one short term. The efforts to have an immediate results in creating the safe zones and identify the quality of life crimes and see how best efforts can be made to mitigate the root causes of those. Secondly the long term process – which is the critical one; whereby if the process to ensure that there is a clear model that can effect changes in policy or formultaiton of new ones is not there that will have the effects we need then I beleive it will be a lost cause.
In my opinion i believe that they need to look at efforts to create a sub-national platforms where models like Community based approach (Harlem Child Zone Model) that primarily focus on building and strengthening of collaborating models and mechanism. Additionally, the capacitiy for local planning, implementation and monitoring of integrated social services for boys and girls, taking as a starting point the current distribution of locally available services and community assets.
And lastly, I believe that the sustained polical will, along with the exploration of such models – the government and opposition needs to take serious the corruption/barriers that prevent the work from being done. People in this country needs to demand from duty bearers and leaders of this country only the best for themselves and the children of country. We have to keep on flagging the issues, and only so it will help a goverment in understanding what needs to be done.
Therefore I believe it can work if we the people make it work – and believe in a system of change; and not accepting less
I do believe under the direction of Ms. Vasquez this Restore Belize can work. She’s a dedicated, smart woman. My concern is that she’s working within the Prime Minister’s office.Have we forgotten that Mr. Barrow was the attorney for the most notorious drug lords in Belize. He was paid millions to protect these demons and did it with pride. The crime situation in Belize is ALL due to drug wars. Because of this I’m very weary of how much success this plan can have.
In as much as any reasonable person hope and pray for a crime free Belize, the hard reality is, bad habits are hard to change, which saying human nature. Its was commonly stated that some folks had suggested to assasinate George Price when he was in the dtruggle to get indipendence for Belize, and the British government discourage such act, warning that if they down that road it would be no turning back. That was words of wisdom that came from a society that was responsible for shaping world history or many centuries.
My comment has to do with the statement by one of the respondent, that pointed out how the noe Priminister us to defend drugs pushers. Now he has to deal with the effect, same as others in the oposition whoes relatives are the founders of this drudgs business in Belize. If such a person read this they know know who they are. The recovery of belize from crime is, unfortunately and long process. Earlier this week it was escalated with the attempted killing of the attorney Williams even as government tried to slow the shootings.
What it take to put a dent into crime is very scarce, MONEY, lots of money to underwrite meaningful programs, education for the school drop outs,, as well as job training with a purpose. A serious camphaign to bring light industries to Belize that will employ those that are trained in a specific vocation. Its does very little to stop crime if there continue to be idle minds hanging around all day with nothing to occupy those minds, which us older folks were reminded,as a child, that the idle mind is the satan play ground.
This is a step in the right direction & it may be necessary to bite our tongues & accept that many people with unclean hands will have to help to clean up the mess they created & reject their old lives. We have asked for & the PM is bringing in outside help(the accused pedophile needs to get those charges cleared up in his country b4 he comes to Belize).
In Amandala, Dean mentioned funding. We have soldiers on the streets, we are in a state of emergency. Every government has the power of imminent domain, every penny above what is absolutely necessary to operate the oil wells should be used to get our security & education system in order b4 any owner or shareholder collects a cent. If Junior Williams getting shot is not a reminder of our Attorneys vulnerability & mortality, what is? Barristers put your heads together & amend the damn contracts. If someone wants to sue us, let them do so in our court in Belize City with Belizean jurors. Require plaintiffs to show up, drag your feet the way you do with the locals & see how long it takes for them to understand that until they are ready to shed their own blood to keep the citizenry safe & bring back some sense of normalcy, no one gets paid.