During Monday’s press conference, People’s United Party leader John Briceño explained that the B.T.L. settlement did not make it into Friday’s debate because of the ruckus that ended the House Meeting. John Briceño, Leader of the Opposition “What happened, there was a confusion that happened there, again by the Speaker. The Speaker messed up on […]
During the spectacle in the House on Friday, Junior Minister Elodio Aragon remained in his seat and observed the entire drama involving Julius Espat as it unfolded. Today, he expressed disappointment with the conduct of his colleague. Aragon says that Espat threw an unnecessary tantrum, despite the clarity of the standing orders which govern the […]
The political brouhaha at the sitting of the House of Representatives on Friday remains at the forefront of national discourse tonight. It is the first time that security forces are used to physically remove a sitting member from within the House. The back and forth between Speaker Michael Peyrefitte and Cayo South Area Representative Julius […]
In the wake of Friday’s chaotic sitting, the People’s United Party announced that it has agreed to hold a series of activities; the first to take place on Wednesday at the Senate meeting and to be followed by a demonstration in Belize City. The P.U.P. invites Belizeans across the country to join the cause in […]
Cayo South Area Representative Julius Espat was suspended as a member of the House of Representatives, at Friday’s scandalous sitting. While questions have been raised as to the legitimacy of his removal, Espat maintains that he is prepared to attend the next house meeting whenever it is called. We’ll have a legal perspective on the […]
According to senior parliamentarian and Leader of the Opposition John Briceño, the Speaker of the House has been very biased in moderating House debates. The P.U.P. claims the Speaker does not stifle the government side, but consistently goes against the other side of the House. John Briceño, Leader of the Opposition “It was the […]
The ejection of the media from the gallery has also raised concerns in respect of the apparent abuse of authority by members of the police department. Without verbal authorization from the Speaker of the House, police on duty inside the Assembly Building proceeded to forcibly remove reporters, cameramen and technicians from the balcony. The media […]
The People’s United Party is also calling for an appeal of the Supreme Court decision on Section Fifty-three of the Criminal Code. In the days following the landmark ruling, the P.U.P. stated that it respected the decision of the Supreme Court as the rule of law. Today, however it has made an about turn, demanding […]
The P.U.P. touched on a number of other issues. It weighed-in on the massive turnout of protestors who were present for the COLA/Evangelical Church rally in Belmopan on Friday. According to Party Leader Briceño, the opposition deliberately abstained from bringing out its membership out of respect for the church’s cause. The events on Friday, however, […]
Turning to the procedure on the naming of a member of the House of Representatives…. As you know, the House ended in utter confusion not to mention the chaos after Espat was suspended and ejected by the security forces. This morning, Caribbean Shores Area Rep. Kareem Musa relied on the Standing Orders to outline as […]
The People’s United Party has joined the B.P.P. in demanding that the Barrow administration immediately sign on the UN Convention on Anti-corruption. The urgent call for the U.D.P. government to endorse the convention comes amid the mounting scandals that the government is facing. John Briceño, Leader of the Opposition “No Mister Prime Minister; it […]
A report from experts, Doctors James Hamby of the U.S. and Doctor Patricia Trujillo of Mexico, on the killing of a Guatemalan minor back in April was released last week in Belize. The findings of the experts validate initial reports that the B.D.F. did not fire the fatal shots that took the life of Julio […]
The report of the independent investigation has incensed Guatemala. As soon as it was released, the Foreign Minister Carlos Raul Morales made comments to Emisoras Unidas, a news outlet across the border. His ire was directed at both the O.A.S. Representative and Prime Minister Barrow. Minister Morales thinks that the O.A.S.’ Magdalena Talamas is dead […]
By and large in the aftermath of the death of fourteen-year-old Julio Rene Alvarado Ruano, it was felt that the Guatemalan government was ahead in its campaign to internationalize their allegations that the B.D.F. killed the minor and in fact lacked professionalism. Well, Minister Morales is now rejecting the report by the experts on the […]
The second of three back to school drives organized by the Eastern Division South Police Department took place today at the Raccoon Police Station. Over a hundred and twenty children from the Saint Martin’s area were the recipients of school bags and supplies courtesy of the police officers. According to ACP Chester Williams, the drive […]
We have been covering House Meetings for decades, but we cannot remember one as chaotic and as dangerous to democracy as today. There was total pandemonium on Independence Hill where a sitting parliamentarian was suspended—though no knows for how long—another was manhandled and then there was a direct attack on the media. Outside of parliament, […]
As Julius Espat was being dragged out of the building, the Leader of the Opposition John Briceño attempted to intervene, telling the police that Espat was already outside of the Chambers so excessive force was not necessary. But he too was manhandled by the officers who appeared to be overextending their authority. At least three […]
Following the madness inside the meeting of the House, Leader of the Opposition John Briceño and Deputy Party Leader Julius Espat spoke candidly with the media. Briceño and Espat vehemently argued that the reason for the turmoil was simply because they chose to address the issue of the Auditor General’s report which names several government […]
The media also came under attack by the police. Colleagues were asked to leave, but stood their ground and then the police went into attack mode. The removal of the media from the gallery was an attempt to stop the recordings of the ugly scene unfolding. During that mayhem, our colleague at 7 News, Director […]
Moments later, flanked by a massive security detail, PM Barrow would exit the building. The shouting and jeering from onlookers continued as he made his way downhill towards his vehicle. We tried ardently to get a word from him concerning the pandemonium in today’s historic House Meeting. Here’s what happened. {Images of Prime Minister […]
While all the havoc was taking place inside the National Assembly, outside was no different. Just around high noon, what had been a peaceful protest on the steps of the National Assembly descended into scenes of near-riot after a protestor began firing missiles toward the Assembly building. Police responded with live warning rounds fire over […]
While the House debated, outside in the Belmopan sun, a selection of the population railed and called on the Prime Minister and his government to defend the nation from social ills and regain their rapidly fading trust. Correspondent Aaron Humes reports from Independence Hill. Aaron Humes, Reporting On this sunny Friday in the nation’s […]
The recent controversial Section Fifty-three ruling is the primary reason why almost two thousand protestors from across the country descended on Independence Hill today. Acknowledging the presence of the demonstrators outside of the House, PM Barrow reiterated government’s position that it will not appeal the Supreme Court decision. PM Barrow went on to say that […]
During today’s protest on Independence Hill, organizer of the “I Want My Country Back Movement,” Pastor Louis Wade, discussed with News Five his belief that the events of August tenth were a culmination of a secret pact made eight years ago. Wade says the agreement was between Caleb Orozco’s UNIBAM, an unnamed attorney, the University […]
At the end of our story on the protest in Belmopan, you heard COLA president Geovannie Brackett mention the silent trade union movement, but after, he told News Five that some are not entirely silent. Geovannie Brackett, President, COLA “I just got a text and I think I can be free to say – […]
