Barrow is bogus

by glenntillett@yahoo.com

“But back to Eco-Green, the new company promoted by the Minister of Agriculture that is registered in Santa Elena, Cayo, the Minister’s constituency. When we checked on its status, we found out that there are three subscribers, two registered at the same address in Guatemala, they are Mario Mendez Cobar and Mildred Aguilar.  The third is Gosen Products, also registered in the Cayo District. And when we followed the paper trail further, the documents show that Gosen is a subscriber of Eco Green and has two directors. Guess who? Ramon Matus Jr. of Macal Street in San Ignacio and Robert Jaime Montero of Church Street, the son of the Minister of Agriculture. Sources close to the Minister claimed to News Five that Eco Green  is employing Guatemalans and not Belizeans and  that it pays a nominal fee of one cent royalty to government when the going price is normally three or four cents per leaf. Its target is to export three containers per month so if you do the math, there is a substantial loss to government coffers. All be told, the Minister’s son is a director of Gosen, that is a subscriber of Eco-Green, and Eco-green is the beneficiary of a lucrative contract awarded by the Government.” – Channel Five Belize News, March 10^th, 2010

The recent revelation that yet another Barrow Administration Cabinet minister may be involved in a private business will not surprise anyone. Their credibility has fallen so far so fast that reflexively the electorate will believe the allegations to be true. This is because after more than two years a pattern has emerged.

In this particular case, there have been several allegations made on the morning talk shows that Cayo Central Area Representative Hon. Rene Montero is “benefiting” from the harvesting and exportation of the Xate leaves from Belize’s rainforest, including several of its nature reserves. He has neither admitted nor denied the charge but that is not necessarily “scandalous.”

The callers further allege that Montero, who is also the Minister of Agriculture, is using his ministry’s resources to facilitate “his” xate business, particularly a blue Ministry of Agriculture Tacoma pick up which bears blue Government of Belize license plates, to transport Guatemalan workers to and from Melchor. Again, for the record, the honourable gentleman has neither confirmed nor denied this allegation, and I have no idea if the practice is illegal or otherwise contravenes any of our laws.

It appears morally reprehensible, though, that a Belizean political leader would firstly employ Guatemalans when there are so many Belizeans who need jobs during this time of recession, and secondly, it does seem to be a perpetuation of the practice of hiring persons who by all appearances may be undocumented aliens.

In his defense the honorable gentleman told Channel Seven News on March 5^th, 2010:  “I think the question you should be asking me is who is benefiting from the harvesting of xate. This is a new company, Eco-Green established in Cayo for the harvesting and packaging and export of Xate to foreign countries like the USA and Europe. Right now what I know for sure is that they employ single mothers. Look at the major industries that are bringing in foreign exchange; banana, citrus, and sugar. Look who is being employed. It is foreign labour. As far as I am concerned we should be looking at the benefit this new industry is bringing to the country. It is creating employment and it will generate foreign exchange and that is something that never used to happen before, it was harvested illegally by Guatemalans. This company is doing it legally under the supervision of the Department, under the supervision of the NGOs. We are working together to ensure that Belize benefits from its own natural resources.

“Look at the major benefits that Belizeans will get from this industry in terms of employment, foreign exchange. As I said earlier 90% or 80% of the xate used to be harvested and taken across illegally. Now a local company, a local company owned by Belizeans will be harvesting the xate for the benefit of Belizeans.”

But perhaps the most grievous “sin” in all this is the un-refuted allegation that the Barrow Administration canceled the license that Earl Codd, a Belizean investor, had been given a few years ago, and who had invested nearly $250,000 in the business, without explanation or compensation, and before it expired.

Earl Codd told Channel Five News: “We had a license going back in 2006-2007, the license was cancelled by the Forest Department for no apparent reason before the expiration and was issued to one Gosen product for operation up in the Chiquibul area. We are still questioning why the license was cancelled and the reason for it. We had complied with all the necessary requirements set out within the license, setting in the proper proposal, security plan and harvesting plan and to date we have not received any response as to why the license was cancelled.”

In answer to a question by Jose Sanchez he replied: ““More than a quarter of a million dollars; it was significant. Prior to the cancellation I had invested almost a hundred and fifty thousand dollars in getting packaging materials and about a month after acquiring my packaging materials the license was cancelled. I have a letter from the Forest Department stating that the license was cancelled.”

It would seem to me that this is a clear case of unjust enrichment, and if it is not worthy of criminal action, it is surely one of those cases where the honorable gentleman would need to ask his lawyer to talk to God for him and plead his case up on high.

This is the latest in a lengthening line of questionable business dealings by members of Dean Barrow’s Cabinet. The cruelest part of all this is not so much that they are using their ministerial positions to further businesses they may have established otherwise. The cruelest cut is that they are simply taking away the resources and businesses established by other people for their own.

This is why when I heard an unsupported report that Dean Barrow himself is involved financially in the development of a cruise tourism port in Placencia I believe the report to be true.

When Minister Edmund Castro was reported to have “wrested” a portion of the cable business from a long established company it was true, and to date Barrow has not said a single word. There are several other stories of this type of Cabinet banditry, too many for us not to believe when we “hear” that one of these brigands has struck again.

The corruption and cronyism is the worst I have ever seen it in Belize. A few months ago the Belize Times was one of several media outlets that reported that Anwar Barrow may be involved with Brads Gaming Company Limited, a company that was recently awarded a ten year exclusive contract to manage the Boledo and Sunday Lottery games.

Young Mr. Barrow, I am told, has denied this and is suing the Times.  I won’t comment on the merits or demerits of the case since it is my opinion that no matter what the Times should publish, young Mr. Barrow will continue to pursue his legal options.

I have been told by persons I consider reputable, but who would never set foot in a courtroom and admit so, that there are several Cabinet ministers who have a financial interest in Brads Gaming Company Limited. Because I cannot prove that that is the case I will not call their names.

What I see though, is a pattern. There has been no Lotto or BEL-3 games played since February 20^th, and many people are “speculating” that Tropical Gaming Company Limited’s contract to operate those games will not be renewed. Everyone, with one sole exception, who dares to venture an opinion out loud on this matter, believes that the contract to operate the Lotto game will be awarded to Brads Gaming Company Limited.

The sole exception would only say that If Dah No So, Dah Naily Soh!

Barrow is bogus.

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