Minister almost apologizes for comments
Manuel Heredia
Racial profiling has been a tactic that was once practiced by some police departments in the United States that led to costly lawsuits. So it was shocking when a Minister of Tourism made comments interpreted as profiling while he holds a portfolio that implies the importance of cultural diversity. Our blog on the News Five website has been inundated with reactions to the minister’s statement. In case you didn’t hear it for yourself, here’s what the minister said last week.
Manuel Heredia, Minister of Tourism (Mar 19, 2010)
“Many of the officers that were responsible for taking control on the island, that is what they used to do. Times have changed and it is very regretful because now with the human rights situation and so there are many people that – oh you are taking away the privilege of, in particular when it happens with the Creole descent. That is the first thing that you will hear. But again, I feel that if we have to do that, we have to do it because we have to regain our community. We see many unwanted persons on the island many times and again I have said let us ask the water taxis for a manifest that will probably question the people not really in a rude way but “Where will you be working? Why did you come to San Pedro? Do you have money to sustain yourself in the meantime?” And those types of things probably will help. And that is what came out at the meeting. We have to probably recommend to cabinet that those are measures that we need to take on the island being the number one tourist destination, probably there are other alternatives that are not taken elsewhere that we supposed to take over here.”
“People might feel we want to be independent that is what they say many times. That is not the case. It’s because we are isolated from the main, many people feel that San Pedro doesn’t need any assistance, that we have everything over here. But we have always said, regardless of what, it might be true that we survive better than others, but again there are many other elements that we need to address and that takes time.”
Late this evening a release was sent from the government’s Press Office indicating that the Minister’s reference to “the people of Creole decent was made merely to highlight the fact that when the draconian crime prevention tactic of deporting potential trouble-makers was last employed on the Island, it was criticized by some for its similarity to racial profiling.” The release goes on to say that he has certain regrets about certain comments and he would continue to advocate for fair and equal treatment for all persons. The press office release, however, said nothing about whether or not he intended to his proposal about the water taxi questionnaire to cabinet. We would like to point out that it was not the government press office that made the racial statement against creoles, so we hope before the week’s end that Heredia will issue an apology of his own, rather than the press office.
It’s not that surprising that all he’s worrying about are the tourists….what about the Belizeans who were born here??? I’m a Creole and i would feel discriminated against if i was being treating like this in my own country..as if to say i don’t belong there. You mean to tell me these sanpedranos think so much of themselves and think so little of everyone else especially the creoles in Belize? I hope they receive more crime on the island …..just to punish them for the hatred in their minds and hearts.
How is it that a minister of tourism can make such a slip? Freudian slip maybe?
Apology? What for? For stating a fact on the way of life here in Bze? It is common knowledge that black ppl dont like spanish ppl and they practice the same racial profiling on naturalized BELIZEANS from other Central American nations? Do you hear ppl from the outer districts making such a fuss? The only ones doing all the noise are the colonial descendants from bze city. As for the PUP and national unity, who are they kidding? The fact of the matter is that Minister Heredia spoke the cold hard truth and that doesnt sit well with some ppl in bze city
That was a racist statement. We do suffer from racism in Belize from several angels and nobody wants to accept that fact.
Blacks (Creole) always refers to mestizos as “paña” and so on. Belize is too small and going through too much for such stupidities.
Tell the minister to keep his personal racial sentiments out of the media. He is supposed to be an intelligent and “worldly” man who knows that when you’re in the spot light you better measure your words.
He has strange sentiments. Nobody should’be known that!
alot of people are in an uproar about racial profiling against black people in san pedro, but what about racial profiling against the “spanish” people. Today as we speak there are immigration personel stopping any latino they see and ask them for papers which is very wrong cause not all latinos in belize are aliens yet we are stopped and manhandled by these immigration officers who 90% are black by the way and whose mentality is “if u no black and dont talk creole you are not belizean” so is that not racial descrimination also?So if immigration has the right to stop us belizean latinos here in our own island and and make us feel like aliens in our own land then we the san pedro people should have the right to question any outsider that seems to be here only to cause trouble.
lets look at stereotypes. creole/black people like eat greasy fried chicken made by Chiney people. chiney people llike work hard and hoard their money. spanish people like make tacos and cut your yard. lawyers become politicians who become corrupt. smart people get scholarships and leave for the U.S. criminals get deported, police like to say ‘dark skin and light skin’, spanish gial like black man, ghetto youth like gial with job, older men like younger women, younger women like older men with experienced bank accounts, east indian called cooley, and Finnegan would say all of the above are Kunumunus.
I’d like to hit him across the head then send my barber to say that i am regretful for some of the things i did but i won[t say exactly what that is.
Man unu get over it, unu noh know nothing bout discrimination adda dan fu dish it out ok///. It’s just a matter of what goes around comes around. Unu only di get wha dose ah unu own medicine, unu true colors finally di come out because ah empowerment and greed. I can assure you the Belizean people that the Minister would be bold enough to reccomend his idiotic measure to Cabinet. I personally wouldn’t be surprise if some members of Cabinet would run away with it either. If wih Prime Minista noh wha apologize to di Belizean people, dehn why Hereidia have to do it?. Unu want know bout racism? unu noh have to read, just think bout Dangriga and Toledo. Wi di suffa fram racism since slavery days and wi get it every day fram di politicians dem, especially fram di Minista of Tourism. I think when we think dat we di vote fu intelligent people fu represent wi, wi sadly mistaken because wi di end up wid some educated fools.
What the Minister say was wrong …………….. but like they say out here if you never born here your not from San Pedro and you have no right only us San Pedranos have the right that is there mentallity out here in
Aye Cruz, why are you trying to compare what immigration OFFICERS do….. to the outright racist statement made by the minister of tourism? two wrongs do not make it right. If to the local San Pedranos you all feel like aliens in your own Town , then that’s a matter for you to address and if you don’t, then that’s on you. But please Don’t think we Kriol will sit idly by and tolerate Heredia in his bigotry. Ya da fu we Belize….. all 8,867 sq miles ( islands and cayes included)
I do agree tha the different ethnic groups in Belize goe’s through different name calling and thing,however what the Minister of Tourism is trying to do is divide us more and i disagree with what he is trying to implement.La Isla Bonita is still a part of the Jewel and i am going where ever i want to go in my Country Tourism Sinister.
There is discrimination okay and it goes both way just like SOME spanish no like black there are SOME Black who no like spanish. GROW UP and see the truth when u see it
Three words: EVAN X HYDE
… looking forward to his next editorial…
who’s Belize axactly cat dog the kriol’s? is that what you trying to say? please, and when it comes to aliens all they are here to do is work they are not the ones throwing grenades at each other they are not the ones robbing people and killing each other they are not the ones living like animals and what the minister said is the cold hard truth like it or not.
Hey Redwine San pedranos no hate and no think up we self!!!!!!! we live breath just like u and if u wish us bad that no a do nothing for the country!!! cuz even though u no like it san pedro is PART of BELIZE!!!
What the Minister saidmight be the cold hard truth but I am rather shocked to see the number of persons agreeing to what he said. He is a person who elected to be a leader of our country he should have been more careful with his words, what he said only showed how ignorant and arrogant he is and you the people supporting him might not be the ones throwing grenades but you might as well be. The hatred that you all show with just your words is what makes Belize the way it is today. We are killing each others for no apparent reason and what we fail to realize was that a man, be it he was Creole, Garifuna, Spanish no matter what culture he was from died, a wife is in mourning and two children lost a father. Are we now justifying killing, if we are then we need to check ourselves. Minister Heredia should never had made such a statement. I am a Creole and I believe that I have the right to travel to any part my country (BELIZE) that I choose. I work hard but just because I am black Minister Heredia makes it sound like I would be stopped or should be stopped from travelling to San Pedro. We all need to educate ourselves and stop being IGNORANT.
Ok i might have come off too strong with my harsh comments and for that i apologize but what about my rights just recently i was pulled over in belmopan and harassed my the immigration officers and even after showing my voters id i was still detained because they insisted on a passport since when does a belizean need a passport to travel his country or is it because i am a “spanish”. so jus like there is discrimination against black people there is discrimination against latinos and that should also be acknowledged or can only black people be discriminated against and i am a born belizean that is why i take it to heart when people talk about spanish dis and spanish that, i was not born in spain. And as for the police man that commited the murder i am offended wen comments are made that we are defending him,he should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law we are not that ignorant. so DJH jus like you have the right to travel any part of the country so should i have the right to travel any part of the country without being harrassed for my passport.
evan is racist 2
HAHA!!! Finally the royal bastard children of the baymen are getting a taste of their colonial medecine! What minister heredia said is the cold heart truth. No matter how much uno ball over this non ah uno cant deny the fact that San Pedro is the cash cow for the entire country! How uno think that them paved Albert Street, with whose money?
month in and month out millions of dollars are leaving our island to government coffers which in turn is spread out to all areas of this nation. What does San Pedro get out of it? ALMOST NADA!!! We as a people must take care of our heritage and our sanity!! oh, and please PUP dont talk about national unity because thanks to you our nation is in such state of chaos….the rich are richer and the poor have gotten poorer which equals desparation! Balkanization!!!??? PLEASE!!! Nothing like the balkanization of rich and poor which was created by capitalist policies!!
And like my brother cruz said …how much will the “pana” take? We are descriminated every single day by ignorant who wear a badge just because of the color of our skin!! Have all blacks present ID when coming to our island just like we present an ID to the in immigration.
Oh by the way….Evan X Hyde…. please do not talk about how the Qroo ppl are more tolerant of us Belizeans….yes you said it right ….we go and spend our money there….and money talks so that is why the blacks are tolerated in Chetumal….if it was for the same reason that San Pedranos are complaining…MEXICO WOULD HAVE CLOSED OFF THEIR BORDER LONG TIME!!!!……oh and unlike our nation…mexico does have racists and they are racist to the blacks, and maya….check out ACTEAL!!! IN MEXICO THERE IS A REAL MINORITY OF BLACKS …AND THEY DID NOT BELIEVE IN BLACK POWER….THEY BELIEVED IN MEXICO!!!
….IN MEXICO THERE ARE NO BLACKS…ONLY MEXICANS!!!! IN BELIZE WE HAVE THE ROYAL CREOLES, THE BARONS, THE SPANISH CONQUISTADORES, THE SIRS AND WAY AT THE BOTTOM ARE US THE POOR AND MARGINALIZED .. . AND THIS IS BLIND OF COLOR AND RACE!!
Evertime a people try to protect what they have worked so hard to achieve ….idiots with special interest blow off hot air!!!
I thought Belize was above this. This sounds like the sixties down south. I am a white (my skin color is white, noone has a color before God) American. When I first visited Belize I thought this would be a country where it’s Creole decendants would rise to the top. I still believe this.
Let us not interpret the invasion of drug money and it’s violence on the poor as an indication of an entire peoples moral qualities.
BELIZEAN GOVERMENT, get rid of the drug invasion and it’s profiteers of every ethnic group and social position.
God bless Belize forever!
That is why you should never give no one your X so in the long run wouldn’t have to get Vex.
I don’t support Mr. Heredia’s rude comments about creoles. Belizeans are Belizeans and we should never be profiled based on our ethnicity. We don’t need Belize to be like this. Bottom line the Minister has it wrong.
Creoles should never be profiled. Let’s avoid this and move on. I am not asking that we brush aside the minister’s rude or racist remarks but let’s avoid being divisive. We don’t need this in our beautiful jewel. Belizeans stand together against any form of racism and other forms of injustices. We are all to work together and build this beautiful nation. One Love people
I believe that the general public is taking this comment to an extreme, and each party is disecting it and twisting it to serve negatively against the Minister, and several parties have jumped at the opportunity to turn this into a political campaign. San Pedro has recently been plagued by sever burglaries, and crime has escalated drastically within the past couple months. Individuals no longer fee safe to simply walk the beaches. The streets are no longer safe, due to the increase incidents of crime, armed and dangerous individuals are roaming our streets and beaches. What the minister failed to explain is that, San Pedro is not trying to ‘KEEP ANYONE OUT’. This is a proposed measure to monitor individuals visiting the Island. Presently, in order to travel via Tropic Air or any major airlines, you are required to provide and Identificatin Card in order to purchase your ticket. The Airlines are aware at all times who are boarding their aircrafts. Water Taxis go un-monitored. Criminals come in all shapes and forms. All we are trying to do is make San Pedro a less desirable destination for criminals. Implimenting a Manifest for the Water Taxis providing transporting for the individuals visiting the Island is nothing new. While it has been in the works, It simply has never been put into place. As to how exactly this will work, is not yet certain. However, it is likely that an individual with the sole intention to visit the Island to commit a crime will think twice, knowing the they are being watched. Don’t feel bad. As, should this measure be taken, even Us – Residents of San Pedro returning home will be under the same scrutiny. I agree that it is sad that we have to come to this, but I would prefer to be safe knowing exactly who is lurking around my back yard. Whild I do agree that there was not a necesity to point out a particular race, it’s done. And it doesn’t matter how much we write or critize his statement, It won’t change. I feel it is unfair to the residents of San Pedro, that the general population of Belize has taken this opportunity to jump to conclusion, and place every single resident of San Pedro in this rediculous campagne against not only the minister, but the Island of San Pedro as well. I advise all you people to get your facts straight before you start posting these comments. You are not only speaking of an individual, you are blatantly defaming the character of every single individual that has chosen to make San Pedro our home.
the minister said that he first ones to complain would be the people of creole descent…and he was so darn right. i do NOT go to SP because of the high cost and locals preferring foreigners as clients BUT….I enjoy caye caulker and it is SAAAD seeing that poor little caye going down the same street. i woke up early da manin one day and the amount of creole belizeans walking their pitbulls was a real shock to me…..honestly, it look like U in the middleof Yabra….i think control shud be placed on caye caulker before it gets like SP…
What about John Saldivar. He should apologize too! He said on the WUB that “bona fide” Belizean is a Black Belizean. That means that anybody who is not black is not a real Belizean! Imagine that, yet there is no outrage over that comment. Like Heredia’s comment it is also narrow minded and racist!
I think that Minister Heredia needs to think more carefully of any inspirational speech he intends to give on air so as not to make an ASS of himself on air. i cant imagine any where in Belize on a whole any pania (as they seh we call them) asking the questions “Where will you be working? Why did you come to San Pedro? Do you have money to sustain yourself in the meantime?” to a black /creole (unwanted persons so to quote Minister Heredia) person especially the males. I am sure that those questions would lead to murder or someone getting hurt real bad. Don’t we have enough crimes as it is already. If the Commish cant keep control of his officers. Then how can there be any peace within the country.??????????
This is not about no truth,this man is a public figure and with all the problem we are facing presently,there in no room for the bull-s the tourism Sinister is trying to impliment.
Minister Heredia need a speech writer , and PR person to help him with his speech.It is plain to see that the man is not very smart , and is unable to solve the problem in San Pedro,therefore he blame black people.I wish the next hjurricane come and wipe SP off the map.I wonder where will these ignorant fools run to.They are not mexicans , so they can not run to mexico.They will run to the main land with los negritos they hate.
It is sad to see how ignorance runs throughout our country. Read and Listen to what he said..If you really can read and understand you will see the real meaning behind his words…He was not being racist nor was he discriminating. Yes I agree he may not have expressed himself very well but the real issue is being set aside. The issue of increasing crime and violence in our country. We need to focus on the real problem here, not on words. We need a Safer BELIZE!!!
DaipazFlores:Sorry my Belizean Brother or sister i do agree that discrimination exist,however that doesn’t mean that we’ve got to condone this type of language from a minister who’s responsibility is to bring the people of this country together and not divide them.
yes i agree they should bring us together not apart but we still shouldnt discriminate we are all brothers and sisters in the eyes of God no matter our skin color thanks
Hey john boy / carson, california who the hell are u to be talking atleast we the sp people didn’t tuck our tails and run off to the U.S like the coward that you are, we remained and managed to scratch a living by working hard, we didnt, not even in extremeley hard times decide to abandon belize for the land of opportunity like you did coward
Da fool di talk , but da no fool di listen. Blacks are concerned about crime just like the rest of society , so why when you talk about crime black people name pops up.I was watching an episode of Americas Most Wanted where a white child molester was caught in Belize.How many more white criminals are on SP. I bet there are more of them than us.SP is fugitive paradise for white trash, but the dumb azz people of SP are blind to see that.They should come to America and see how they treat Hispanic.Hispanic are the new N word in America.
Mr Simple Simon Minister you open up a can of worms.Think before you talk.
DiapazFlores: We are on thesame page now you see how easy that was.it’s all about communication Diapaz and i agree with you 100%.I wish that all of our brothers and Belizean sisters could agree on something as we did.
WHAT ABOUT JOHN SALDIVAR”S COMMENTS!!! THOSE WERE OUTRIGHTLY RACIST! With Heredia you have to add one plus one to get 2. With Saldivar he just threw it out there!
Channel 5, please publicize the comments of Saldivar made on the WUB. I think he is getting a free pass on this! If anybody had said such a thing about creoles they would have been crucified!
Minister Saldivar made that call to another media house and not Channel 5.
Stop the bul-s we’re all Belizean and the Jewel belongs to us all.Hit me up if you agree with what i said.
Well, ask him about it. Call him and ask him what he meant and if he will apologize to the 60% of us who are not considered bona fide by him!
yes saldiver didnt make that call to channel five jus like heredida made that comment jus to ch 5 and ch 7 but all the media houses in the country jumped and attacked him , this is what i am talking about it is only considered discrimination if it is against a black person to hell with ‘spanish’ people rite?
You can also hear is comment on Channel Seven’s streaming video from last night’s newscast!
well we black or coloured people look for these kind of comments, cause when you hear news about crime mostly on headlines it is always fi we black boys, I knew this was coming, maybe fi we black brother have to make some serious changes to show some a these people we have rights too, but if dah only fi we black people deh pan headlines, that di one shot that one and that one shot this one, what we expect, wah crown, common mi lee black bredda dah time fi make positive changes, if we want respect we have to work for it, I no di say all a mi black breda they behave bad, but just listening to the news, I wonder if we no they out they fi kill out ourselves,
When I die I would rather go to hell , than go to SP.
I prefer channel 5 of course. I don’t see as many mistakes, black screens, etc.
yes elgin i agree with u 1000% and thanks to people like you we can maintain the little sanity that we have left and i thank u for trying to defuse the situation but when my san pedro people are being attacked and called all sort of names because of one man’s comments i have no choice but to stand behind them, no matter what. thank u my BELIZEAN brother or sister.
We can shout and holler and remain indignant but the cure to our country is being REAL. Its like a drug addict. For him to stop bieng a drug addict he needs to accept that there is a problem and then find solution and help. We as a society, need to accept taht the crime situation is more in Belize City and by Creoles. Now leaders and NGO and krem need to find a way to help them have ambition to do something that is not drugs and crime. All the country is willing to help beacuse we are all belizeans and is in everyones interest. I know many mayan down south in sixth form education that to reach they had to makeBIG sacrifices , so to make our creoles feel victims and always sensitive to racism has never worked. As someone mentioned before, visit prison and you will see our young creoles in there. Do you see our mennonites or chinese or mayan down south AND even hispanic is less, even though they are the majority of the population. Minister Heredia as someone mentioned was defending a vital industry that took years to develop and supports many of belizeans around the country and their families.. where do you think the park and additional paving for streets in your town or village is being paidfrom ? Did you know that san pedro contributes to government around 65 million dollars per year in taxes and that none comes to san pedro but to all our fellow belizeans across. So, please lets be real… As per san pedranos, I do have sanpedranos friends and they are well travelled and nice educated people proud to be hispanics and i do believe they have a right to protect their industry, community, children and livelihood..Who wants to become another belize city ? As a visitor to belize i would feel safer that their is control and safety where i travel and if you do not have nothing to hide and arre a well abiding citizen then nothing will happen. If you want to kill the cow that provides the milk to belize then ignore the warning of the minister. It just takes one murder to destroy years of work and marketing..Put yourself on the other shoe.. If you were sanpedrano and you live there and help build the tourisn industry and the spanish come and comit crimes and you can no longer get out of your house would you not feel the other way and that some type of control need to be done.. think about it.. its the raw truth but its the truth. Everyone is welcome as belizeans as long as they contribute to the development of the island. The issue here is the importance of san pedro to the economy of belize and it should be a concern to all belizeans not only the minista…
hey john boy/carson, california you would not be able to come to san pedro even if u wanted cause u would have to cash a hell of alot of food stamps to do so.
I will have John Saldivar know that he is living in a country in which 60% (or more as the new census will reveal) of us take offence to his comments about Bona Fide Belizeans. He will find out whether our majority votes are bona fide or not!
This is what you get when you have aliens running your country.
your media plays a very big part in portraying how outsiders view Belize, and its citizens, now the people of Belize is playing the race cards against each other, sadly missing the whole point of the conversation.
The Americans don’t want the Mexicans or Belizeans in their country, I now understand why and what was it that they saw years ago in them.
Belize will always be a third world country, eventually even the tourists will abandon Belize.
well put EL GUARDIAN i agree 100%