Barrow also told the media that at the time when government took over B.E.L., Belize Electric Company Limited was not on the table and that the government will never go after the Fortis-owned company. When quizzed today, the PM also disclosed that Fortis was being exempted from various taxes, saying there was nothing out of […]
But is this just much ado over nothing? That question came up at the press briefing this morning, since the Prime Minister had made mention of a statement of comfort which he had signed with Fortis. Shoman says that where this deal is concerned, there’s no comfort at all for Belizeans. Lisa Shoman, Senator, […]
There have been sparks of violence going into the November fourth elections. A fire destroyed the campaign office U.D.P. standard bearer Ralph Huang last Monday and over the weekend, with temperatures running high, supporters of both major political parties clashed up north. This morning, the Prime Minister was asked about the hostilities as well as […]
Next week Wednesday, Belizeans will head to the polls to elect a new government, one year and half before the term of the Barrow administration was to expire. At an event today, the media quizzed Prime Minister Barrow on the real possibility that he and his party may not be returned to office for a […]
The Gang Suppression Unit has come under fire for early morning weekend raids on homes belonging to P.U.P. supporters in the community of San Jose in the Orange Walk District. The victims claim that they were quizzed on their political affiliation, and asked by the GSU officers if they wanted to talk to Deputy Prime […]
The GSU’s weekend adventures, according to Flowers, led them from San Jose to the Belize Central Prison on a hunt for an elusive and perhaps mythical firearm. They never did find it. Because of the allegations of misadventure in San Jose, though, Flowers says that he has asked another officer to determine if the GSU […]
A youth senator…that’s one of the proposals that the youth arm of the People’s United Party put forth in a manifesto last Saturday. The document, called Agenda For Now, also seeks to promote education, arts and culture and the general empowerment of the youth. News Five’s Duane Moody reports. Alberto Vellos, President, Belize Youth […]
There are two recent immigration incidents over which there is rising concern. Between the months of September and October over four hundred persons were sworn in as new Belizeans. And last week, a knapsack was found at a print shop in San Ignacio containing nationality applications and passports of seven persons. The law requires that […]
All the hype surrounding the campaign of Ramon Cervantes Junior does not downplay the challenge that he will be facing on November fourth. His extremely formidable foe is a three-time winner in the area and a force to reckon with. We couldn’t catch up to Vega on the campaign trail but we did run into […]
U.D.P. Cayo South Standard Bearer Ralph Huang continues to actively campaign in that constituency, even though his office in Camalote was destroyed by fire. Huang is a newcomer to electoral politics and is contending for a seat in the House of Representatives by challenging the formidable incumbent area representative Julius Espat. Cayo South is comprised […]
Sitting area rep Julius Espat is also leaving no stone unturned, he too is covering the expansive constituency one household at a time. According to the People’s United Party deputy leader, the issues that voters are facing in Cayo South are fundamental. There is a lack of employment in the rural communities; there are no […]
The only man who logically stands to gain from causing Ramon Cervantes Jr. misery two weeks before general elections is his opponent, Gaspar Vega. Vega is a powerhouse in Orange Walk North, but political tides can turn on a dime so there’s never any sure bet. The Cervantes family has drawn the logical conclusion and […]
On Wednesday night, we brought you one aspect of the U.D.P. manifesto entitled, “The Best is Yet to Come.” That segment, handled by U.D.P. leader Dean Barrow, focused on public administration. But there was much more. That sexiness, as the U.D.P. leader referred to it, was announced by a host of U.D.P. candidates including newcomers […]
During the manifesto launch Minister of Foreign Affairs Wilfred Elrington was also put on the spot where the seemingly heightened Belize/Guatemala territorial dispute is concerned. Elrington, quite amazingly, blamed the media for the Belize/Guatemala issue, claiming that the wider public is not really interested in it. Wilfred Elrington, U.D.P. Candidate, Pickstock “It is my […]
On the campaign trail today, we headed to Daly Street, one of the main streets in the Fort George division, where the former two-term Prime Minister of Belize and current sitting area representative is Said Musa. He’s also held responsibility for the ministries of Finance, Education and Sports, Foreign Affairs and Attorney General and has […]
Musa’s hold over the Fort George Division will now be contested by two other persons—the U.D.P.’s Roger Espejo and the B.P.P.’s Rollin Powery, a newcomer to politics. The former P.M. says he has never really factored either of them into his campaign, but he did single out the current prime minister. And while Espejo is […]
Next stop was Belize Rural North where Major Lloyd Jones is reporting for duty. Jones is a well-known retired major from B.D.F who is taking on U.D.P. area representative Edmund “Clear the Land” Castro. The incumbent, Castro is a two-time area rep who has reeled from scandal to scandal. With his integrity intact, Jones is […]
So how does Jones propose to uplift the constituency? He told News Five that the answer lies in his PAT program to foster economic development and tourism in the villages. Jones says the division has been neglected for eight years and he promises to fight to bring prosperity to the area. Jones predicts that there […]
The two major political parties launched their manifestos this morning within two weeks of the November fourth general elections. Now, manifestos are a traditional part of election campaigns providing the respective party’s platforms on national issues as well as pledges to the electorate. At the P.U.P. headquarters this morning, the release of the Power to […]
Where the P.U.P.’s manifesto, and manifesto launch are Spartan…the United Democratic Party hauled out all the stops with a forty-page fancy magazine type third term agenda. Their event was held in the comfort of the Biltmore where twenty-seven of thirty-one U.D.P. candidates were in attendance. Mike Rudon was there and has the story. Mike […]
P.U.P. leader Francis Fonseca also chimed in this morning on the knapsack passports. Fonseca says he fears that U.D.P. operatives may be engaged in tampering with the voters list and in the binders at the Elections and Boundaries Commission. Francis Fonseca, P.U.P. Leader “We are very, very concerned about it. It is absolutely alarming. […]
A protest is planned for this Thursday at Independence Village in the south where over a thousand persons have lost their jobs in the banana industry. The protest comes on the heels of an article in the international press that Fyffes has stopped buying bananas from Meridian Farms in Belize because of its links to […]
As part of our continuing pre-election coverage, today we spoke to U.D.P. Candidate for Orange Walk South Lupe Magaña-Dyck. She’s relatively new to politics and joined the race only three months ago when she defeated two other candidates at a party convention. Politics is no game for a novice, and three months is practically no […]
Since we had the opportunity, we also asked the aspiring U.D.P. area representative about one of her campaign vehicles caught on camera loading up goods at the Customs Department in Orange Walk Town. That building is where Customs personnel store contraband goods confiscated. In the photos you will see it appears that those goods are […]
If the P.U.P. is successful on November fourth, in addition to the manifesto promises there are a number of hot-button issues which remain unresolved. There is the request for salary increases by the Faculty and Staff of the University of Belize, the situation involving First Caribbean International Bank employees who have not tied up their […]
