UDP Politics as Usual

Red alert…

Last week we received word that the Prime Minister had received threats on his life in connection with the shooting of his law partner and the execution of Andre Trapp. We didn’t carry the story then because politics being what it is, the media animals over that side would immediately have accused us of instigating violence against Mr. Barrow. Nothing could be further from the truth. Any attempt on the life of the leader of this nation would set an appalling precedent and would signal that Belize is a nation operating completely outside the rule of law. If the criminals are willing to attack the Prime Minister, then indeed none of us are safe. So we don’t want anything to happen to that gentleman. We understand that he now travels with a contingent of Special Branch officers in Secret Service mode and that security has been enhanced at his home and his office. We understand that even his wife who we refuse to refer to as the First Lady because she isn’t moves around the city with Police protection. We offer every hope that he and his family remain safe.

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But then again…

Mr. Barrow will never publicly admit to the mistakes which he has made. He’s just not built that way. But we are ever hopeful that when he does manage to get in some alone time, he realizes that the responsibility for the crime situation, even for the threats on his life, lie squarely on his shoulders. The PM had the option of leading the country the right way but instead he chose to play politics with the restructuring of the Police Department. He chose political expediency over efficiency and the results of that move were clear. Months and months ago, when every Belizean including the Prime Minister knew that Carlos Perdomo could not handle the job, Barrow still left that gentleman at the helm. Things got progressively worse, and still our leader ignored the cries of the people. Murders became daily occurrences, and still the leader ignored the demands of the people. In the end, for Mr. Barrow, it wasn’t about doing things the right way, but about politics. What we see now, the murders on the streets, the threats to the life of the PM, the shootings, the robberies, the home invasions, the unchecked criminality – all that is because Mr. Barrow chose to play politics rather than do the right thing.

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Case in point…

Barrow will accuse the Opposition of crying out for some sort of plan from GOB and then not supporting it. That’s just the way the leader of the nation plays politics. The fact of the matter is that Barrow’s Operation Restore Belize is seriously flawed from the onset…and we all know that garbage in equals garbage out. Case in point the Director of Public Prosecutions! Word this week is that Shirley-Biscuit will be confirmed as the DPP, moved up from acting status. Hell, the Office of the DPP plays a crucial function in the war against crime, and every Belizean knows for sure that Shirley-Biscuit can’t hack it. Jeez, her conviction rate is somewhere around 7%, I’ve heard, and her record is deplorable. I have nothing against the woman personally because I’ve never met her, but her record speaks for itself. When murder cases do reach the courts on the rare occasion, more often than not criminals come bounding down the steps of the Court smiling from ear to ear. I challenge anybody to name one sterling accomplishment of Shirley-Biscuit in office…just one. ANYBODY! That’s right…you can’t because there isn’t any. But Shirley Biscuit does have one redeeming quality – she has some good friends in high political places. Because of those friends, and certainly not because of her record or work ethic, Shirley Biscuit will now be rewarded. The conviction rate is directly tied to the rise in crime…criminals know that there is every likelihood that they will walk, so they are not afraid to commit the crimes. Mr. Barrow doesn’t care about all that. See why Operation Restore Belize won’t work?

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Extinct…

It appears that the reprieve from violent crime, as welcome as it was, was a very temporary one. For the past weeks Operation Jaguar has been on the endangered species list, but I think after the last weekend it’s safe to say that Operation Jaguar is extinct. We must say kudos to the men and women of the Police Department and the Belize Defense Force who were able to maintain it as long as they did. It can’t have been an easy job. But we all knew that Jaguar couldn’t be maintained and there would need to be something else, some bright gem from Mr. Barrow’s administration, to carry on the fight against crime. But there has been nothing. The effete Mr. Singh was sworn in as the new Minister of Police, Mr. Barrow’s new wunderkind and answer to crime, and there has been NOTHING, which is actually just what we expected from Mr. Singh. What next, Mr. Barrow, do we just descend back into the depths of lawlessness and despair and chaos and anarchy?

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There’s weather coming…

There’s a storm out there, and while it’s not a serious threat it could be by the time this paper comes out. If this one doesn’t give us a scare, then the next one might…or the next. We haven’t seen Mr. NEMO since the reshuffle/expansion of Cabinet. We do know that after every bit of heavy rain at least two bridges down south are impassable. One in Belize Rural North also becomes impassable. We haven’t heard about any plans to deal with these problems. We haven’t heard any plans to get a new bridge for the Kendall crossing. Mr. NEMO needs to wake up because forecasters say this will be an above average year for tropical weather activity. Are the hurricane shelters ready for mass occupation? Have food stores been identified? Have evacuation plans and the resources necessary for mass evacuation been identified and made ready for any disaster? The best advice I can give any Belizean at this time is to do your own thing, make your own plans and take care of your own families. Mr. NEMO fell asleep the last time and seven people died during a tropical storm. Imagine what will happen if Mr. NEMO falls asleep during a category five hurricane?

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The Music Ambassador

Our comments about Shyne are never personal and are never meant to reflect negatively on his talent or abilities in the hip-hop world. Yes, the man had a following who loved his music. Yes, he made a lot of money playing the role of gangster and that’s his thing. But Shyne knows nothing about Belize but what he’s seen in the past couple months since he was deported. His music is not our music. His culture is not our culture. Mr. Barrow was seriously demented when he appointed Shyne as Music Ambassador of Belize. Even taken by itself independent of the other crap our PM has done, this act speaks to something which is not quite right in the head of Mr. Barrow. A few weeks ago, he mentioned that Shyne is making a song about Belize. So we did a little research and we came up with Shyne’s latest release called the Roller Song. If you ask me I’d say that indeed it is about Belize because it talks about all the broken promises made by the government. The song talks about the social ills which have been brought down on the people by the administration. Shyne talks about the level of desperation on the streets, the fact that the youth have nothing to eat and no money to take care of their families. According to our Music Ambassador who is supposed to be a role model to all our children (so says Mr. Barrow), F@#K the law cause he’s got no money but he’s got his gun. Okay then. A role model for our children you say Mr. Barrow? Like I said, I’ve got nothing against Shyne or his music. That’s his thing. But it sure as hell isn’t our thing. It’s not fair that Shyne’s music will be identified with Belize because he represents us as our Music Ambassador. It is an affront and an insult to those many Belizeans like the recently deceased Mr. Peter’s who gave his life to music and culture in Belize. Mr. Barrow should be flogged for his ‘wutlessness.’

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