After the signing, the Prime Minister explained why he decided to endorse the declaration and also clarified some soon to be implemented policies which will affect the Belizean mass media. Said Musa, Prime Minister “I think it is simply a realization that this is what the people expect of us as a responsible government. I […]
Speaking of the press, a new newspaper hit the streets today. The Guardian is the new party organ of the Opposition U.D.P. Edited by Senator Audrey Matura, whose journalistic career includes stints at Channel Five, Channel Seven, the B.C.B. and B.I.S., the paper follows in the footsteps of the U.D.P.’s earlier efforts, namely the Beacon […]
After thousands of temporary Belmopan residents returned to Belize City, the business of governing the country is back in full swing. The first item on the agenda for yesterday’s Cabinet meeting of course was a postmortem of the government’s emergency exercise. Full disclosure of the effort will be made by the release of the National […]
The debate continues over three appointments to the judiciary made by the previous Attorney General Dean Barrow just prior to the elections. Last night on News Five the Prime Minister Said Musa said it is not the individual justices — Manuel Sosa, George Singh, and George Meerabux — that he objects to but the way […]
Earlier this week the Leader of the Opposition Dean Barrow sent a letter to the Prime Minister objecting to Said Musa’s proposal to revoke several appointments Barrow had made to the judiciary just days before the General Election. The Prime Minister, who was himself Leader of the Opposition at the time of the appointments, has […]
The Opposition United Democratic Party has accused the government of trying to revoke the appointments of the Chief Justice and Judge of the Court of Appeal. The accusation took the form of a letter from Leader of the Opposition Dean Barrow to Prime Minister Said Musa. In that letter Barrow repeated his contention that the […]
If you thought that this month’s big media story is the demise of the B.C.B., it may be time to take another look. Today News Five has confirmed that a group of veteran broadcasting personalities is in negotiation to buy the tiny community radio station, Roots Radio. Colive Cabral, who has worked at virtually all […]
Since the People’s Democratic Party formed four years ago, there has never been as much internal confusion as what took place today at the offices of P.D.P. party leader, Estevan Perera. The dispute surrounds a press release sent out yesterday to the media stating that the party held a meeting on September fourth, and elected […]
At yesterday’s weekly Cabinet meeting the issue of village governance was examined through a review of the draft of the Village Council Bill. This will be tabled at the next House of Representatives meeting. According to a release from the Prime Minister’s office the bill will enable rural communities to effectively govern themselves while pursuing […]
In other government news, the Forestry Advisory Committee held its first meeting last week in Belize City. The committee, appointed by the Prime Minister and Minister of Natural resources and the Environment John Briceño, is composed of chairman Dr. Gilbert Canton of the Forest Products Industry and members Oswaldo Sabido, Principal Forest Officer, Jose “Pepe” […]
In political news one of Belize’s minor electoral forces, that is the People’s Democratic Party, today announced the names of its recently elected party officials. According to a release, at a meeting which occurred on September fourth, P.D.P. members gathered in the wake of their crushing electoral defeat and voted in a new slate of […]
The Ministry of Tourism and Broadcasting has announced the names of members of the Belize Broadcasting Authority. The list is led by Chairman Philip Zuniga and includes Silvana Woods, Jimmy Johnson, Frank Arzu, Pauline Rodriguez Romero and Father Noel Leslie along with ex-officio members Clifford Slusher and Marian McNab. The B.B.A. is the body which […]
Government continues to work toward the implementation of its campaign promises and today announced a number of decisions taken at Tuesday’s session of Cabinet. In a move designed to increase the accountability of ministers, Cabinet approved amendments to the standing orders of the House to grant increased powers to legislative standing committees to oversee activities […]
In other government news the press briefing issued following yesterday’s Cabinet meeting reveals a number of proposals for future action. Chief among them was the formation of a committee to review the logging licenses granted to Malaysian companies in the Toledo District. The body will be comprised of one representative each from the Ministry of […]
When most people celebrate their birthday it is usually done in the company of family and friends at a party or other festivities. But the People’s United Party is not like most people and on its forty-eight birthday, proved once again that it’s an institution that is not afraid of breaking with tradition. Instead of […]
While the Minister of National Security was talking tough on crime at home, his boss, Prime Minister Said Musa, was doing the same on the international level. In his first speech to the UN General Assembly as Prime Minister, Musa spoke out against drug trafficking and money laundering and pledged his full cooperation with regional […]
While the new government continues to translate its manifesto promises into reality, the Opposition has publicly taken issue with one such intention: that is the dismantling of the Broadcasting Corporation of Belize. In a press release issued today the U.D.P. took the ruling party to task for shutting down the B.C.B., claiming that the manifesto […]
When any new government comes to power one of the first things it typically does is announce plans to reform the civil service. Belize is no exception to this rule and today the minister responsible for public officers got together with his top employees to talk and to listen. News Five’s Patrick Jones was there. […]
(incomplete on yesterday’s newscast) He may be working himself out of a significant portion of his portfolio, but Minister of Tourism, Broadcasting and Information Mark Espat has reaffirmed his government’s manifesto pledge to divest itself of the Broadcasting Corporation of Belize. In a press release issued on Tuesday the ministry announced the appointment of a […]
from monthly government subsidies while at the same time competing with private sector broadcasters, will simply be shut down and its assets sold. Of prime concern to government in carrying out this process is to help the over thirty B.C.B. employees to find new jobs and to ensure that existing operations will fill the vacuum […]
In other government news today’s weekly Cabinet briefing reported that a number of decisions were reached at Tuesday’s meeting of that body. Among them are plans to reopen the farmers and small business bank created late in the last P.U.P. administration, and the upgrading of the post of Chief of Staff at the Karl Heusner […]
It’s official: the three-week stalemate over a successor to Jose Coye as Mayor of Belize City is over. At a mid-afternoon meeting of the full council at City Hall today, Marshall Nuñez emerged with the majority vote to confirm him as the new Belize City Mayor and Steven Latchman as his Deputy. Information out of […]
It was a stifling ninety-six degrees in the shade on Monday, but it wasn’t enough to keep thousands of Belizeans from turning out for the annual Independence Day celebrations. The festivities commemorating the seventeenth anniversary of independence began on Sunday night with the flag raising ceremony behind the Supreme Court. Official ceremonies on the twenty […]
The deadlock continues at City Hall as the two front runners for the Mayorship are still without the single crucial vote needed to assume office. In yesterday’s newscast we reported that a meeting was scheduled for this morning at City Hall where another attempt to resolve the impasse would have been made, but when we […]
It had been rumored for several weeks, reported in the Belize Times and headlined in the Amandala. Today News Five has confirmed that it’s true. The Pulse newspaper, which published its last issue yesterday, does in fact owe in the vicinity of forty thousand dollars in VAT. The revelation that the U.D.P.’s official organ was […]
