P.U.P. City Council slate presents manifesto
Collectively, the political contests in the nation’s seven towns and two cities can be lumped together under one heading: the forgotten elections. Those municipal races that were supposed to act as a crucial indicator for the general elections, which were thought to be coming in August, have now been relegated to a sideshow now that the big event has been advanced to March fifth. But while its fight no longer receives top billing, today the P.U.P. slate for the Belize City Council temporarily took centre stage with the unveiling of its manifesto.
David Fonseca, P.U.P. Mayoral Candidate
“In moving any city forward you must have leaders who are committed to work, leaders with vision and innovation, leaders ready for change.”
Janelle Chanona, Reporting
And today, the six women and five men on the P.U.P. team are confident the Belize City Council will not change hands.
David Fonseca
“We have put in place some thirty-three miles of new drains with head walls and new culverts. We also removed some eighteen hundred derelict vehicles from the street of Belize City and have demolished a high number of abandoned and dangerous buildings around the city.”
In addition to recounting their past accomplishments, Mayor David Fonseca also presented “A Working City”, the P.U.P. City Council manifesto for the next three years.
David Fonseca
“We will work with the Ports of Belize limited to establish an industrial and commercial park near to the Belize City port, which will create hundreds of new jobs. A new P.U.P. City Council will bring more light industries to Belize City. By making jobs available to our young people, we introduce them to the world of work and steer them away from a life of crime. We will continue to support the efforts of the police to eliminate crime in Belize City. We will lead the effort to transform neighbourhood bases to enterprise zones, so that residents can feel safe in their homes and in their neighbourhoods.”
Incumbent P.U.P. Mayor David Fonseca says his council will capitalize on the potential for investment and employment within the city limits.
David Fonseca
“Producing things like toothbrushes and producing things like plastic bags in all forms. We right now have to import garbage bags that can be done locally with the proper equipment. We have a number of people that are questioning the possibility of having these types of industries being brought in. We are discussing presently with the people in New Orleans. There is a high interest of business people in New Orleans that want to invest in Belize in some of these same areas. We have people in South Korea. As you know, we are just newly linked Yosu City in South Korea, and their Chamber of Commerce is very interested in setting up business over here through their business people here too. So all those areas we are looking at to bring them and put them into Belize City. Not saying that all of that will happen in Belize City, but the objective is that it’s going to happen in Belize City and have it spread out throughout the entire country.”
Prime Minister Said Musa
“Mayor Fonseca is a no-nonsense, honest, dedicated and hard working mayor and he and his team deserves another term.”
Prime Minister Said Musa also unveiled another plan already in progress to expand the city’s landmass by reclaiming much of the sea between St. Catherine’s Academy and the old Belize City hospital.
Prime Minister Said Musa
“First of all it will deal with the traffic congestion to deal with this explosive growth in cruise tourism. Secondly, we will have new land built. As the man said, he aint creating no more land, but we are creating land, we are creating land in Belize. This land, first of all, as the representative for the Fort George, I want to say some of that land, the new land for the expansion of St. Catherine’s Academy. The high school needs expansion. Secondly, we will put out to public tender and invite developers to come up with a plan for a business park in that area, where our doctors, lawyers, dentists and professional people can have a site there, creating hundreds if not thousands of new jobs for our people.”
But even as Prime Minister Said Musa endorsed the City Council slate, it was evident that the People’s United Party defensive about recent U.D.P. slaps to his administration.
Prime Minister Said Musa
“The U.D.P. spends its time talking, scandal mongering, rumour mongering, tearing down and destroying. Their agenda is driven by malice and vindictiveness. They hold themselves up as pious, self righteous, but their past deeds expose them as Pharisees. The bible has a word for them, whited sepulchres. You know what’s inside the sepulchre? Decay. But you see, on the outside they pain it all white and beautiful, words. We are with deeds, we work, they talk.”
The P.U.P. mayoral candidate is David Fonseca, while those running for councillors are Austin Waight, Eloisa Trujeque, Rachel Montejo, Danny Madrid, Yasmin Shoman, Linsford Castillo, Marshall Nunez, Jacqueline Welch, Debbie Vasquez and Jenny Craig.
