The Belize Chamber of Commerce and Industry on Wednesday sent out one of its strongest releases, condemning government’s proposed ninth amendment to the constitution. The proposed bill intends to alter the constitution, thus enabling government to supersede the role of the courts to what the Chamber calls parliamentary supremacy. The Chamber’s position was explained today […]
The vendors at the Michael Finnegan Market are again bucking heads with the City Council; this time over food handler’s permits. According to the vendors, they received a letter informing them that they have until this Friday to obtain their permits. And while that notice is dated, July twenty-sixth, they claim it wasn’t delivered until […]
But the City Councilor with responsibility for the market, Philip Willoughby, maintains that the letter was delivered in July. He also emphasized that it’s an initiative of the Ministry of Health and not the simply the council, but that the vendors must comply with the notice. As for the conditions of the market, Willoughby told […]
The Belize Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI) has issued a stern release, asking Prime Minister Dean Barrow to withdraw the proposed Ninth Amendment to the Constitution. The Chamber warns that the proposed Amendment creates a very dangerous situation, which is not contemplated by the Constitution. It allows the Legislature to have absolute power to […]
After murder victim, Sydney Richard’s body, was taken to the morgue, the family, already distraught were upset that they were denied requests to witness the post mortem examination. There are questions surrounding Richards’s murder as well as that of another man who lost his life in less threatening circumstances. On Tuesday night, fifty-one year old […]
As we said earlier, there has been overwhelming opposition to the proposed ninth amendment to the constitution. We’ve brought you several views from legal minds, parliamentarians as well as the viewers via our online poll and blog. And although the government insists that it has the support of the people, the general sentiment is that […]
The Foreign Minister is also of the view that if Belizeans are against the legislation, taking to the streets is always an option. But he said that if the people vehemently oppose the ninth, then the government would withdraw it. Wilfred “Sedi” Elrington “Our protections really is the vigilance of the people because…” Marleni Cuellar […]
Another perspective on the ninth amendment came from the former Prime Minister, Said Musa. Musa pointed out that if the content of amendments cannot be challenged in the courts, then why the change? And while the amendment would affect sections two and sixty-nine of the constitution, he underscored section sixty-eight, which contains an important provision […]
Residents along the Jane Usher Boulevard have been on the newscast before complaining about the appalling conditions of the streets in the area. Now that the rains are pouring, the potholes have become pools with water up to knee height and a breeding ground for mosquitoes. City Hall says it is the responsibility of the […]
Joel “Dara” Robinson is well known for his primary school feeding program that runs throughout the academic year. This week Dara is holding his second summer food drive, in which he collects groceries to be distributed to needy families in Belize City. He has also extended the initiative to include school supplies, which will go […]
Competition in the telecom industry has brought about great promotional packages to the public. SMART, the smaller of two telephone carriers, has been most aggressive in its marketing campaign. On Tuesday, the winners of the recent Smart Campaign Challenge received their accolades. News Five’s Isani Cayetano found out that the Speednet campaign is targeting smart […]
There is growing criticism and unease to the proposed Ninth Amendment to the constitution which the Bar Association says it will likely challenge in the courts. There are ninety days in which public consultations are required before the proposal goes back to the House for approval, but the topic is already getting a great deal […]
Now back to the proposed ninth amendment. On Open your Eyes this morning, Hubert Elrington questioned the wisdom of his younger brother, Sedi, the current Foreign Minister whose defense of the proposed ninth amendment is that supremacy is in the hands of the people. Precisely, that the parliament has unlimited power to change the laws […]
Hubert Elrington also says that the idea that government can protect utilities is illusionary since in an economic meltdown, the financial institutions would require their immediate privatization. Hubert Elrington, Attorney “Let’s say this country gets into a depression and we need help from the World Bank, we need help from the IMF; the first thing […]
It is the end of an era for one of the most popular radio stations in the Jewel. So, for the thousands who have kept their dial on 99.1 FM, there is nostalgia in the air. The British Forces Broadcasting Station will cease broadcast at the end of the week. BATSUB is downsizing and the […]
The proposed ninth amendment is at the center of a firestorm. Lawyers, policy makers, and activists have been vocal about the controversial amendment, which—if passed—will prevent the courts from reviewing amendments to the constitution. That was top on the list of contentious issues that have Belizeans on edge. On Saturday, persons from across the country […]
Last week, the Government announced it was not proceeding to enact the preventative detention measures that had been widely criticized and rejected by the public. That proposed initiative required a constitutional amendment unlike another anti-crime measure that was introduced at the same time in the House in May. The Prime Minister today penned his signature […]
The proposed ninth amendment to the constitution; it has come under fire from various quarters since it was introduced in the House on July twenty-second. The Bar Association last week rejected the proposal on the grounds that it seeks to take away access to judicial review since the courts would be able to check on […]
As we said, the controversial ninth amendment seeks to prevent judicial review of any changes to the constitution. The Prime Minister last Friday in an open letter said that access to the court would not be denied, but the president of the Bar explains that you can still go to court but the court cannot […]
So what is the role of the Bar Association in the ninth amendment? The Bar has been kept busy in court with a number of cases with the government and consideration is now being given to proceed to the court on the latest proposal to change the constitution. Jacqueline Marshalleck, President, Belize Bar Association “I […]
The Bar Association’s rejection of the proposed eighth and ninth amendments to the constitution has not gone without some criticism. The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Wilfred ‘Sedi’ Elrington who is also an attorney, says the bar has been silent on many issues, and though he hadn’t read the Bar’s position on those amendments, Elrington says […]
Angel Moriera and Reginald Cumberbatch have both been the center of scandal. Moriera’s name has been attached to fraudulent land transactions which resulted in the sale of an island and other properties without the consent of the owners. Cumberbatch, as you are aware, has been accused of attempting to assault a male minor in Succotz […]
Madrid has been unable to get a comment from the government about the association’s proposed JP Act, but News Five also posed the question to Minister of Foreign Affairs about the JP crisis. ‘Sedi’ Elrington is a former Attorney General, and was contacted by Madrid during his tenure as A.G. According to Elrington, a more […]
Standard interconnectivity between Smart and Telemedia remains in limbo tonight despite a Supreme Court order at the end of March for both companies to establish new terms and conditions for the use of shared infrastructure. Failure to reach an amicable agreement meant that the Public Utilities Commission would step in to mediate the ongoing dispute […]
The poem that goes Water, water, everywhere, Nor any drop to drink was written over two hundred years ago by English Poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge. But the meaning is still fresh with residents on La Isla Bonita who became so outraged about the stagnant quality of water in San Pedro, they complained to the Public […]
