In contrast to the debate in the House of Representatives which centered on the salary of its C.E.O., the Senate’s debate of the International Banking (Amendment) Bill focuses on Belize Telemedia Limited’s efforts to obtain a loan for the Internet to houses broadband program, costing thirty-five million U.S. dollars. It intends to obtain a portion […]
The upper chamber of the National Assembly met in regular session today to consider multiple motions and bills, most brought from the House of Representatives after it met last Friday. One motion and one bill in particular provoked extensive debate which took up most of the day’s proceedings. The OFID Haulover Bridge Loan Motion was […]
In response, Minister of State for Finance, Doctor Carla Barnett, noted that the impact of climate change has forced new thinking in the design and development of infrastructure. She was with the Caribbean Development Bank at the time and knows of the origin of the project and its associated hiccups. But in addition to warning […]
Other bills including amendments to legislation on land, protection of married persons, immigration and temporary residency and BELTRAIDE were also debated, with the International Banking Bill still to come this evening. But the afternoon session was mostly dominated by the debate of the Misuse of Drugs (Amendment) Act, intended to decriminalize possession of ten grams […]
Attorney General Michael Peyrefitte, among others, tried to make a correlation between use of legal drugs such as alcohol and tobacco in public, and the use of marijuana which is mostly private. He contended that the Bill does not encourage anyone to begin smoking marijuana. But Peyrefitte says the law is there to encourage those […]
In the House of Representatives last Friday, a total of twelve bills were dealt with over the course of the sitting, several of which were held over from the last sitting in August. One was an amendment to the Immigration Act in respect of temporary residency. It seeks to add the C.E.O. in the Ministry […]
Last week Prime Minister Dean Barrow secured a twelve-million U.S. dollar loan from the OPEC Fund for International Development on a visit to Washington, D.C. It’s intended to replace one of Belize’s longest standing bridges, the Haulover Bridge crossing the creek and joining Belize City with Ladyville on the Philip Goldson Highway. In short order, […]
The Bar Association and the Belize National Teachers Union are on record saying that Franz Parke does not qualify as a Justice on the Court of Appeal. The opposition has gone further and filed a legal motion against the appointment of Parke, who is already sitting in this session of the Court of Appeal. That […]
The Government of Belize has recommended the re-appointment of Contractor General Godwin Arzu for a further two-year term. But if the Opposition had its way, the answer would be no. Arzu has been in the post since 2009. His name was most recently in the news as signing off on the Imer Hernandez-awarded contract for […]
This week Minister of Tourism and Civil Aviation Manuel Heredia Junior confirmed that Imer Hernandez won the bid for the Caye Caulker municipal airstrip reconstruction. He noted that there were changes to the bid and according to Prime Minister Dean Barrow, the contract, for which money is being sought by the Airports Authority but not […]
The U.D.P. municipal convention held this weekend in Dangriga has brought into the open the division within the hierarchy of the party. Former U.D.P. minister Mark King and current Dangriga area rep, Frank “Pawpa” Mena, took to social media this week expressing their concerns and frustration with election tactics to secure votes. Mena went as […]
This evening, Caribbean Shores area representative Kareem Musa issued a statement on social media declaring that he would not contest the position of party leader of the People’s United Party against incumbent John Briceño. Musa’s name was raised shortly after the National Party Council meeting of September thirtieth as a potential challenger in the upcoming […]
He is back in the House of Representatives, but Cayo South area representative Julius Espat still has an axe to grind with the way he was put out on the afternoon of August twenty-sixth, 2016. His case with then-Speaker of the House Michael Peyrefitte was called before the Court of Appeal on Monday afternoon, but […]
The internal intrigue in the United Democratic Party continues. On Monday, we showed you the response of Dangriga area representative Frank “Papa” Mena to the results of the Dangriga convention, where he dared the senior leadership to kick him out. Today, former Lake Independence area representative and noted firebrand Mark King added his lengthy thoughts […]
The Imer Hernandez Development Company Limited has already begun construction on the stretch of Fabers’ Road between Central American Boulevard and the George Price Highway. For that approximately one-mile stretch of road, they will be paid handsomely – almost eight million dollars to reinforce the road bed and put in sidewalks and drains to the […]
But before it gets to that, COLA has engaged Kareem Musa to write to the C.E.O. in the Ministry of Works, Errol Gentle, along with Minister Rene Montero and Contractor General Godwin Arzu, under the Freedom of Information Act. Musa seeks a look at the specific contract to Hernandez, the selective tendering process employed by […]
The People’s United Party issued a statement today condemning the award as containing no rational justification other than to, in the P.U.P.’s words, enrich select U.D.P. ministers and cronies and pad election coffers. They cite the similar works on the Philip Goldson Highway done by Cisco Construction for less than half the cited amount of […]
The National Executive of the People’s United Party met on Thursday and set a deadline of four p.m. on October twenty-seventh for Party Chairman Henry Charles Usher to receive both a list of delegates from constituency committee chairpersons, and nominations for party leader in writing. Tonight one of those potential challengers, current deputy leader Kareem […]
In other political news, the United Democratic Party held its municipal convention for Dangriga on Sunday at Holy Ghost Roman Catholic School near the sea. Incumbent Mayor Francis Humphreys is running for another term after defeating former councilor Herbert Nicasio by three to one. In terms of votes, Humphreys garnered nine hundred fourteen votes to […]
By whom will Party Leader John Briceño be challenged for control of the P.U.P.? It’s a question being pondered by many within the opposition party, in light of the fact that candidates are yet to enter the intramural political race. While it is strongly believed that the seat will be contested by Deputy Party Leader […]
According to Party Chairman Henry Charles Usher, every other position within the national executive is up for challenge. He goes through the necessary procedures of nomination. Henry Charles Usher, Chairman, People’s United Party “This morning we had the first national executive meeting since the last National Party Council which was held on September thirtieth […]
On Wednesday, Deputy Party Leader Kareem Musa, in an interview with the media, said that endorsements for Briceño’s leadership were being gathered from caucuses across the country. That effort came in the wake of the National Party Council held on September thirtieth. But today, Party Leader John Briceño set the record straight. He says he […]
At present Briceño’s office remains unchallenged, but that’s subject to change in the weeks ahead. The party chairman confirmed this fact when the question was put to him bluntly. Isani Cayetano “Do you have any idea preliminarily, of any interest being expressed in terms of challenging the leadership of John Briceño?” Henry Charles […]
In some corners there has been talk of discord within the People’s United Party, a perceived lack of unity that continues to affect the P.U.P. at the polls. In our interview, we asked the party leader if the imminent challenge is a deliberate move to unseat him by factions within his organization that are dissatisfied […]
While the party chairman agrees that there is no friction within the P.U.P., he says that members of the party should rally around the slate of candidates leading up to the municipal elections of 2018. Henry Charles Usher, Chairman, People’s United Party “It was the National Party Council that had called for this national […]
