Three days after Cabinet proposed to pay the Belize City Council one U.S. dollar from the seven dollar cruise passenger head tax, the municipal body has yet to announce whether or not it has accepted the terms of the deal. Tonight we understand that on Saturday Mayor Zenaida Moya and her councilors will meet with […]
There has been no reaction from the Belize City Council to government’s offer to divert one U.S. dollar of the seven dollar head tax on cruise passengers to that municipal body. The reason, according to United Democratic Party Leader Dean Barrow, is that two days after the Cabinet made the decision, it has still not […]
After weeks of saying that even if the Belize City Council needed more money, it shouldn’t come from the head tax on cruise tourists, government suddenly reversed itself as Cabinet approved a plan to provide the council with exactly what it asked for. Today the Mayor ran a victory lap and News Five’s Janelle Chanona […]
Campaign fever may be off to an early start as today the party called Vision Inspired by the People held a press conference in Belize City to announce its electoral plans. The official VIP candidates number only six: Hubert Enriquez, Paul Morgan and Bobby Lopez who will be contesting constituencies in the Cayo district, Patrick […]
They say that the Peoples United Party is working to end its internal squabbling and pull together into a unified electoral fighting force … but you’d never know it by reading the Belize Times. In another one of his mystifying columns, First Deputy Party Leader Godfrey Smith not only revealed some startling new details of […]
Missing from today’s sitting of the House of Representatives was Minister of Home Affairs Ralph Fonseca. In this week’s edition of the Belize Times, his Cabinet colleague, Minister of Tourism Godfrey Smith surmised the pros and cons of Fonseca’s candidacy in the next general elections. This afternoon Smith declined to explain why he went public […]
If high on your list of burning questions is whether Minister of Home Affairs Ralph Fonseca will seek re-election in Belize Rural Central, then you may be in luck. According to his colleague, Minister of Tourism and First Deputy Leader of the Peoples United Party Godfrey Smith, it is time for him to bow out […]
The People’s United Party finally has a standard bearer for the Belmopan constituency. He is former Ambassador to Guatemala, Moises Cal. At a convention held on Sunday Cal convincingly defeated former mayor and current Senator Tony Chanona, four hundred fifty-four to three hundred thirty-eight. Cal, who received strong support from the local P.U.P. machinery, benefited […]
General elections aren’t scheduled until 2008 but polls, politics and party colours will dominate the first months of 2007 in the run-up to village council elections. News Five’s Kendra Griffith explains. Kendra Griffith, Reporting As part of their preparations for the village council elections, rural development officers from the Ministry of National Development have been […]
While there is no doubt that computers and the internet have revolutionised the way we live and work, in many cases the hype often outpaces the reality. Today government unveiled a new initiative that it hopes will put Belize one step closer to its digital destiny. Myrtle Palacio, Director, Office of Governance ?The mantra of […]
The House of Representatives met in the National Assembly in Belmopan today and as News Five’s Janelle Chanona reports, while the debate wasn’t long, words from both sides of the aisle were pointed. Janelle Chanona, Reporting Less than a minute into today?s sitting of the House of Representatives, Leader of the Opposition Dean Barrow came […]
General Elections may be sixteen months away but the United Democratic Party is beginning to gear up for March 2008. According to a U.D.P. press release, a number of decisions were taken at an all day workshop for standard bearers on Sunday. Among them was the appointment of former B.D.F. Commandant Robert Garcia as the […]
The tradition of Belizean political parties owning their own media organs is as old as our two party system. Having started with newspapers, the partisan penetration of the radio dial was completed today with the inauguration of Positive Vibes. News Five’s Janelle Chanona was on hand for the festivities. Janelle Chanona, Reporting Backed by a […]
He’s been wrestling with the decision for what seems like years … but today Tony Chanona has finally thrown his hat in the electoral ring. The fifty-two year old former mayor of Belmopan, who did not seek re-election in March, submitted his name to the People’s United Party last Wednesday but the news was only […]
And while he was in front of the microphone we couldn’t help but ask the Deputy Leader of the People’s United Party his reaction to the latest public opinion poll by SPEAR. Johnny Briceño ?Certainly, the polls we need to give it serious consideration. We cannot dismiss it. What is important for us as a […]
The society for the promotion of Education and Research has released the findings of its latest public opinion poll … and, just like the results of the March municipal elections, those numbers are not going to make the ruling party happy. Based on a sampling of four hundred telephone interviews, the SPEAR poll indicates a […]
And while on the subject of politics, although we did not ask the Prime Minister about the recent Cabinet retreat at Caye Chapel, we did catch up with two ministers who in the past have been accused of rocking the P.U.P. boat. Cordel Hyde, Minister of Housing ?I think the party committed itself to returning […]
Prime Minister Said Musa has made a public statement following the six day retreat at Caye Chapel attended by Cabinet and invited guests. According to Musa, the ministers frankly confronted their differences, both real and perceived, and … Said Musa, Prime Minister ?The ministers achieved consensus that the principle of Cabinet responsibility was the mechanism […]
With the People’s United Party command structure locked down in an introspective retreat at Caye Chapel, the Opposition United Democratic Party had the media spotlight all to itself. The U.D.P. used the opportunity to introduce some brand new faces. News Five’s Janelle Chanona reports. Janelle Chanona, Reporting This afternoon, the United Democratic Party announced its […]
In news from the political front, today Barrow and the United Democratic Party have also announced that they will boycott a special sitting of the House of Representatives scheduled for Monday morning in Belmopan. While the U.D.P. has made it a tradition to be absent from the event, citing that a sitting outside the confines […]
From the political front, following contention between city councils and central government over celebrations money, tonight we understand that the situation has been sorted out, with the funds now in control of the Mayors. But one area representative is still seeing red, after personal allegations were levied against him by Mayor Hilberto Campos from Corozal. […]
The history of September celebrations has, for much of the last century, never been far removed from politics. This year, on the twenty-fifth anniversary of Independence, the milestone has lived up to its unfortunate reputation. A number of U.D.P. controlled municipal councils are charging that a vindictive central government is withholding promised funds and giving […]
For more than two years, the man they once called the “Minister of Everything” has kept a low profile. But this morning, Ralph Fonseca took the airwaves to talk about the politics and policies of the People’s United Party. Fonseca, appearing on the Love Morning Show, maintained that internal back biting has only strengthened his […]
And while Minister Fonseca was on the offensive on immigration matters, when it came to the question of his future in Belizean politics, the area representative was upbeat. Alyssa Noble, Reporting ?How about your re-election plans, are you going to run again for Belize Rural Central?? Ralph Fonseca, Area Rep., Belize Rural Central ?We haven?t […]
For months questions about his future plans in Belizean politics have hounded P.U.P. Minister Ralph Fonseca … a mystery that has only been heightened following indications of interest by at least two other party followers to fill the position, should it become available. But the public suspense continues tonight as while at the Philip Goldson […]
