Crime Bills say tougher penalties but Opposition opposes
Dean barrow
Last Friday, the debate often got testy in the House of Representatives. There were nine bills that were tabled and passed; three of them dealt with the pressing crime situation. Because of the volume of news, we did not report on the Families and Children Bill which extends the categories of circumstances in which the Family Court or a magistrate’s court could impose supervision or care orders for the protection and welfare of children. That is because many of the crimes are being committed by minors who are influenced by gangs. The other bills called the Criminal Code and the Crime Control and Criminal Justice sought to increase penalties for violent crime and to strengthen punishment against crimes related to criminal gangs. It was a tough argument as the ruling party could not sell it to the three opposition members in attendance who felt the measures weren’t enough, given the poor conviction rate handed down at the courts.
Dean Barrow
“This bill is about trying to get off the streets the small minority of juveniles of children that are being recruited by gang leaders to participate in shootings and in fact, in murders. We don’t have a number, but this problem is principally in Belize City and we are not talking about more than fifty kids, a hundred, if so many. And that is the mischief—that is what it is that we are trying to do here—ensure there is the infrastructure to deal with getting those children off the streets.”
Said Musa, Area Rep., Fort George
said musa
“I have looked through the entire bill Mister Speaker—clause by clause, word by word. I don’t find anything in this bills that strengthens the punishment against crimes relating to criminal gangs—absolutely nothing. So why are we using these highfaluting, grandstanding opening lines in a bill when the effect of it does no such thing. What in fact this amendment does, Mister Speaker, is to open a back door to introduce preventative detention of persons accused of committing a crime. It does not deal with strengthening punishment against criminals.”
john briceno
John Briceño, Leader of the Opposition
“And I agree with the representative from Fort George. We just can’t just legislate away criminal activities, it’s not just about passing laws, but about addressing the social issues and challenges that we are facing as a nation. And until we can address those issues Mister Speaker, we could pass a hundred more laws or a thousand more laws and they are still going to have the random criminal acts that is happening in Belize City. I went to visit the family of the late Eyannie, the little young girl, and I went to the house personally and it breaks my heart to see how the people in Southside Belize City are living.”
Michael Finnegan, Minister of Housing
michael finnegan
“He was so alarmed and he went on to elaborate like, my goodness look how the people on the Southside are living. Like this happen two years ago. You were there for ten years and could have injected initiatives, ideas and new veins into the Southside and you noh do anything, but the way how you say it Mister Leader of the Opposition like you just gone deh and you went to sympathize with these people and when you look around in the Southside; oh my goodness what is happening here, you make it sound like this government deh yah fi fifty years and you travel in the Southside and all of a sudden the Southside di bruk down, everybody got gun ina deh hand, everybody di eat out ah milk pan etc. Come on, Mister Leader of the Opposition, all I am saying you were there for ten years and don’t make it sound like the people on the south side are living the way they are living just two years.”
I have to agree with Finnegan on this one. A day late & a dollar short.
Johnny, I like you but for a fellow who went to SJC, it is hard to believe that you did not know that people were living in substandard homes. It’s not limited to Belize City, try looking at the outskirts of San Pedro, in Ladyville; one of the homes where a 12-13 was sexually assaulted last week had a back door they could not lock. Imagine getting up every day, not knowing if the trip to the store will be your last, falling asleep at night unsure if bullets will come through the walls & windows or some pervert may enter your house & mount your daughter.
Our people should do more for themselves but we have to encourage them to do so, stress the importance of self reliance & showcasing those who took lemons & instead of complaining that it was sour, made lemonade. We can no longer ignore the children who are wreaking havoc. Pretending to be concerned about their civil rights only pisses off the majority. The poor angels do not need lawyers/legislators on their side, they are beating the system through witness intimidation & elimination, they are not afraid to die in the streets.The next life they take may be yours.
To these fools, their funerals are a celebration. It may seem sick, it may be incomprehensible but this is our reality. What is it that you’re not getting?
Can any member of the UDP do anything besides blame the PUP for all the problems? The fact of the matter is, honorable ministers, that you inherited a mess, and you vowed to clean it up. You have been in office almost three years and things in Belize have gotten worse by almost all accounts. Therefore, you are FAILING to do your job, and YOUR failure is not the fault of the previous administration.
Honestly, I think our ministers (especially the Prime Minister) make a mockery of our parliament with their name calling and over-inflated egos. Every time the house meets Belizeans witness our elected officials making personal attacks on each other, undermining the task at hand and preventing any real discussion/debate on how we can fix our country. All this name-calling and blame game amounts to nothing, and THAT is why we are in this mess. THIS is why Belizeans are so disillusioned with government and authority; our ministers consistently and openly remind us that they cannot do their job. That’s right, honorable ministers. Every excuse that you make is just saying, “this is why I cannot do my job…”
Old folks, can someone show the helpless youngsters how to make a door using inexpensive lumber(not beaver board) & finishing nails & the way to add a sliding bolt or two that can be secured from the inside.
Another suggestion:Instead of burning, look at using the waste product from rice & sugar cane in home construction, it can be done, it will make the homes cooler & at minimum slow the bullets. In addition, they are hands on projects that do not require a lot of skill & can be built quickly & with resources we already have with a few exceptions. There are people who are willing to put in sweat equity & can have the balance financed. A Habitat like program can work in Belize, free needs to become a bad word.
this pm is really a joke now after more than300 murders in two years barrow is going after gang members when he is the one who took all these gang members back from the us thats why his new name is judas because he took back and continues to take back all these gang members from the us just to please the us gov and he takes them back for a few pieces of silver dont you have no shame barrow that you have caused the deaths of so many people by sucking up to the us gov and taking back all these gang members and continue to do it people wake up lets make sure this pm does not take back not one criminal from the us he has taken back more than 50 gang members no wonder our poor belize is in the state its in but i have to give it to you barrow you have no shameeeeeeeee in your game.
Barrow, we don’t have a number of the dead, or we don’t have a number of the criminals?
Instead of trying to minimize the number of crimes, where is the solution for the gang members?
Said musa and John briceno need to pull their heads out of each other’s …. for a brief moment to see that this problem did not just started 2010, it all started when you Musa were head of power, and still full of crap.
Poor kids fell out of school, the poor died in sight of medicine, the poor people killed each, women raped and beaten, kids exploited, lands given away or sold, food expensive, houses were falling down, streets were flooding, hurricane shelters were non existing, no justice in the court system, no convictions, the list can go on for decades, and every avenue of incompetence would lead me right back to you Musa.
Not once did you Musa open a back door or a front door to introduce preventative detention of persons accused of committing a crime, exploiting kids, nor render help to the poor, except when election you are big on changes, then promises followed.
MUSA hates poor people, and his only way of ever dealing with that situation was to pretend that there were no poor people under his leadership and if there were any at all, it was probably their fault anyway.
Democracy is hard in a country like this.
I will refrain from passing judgement until I fully understand that bill. Does anyone know of a link I would b able to check n find it, or is this something that’s not available to the public?
and why would you appose?
just to make point , belize need change with allthe the crimes ,belize needs death penalty….
you kill some one you should get killed.
Borrow di play Passom. He di try deal with Juveniles. Yes thats good, but touch the meat of the matter Mr. Barrow. How about the seasoned, more active criminal elements that are out there. The bill is for harsher punishment. Lets see it in the bill. Stop play Possom.
Okay point taken it nuh jus di happen…but you di deh now Finegan and what you di do bout it??? Dont look at people and make them make you feel better for what you are doing…be the one to make that change…
F@ head musa dah lone r…. he had 10 yrs to fix the law and punishment and now he deh look like what he deh talk “r@@… come on u dump ….k musa and the others. udp is 6 and pup is half of a dozen.. we need to take over and run things….perhaps just perhaps we would be lot better off with a guatemalan government.. i hope i am wrong mr pm.. i love belize. do you mr. ball head pm? its surely dont look so…
again what u call tuffer mr. pm. let good law abiding citizen suffer for the bad. sometimes i wonder how big the pm brain is. i guess my brain in balls bigger than his and can think stiffer and straight…he is talking lone r@@@@. i wonder when the gov will realize that they are running out of time and doing nothing to help the situations in Belize but making it another worse place to live in the world = joining the ranks of some mexican states. i guess when we start making some IEDS and left for him and his convoy then he will realize we deh get enuff of them talking r@@@@… and doing nothing….just talk bS…
You were quiet when you visited us in Chi over the summer but now is the time to speak up and you did in ususal fassion! You never let us down with your responses while on the floor of the House in Belmopan.
Finnegan I like very much your response! You guys need to sign this song loud so they can hear and so the people of Belize can realize that they were not doing their job while in control. If he is just now waking up to the problems on the south side of the city this tells us they were very much clueless and were asleep at the wheel for ten years.
After you get these facts out to the people then we need the UDP to step up to the plate and get things done that they could not or did not do while in control.
WHY WASN’T BARROW AT THE UNITED NATIONS TRYING TO GET HELP FOR BELIZE??????
POOR COUNTRIES ARE GETTING STUFF……….. WE COULD USE STUFF RIGHT NOW.
WHATS-UP WITH THAT??????????????????
i agree that poverty is one of the main causes of crime in Belize. We have been living in this state not today but for many years. The rich are getting richer and the poor are more….. There are several things that one can do to help out the people but there are some people that would rather a handout than to develop a skill or a business that would sustain their needs. I have th opportunity to work with a lots of people in Belize finding a ways to find alternative incomes for poor families but very often they just want for everything to be done for them. We need to get out of the mentality that people out there owe us something and do something for ourselves. I have seen people being help with windows, doors, sink nails and lumber to fix their home and when they walk out of the office where the got it turn and ask who is going to do the work for them. I have seen people walk out and sell the supplies because the wanted cash not material. the Venezuelan grant a lot of people just got the material and sold it to others.. its just shamefull… We need to have some more civic and personal pride… there are many things that can be done to get out of poverty but we need to start with ourselves../ and continues with electing leaders because of their qualities not for how much money they can give you for your vote… that is why young and talented persons can not run for office because they never stand a chance agains the rich and greedy politicians….
I am in total disagreement with preventative locking down of people …. in Belize one is inocent until proven guilty…. how can i be locked up without having my case heard and tried for my offense. If police in Belize does not have solid evidence within 48 hours of the alleged crime there in no way for them to find any in 10 month or even years…. i think that we have our constitution worng…
Come on people, we all think that we have the answers to problems, What is going on in Belize did not happen over night, everybody think they know better and can fix it and when they get the opportunity they see that they bite off more than they can chew… Barrow same as Obama,… Musa same as Bush, happy to pass the mess on…. Let’s be patient and see what the guys can do, it will get worst before we see any change. Proverb 28 ( Message ) When the country is in chaos, everybody has a plan to fix it – But it takes a Leader of real understanding to straighten things out….Is Barrow the Leader with understanding?…..
I don’t even care what they do.I’m tired of PUP&UDP,they are just putting on a show.