GOB’s mass citizenship, rapid registration under fire!

UDP agents were processing citizenship documents at the Immigration Department in Belmopan until 11:15pm on Wednesday night. Othon Castillo threatened the photographer, in fear of being exposed.

Belize City, January 18, 2012

The Opposition People’s United Party has raised serious red flags over what has turned into an unprecedented rush to give citizenship and rapid voting rights to immigrants.

The citizenship is being processed in almost lightening-speed fashion by the Immigration and Nationality Department in collusion with political operatives of the ruling United Democratic Party, while immediately after, the new Belizeans are ushered to the Elections offices for processing of their voter identification cards.

There are no official estimates of how many persons have been given citizenship since the process started two weeks ago, but unofficial numbers put it at nearing 2,000.

The processing of citizenship, during weekends, and literally even late at night, is being carried out according to the Director of Immigration Ruth Meighan at the order of her political boss, the Prime Minister. But the process has come under scrutiny. Members of the Opposition PUP today said it was illegal and an outright abuse of the system.

Former PUP Leader and Orange Walk Central Area Representative Hon. John Briceño pointed out that in the past eleven days, there were 543 new registrations in the Orange Walk District. The majority, 190, were done in his constituency.

Hon. Briceño pointed out that the political manipulation of the system is so obvious that the persons filling out their naturalisation papers gathered outside the business location of Jaime Burns, one of the UDP operatives in Orange Walk. Along with the UDP candidate in Orange Walk Central, the persons fill out their forms and the citizenship is processed.

Hon. Briceño said many who got their citizenship told him they were offered bribes by the UDP, to register and vote UDP. Additionally, many did not have to submit the required documents such as a blood test and police record.

“This is an issue of illegal widespread citizenship. We are calling on the NGO community to join us in calling the Prime Minister to desist these acts,” said Hon. Briceño.

The rapid voter registration has also backfired on the UDP in Orange Walk. On numerous cases, Elections officials have discovered that persons used false addresses which is improper and provides grounds for disqualification. Hon. Briceño said that while the Prime Minister has publicly endorsed fraudulent registration, he won’t stand for it.

The questionable citizenship and voter registration is also taking part in all other parts of the country. In the Belize Rural Central constituency, the UDP’s candidate Michael Hutchinson was busy over the weekend, Saturday and Sunday. Lines of immigrants gathered in front of his political office near Marage Road to process their documents.

The irregularity in this case was even more blatant as an immigration officer was assisting the processing at the office of the political candidate.

“Immigration officers are being coerced,” remarked Dolores Balderamos-Garcia, PUP Belize Rural Central Standard Bearer.

Balderamos-Garcia added that while the applicants got their police record swiftly [a process that lasts weeks for some Belizeans, and which requires a thorough background check for immigrants], they paid for their blood test but were not required to actually take the test. They only obtained a receipt of payment which they used as part of the requirements.

“What we are seeing is mass naturalisation, coercing public officers, abusing the process in private homes, all in a blatant effort by the UDP to pad the voter’s list and hijack the elections. This is absolutely unprecedented and cannot be accepted,” stated Balderamos-Garcia.

The disputed mass citizenship also took place in the Corozal and Cayo Districts. Corozal South East representative Hon. Florencio Marin said 170 new registrations were entered into his area. As the elected representative, he issued a letter asking for permission to scrutinise the new voters, but the Elections office denied him that right and said they were too busy preparing for the upcoming municipal elections.

“Why are they subverting the democratic process?” asked Hon. Marin.

The PUP’s Cayo West standard bearer Oscar Sabido said the act of giving citizenship is not being disputed instead what is being called into question is the flawed process.

“It must be done within the parameters of the law,” he said.

Answering the criticism that the PUP had done the same prior to the 2008 elections, Hon. Briceño submitted that while the PUP did process new citizenship, it did so in a coordinated manner throughout its term and it did so in a public setting where even the media was invited. The UDP has not even allowed the media at any of their adhoc swearing in ceremonies.

Balderamos Garcia added that the PUP has accepted that using citizenship to gain political mileage is wrong and it will propose as part of its reform agenda a cut-off period the process. This should complement the already announced plan to fix the date of election and reduce the term to four years.

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