Tonight there is much of interest coming out of a government press conference which lasted two and a half hours at the Best Western Biltmore Plaza. The first half hour was spent outlining new measures in the nationality and passport departments – closing the gate after the horses are out, so to speak and following […]
The question was raised if the Prime Minister had the authority to allow Penner to sign nationality certificates and passports. That’s a matter of interpretation, but the PM did confirm that there is no law which confers Ministerial discretion on any Minister of State. So it is not known if whatever documents Penner signed off […]
Another burning question was the extent of Penner’s role in the passport scandal. Evidence suggests that he was right in the middle of it. Indeed, the PM was sufficiently convinced of his complicity to sack him immediately. But how thin is the line between wrong and criminal? The Prime Minister had previously suggested that Penner […]
Whatever the result of the criminal investigation, the PM is convinced that Penner, in the PM’s own words, was ‘damn’ wrong. So wrong in fact that he will never be allowed back into Cabinet to harm the U.D.P. So said the leader of the nation! But while the U.D.P. is shielded from Penner’s wrongness, the […]
And to nudge the people along to giving Elvin Penner that second chance, the U.D.P. has dispatched its general to the recall battleground in Cayo Northeast. Senior ministers Gaspar Vega, Anthony ‘Boots’ Martinez and Michael Finnegan have all been sent to that western constituency to help persuade voters that a recall is not the answer. […]
To recall or not to recall – much was said today but the truth is that all the talk may be nothing more than rhetoric. That’s because Penner also has the option to walk – with or without a little financial incentive. Prime Minister Barrow says that he’s heard the rumours, and if that’s the […]
Rumours about Penner’s wandering are not the only ones the Prime Minister has heard. There is a much more serious report to consider – that of institutionalized hustling by ministers. For some time now the grapevine has been buzzing with news that select Ministers operate on a quota basis where visas are concerned. For example […]
We’ve covered the visa scam in which it is reported that government ministers are using a quota system, which the prime minister says could cause the fall of his government. But in the passport scandal, three public officers have been sent home; the suspension of the most senior member has been extended to five months […]
Elvin Penner came to public light when he won elections for Cayo Northeast in 2008. He became the first Mennonite to hold political office. Between 2008 and 2012, he was gifted with the rank as full minister, but in this second Barrow Administration, Penner returned as a junior minister as minister of state for immigration. […]
Caye Caulker Police have detained and charged a woman from the island for drug trafficking. On Wednesday at around four in the afternoon officers were on routine mobile patrol when they observed a group of persons in the Palapa Area on Front Street. Because one of the women in the group was acting suspiciously, she […]
An independent investigation is currently underway by the Office of the Auditor General on the Southern Regional Hospital. It comes on the heels of information leaked to the Ministry of Health that there was hanky-panky occurring within the regional hospital. This, according to C.E.O. in the Ministry, Peter Allen, prompted an investigation since July. It […]
The final report from the Pan American Health Organization on the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital is now available. The report was carried out by the Pan American Health Organization following the death of thirteen newborns in the first twenty days of May. Seven of those babies died when they were injected with the bacteria, enterobacter […]
The Prime Minister said earlier today that Elvin Penner acted grievously wrong in the issuance of a passport to a South Korean National in jail in Taiwan. Notwithstanding, the U.D.P. is backing Penner whose political career has been destroyed by the scandal. Penner, however, still has the support of his cabinet colleagues. On Wednesday, the […]
Around the world the focus today has been on mental health and particularly in older adults. The reality is that people are living longer, are not working and as such are facing a myriad of social and health issues. In Belize, one of the biggest challenges is the stigma associated with age. Duane Moody reports. […]
The government currently invests over one hundred and three million dollars for health care. It is managed by the Ministry of Health and invested in public hospitals and clinics across the country. Today at the Radisson Fort George, various stakeholders in the industry converged to discuss the Belize National Health Accounts and the Strategic Plan […]
The Garifuna Collective has been promoting the Garifuna culture—not only locally but way beyond our borders in North America and Europe. The group has just completed a successful tour of Europe where they performed special events in major cities. On this tour the Garifuna Collective promoted their newest release, Ayo, which pays tribute to musical […]
If you are wondering about the sniffing taking place in offices, homes and public places, it is safe to say that we are right in the midst of the flu season. According to the medical experts, the number of persons who will have flu symptoms will increase from September to March. Healthy Living has a […]
