Report 20% Decline in Revenues On Monday night on Love FM during the Chamber of Commerce’s weekly show called The Business Perspective, guests revealed that the productive and commercial sectors were losing about 20 percent of revenues across the board. This show, which was titled the “Business Round Table (weh we di feel),” featured the host and her 3 guests, who were all prominent Belizean Businessmen from the productive and commerce sectors in Belize. During the discussion the panel stated that the recession, which is now in full swing, is really having a serious effect on the ability of the business owners to keep operating at a profit. With inflation on the rise and consumer spending on the decline, businesses are finding it more difficult to access affordable credit or to properly manage their cash flow. In some cases, businesses have drastically slashed orders because of the fear that people will not be in a position to start spending anytime soon. In addition, some businesses are struggling to remain open.   In fact in the Corozal Free Zone, where the losses have been significant, a number of businesses have already closed down, and some people are speculating that a number of companies will only remain open until the end of the Christmas Season and then will be forced to close doors. In Belize City, prominent and well established businesses have suffered under the impact of this recession. Last week the Belize Photolab closed down and already it has been announced that the Belize Glass Shop will be pulling down its shutters permanently in a few week’s times. In the meantime, many of the businesses plan to weather the storm as long as possible by layoffs and cutback in staffing hours.  On the Chamber of Commerce Show one of the panellists commented that he was doing everything possible to try not to lay off workers, ...

GIV it to me, Gapi! Short week and all, this columnist thought it would be a little harder to gather up the UDP shush, but this bunch so stupid and corrupt that there’s never a shortage of ‘factual gossip.’ Let’s start with our favourite dodo-bird from the north, Gapi Vega. A little bird which flew out of Gapi’s ministry told us that the Minister gave a member of his family a permit to export ten container-loads of zericote and poisonwood out of the country. No, I said, our Minister of Natural Resources would never do something like that, especially since it is illegal to export hardwoods. Yes, the bird said, they’re doing it through a company called GIV Ltd. So I sat there and I thought a bit, then I thought some more. Then I said, oh damn, this bird just may know what its talking about, cause you see, the Minister has a brother whose name is German Ignacio Vega (GIV, for those who are short on the uptake). Hmmm! Seems like this bunch wah neva done…If Da Noh Soh! ………………….. New posts at the KHMH… Big moves are being made at the KHMH…seems the only thing that isn’t moving is the Commission of Inquiry, which was launched about 4 months ago but seems to have fizzled out. One of the big changes is the appointment of Dr. Bulwer as the Medical Chief of Staff. I have hopes that it’s a change for the better. It certainly seems to have been a move which was in the making a long time ago, since Bulwer has been heard to say that he was offered the job months ago, but just decided to come in for an interview. And there are other changes, surprising changes especially since the KHMH claims to be perpetually cash strapped. For one thing, the KHMH will be hiring a PR Consultant, and we understand that they’re looking at Ms. Brenda Stuart. So what’s ...

Our choice for Hypocrite of the Week for this issue cannot be limited to any one man or woman, as the case may be. This week, shadowed by the passing of Dwain Davis, all fingers are pointing at Mayor Zenaida Moya and Prime Minister Dean Barrow for the part they played in his demise. The black bow on City Hall and the words of condolence from the Prime Minister are just empty gestures from two UDP hypocrites with no equal, who both played a part in destroying a man because of the games they played. By all indications, Dwain Davis was an honourable man, yet Mayor Zenaida Moya managed to embroil him in the tangled web of her own shenanigans in City Hall. He entered City Hall a man of integrity, and left under a black cloud of suspicion with criminal charges like a yoke around his neck. Davis’ association with the Mayor of Belize City led to his demise, there can be no doubt about that. The Barrow faction of the UDP, which vowed to deal with Zenaida by any means necessary, also played a role in Davis’ passing. Word reaching the Belize Times is that on no less than three occasions, emissaries from the Prime Minister visited with Davis and tried to pressure him into providing evidence against the Mayor. And in the end, the stress was too much for Davis and he succumbed to a massive stroke. Belizeans will not soon forget the hypocrisy of Mayor Zenaida Moya and her political boss, Prime Minister Dean Barrow. Both are now crying tears for the man they both helped to destroy. Responsibility for the death of Dwain Davis rests squarely on the shoulders of Moya and Barrow, this week’s hypocrites and worse; much, much worse.

The Belize Government Press Office and spinmeister extraordinaire Delroy Cuthkelvin have embarked recently on a media blitzkrieg in an attempt to convince Belizeans that the ruling United Democratic Party has actually turned their manifesto promises into realities since they took office in February 2008, and that life today, while it may have its challenges and obstacles, is not as bad as it seems.  In other words, they are playing the hand that they were dealt and are coming out winners to our benefit. Fair enough.  We can see the logic in that premise given the state of the global economy just now.  But at the same time when we look around and observe that not all of us are in the same economic boat, then we know that we are being taken for a ride by the UDP hierarchy.  If truth be told, they are asking us to sacrifice more of our hard earned money so that the country can survive these difficult economic times.  But then they refuse to carry their share of the burden, and to make matters worse are fleecing an already depleted government treasury.  It is clear that some animals on the farm are created more equal than others. And how convenient is it that the fortunate ones are directly related to PM Barrow.  For starters, ex-wife Lois Young is laughing all the way to the bank or banks, counting those millions of dollars that she has earned representing the government in court.  Cha-ching!  It seems that PM Barrow has privatized the work of the Office of the Attorney General for her personal gain. And to top it off, she was named as the Secretary to the Board of Belize Telemedia Limited shortly after the hostile takeover of the company that was orchestrated by PM Barrow.  True love surely never dies.  No wonder that she has not yet taken up that plum ambassadorial appointment to ...

Belize City, November 10, 2009 Defending national champs Sadie Vernon Technical High School boys lead the Central Secondary Schools Sports Association basketball competition with 4 wins, running over the Wesley College boys 99-42 at the Belize City Center on Tuesday night, while the Ladyville Technical High School and Nazarene High School boys each posted their 2nd win on Monday. Kachief Thomas led the Sadie Vernon boys with 26pts, Lindon Bowen scored 18 pts, Aaron Cooper added 14pts, and Peter Mckoy was good for 12pts. Raheem Gaynair chipped in 10pts and Linsey Lopez delivered 8pts. Vince Young hit 2 treys as he led the Wesley boys with 16pts, while Brian Lopez followed with a trey to add 5pts and Rahyme Sacasa chipped in another 5pts. The Sadie Vernon boys also stopped the St. John’s College boys 63-50 for their 3rd win last Wednesday. Kachief Thomas led with 25 pts, Landon Reneau scored 12 pts and Aaron Cooper added 10 pts. Raheem Staine led the SJC boys with 14pts; Kendis William added 10 pts and Brandon Castillo had 9 pts. The Ladyville Technical High School boys posted their 2nd win 54-49 over the boys of Edward P. Yorke High School on Monday. Russell Staine led Ladyville with 16 pts and Fitzgerald Alvarez added 14pts. E.P. Yorke’s Terique Gabb led with 22pts and Trevor Mcfoy chipped in 10pts. The Ladyville boys had also enjoyed their first victory 62-56 over last Tuesday. Oswin Humes led with 16 pts, Fitzgerald Alvarez added 15pts and Jael Ottley hit a long trey to add 14pts. Nazarene’s Alejandro Baptist top-scored the game with 24pts, Kadeem Courtenay added 19pts and Alberto Cuellar chipped in 8pts. The Nazarene High School boys did better on Tuesday by picking up their 2nd win, handing the up-to-then undefeated Gwen Lizarraga High School boys their first loss 77 – 75. Alejandro Baptist top-scored ...

Would the Prime Minister and Minister of Finance please say why, in this time of economic crisis, he approved the purchase of a $160,000 vehicle for his Minister of Health? Can the Prime Minister say if he is aware that while the Minister of Health has two vehicles parked in front of his yard, nurses at the Corozal Hospital are forced to walk home after the night shift because they have no access to transportation? Would the Minister of Natural Resources confirm or deny reports that he has granted his brother a permit to export ten container loads of hardwood from the country? And if this is so, can the Minister explain his rationale, since the exportation of hardwood is illegal? Would the Minister of National Security please say why the Minister of State in the Ministry of Works has been assigned a Police Officer/bodyguard/driver? Would the Minister not agree that in this crime infested period we need every officer we can get on the streets and not babysitting Ministers? Would the Minister of National Security be able to confirm or deny reports that all UDP Ministers are in the process of receiving firearm licenses from the Police Department? Would the Minister be able to say if this move is a result of fear because of the rampant crime in the nation?