Shame on the San Pedro Mayor

San Pedro Ambergris Caye is unique in many ways, one of which is the composition of the population on the island. Currently, the island’s population consists of mainly mainland residents who have migrated to the island in search of a better quality of life. In so doing, they have contributed tremendously to the growth and development of the island and in many instances these mainland people consider San Pedro their new home. In fact the operation on Ambergris Caye would come to an almost complete halt if the mainland residents would choose to move off the island overnight.  So then we can safely say that the island is dependent on the mainland residents for their operation to continue and similarly the mainland people are dependent on the island as a major source of employment. It is important for me to bring these scenarios into perspective because of a particular situation that exists at the San Pedro Town Council.

Generally speaking, I am tempted to say that Sanpedranos are not prejudiced against mainland residents, but expect them to fit into their community and embrace the values, goals and objectives of the island. Nothing is wrong with that, but where I draw the line is when there are clearly divisions and preferences over being from the island vs. being from the mainland. For too long the UDP elected officials have been discriminating against these mainland residents calling them “come yah” or “outsiders.” In fact this racist position became evident when there was a major power struggle to appoint a new deputy mayor of San Pedro Town.

Two of the UDP elected officials are not originally from Ambergris Caye. Councilor Joseph Elijio is originally from Dangriga while Councilor Pablo Ico is from Orange Walk. It was a pre-election understanding that the position for the Deputy Mayor would be rotated on an annual basis and those who had not served in that capacity under the previous term would get a try at the position. There was no objection from within the council and the rank and file of the UDP when a Sanpedrano was nominated to serve in this capacity in the first year of the current UDP Town Council. The challenge came when outsider Pablo Ico was set to become Deputy Mayor. It took over a month before Ico was announced as the Deputy Mayor to the displeasure of many including the Area Representative. Just before the announcement, Ico fired off a serious press release, partly lashing out at the barefoot minister.

To make a long story short, Deputy Mayor Ico was given one of the most powerful portfolios on the island – Tourism, Traffic and Transport. Little did Ico know that even with such an appointment he would never actually control those positions. The former deputy mayor refused to hand over the vehicle to Ico; in fact transport officers were asked to confiscate the vehicle from the former deputy mayor before it was turned over to Ico. It is almost three months now that Ico assumed the responsibility of Traffic and Transport and he still has not been given the autonomy to control those departments. In fact, the Guerrero brothers, who are very cozy with Junior (the barefoot minister), are the ones running the Traffic and Transport Department. Ico is not deputy mayor because he is liked by the Mayor. Ico was appointed deputy major because the Mayor and some of her councilors felt that Ico would blow the whistle on them if not given the position.

The main reason that the elements within the UDP refused to give Ico full autonomy for traffic is that the rank and file of the UDP has used the traffic department for personal gains. Should the books at the traffic department be opened and audited, then the dolly house at the town council would crumble to pieces. The San Pedro Traffic Department is in a complete financial mess; licenses are sold over the counter, vehicle importation permits are sold to a select few while monies are unaccounted for. But because Ico has publicly declared that he will call a spade a spade, the Mayor is afraid that Ico will “spill the beans.”  The Mayor, the Guerrero brothers and even Junior has no shame to admit that they are dissatisfied that an “outsider” or “come yah” is Deputy Mayor. What is it that the Mayor, Junior and the Guererro brothers want to hide and cover up? Let not your heart be troubled – the beans are spilled and the documents are out! But we’ll leave that for another time.

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