Free zone stalwarts rebel against Minister Mark Espat
There were a lot of hard words thrown around Belize today. One set involved the operation of our health care system; the other the running of a lucrative free zone at our northern border. We’ll begin tonight’s coverage with a story that combines money and politics, two subjects that seem to converge much more than they used to. At issue is representation on the board of the Corozal Free Zone, that pricey piece of real estate that has made many merchants–and many smugglers–extremely wealthy. It seems that following recent Cabinet shuffles there is a new minister responsible for the nation’s free zones … and to put it mildly, the old guard is not too happy. Today, following board elections, they took their case to the media.
Winston Smiling, C.F.Z. Businessman
?I?m going to state clearly, as far as I?m concerned, this is open war with the Minister.?
Janelle Chanona, Reporting
Former acting chairman of the Corozal Free Zone Winston Smiling, is fighting mad. Smiling claims he lost in the board?s recently held elections because he was denied the right to use more than fifty voter proxy forms. And he?s pointing the finger of blame directly at Minister responsible for free zones, Mark Espat.
Winston Smiling
?When the Minister wants somebody on that board, he has to have his way. Like for instance, Mr. Doony, sent to the board meeting as the Minister?s representative. My first response was I didn?t know you were employed by the Ministry. Because the law calls for somebody from the Ministry. Mr. Mark Espat and I will hold no punch about this, Mark Espat has his own agenda. Okay. He wants to be surrounded by Albert Street business people. He wants to have that board infested with people from the Indian community. And I?m going to open with this, maybe he?s building up his treasure chest for elections. Maybe that is his reason.?
Smiling has taken his beef to the National Free Zone Authority. According to Deputy Chairman Luke Espat, at a meeting today the authority declared that the elections be null and void.
Luke Espat, Deputy Chairman. N.F.Z.A.
?This Minister, and I say this without remorse, has his own problems. Has problems with certain individuals and has categorically made it clear that he will not recognize the National Free Zone Authority. In his position as Minister, he has that right, but he cannot break the law. We will do everything that it takes to ensure that the laws are kept as it relates to this. People here are not only talking about what we feel it is but we have put our lives and our businesses behind this. And this kind of attitude of don?t care and using tantrums or behaving irresponsible is totally unacceptable. This is real. We have outstanding debts and bills they get paid every month of taxpayers dollars to behave rude and disrespectful is uncalled for.?
Janelle Chanona
?What would you say to the observer who?s looking at all of this and saying da just a bunch of P.U.P. deh back bite each other??
Luke Espat
?The P.U.P. has gone through an emotional change. It started with rude children and it comes right back. And we had chaos in the People?s United Party. We had indecisive leadership in dealing with it at its point. Mark Espat was one of those people. He came back to the People?s United Party. I have no authority to talk about politics or nor I will deliberate that issue here, but this transcends from that activity and those times. This is the exact kind of thing I?m talking about.?
Luke Espat, Winston Smiling, Arturo Lizarraga and Michael Arnold wrote the book on the Free Zone and tonight maintain they want to run the free zones according to the letter of those laws to bolster investor confidence.
Luke Espat
?It makes us look exactly where we are to the world, the same reason, the same way we are behaving as a government to the world and our creditors today, that we don?t know where we are going. It is affecting us; it is discouraging investment. People don?t know if we are an overnight government, and I think we as a board has put this in the hands of the Prime Minister and again, if he doesn?t do something about his Ministers that are irresponsible, the price, the people will say at the polls that they manifested recently. He must bring his Ministers that are rogues into line.?
Winston Smiling
?I don?t know why he is afraid of me or what is his problem? But something needs to be done and I want to go on record, I don?t know if I?ll be successful, but personally my next request would be to ask this gathering, to ask the Prime Minister to give us a Minister who will work with work along with the board. A minister that will call meeting in due course for us to go forward.?
Arturo Lizarraga, Member of N.F.Z.A.
?As far as the National Free Zone Authority rests, we would hope that we would have more cooperation with the government in resolving these issues, and also promoting investment jointly. I think that is something that we fear has not happen and we hope it would happen.?
Michael Arnold, Rep. Private Developers, C.F.Z.
?I want to extend a hand of friendship and understanding to any government representative who would like to come and sit and call a meeting with us. The investors who may lose our monies or lose credibility or something, so that we could all come together and conduct this thing so that everybody is satisfied.?
Reporting for News Five, I am Janelle Chanona.
Minister Mark Espat is out of the country and as such was unavailable for comment. According to a release from the Chief Executive Officer of the Corozal Free Zone, Joel Cervantes, the four newly elected representatives for the private sector are Gulab Sharma, Anil Hotchandani, Curtis Arnold and Carlos Parra. The six government appointees are chairman Florencio Marin, Vice Chairman Sunil Sadarangani, C.E.O. Cervantes and three public officers representing the Ministry of Labour, the Ministry of Finance and the Customs Department.
