Homeowner says free house from minister is shoddy
It seems that the Minister of Works, Anthony “Boots” Martinez is never away from the firing line. After all, he is the minister responsible for the Poverty Alleviation Project and housing is a huge problem for City residents. Today another Belize City resident is publicly charging that “Boots” Martinez has given her a shoddy house too small to accommodate her family in the Lake Independence area. But more than that, Myrna Ferguson, said Martinez had his workmen remove construction material she got from her Area Representative, Francis Fonseca. But when we checked with Martinez this evening, he said nothing could be further from the truth.
Myrna Ferguson, Lake Independence Area Resident
“I was living at Belama but the landlord want me out of the house so I come out and I gone live with my son. In the Christmastime Boots come to me and explain to me that I got a house. I put in for a three bedroom house. He told me like this, he said Ms. Ferguson you will get your house by the Christmas. I agree with him on everything. Apparently, my house didn’t finish for the Christmas, it didn’t finish for the new year. When I came here he give me one single key ma’am and when I went in the house, the house .didn’t finish wire properly and everything. I got a call from my Area Rep, Francis Fonseca saying that he have a paper for me for my house.”
Marion Ali
“Which house is that? Another house?”
Myrna Ferguson
Myrna Ferguson
“Boots was building this house and I never know about di paper until they call me and tell me about it.”
Marion Ali
“So, how many houses are we talking about one or two?”
Myrna Ferguson
“One house. Boots came here, I had a house here. He paid to take down the house and everything. I received the invoice for my material from my area rep to build my house. Apparently this house, I cannot go in this house because half of my things cannot go in the house. The house is very small.”
Anthony “Boots” Martinez, Minister of Works
“I must talk as a member of the Venezuela Housing Committee. With that situation, a house was approved for one Ms. Myrna Ferguson. As a member of the committee, I found her. She used to live at Belama. I found her living on the next street behind the house. I found her by Pound Yard Bridge and she took to where the place was where the house was to be constructed along with the contractor. When we get there a little old house was on it, the place was not even prepared for construction. As the minister and running the South Side Project, I came with eighteen loads of filling apart from that was never in the contract to build the house. Eighteen loads of filling, pushed it; they built the whole house. The purchase order the lady have is for the supply of materials for the whole house to the contractor. Now you have a whole house.”
Marion Ali
“Who was supposed to receive these materials?”
Myrna Ferguson
“My contractor, he went with me and I have to go with him to sign for these things before.”
Marion Ali
“These were approved by who?”
Myrna Ferguson
“By Housing Department. I went to Benny’s…”
Marion Ali
“These stuff were to be used for what?”
Myrna Ferguson
“To build my house.”
Anthony "Boots" Martinez
Anthony “Boots” Martinez
“The contractor for that project is Lyndon Romero. How could she went with the contractor for the material? That’s a lie. I di tell yoh straight forward that’s a lie because it was the contractor who came back for the material.”
Marion Ali
“As it is now though, we’ve seen the house, it’s not finished, the walls are not cased or sealed.”
Anthony “Boots” Martinez
“That is not for an inside casing wall. So I don’t know where we stand. Material is not in there for no casing wall.”
Marion Ali
“No, she’s asking…”
Anthony “Boots” Martinez
“Well, I don’t know if she’s asking but fi start with, I wah be honest with yoh. She was being dishonest even in terms of saying that the contractor went with her for the material when it was the contractor who reported to us today that the material was picked up and was never given to him. So how will it be the contractor took—it was the contractor who went back for the material. So we need to be honest. That was approved for a two bedroom basic ply-cem house.”
Marion Ali
“So what happened in the case of what she got from Francis Fonseca? Are you aware of that?”
Anthony “Boots” Martinez
“That was the approval given by the committee for one house of which a contractor was given.”
Marion Ali
So you’re saying she misunderstood?”
Anthony “Boots” Martinez
“She understood fairly well. How ih wah misunderstand when she went for the material from Benny’s and they told you Monday evening?”
Marion Ali
“She showed us two sets of papers.”
Anthony “Boots” Martinez
“Listen to weh I di she. She went for the material from Benny’s on Monday and she knew because she was stopped that the material was for that house. Man you have yoh whole house deh. So dah two house? The Minister of Housing called me this morning because some relative of his went there to say that dehn want go pick up material but dehn noh want give it to dehn. I said to the minister, who is also my colleague and I am also a speaking as the member of the Venezuelan committee, so then the question needs to be asked, was there approval for two house?”
Minister Martinez said Myrna Ferguson’s request to remove the ply-cem house and return the material his workmen removed this evening is not possible because her project is completed as far as he is concerned. He said Ferguson has to invest in whatever other work needs to be done to the house.
YEA ! ur rite ,give the poor people what belongs to them,and after all its not{UDP} Govt’s money its a grant that was sent for the people of Belize,let me tell u something,all my family has supported the UDP for many years and we’ve seen they are incompetent to lead as always,so we changed to being PUP’s now which we’ve seen they have better thinking for the people,even if i don’t get any thing but make others get,there was more employment, more lands for the Belizean people, things were not as expensive as in this present gov’t and continues to rise, looks like the killa vat is back! does the UDP thinks if we have for give to our children for eat every day or not? In the last general elections my Grandmother voted UDP she was 84 years{ died last year in May} she was promised many things by the UDP,which never reached her. not even the area rep went to see her during the funeral she was a big UDP,FOR WHAT.She was happy for voting for the UDP, she expected for a better life for all but its a pity she didn’t get help not even form her area rep,they just used her wanted her vote and gone{forgot} maybe next election he’ll be bak to chek on her for her vote again if he doesn’t have shame.
Well, I am a student, and I think that people really UNGRATEFUL, the Minister the try help everyone in need of a home. What you get you must appreciate it! And if you think the house small, well u get up and work and put the extra rooms and things you need! A matter of fact you the get you house and you no deh outside the sleep like daag! Even the dogs in my community got a house over their head and body! What does she expect, the minister to build she a BUKING HAM PALACE!!
Imagine most of the people calling this poor woman ungrateful and bringing down women are men. Many of these same men are the ones who have left our belizean women to care of all their kids. May of our woman are out there working hard and the many jus relaxing, drinking, hanging out and enjoying thier lives. The issue is this that if you are cutting down on one poor person to give another then its ok but if you are taking from a poor person to you get richer or to give a preson who has then its totaly wrong. We woman of Belize need to be strong and stop making a lot of kids for these discusting man of Belize because then they go about talking about us. I had three kids and no more cause its hard and our men are no help to us. Hence is the reason why sometimes we have to go beg and ti make life better for our kids. The bible says that the MAN will labour to take care of his wife and children, it did not say anything about the woman will work to take care of her home and children. We already do our job by suffering the pain in bringing our children to this worl. Sooooooooo not fair!!! The free funds are for the less previlige not for people who already have a lot. Fair is fair. GIVE THE POOR PEOPLE WHAT THEIRS AND STOP GETTING RICH OF THEIR BACKS THEY WANT TO LIVE A CONFORTABLE LIFE TOOOOOOOOOO!!!
Come on Mar don’t take it so personal Queen.
Some people have not seen or felt the need in life, probably because they have everything and cannot feel the suffering of others.”Like the studend”. And the dogs in that community must be
privilage dogs that eat around the table. When ministers or anybody do something, then do it good and perfect that people will appreciate not just to cover the eye of the horse.
To Mar: I fully agree with what you said. but bear in mind also that there are single men with kids out there also who are their kids without a mother at home. So its not only men who leave women to take care of kids themselves. it done both ways. Women also do the same without a care or thought in the world of the the nine months spent carrying their child. Am not taking sides with any politician either from PUP or UDP, but please remember that this is the same money which was taken back by the UDP and is now been distributed it seems with some sense of purpose to seemingly deserving poor people. While with the PUP only the few and privileged and deserving (PEOPLE WITH MONEY) got their share of the goodies. Think back just before the last General Elections. Its just a matter of being a tiny bit of grateful and giving thanks at least for something.
Women should learn also to be independent of themselves and not to be fully dependent on Ministers or the Government. If the house is not suitable to her needs, come on give it up to someone else who is out there longing for a house to call their own. I my self would take it right now from her.
Lysa: We finally agree on something my Belizean Sister.I am a 100% in agreement with your statement.