Godwin Hulse says visas are really no big deal and is not concerned about Castro
Godwin Hulse
The man in the visa hot-seat, Minister of State Edmund Castro, continues to dodge the media at every turn. Apart from a lengthy press release in which he remembers recommending five visas for Chinese nations, he has been a slippery fellow. Today, Castro’s attorney, Rodwell Williams, filed a lawsuit against Great Belize Production, but as we have said, we stand by our story and we will continue to dig further into the widespread immigration irregularities. The allegations are very serious against Castro – there is firsthand information about the involvement of the minister in the facilitating of visas between October 2012 and April 2013. The source has provided the name of a highly connected runner, details of payment and procedure. She has signed affidavits to the Office of the Ombudsman and to the U.S. Embassy in Belize, making it clear that she has the evidence and witnesses to support her allegations. Still, there has been no official word from Prime Minister Dean Barrow. He is the man who fired Castro in 2010 just on the word of a woman who says Castro swindled her out of some money for a piece of land. But Castro now holds a trump card similar to that of his colleague Elvin Penner. The margin held by the U.D.P. in the House is too small, and so there seems to be protection afforded to him. Minister of Immigration, Godwin Hulse, was asked about Castro and according to Hulse, visas are really no big deal. In fact, where Castro is concerned, he isn’t even looking in his direction.
Godwin Hulse, Minister of Immigration
“I haven’t heard all the allegations, there’s so many things running around. But what I want to say specifically about visas – is that people must realize that a visa is a permission to come to this country. That is what it is. When you get to this county…when you get to any of the border points you get a permit to do certain things. You either get a permit if you want to be a student – that’s called a student permit. You get a permit if you’re a visitor for so many days. You get a permit if you’re going to work you have to apply for it. The visa is to get here. Citizens of many countries don’t require visas to come to Belize. Only a few countries require visas to come to Belize. The Chinese are one of those. We must recognize that the Europeans are removing the requirements for visas for Chinese nationals. They’ve just removed the requirements for visas for Colombians and Peruvians…we still have requirements for visas for those, so clearly we will have to move in step with these developed countries. However, when Chinese citizens require visas to come to Belize there’s a process. All they do is that they have to send their passports…somehow they have to get their passports here because they can’t come and bring it. They get the passports here. The Department makes sure that’s a legitimate passport by checking with Interpol or whoever they have to check with. The person has to have the wherewithal to pay his stay. And we’ve set that at one hundred dollars a day…so if he can show that he has three thousand dollars for his thirty days stay, and he has a return ticket…if those conditions are met then he gets his visa. And then he has to get his visa back to him. How he gets it back to him is not the department’s issue. So anybody in between who is acting in any capacity to facilitate that…the department is outside of that.”
We’d like to believe that getting a visa to Belize is a little more complicated than the Minister describes. Still, like we said, we understand why it’s important for the U.D.P. to distract attention away from Castro. We’re waiting anxiously for comment from the Prime Minister, who unlike Hulse was very concerned about the visa hustle allegedly being operated by his ministers. According to the PM, that visa thing which is no big deal to Minister Hulse, is the one thing which would topple his administration.
Of course no big deal with Castro, who are the bigger fish?
Let’s see……
Who could get Penner to sign undated government documents?
Who would enough clout with this guy, to get him to go along with that?
the short A-list is “YOU and/or BARROW”.
Enjoy Hattieville or Hell you traitors.
Is this man hulse stupid or what he needs to be locked up also along with this thieving corrupt incompetent impotent pm and his merry band of thieves all of them are traitors to their country march belizeans now is the time to wake up march and get rid of this cancer that’s killing this country cut this cancer out guan judas gannnnnnnnnn
Thief thief and moooooooooo thief
oh. ok so the minister says it no big deal. i guess thats fine then. we can take his word. As long as it comes from a minister of this gov’t. lets put fonso as minister of gay rights and joe bradley as minister of education ( might help him learn to read).
The regulation for Public officers, is that they should not use their office for monetary gain. Neither should Ministers. This is not a big deal the man says . When something as big as this is not a big deal, but would have been tremendous deal when he was in the opposition. Giving families jobs with exorbitant salaries as long as they can do the job, nepotism to cover up corruption, putting families into key position over experience long time workers, giving families special perks, like choice land so they can collect large sums of money. if caught, or if they sell, is not a big deal. Making your whole family into millionaires in three four years of office skimming off passport and visa sale, is not a big deal. How corrupt have two years made this man, or did corruption reared it’s ugly head a looooong, looooooong time ago when police use to conduct raid on farm?
We now have to ask ourselves, what now should be wrong in our eyes, that is no longer wrong, because nothing is no longer a big deal….. no mater how wrong it is?
Godwin Hulse is all about himself. He fooled some Belizean when he was doing the UDP bidding when the UDP was in opposition. Now it is open naked where he stand about good governance. Visa are important as it allow Belize to become a gateway to the US.
Watching Godwin Hulse grow up, I knew da man was going to be a straight laced type dude. In the mid 60s, Hulse used to partake in cross country bicycle sports. He was offered a bribe to lose the race. He refused. Another time, I watch him take a five cent bags of peanuts and share it evenly between him and I. One fu you, one fu me. Then he joined Barrow and the UDP thieves.
If Hulse truly believes that Castro is clean, then not only has Hulse become stupid and senile, his values are now floating food for catfish.
Hulse you have become a disgrace.
Channel 5 we the people of this country stand by you as our number one media. these corrupt ministers are liable to pay for what they are doing and should be punish for it. we don’t care who you are. you do the crime you must do the time. Channel 5 keep up the excellent work in exposing these ill minded ministers and let them know we the people put them there and we can take them out anytime. they are no better than any other Belizean. Castro gotta go. he needs to start clearing his land and get ready to roll. Great JOB!!!!!!!!!!!! CHANNEL 5
Castro has reason to hide his face! How the heck can Godwin stand up before the public and say anything that sounds like “this is not big deal”? is he crazy or stupid or is he thinking the rest of us are stupid? Mr Hulse it is a dam shame for your information when those that have been entrusted with the vote of the people behave in this manner! Seems like all those in elected office only know what to do when they are not in office; as soon as they get elected they get stupid and crooked! It’s a dam shame!!!!!!!!!
Castro is a human trafficker,
“Chines are like a slow progressive forest, once there they never leave”., and they know hungry
ministers in Belize are money hungry.
What is the difference between Castro and a “Mexican Coyote”
(They both smuggle illegal immigrants to the USA.)
This man is the bet example of arrogance at its highest level… all the evidence is there, all fingers point to Castro and yet this idiot who calls himself a honest minister comes out and says that the procedures were legit? wtf is wrong with us belizeans? who do we tke so much bullsh** fro this bunch of arrogant thieves? they lie to us on our faces and we do nothing to stop them. we are too passive and we need to stand for our country and rights! wake up belizean!!!!
Godwin is right. I told you all before on a previous post that visas are granted all the time legally under the conditions as described by Godwin. Hustlers deceive visa seekers that they can facilitate the process and hustle big money. The minister(s) write a letter of recommendation and the hustler gives him X amount for something that can be acquired by due process. Again, a visa is permission to visit another country for a period of time and the requirement is that you have funds to sustain yourself while in the country. Americans, Brits, Canadians and Caricom countries do not need visas. Most other citizens of other countries do. The hustlers convince them that they can only get a visa if they pay a bribe. The victims are not the Belizean people. In fact they are the benefactors. The hustle money circulates in Belize. Godwin is right.. Its no big deal. Its not like Castro is stealing from Belizeans or giving away land. He is simply getting a fee for writing a recommendation letter. The visas would have been granted anyway, The only people getting screwed are the fools who fall for the hustle.. All they need to do is to apply through proper channels.. Now the sale of citizenship and passports is another matter. The previous government knows about this. In fact their hustle was bigger. remember Ralph and the millions of Chavez money that was supposed to go to housing for the poor and the social security money stolen and not yet recovered from the coutrneys. Open your eyes Belizeans.. Power to the people. How soon we forget.