Belize Culture Forums http://www.belizeculture.com Tue, 15 May 2012 03:37:12 +0000 15 http://www.belizeculture.com/topic/58-belize-pm-extends-olive-branch-to-lord-ashcroft/
Mr. Barrow nationalized the highly profitable phone company once associated with Lord Ashcroft, enacted ad hominem legislation with stiff jail sentences for anyone seeking to arbitrate against the Belize government anywhere in the world and launched a sustained public relations campaign characterizing Ashcroft, Lord of Chichester, as the enemy of the Belizean people.

It was a risky, reckless move for a country dependent on foreign direct investment and highly vulnerable to external shocks. But Mr. Barrow gambled and rolled the dice, calculating that, if nothing else, expropriation of public utilities would ignite nationalistic fervor and secure his legacy as the great restorer of Belizean pride, dignity and nationalism. In much the same way that George W. Bush framed his presidency with the war on Iraq, so too, Mr. Barrow hinged his first term squarely on the partisan war against the so-called Ashcroft Alliance. Making his rounds on the local radio stations following the taking of the phone company, he declared that if the alliance wanted a war they should “bring it on”.

The alliance did bring it on: in wave after wave of unending litigation across three continents, in theatres of war that included Belize courts, US courts, British courts and international arbitration tribunals. Every ruling was appealed and every piece of legislation challenged. Mr. Barrow resolved that it was not a war he was going to lose; he certainly seemed prepared to do anything to avoid at all costs the political embarrassment of defeat.

When the Belize Court of Appeal, in June of 2011, reversed the high court and ruled that the government had in fact unconstitutionally nationalized the phone company, Mr. Barrow initially accepted the court ruling but later that same night, under pressure from party hardliners, he re-seized the company with the aid of state security forces and then enacted highly controversial constitutional amendments in an attempt to neutralize and nullify the court of appeal judgment. The Jamaica Gleaner newspaper warned that the prime minister was placing Belize on a slippery slope.

It should have been obvious from the start that it was foolish to commit the sparse resources of a tiny country to an expensive litigation war with no end in sight. Flashpoint had cautioned in its December 9th 2009 instalment that : “In protracted battles in which opponents are roughly evenly matched, a truce is sometimes declared to save money, time and resources, the initial fit of egotistical pique that precipitated the battle having succumbed to the reality of the pointlessness of it.”

The government and the alliance could be considered roughly evenly matched, except that one was using taxpayer’s money in an unproductive, unbudgeted enterprise for which the approval of the people had never been sought; the other was using private resources. But Mr. Barrow ploughed on, inflated by his perception of widespread support from the people for his patriotic defence of them. He ignored the warnings that foreign direct investment was dangerously plummeting, the Belizean economy stagnating and that business houses everywhere were complaining bitterly. Meanwhile, spiraling violent crime was getting Belize free international recognition as the fifth most dangerous country on the planet and dead bodies of feuding inner city youth were piling up in the streets of south side Belize.

Mr. Barrow called national elections a year before they were due, to get, he said, a mandate from the people to continue his defence of the country’s patrimony against the predatory alliance. The government was confident of a huge victory to the point of being complacent; their analysts were predicting that the party would capture even more parliamentary seats.

Mr. Barrow barely managed to hang on to the reins of government. In fact, but for the ignoble, treacherous resignation by two opposition safe-seat parliamentarians two weeks before the election, the government would have lost. Having captured 25 of 31 seats and by staggering margins just four years earlier, to have won by the skin of its teeth, aided by treachery, could hardly be considered a mandate or a vote of confidence. A 66 vote difference kept Mr. Barrow’s government in power. One of the PUP deserters re-emerged as a high-flying ambassador and economic advisor; the other was offered a high-profile diplomatic post in New York.

It was predictable then that rapprochement would be sought, and fittingly too, in the Colonial Garden of the Radisson Hotel. The stage used to signal to the public the commencement of negotiations between the government and the alliance was the Belize Bank’s 25th anniversary celebration. In a carefully worded 15 minute key note address confined to the context of the Central Bank of Belize’s ongoing dispute with the Belize Bank, Prime Minister Barrow declared that the time had come to choose cooperation over confrontation. He extended the olive branch to the Belize Bank; one cynical guest muttered wittily that an olive tree would have been more appropriate. The Belize Bank chairman, Lyndon Guiseppi, accepted the peace offering and pledged to work with the government while Lord Ashcroft stood listening among the audience like just another invited guest. Noticeably absent were the Governor of the central bank and those two beneficiaries of Ashcroft generosity in former times, Ministers Michael Finnegan and Boots Martinez.

The road to a full and final settlement of outstanding issues between the alliance and the Government of Belize will be difficult and tricky to navigate, requiring large doses of compromise on both sides. Mr. Barrow will be beset by hardliners in his party who view any compromise as capitulation to foreign interests. The opposition will naturally prefer if the hostilities continue to keep the government distracted (as it has been for the past four years) from the critical issues of crime, employment and economic growth. But Belizeans should support the process. Unless and until a settlement is found, Belize will continue to slip further into the economic hole it has dug for itself; the country will be consigned to another decade of stagnation while politicians desperately divert taxpayers’ money away from stimulating investment and economic growth and sink it into unsustainable programmes to keep the unproductive pacified and the steadily advancing criminals at bay.

-- Godfrey Smith]]> Tue, 15 May 2012 03:37:12 +0000 http://www.belizeculture.com/topic/58-belize-pm-extends-olive-branch-to-lord-ashcroft/ http://www.belizeculture.com/topic/57-call-for-better-law-enforcement-in-belize/
Throughout the Nation there is a distinct disconnect between the community and the police. This is true in spite of the obvious fact that the police are paid by the taxes of the community to provide protection and order necessary in a Civil Society. Police activities, or lack of, often form the butt of jokes by children and teens who let their disrespect be known at an early age. Indeed respect must be earned and it is difficult for a parent to instill respect for the law when it is sometimes difficult to respect those who are paid to enforce it. This is truly a serious problem and is no longer a laughing matter.

To move forward we must admit the obvious fact that the Belize Police Force in its present form is not capable of dealing with the rampant violent crime that is shaking the very foundations of our Nation. Conviction rates are abysmal and escapes from custody are common. The community has lost faith in the police to protect them from the worst elements of our society as they are paid to do. Crime is a community problem and can only be dealt with by the community. The root of this problem lies within the very preconceptions that have formed police policy and organization for all these years. We have never grown from a colonial police force to a community-based police force. The Belize Police Force is an extension of the colonial system where the Governor retained all power and communities were not allowed to police themselves furthering their dependence on the colonial government and making them much easier to control. Our very small population was also a major factor.

This structure and long established policies in the police force are primarily responsible for the disconnect between the police and those they are paid to serve and protect. Without effective cooperation between community and police crime control will never be possible. The long established policy of rotating officers around the country has been our downfall. The preconception was that officers would become corrupted if allowed to stay in one place for too long. Of course this assumes that both the officers and the community they serve are basically dishonest. That should never be a problem with a well-trained officer.

Our police are never from the community they are assigned to and are usually forced to live in substandard conditions. Having no real ties to the community they are regarded as outsiders and do not receive the full cooperation of the community they serve. Knowing they will be transferred in a few years there is no motivation to help the community and further they have no apparent responsibility for their actions to the community, only to the chain of command. The result is that the community does not trust the police and the police do not show respect for the community. They are trained to resist attempts at friendship with residents as it makes them supposedly more susceptible to corruption. The result is an unmotivated improperly trained police force that receives little support from the public in general. This antagonistic relationship between police and community is exploited by the criminal element.

The police must be part of the community as well as answerable to the community they serve in order to be effective. Police from top to bottom should be hired and fired by the particular community they serve based on their performance. We should have complete say as to who is policing our community and if they do not perform they must be replaced. Becoming a police officer is a commitment to the community. A police officer should love his community and regard the job as a permanent position. Ideally they will share the love of community that we all have and be motivated to do the best job. We have no opportunity to vet our police and know little about who is policing us. Officers who get in trouble in one way or the other are simply shuffled around to various unsuspecting communities often with tragic results. Whose fault is that?
If the police were answerable directly to the people of the communities they serve we would all be able to work together and bring our crime epidemic under control. The infection has spread from Belize City to infect all the towns. Our elected community leaders do not have the power to demand performance from our police even though it is our money that pays them. This is an unacceptable situation. The trips from Belmopan by various senior police, meetings with the various business groups and marches against crime are ineffective in an ever-widening spiral of violence. Starch, polish and posturing will not win the war. We need well-trained, well paid, law enforcement professionals working directly with the community.

Any thought that we are not capable of or responsible enough to handle our own police without help from Belmopan is ridiculous. Belmopan cannot control crime within the police force, much less our crime epidemic. The buck in the towns should stop at the Chief Police Officer and the Mayor. The community they serve should hire all police officers. If the Chief cannot perform to our expectations or control his officers we must replace him and anyone else that is not giving 100% in our fight against crime. Under this system of community policing, police brutality would be rare and crooked cops would be dealt with quickly.

We should not be taking direction from Belmopan as to how to proceed in our individual communities. There are many differences in our individual communities that necessitate different approaches to achieve effective law enforcement. Our leaders have proven unable to meet the crisis and we the people of Belize must step up to the plate and take responsibility for our own security. It is time we fought back. I am confident we can do a much better job of managing our security than those currently charged with that task.

The communities must hire their own Prosecuting Attorneys that have the legal skills necessary to get convictions and pursue independent investigations when the need may arise. Sentences need to be made a deterrent to crime. A professional Prosecuting Attorney, a well trained Community Police Force, an aggressive Judiciary and the Community all working together can raise the conviction rate and thus lower the crime rate. There is no other way; we have proven that what we are doing now does not work. We must raise conviction rates; there is no other answer.

-- Mike Campbell is a Belize expat residing and an active social and political acivist.]]> Sun, 08 Apr 2012 13:34:22 +0000 http://www.belizeculture.com/topic/57-call-for-better-law-enforcement-in-belize/ http://www.belizeculture.com/topic/56-belize-social-security-scandals/

(Editor’s note: Mike Campbell is a declared independent candidate seeking to become the area representative for the Belize Rural South constituency. His views, opinions, et cetera are his own and not necessarily those of The Independent. We will from time to time be inviting submissions from persons who are candidates in the upcoming municipal and general elections, but we expect that Mr. Campbell’s column will become a regular feature in the newspaper’s op-ed section.)

We are continually subjected to Social Security scandals that are sickening to the heart. This money is collected from hardworking Belizeans and their employers. This money belongs to the workers whose labor created it and no one else. The Social Security Board has a scared responsibility to hold this money in trust for those that contributed it. They have an absolute moral and legal responsibility to manage this money responsibly.

The current uproar over the insider trading issues is the smoke not the fire. The fire is that each and every one of the Social Security
loans were based originally on insider trading. Few in the country even knew that such a program existed. The idea that it was for a select group (Social Security employees) is infuriating. To add insult to injury the government will now reward them all for their efforts by writing off the loans.

This pattern repeats itself over and over, from Fresh Catch/ Mena Group to the 3,000-acre land “deal” on North Ambergris Caye and many more. Each and every one of these loans was inappropriate and not in the best interest of the country and surely not in the best interest of the workers that contributed the money. The large loans to insider companies actually place the workers money at risk. Bankruptcy and depreciated assets or property values could spell almost total loss in some cases.

The quality of the home loans is based on the assumption that home prices will be stable which may or not be the case depending on many constantly changing factors and place the workers money at risk. Both types of “investments” put the Social Security Board in the strange position of competing with commercial banks. Our government should not be competing with private sector. Social Security money should be invested in secure financial instruments that bear low interest but are certainly safer than loaning money to a bankrupt company or betting on the stability of the real estate market. I have contributed substantial amounts to the Social Security
system in the name of my employees and never intended it to be used for anything except the welfare of those who contributed it.

Hard to believe that the man sweating it out in the hot sun has financed the house of someone who works under air conditioning with tons of benefits and at a beneficial rate of 8%. We have fallen to where we do not even recognize corruption when it slaps us in the face. We have become so accustomed to being abused that we just accept it as how things are in Belize.

A much more appropriate use for the fund would to be to create an unemployment insurance scheme. If we had had this in place the economic down turn would have been cushioned for many who have lost their homes. We could also consider enhancing benefits to our senior citizens. Most anything would be better than seeing them loan the money to themselves or their crony companies at 8% interest while some of the people that contributed that money are loosing their homes because they lost their jobs and had to pay commercial rates for their mortgages, often at double the “crony rate”.

I have been unable to pinpoint exactly when this program started, as it does not show on any database I can access. I would not be surprised to find that it was started around election time many years ago and has been used by both parties for years as a way to buy votes and loyalty. Lots of shame to go around on this one.

- Mike Campbell]]> Fri, 27 Jan 2012 17:18:21 +0000 http://www.belizeculture.com/topic/56-belize-social-security-scandals/ http://www.belizeculture.com/topic/55-ten-acres-on-western-highway-for-sale-or-joint-venture/

We have a 10 acre property on the Western Highway 5 minutes from the City of Belmopan, Belize available for lease, outright purchase or for a joint venture.

The property has 600 feet highway frontage and includes a wooden structure suitable for a a bar and restaurant or for commercial use as an office or business place. City electricity and water on site.

The land has approximately 500 fruit trees planted in a well developed orchard, two water wells and Mount Pleasant Creek running right through the middle.

Possible uses include a restaurant and bar, nightclub, a tourism facility such as an art and handicraft outlet, development as a motel, resort or Bed and Breakfast, a water park, purified water business, or light industrial use such as a woodwork facility produce items from exotic wood for the tourism and export market.

Inquiries to: belizean@gmail.com]]> Sun, 06 Nov 2011 20:53:32 +0000 http://www.belizeculture.com/topic/55-ten-acres-on-western-highway-for-sale-or-joint-venture/ http://www.belizeculture.com/topic/54-belize-cops-target-tourists-at-tourism-village/
There was quite an uproar at the Tourism Village this afternoon - when a female tourist was reportedly busted with a stick of marijuana. It's an increasingly common occurrence, but what made this one very different is that the female reportedly tried to swallow the stick and - right there on the street - in plain view of the very vocal vendors - the police reportedly tried to force her to cough it up.

That caused quite a commotion and a ruckus.

"Confirm reports state how they saw the black American lady buying the stick of weed from somebody, I don't know from whom, I didn't see all of that. Jules, by the time the lady got here - it's wrong Jules, for one little stick of weed. It's wrong for the policeman to beat up a woman and manhandle her like that."

Vendor: "They were asking the lady about some weed, because the lady swallowed the weed. The police grabbed her fling her down on the ground and they threw her into the blue wall over there. And when they fling her into the wall they choked her and when they choked her it was for her to bring up whatever they thought she had swallowed. And when they finished choking her the continued pulling her clothes pushing and burst her nose, because her nose was bleeding. It's not right because if I go to their country I don't want their police or their government to do me those things, and I am a tourist in their country." See story on TV 7 here.

Poyner was later taken to court to answer a slew of charges levied by the Belize Cops. The charges included Resisting Arrest, Obstruction of Justice and Harm against Police Constable Yadira Jones. Magistrate Roberto Ordonez convicted the 41 year old American businesswoman of Obstructing Justice and fined her $250. But Poyner was unable to pay the fine and go on her way as the court cashier had already left for the weekend. Poyner was sent to prison for a weekend, definitely not in paradise. Ms. Poyner is expected to fine another way home as her ship has already sailed.]]> Sat, 05 Nov 2011 03:49:53 +0000 http://www.belizeculture.com/topic/54-belize-cops-target-tourists-at-tourism-village/ http://www.belizeculture.com/topic/53-imf-calls-for-tighter-belize-fiscal-policy/
The bad is that there is a weak investment climate and concern for the rise in poverty which another recent report put at forty percent. Higher food and fuel prices are expected to push inflation slightly upward. The IMF team projects that there are challenges associated with the uncertain global environment, vulnerabilities in the banking system and rising gross financing needs of the public sector.

There are also concerns about non-performing loans in the banking system and that bank prudential indicators have remained weak. Against this backdrop, the IMF encouraged the authorities to strengthen the policy framework and advance the reform agenda and programs to reduce poverty. The business climate must also be strengthened to tackle Belize’s low productivity growth. It recommends a reduction in tax concessions, with improvement in overall tax collections and a containment of the wage bill as well as a streamlining of capital spending. The IMF also calls for timely compensation to former owners of nationalized entities, such as Telemedia and B.E.L., which are now entrenched in the constitution. As to stability in the financial sector, the IMF says that should be a high priority.]]> Thu, 03 Nov 2011 04:05:51 +0000 http://www.belizeculture.com/topic/53-imf-calls-for-tighter-belize-fiscal-policy/