Prime Minister Barrow was a happy camper when the issue of the Sixth Amendment Bill went through the second and third reading and was debated in the House. And while they were passed at today’s sitting, according to the P.M., they won’t come into force until October because of a pending appeal. Prime Minister Dean […]
That decision by the Prime Minister did not affect the debate of those amendments. There were enough objections and support in the national consultations held around the country weeks ago, but today the politicians had their say. First to stand up and contest some changes was Freetown Area Rep Francis Fonseca who spoke of section […]
And while the House Meeting was the main event of the day, in Belize City Mayor Zenaida Moya had her own side-show responding to the serious allegations that Councillor Mark King made against her on Thursday. And to show that the proof of the pudding is in the eating, Moya was emphatic in denying the […]
And the Prime Minister had his own take on the debacle involving the mayor and the Councillor. While Councillor King has been spared for now, his political career is in doubt. Prime Minister Dean Barrow “The undertaking not to go on the media and talk bad about any fellow candidate, the undertaking not to make […]
Uneasy is the head that wears the crown. And Mayor Zenaida Moya has been in the hot seat since she assumed office. From the onset there was a threat of mass resignations, a string of accusations and counter allegations, and open distension among the ranks, which have now escalated to a public call for the […]
And this afternoon, the mayor did not hold back and came back like a ton of bricks as the campaign for the mayoral convention in October heats up. Here’s her side of the story. Zenaida Moya, Belize City Mayor “I know Mark is a bit you know, loony, but I didn’t know to that level. […]
Municipal elections are not due until 2009, but with heavy in-fighting and public quarrels, the U.D.P. has begun early mayoral conventions in districts and the cities. There are plenty candidates to go around with the U.D.P. in control of all town councils and city councils around the country. Punta Gorda, however, sticks out, where the […]
You will already know that the campaign for Mayoral office is on because the two contenders, incumbent Mayor Zenaida Moya and Deputy Mayor Anthony Michael, have both been making the rounds in the media and on the streets. The race got off to an ugly start and it only promises to only get nastier. So […]
Just before five o’clock, the two-day debate for the 2008-2009 budget concluded and as expected it got the nod of the House. It was rough and tumble and boisterous during this morning’s session. Parliamentary practices were dashed aside and it got down right nasty when the former Prime Minister Said Musa, who has endured months […]
But when the House of Representatives resumed debate of the budget this morning, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Wilfred Elrington, was the first to rise to conclude his presentation that was interrupted when the debate was adjourned yesterday. Elrington’s opening salvo was not about the budget, but about an explosive article in today’s edition of […]
The House of Representatives convened in Belmopan today to debate the eight hundred and twenty-five million dollar Budget for 2008-2009 presented on July fourteenth by Prime Minister Dean Barrow. At news time when the debate wound up, most of the Opposition had taken the floor except for the former prime minister Said Musa. Francis Fonseca […]
When the P.U.P. Party Leader concluded his contribution to the debate, the floodgates opened and the debate got fiery. The first U.D.P. member to rebut Briceño was Belmopan’s area representative John Saldivar, who took issue with the P.U.P. claiming credit for Capital two projects. Saldivar was followed by Lake I Representative Cordel Hyde who had […]
It’s been the cause of serious tension in the People’s United Party but after weeks of “delicate negotiations”, a press release issued by the political organization today confirms that an agreement has been reached for the purchase of the Belize Times, Independence Hall and Positive Vibes Radio. According to party leader John Briceño, through a […]
On last night’s newscast leader of the Opposition John Briceño offered his reaction to Prime Minister Dean Barrow’s first hundred days in office. Tonight the conversation turns to Briceño’s own performance after two months at the helm of his party. John Briceño, Leader of the Opposition “The new executive has been working very hard. We’ve […]
He promised to meet the press on a quarterly basis … and today, while admittedly a few days overdue, Prime Minister Dean Barrow made good on his pledge. Since there is no shortage of pressing issues, the P.M. got right to the point. First was the question of electricity. While Barrow emphasized that the existing […]
While Prime Minister Barrow charmed a congenial crowd with his combination of candor and confidence, his performance was not without its critics. Opposition leader John Briceño told News Five’s Stewart Krohn that beneath the glitter of Barrow’s delivery lies a serious lack of substance. John Briceño, Leader of the Opposition “We all recognise that mister […]
And while most people agree that paving streets is what City Councils are supposed to do, the cynical among us see the early stirrings of next year’s municipal election campaign. This week’s edition of the Guardian Newspaper is already inviting people to submit nominations for the posts of mayor and city councilors in what promises […]
As Deputy Prime Minister as well as Minister of Natural Resources, Gaspar Vega occupies an extremely important position in government. But for his party’s first hundred days in power, he’s maintained a very low public profile. That image changed today, however, as Vega held a press conference to update the public on a number of […]
In political news, sources in the People’s United Party report that the party’s secretary general Henry Charles Usher, will be leaving his post in the very near future. Usher, who was closely aligned with the unsuccessful campaign of Francis Fonseca for the party’s leadership, is believed to be planning a run for the House of […]
We’ve covered nearly every meeting of the House of Representatives since 1992, including some that more closely resembled street brawls than legislative sessions. But the tone of today’s gathering on Independence Hill was particularly ugly, reflecting—depending on your point of view—ten years of frustration or plain bad manners. News Five’s Janelle Chanona reports from Belmopan. […]
Since Perdomo took over as Minister, the Police Department has engaged in several questionable heavy handed raids for which apologies were later issued by the Commissioner. More recently, we’ve seen the arrest of Perdomo’s political adversary, Joe Coye, on the basis of what can only be called a bizarre complaint, and this week the five […]
On Friday, he led Her Majesty’s Loyal Opposition in the House of Representatives, but today Johnny Briceño is actively preparing to face off with the U.D.P. in the 2009 municipal elections. According to Briceño, the idea now is to organise new constituency teams in all divisions to support the fresh faces that will offer themselves […]
It was a real estate deal that looked just too good to be true: one of the city’s most valuable pieces of land sold by government for less than twenty thousand dollars, perhaps one fiftieth of its market value. Today some financial aspects of that sale were prosecuted as criminal, and the man accused is […]
The day’s other political developments took place at the National Assembly in Belmopan. News Five’s Janelle Chanona has the highlights. Janelle Chanona, Reporting The first business meeting of the House of Representatives was a busy session as the new United Democratic Party Government introduced the first of several bills as part of their reform package. […]
The scandals that have swirled around officials of the former P.U.P. government have centered largely around the millions of dollars in public funds spent on the private debt of Universal Health Services. At various times it was strongly rumored that former prime minister Said Musa and Home Affairs Minister Ralph Fonseca were about to be […]
