He may have gained some breathing room when he withdrew the U.H.S. bailout motion on Friday, but Prime Minister Said Musa remains squarely in the crosshairs of his political opponents. Today the United Democratic Party produced an affidavit filed in the Supreme Court by the Belize Bank in connection with the injunction sought by the […]
And while the legal aspects of the U.H.S. motion will be challenged in court, in Belmopan the Senate approved another bill that has sparked controversy: The Belize Telemedia Limited Vesting Bill. The Musa administration has maintained that the bill is designed simply to put an end to the turmoil in the telecommunications industry, but critics […]
In political news from Belmopan, this evening we have confirmed that the Prime Minister has not reshuffled his Cabinet following the firing of Ministers Cordel Hyde and Mark Espat last Tuesday. We understand that both men were scheduled to meet with the P.M. today, but we were unable to confirm whether that conference took place […]
When Prime Minister Said Musa on Thursday announced that he was withdrawing his widely condemned motion for a government bailout of Universal Health Services, virtually all of the anticipated tension expected at today’s meeting of the House of Representatives was dissipated. But while the meeting was short on fireworks it was, according to News Five’s […]
A few small cracks in the wall began to show Wednesday afternoon and by this morning the phone and data lines between Belmopan and Belize City were buzzing with rumours that the Prime Minister was reconsidering his hard line stance on the U.H.S. loan motion. The talk was confirmed this afternoon when Said Musa, following […]
As word of the Prime Minister’s plan to withdraw the Universal Health Services motion spread throughout the country, many wondered how this latest development would be received by the Opposition and what impact, if any, the move would have on the United Democratic Party’s plans to once again protest in Belmopan. Late this afternoon, U.D.P. […]
The story of how Prime Minister Said Musa came to change his mind involved many factors. While the overwhelming sentiment of the citizenry formed the basis for everything that followed, those feelings were well known for weeks. What were the individual straws that broke the proverbial camel’s back? One important input came from the nation’s […]
Also helping to change the Prime Minister’s mind was the Belize Chamber of Commerce and Industry, which at a meeting of the National Economic Council on Wednesday, gave the Prime Minister advice … and laid out the consequences if he didn’t follow it. The Chamber’s C.E.O., Kevin Herrera, spoke to us early this afternoon, prior […]
In case you haven’t noticed, there’s a political crisis in Belize and as we get closer to Friday’s crucial vote in the House of Representatives, the level of noise keeps increasing. Today there was no end of meetings, pronouncements, and press conferences, not to mention unending ads on radio and television. What’s hard to determine, […]
The Leader of the Opposition vowed last week that come this Friday, his supporters would be back on the steps of Independence Hill. And while over the last few days there were doubts that authorities would let Dean Barrow have his way, today the planned demonstration received the thumbs up from the Supreme Court. News […]
They have been on a collision course for weeks–some would say years–over a host of issues culminating in the recent crisis surrounding the Universal Health Services loan guarantee. This morning the train wreck between ministers Mark Espat and Cordel Hyde and Prime Minister Musa finally occurred in the Cabinet room in Belmopan. There are various […]
Meanwhile, that resolution introduced last Friday in the House was today discussed in committee, but according to Port Loyola representative Anthony “Boots” Martinez, the meeting was a sham and the Opposition was dissed. Anthony “Boots” Martinez, Area Rep., Port Loyola “The meeting was postponed based on my recommendation as a member of the committee today […]
And speaking of dangerous things, the police high command were today looking back at Friday’s events in Belmopan and trying to learn lessons for what may happen this week. News Five’s Janelle Chanona has the story. Janelle Chanona, Reporting Tonight official estimates are that during the violent confrontations between protestors and the police in Belmopan […]
Meanwhile, as both the Opposition and Government plot strategy, more and more observers are looking at where this all might be headed. In the wake of the rebellion in Cabinet, one scenario has Prime Minister Said Musa resigning, but his party staying in power for another ten months. Can it happen? Senator Godwin Hulse says… […]
It was another one of these eventful days in the nation’s capital, with legislators debating in the House of Representatives and protesters gathered outside. News Five’s Janelle Chanona and Stewart Krohn are just back from Belmopan and between the three of us, along with the camera work of Rick Romero and George Tillett, we’ll try […]
Marleni Cuellar “We’re reviewing the footage of what was happening in Belmopan today and while Janelle was outside getting the view of the protestors, Stewart, you were inside listening to the conversation and the debates that were going on inside. You want to fill us in on that.” Stewart Krohn “Well Marleni, it was not […]
The battle lines have been drawn, both between the two major political parties and within the ruling P.U.P. After a day of intrigue in Belmopan, on the eve of Friday’s meeting of the House of Representatives here’s how things stand. Sources indicate that Prime Minister Said Musa has negotiated an agreement with the Belize Bank […]
In the meantime, Opposition Leader Dean Barrow will introduce his motions, which on principle no PUP will support, however much they might agree with his sentiments. News Five’s Stewart Krohn spoke to Barrow this morning, before many of these details became known. We asked him what he expected to happen, both inside and outside the […]
And while it will likely have little effect on the size of tomorrow’s rally, it should be noted that today’s Guardian ran what appears to be the first Belizean political advertisement ever presented in Chinese. The full page ad inviting the public to Friday’s protest, also ran in English and Spanish.
On Thursday’s newscast, the Prime Minister was questioned about reports that multi-million dollar guarantees had been used to back at least three Glenn Godfrey companies, but the P.M.’s only reply was that he would be challenging those alleged agreements in court. Today a release from the Belize Press Office put forward Minister Ralph Fonseca’s reaction […]
In more news about other multi-million dollar guarantees, a significant part of the controversy surrounding the Universal Health Services debt has been the question of just how all that money accumulated in such a short time. But tonight one of the main principals has come forward not only with his own version of the financial […]
And while the Lizarraga letter has added a new dimension to the discourse about the U.H.S. debt, tonight the United Democratic Party is undeterred in its self-imposed mandate to block the settlement of the liability in the National Assembly. Earlier this week, Leader of the Opposition Dean Barrow sent a letter to the Prime Minister […]
Prime Minister Said Musa has intimated both privately and publicly that the bulk of his recent political problems are rooted in an overly aggressive and opinionated press corps that is pushing the Opposition’s agenda. Today, after ostensibly whipping a rebellious Cabinet into line and mounting a unilateral media offensive, the P.M. finally met his tormentors […]
When Prime Minister Said Musa returns to Belize on Sunday, a welcoming committee will not be waiting. Many people, from all sides of the political spectrum, including his own party, will be looking to the P.M. for an explanation of recent bizarre developments regarding the Government guarantee of the Universal Health Services debt at the […]
Tonight we also regret to announce the death of former Belize City mayor, deputy speaker of the House, and Collet area representative Remijio Montejo, Sr. Montejo died just after ten on Thursday night at the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital. He was fifty-six years old. Montejo fell gravely ill several months ago and was later diagnosed […]
