Tonight the dignitaries, the B.D.F. band and patriotic citizens will gather at the courthouse wharf in Belize City for a ceremony to bring in Independence. But eighteen years ago, the festivities were up the street at the Government House and it wasn’t only the local media who was paying attention. The international press was also […]
Although the Opposition was noticeably absent, the Prime Minister, members of the House and Senate sat on the steps of the Administrative Building in Belmopan while the public was offered the shade of tents pitched on the lawn. The special sitting of the House this morning had only one article of business: the Prime Minister’s […]
The People’s United Party held its National Convention this weekend at the Belize City Centre. Over five hundred delegates from the nation’s twenty-nine constituents voted for the party executive. Said Musa retained the party leadership as well as George Price as Leader Emeritus. His deputies are John Briceño and Maxwell Samuels. The Chairman is Jorge […]
An interim board has been appointed to run the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital. The office of the Prime Minister announced today that the members representing a wide cross-section of health care providers, professionals, public officers and the private sector comprise the board. The members are Karl Menzies, Cortes Nurse, Deane Musa, Dr. Francis Smith, Dr. […]
The People’s United Party is having their National Convention this Sunday in Belize City. Prime Minister and Party Leader Said Musa will give the keynote address. The event begins at nine a.m. at the Belize City Center.
The Prime Minister Said Musa and three of his Ministers were in Placencia today for a town meeting to discuss development plans for the area. The P.M. and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Natural Resources Johnny Briceño, Minister of Works Henry Canton and Minister of Trade and Industry Jose Coye met with representatives of […]
Health care, improvements to the National Fire Service, aircraft safety, hurricane shelters and the bottleneck in the Ministry of Lands were among the topics at this week’s Cabinet meeting. Two district hospitals are being upgraded to take the pressure off the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital in Belize City. The Orange Walk Hospital will become the […]
On the morning of August twenty-seventh, 1998 thousands of Belizeans headed to the polls to vote. Many people wanted a change, but no one could have predicted the People’s United Party’s margin of victory of twenty-six to three seats. This sweep represented a rejection of the previous administration and placed an awesome burden on the […]
Although it has rejected the government’s offer to purchase the land their headquarters is sitting on, the United Democratic Party has agreed to an offer made by the Council of Churches to mediate the dispute between the U.D.P. and the government. Party Leader Dean Barrow says this new development will not change how the party […]
To mark the one-year anniversary of their win in the general election, the People’s United Party has announced that Friday August twenty-seventh will be a National Day of Prayer and Thanksgiving. The party is urging Belizeans to participate by attending their respective churches and activities planned in each constituency. On September sixteenth, Prime Minister Said […]
The Commission of Inquiry convened to investigate the death of a Guatemalan at the border town of Arenal has determined that he was killed in self defense by a B.D.F. soldier and no one is to be held criminally responsible. The incident in June sparked strong reaction in the Guatemalan press which claimed that Mateo […]
The United Democratic Party lost another round in its fight with the P.U.P. government today when the Supreme Court refused to revoke an injunction obtained by the government. That injunction prevented the U.D.P. from interfering with government efforts to enter the property, part of which is occupied by U.D.P. headquarters, and presumably build low income […]
While some Corozalenos are facing flooding from heavy rains, Cabinet this week continued its review of the nation’s hurricane shelters. The status of contracts for the retrofitting of shelters countrywide and the cost of the work were reviewed. One hundred shelters will have to be upgraded. Minister of Latin American Affairs Florencio Marin reported on […]
The Government has responded to statements made at Tuesday’s United Democratic Party press conference. U.D.P. Leader Dean Barrow said the party had rejected the Government’s offer to allow them to purchase the land their headquarters is situated on for 100 thousand dollars since they maintain they already have legal title to the land. The U.D.P. […]
The United Democratic Party this morning gave new meaning to the words “saturation coverage” when it convened yet another press conference. The purpose was to plead its case in the dispute with government over the valuable strip of land the party gave itself when it was last in power. The only new development reported by […]
The political chest beating over who controls a narrow strip of prime property near the BelChina Bridge continued today but the venue of the battle shifted from the dusty roadside to the cool air of the Supreme Court. Acting Chief Justice Troadio Gonzales granted the government an injunction which restrains the United Democratic Party or […]
If a face off between U.D.P. officials and the Ministry of Housing personnel flanked by B.D.F. soldiers and a press conference on Wednesday, were not enough, today there was a rally and peaceful protest at the U.D.P. headquarters. All the fuss at the foot of the BelChina Bridge is over who legally owns the property. […]
Hurricane shelter upgrading was discussed in today’s Cabinet meeting in Belmopan. The retrofitting of the shelters is being financed by the Inter-American Development Bank and the Caribbean Development Bank. It was agreed that a new building will be built to serve as both shelter and offices for NEMO headquarters and Ministry of Health. A new […]
On August 7th the United Democratic Party headquarters was the scene of a confrontation between party members and representatives of the Ministry of Housing who arrived to unload construction materials. The U.D.P. was informed that houses will be built on the land surrounding the Headquarters. Today the United Democratic Party held a press conference to […]
If you passed by the BelChina Bridge on Saturday you couldn’t help but notice the crowd gathered near the United Democratic Party Headquarters. The onlookers weren’t there for a political rally, but to watch a confrontation between members of the U.D.P. including former Prime Minister Manuel Esquivel and Rufus X, housing consultant from the government. […]
Among the election promises made by the P.U.P. was the establishment of a Public Utilities Commission to regulate rates being charged to consumers. Today the government moved one step closer to setting up this autonomous body when the House of Representatives passed the Public Utilities Commission Bill. Minister of Industry and Commerce, Jose Coye said […]
While the Public Utilities Commission may have an impact on the Belizean pocketbook, reducing crimes against women and children is the purpose of another Bill presented by Minister of Human Development Women and Youth Dolores Balderamos Garcia. The amendment to the Criminal Code, which was introduced at a previous House meeting, regularizes the penalties for […]
Belizean students got a break from government today. Cabinet agreed to increase the amount of money allotted for scholarships to 2 million dollars a year. More than half of the money will be used for students attending tertiary level institutions in Belize. In addition, government will absorb the interest on student loans while the students […]
It seems that they just couldn’t resist the chance to squeeze one more measure of political mileage out of the controversy surrounding Michael Ashcroft in London. So today even as the accusations against the wealthy businessman were running out of steam in Great Britain, the United Democratic Party held a press conference to vent their […]
Eleven months after the General Elections, the United Democratic Party launched its new Party Constitution Tuesday night. Members at a special conference ratified the document at Birds Isle late last month and according to the UDP it represents a more participatory approach. Aside from the general aims and goals of the party and requirements for […]
