The Betrayal of Duckrun III

Ismael Perez – Chairman, Duckrun III

The village of Duckrun III in the Cayo North East Division of the Cayo District has been a quiet, peaceful and (“dry”) village – dry in that there have been no liquor establishments in the village until recently.  The youth in the village have taken football as their recreation and sporting activity despite the fact that we have no usable football field.  This is because a football field established by then standard bearer of the PUP Mr. Orlando Habet along with our village council was closed down after the elections of February 2008 by Mr. Elvin Penner, area representative.  Although we are aware that some of our young people do go to have their drinks in other villages and in the major towns, such practices have not occurred in the village proper because the people of Duckrun III have requested not to have  a bar established in the village.

Since August of 2009 one Mr. Jose Anibal Molina moved from Selena Village to reside in our village where he has a property and opened up a bar despite the fact that the villagers are against it and despite the fact that the Village council and myself have not approved a license to be granted to Mr. Molina.  It is stated in the Village Council Act that the chairman of the village council must sign the application before the District Liquor Licensing Board can approve and grant a liquor license.  Since this new establishment has opened we now have bar fights, young boys under the age of 16 years drinking on the streets and having their parents’ normal lives disrupted by their actions.  One weekend some school aged children were drinking on a Sunday and could not go to school the following morning.

In September of 2009, I reported the matter to the police in Spanish Lookout and sent a letter to the officer in charge of the San Ignacio police station informing them of the ‘illegal bar” in the village.  I also went to visit with the chairman of the Cayo Liquor Licensing Board, one Mr. Elias Juan who informed me and assured me that they had not granted a license to Mr. Molina.

This past Saturday night October 31, 2009 some young men were drinking in that same bar owned by Mr. Molina and a fight ensued in which machetes and farm forks were used as weapons.  Indeed our entire village’s peace and tranquility are now at stake.  On Monday morning I decided to make another attempt to investigate how it was that Mr. Molina could open a bar in our village without approval of the village and the Liquor Licensing Board.  I decided to meet with Mr. Molina and visit his place.  He then did present a Liquor License which he said he obtained through Mr. Elvin Penner, since he was told that he did not have to check with me because I am a PUP chairman and that it is the area representative that makes the decision.  The license certificate for Mr. Molina was signed by Mr. Elias Juan, chairman Liquor Licensing Board, San Ignacio, for the period August 1, 2009 to January 31, 2010.

I spoke to a police officer who told me that there was nothing they could do because the owner, Mr. Molina had a legally signed license and that the police enforce the law only if the owners do not have a license to operate.

I must mention at this point that I have also reported the matter to NAVCO, the National Association of Village Councils which promised to do an investigation into the matter but have not visited my village as yet.  I also reported this matter to the leaders of the Spanish Lookout Community so that hopefully they can have some influence over Mr. Elvin Penner and his decisions but it seems as if it is to no avail.

It seems as if we are operating not under a Belize Constitution and Belize laws anymore but under a UDP law which is not too kind to non-UDP and the law of the day seems to contravene all social, political, religious and human order.  I appeal to all Belizean citizens to take note of how we are living today, how we are being treated with disregard and how our families and especially our children are being destroyed by the government of the day.

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