This evening, a scene eerily reminiscent of the worst of the 2005 riots greeted rush hour drivers. Perhaps the most important traffic route in all of Belize City, the BelCan Bridge linking San Cas Plaza and the Philip Goldson Highway with Central American Boulevard, was blocked by a series of tires set on fire. It […]
But the big announcement came this afternoon from B.N.T.U. National President Luke Palacio after a meeting at the union headquarters. Across the country, the B.N.T.U. teachers stayed away from the classrooms and in most cases so did the students…we’ll have that story coming up. But what happens on Tuesday. After a successful day-one, will the […]
As we said, a majority of Belize’s teachers were out of school today, in support of the strike by their union. It is a result of the Belize National Teachers’ Union’s efforts to spur up discussion on the current state of affairs in the nation, and getting the attention of the Government on current critical […]
During today’s meeting in Belize City, B.N.T.U. executive secretary Keisha Young read out the details of how many absences and school closures there were – and there were a lot of them. Keisha Young, Executive Secretary, B.N.T.U. “In Corozal Town Branch, eight schools were fully closed, five were open, but most of them were […]
The ruling United Democratic Party’s National Party Council met Saturday in a regular session at the party’s headquarters at Youth for the Future Drive in Belize City. This quarterly meeting came amidst the planned strike by the Belize National Teachers’ Union today and other pressing national issues. Minister of Foreign Affairs Wilfred Elrington told us […]
Our first interview with B.N.T.U. President Luke Palacio took place this morning, just before nine a.m., as he and B.N.T.U. executive secretary Keisha Young left from an appearance on the Wake Up Belize Morning Vibes show. Shortly after that, it came to the attention of show host and vocal B.N.T.U. supporter Evan “Mose” Hyde that […]
B.N.T.U. Belmopan Branch says today’s strike was a success. The teachers who didn’t go to school converged in the Capital where the eight demands by the union were ventilated by guest speakers including Doctor Louis Zabaneh. More than three-fourths of the Belmopan Branch union members, along with non-members in Belmopan ditched the classroom in support […]
Regional branches of the B.N.T.U. met simultaneously to discuss the way forward which resulted in an endorsement of day-two of strike action. In the north, where the B.N.T.U. is strong and flourishing, students closed the classrooms in support of teachers. News Five’s Duane Moody has the following report. Duane Moody, Reporting Across Orange Walk […]
But the strike action has not been without its hurdles. The Catholic Public Schools suffered an apparent communication breakdown last week. It started after infirm Catholic Bishop Dorick Wright, at a meeting of principals and representatives of Catholic management at his home, endorsed a press release that indicated his concern for the safety of students […]
The Belize Chamber of Commerce and Industry has issued a statement of support for the B.N.T.U. following a meeting between their respective leaderships on Friday. The Chamber reiterated its support for several of the urgent reform measures proposed by the B.N.T.U., such as the activation of the Integrity Commission, the restructuring of the Public Accounts […]
A Senate Select Committee was established last Friday; it includes only one member from the People’s United Party. Today, the Opposition called for a reconstitution of the Committee and advanced it recommendations. The P.U.P. arduously objected to a motion presented by the Church Senator which gives the G.O.B. the upper hand. The lead Opposition senator, […]
Minister of State for Finance; former Financial Secretary, and former vice-president at the Caribbean Development Bank, Doctor Carla Barnett, addressed reporters on Friday on the current state of the economy. The country has just completed its Article IV consultation with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which continues to call for cuts to the wage bill, […]
Speaking more specifically on raising taxes, Doctor Barnett reiterated that the Government’s efforts are presently aimed at increasing the level of outstanding taxes it collects and closing loopholes in the system before it resorts to raising them. Dr. Carla Barnett, Minister of State, Finance “Let me put it this way. There is a need […]
Turning to the fight against crime…the Rural Eastern Division launched a non-emergency number for the public in that division. The police hope that the number will make it easier for people to report minor crimes and will result in quicker police response. Also as a part of its community efforts, patrols are now going digital […]
The conch season officially opened on Saturday, but even before then, on Friday, a joint patrol of Belize Audubon Society, Fisheries Department and the Belize National Coast Guard officers out at Lighthouse Reef came across a trio of fishermen. All three fishermen are from the village of Cooper Bank in the Corozal District. The incident […]
Last Wednesday, the Ministry of Economic Development and Petroleum sent out a release stating that along with the Geology Department, it will be conducting a multi-beam and sea seep survey to the east of the barrier reef and in the exclusive economic zone excluding all marine protected areas, as well as areas banned from petroleum […]
The Upper Chamber of the National Assembly today had a very high-stakes meeting in Belmopan. Its sole purpose: to come to an agreement about the constitution and composition of a Special Senate Select Committee to investigate the Special Audit Report on Immigration composed by the Auditor General’s Office. Competing motions – one from the Church’s […]
The Leader of the Opposition in the Senate admitted following the meeting that they were caught off-guard by the sudden change to the Order Paper putting Senator Rocke’s motion above his own. With that, the stage was set for that motion to carry the day, and the most he could do was to temper it […]
But, before the Rocke motion could even be heard and debated, there was an intervention by Lead Opposition Senator Eamon Courtenay, asking Minister of Immigration and his opposite number in the Government, Godwin Hulse, to recuse himself from the debate. There followed some debate on whether the motion was brought with sufficient notice, while Courtenay […]
While Senator Ashley Rocke was making the ultimately successful motion before the Senate, he was interrupted by Geovannie Brackett, the President of Citizens Organized for Liberty through Action and activist Raymond Rivers. Brackett and Rivers pointedly shouted at the embattled Rocke that he was not telling the truth about the origin of his motion and […]
In anticipation of the Rocke motion being passed, C.O.L.A. president Brackett vowed to continue civil agitation alongside the Belize National Teachers’ Union. He called for a national shutdown on Monday at the same time as the teachers hold their strike. Geovannie Brackett, President, COLA “It seems it’s when we behave unreasonable—to use the government […]
After the debate began, it quickly became clear that the social partner Senators – Mark Lizarraga for the business community and Elena Smith for the trade unions and civil society – were not supporting the motion. Of course, the Opposition also weighed in against it. Their primary complaints were that it did not go far […]
The Belize Chamber of Commerce and Industry has said it will review its options in light of today’s successful motion in the Senate. However, in a statement issued just before news time it remarks, “A thorough investigation is necessary, and any special select committee which is shackled by terms such as those in the motion […]
While the opposition, social partners and civil society were of the opinion that the motion presented by the Church Senator did not go far enough; the major discontent was the composition of the committee. The majority of the Senators voted in favor of a committee with two government representatives, three social partners – which includes […]
It is for more than the three—it is for country…That was the message from the Executive of the Belize National Teachers Union this afternoon at a press conference in the City. The teachers are asking for several things, including an international independent investigation into the William Danny Mason scandal, for government to sign on to […]
