An argument between the P.U.P. and U.D.P. over I.C.J. banners was sparked on social media this morning. The U.D.P., on its Facebook page, posted a picture of a banner hung in the Cayo North constituency. The banner reads “In Cayo North, Party Above Country, Say no to the ICJ.” The U.D.P. said “This is so […]
The leader of the relatively small, Belize People’s Front, appeared before the media today. Nancy Marin Juan caused a stir last week following an incident at the controversial Sarstoon. On the anniversary of the signing of the 1859 treaty on April thirtieth, Marin was escorted by Wil Maheia of the B.T.V. and journeyed to Sarstoon […]
Back to the Belize People’s Front, Nancy Marin says her party will contest the upcoming 2020 General Elections. According to Marin, the B.P.F. is a movement of independent leaders for progressive reform and made up of a handful of members, four who were present today during a press conference in Belize City. According to Marin, […]
Turning to an issue that has been in the headline for months…In just two days, the nation will make a very important and historic decision on whether or not submit the Belize/Guatemala dispute to the I.C.J. for final resolution. What should have been a national issue has been transformed into a partisan political matter with […]
Back to the I.C.J…..The U.D.P. and the P.U.P. have begun ramping out their individual campaigns to mobilize voters for Wednesday’s referendum. But the mobilization of tens of thousands of re-registered voters is costly. Last week, reports surfaced that each U.D.P. standard bearer and area representative would be getting seventy-five thousand dollars to mobilize supporters to […]
The Prime Minister also spoke of the expected voter turnout on May eight. When Guatemala held its I.C.J. referendum in April 2018, a little over two million voters participated out of seven point five million registered voters. One point seven million persons voted in favour while seventy-six thousand voted against taking the claim to the […]
Still on the matter of the I.C.J., over the weekend, raffles were announced in several constituencies by U.D.P. standard bearers to get a YES vote. The raffles were announced for May eighth and winners would get cash, appliances and trips. The People’s United Party issued a statement to say it is appalled and outraged by […]
Belizeans go to the polls on May eighth to vote on whether or not the Belize Guatemala territorial dispute should be taken to the International Court of Justice for final resolution. That is only five days away now and today, Acting Prime Minister Patrick Faber said they are ready. Though it should not be a […]
So while that plays out, the People’s United Party has reacted to the ministry’s release on the incident at the Sarstoon. Party chairman, Henry Charles Usher, told News Five that it not only shows Guatemala’s aggression, but shows the GAF violating international law. Henry Charles Usher, Chairman, P.U.P. “Again, it’s just another case in […]
While the Government has set May eight as the new date for the I.C.J. referendum, there are several related cases pending before the courts. On Monday, the Chief Justice is expected to hear substantive arguments in a case brought by the People’s United Party which is challenging the validity of the 2008 Special Agreement. The […]
While we had the P.U.P. Chairman, he was asked about the party’s preparedness for the upcoming I.C.J. referendum. May eighth is twelve days away and it will be a battle of mobilization between the two major political parties which have taken opposing positions in what should have been a non-political issue. Usher says that the […]
A letter to standard bearers by P.U.P. leader John Briceño has been getting maximum publicity on social media and other sectors. In the letter, following the Easter holidays, Briceño states that P.U.P. has sought to work with the government on the issue of the I.C.J., but those attempts have not had any success. In this […]
A new date of May eighth, 2019 has been set for the I.C.J. referendum to be held. It succeeds the signing into law of the Belize Territorial Dispute Referendum Act earlier this week, following the introduction and passage of that piece of legislation in the House of Representatives last Friday. A writ of referendum dated […]
A new referendum bill was introduced and taken through all its three stages in the House of Representatives. The special sitting started after ten this morning and continued well into the evening. Debate was robust, at times emotional and even produced an abstention from former prime minister Said Musa, an individual rare vote hardly taken […]
The Belize Territorial Dispute Referendum Bill, 2019 was described as a kneejerk reaction by the Opposition to two separate court rulings in a week. The P.U.P. pointed out that the new bill would not have come to the House if the Special Agreement was debated prior to it being signed back in 2008. But the […]
One of the main concerns expressed by the Opposition Party is Section Three of the referendum bill. That section states that “a referendum shall be held to enable electors to vote on whether the Government of Belize should, in accordance with the Special Agreement and the Protocol to the Special Agreement, request the International Court […]
Also weighing in on the heated debated today was the very vocal Lake Independence Area Representative, Cordel Hyde. Hyde, in responding to the tabling of the bill, broke down the opposition’s concerns to the common person on the street. Part of his presentation focused on the risks associated with taking the case before the I.C.J. […]
The claim that has been brought before the Supreme Court by the People’s United Party persists, despite the passage of a new piece of law which will allow government to proceed with an I.C.J. referendum in the coming weeks. During his presentation this afternoon, Cayo South Area Representative Julius Espat, one of six claimants who […]
The House debate today provided a rare moment. Former Prime Minister Said Musa, who has been described as a ‘malignant tumor’ by the current government time and again in the House, today was praised for exhibiting ‘many of the qualities of a statesman.’ U.D.P. representatives lauded the former prime minister for his stance in supporting […]
On Thursday the European Union, the United States of America and the United Kingdom fired off a joint press release in which it voiced its support of holding a referendum. The release said that the “the referendum process is the route towards a peaceful dispute resolution agreed upon jointly by Belize and Guatemala.” The three […]
In what is expected to be a critical Sitting of the House of Representative on Friday, the Barrow administration is proposing to table the Belize Territorial Dispute Referendum Bill, 2019. The portion of the bill was leaked to the media on Wednesday night and this morning the Opposition People’s United Party received the complete document. […]
As Briceño notes there is still a case before Chief Justice Kenneth Benjamin which is scheduled to proceed on Monday when the Senate is scheduled to meet to ratify the proposed new bill. Briceño alluded that certain sections in the new referendum bill can be legally challenged. He zoomed in on section three which states […]
P.U.P. Leader John Briceño also countered the Prime Minister’s accusation that the opposition is purposely delaying the holding of the referendum. Briceño says that his party has the moral and legal obligation to the country to ensure that this process is done properly. John Briceño, Leader, People’s United Party “We are not deliberately delaying […]
So will the P.U.P. attempt to block the passing of the bill on Friday? And what about Said Musa who was absent for today’s meeting and Senator Valerie Woods who, like Musa, is a proponent of the I.C.J. Briceño says that the party’s consensus today was to not support the bill as it is. […]
As the House prepares to meet on Friday and the Senate on Monday, it is still not clear what specifically government will be doing to ‘fix’ the problem that was flagged by the Supreme Court in respect of the writ of referendum. Attorneys for the government are said to be busy drafting legislation, which when […]
