Elections and Boundaries Commission

Dear Mr. August,

I write to you on behalf of the Hon. John Briceño, Member of the House of Representatives for the Orange Walk Central Electoral Division, and the People’s United Party Committee for Orange Walk Central.

As you are aware, the Government of Belize has recently engaged in a mass naturalisation of non-Belizeans. It is clear to all that this has been done in order to facilitate registration of some of these persons to vote in the upcoming elections.

The media has reported extensively on the irregular, if not illegal, practices attendant to the mass registration. No doubt your Commission will take seriously the evidence of widespread irregularities, and take the steps necessary to maintain the integrity of the voters list.

Enclosed please find clear and compelling evidence of irregularities relating to the Orange Walk Central Division. This is being brought to your attention so that the Commission at its meeting on the 25th January 2012 can consider what steps it will take to ensure that no unqualified person is included in the list of voters that is presented to the Revising Court.

There are supposedly 343 new voters in Orange Walk Central alone. The majority of these persons are recently naturalised. This is unprecedented. Based on the evidence that has been collected so far, it is clear that many of these persons do not qualify to be registered. We are very concerned that the Revising Court will not be able to process the very many objections likely to be in the hundreds, on the 3rd February 2012.

We would strongly urge the Commission to take all steps necessary to ensure that persons who are not qualified to be registered, and who names have regrettably found their way on the provisional list, be removed by the Elections and Boundaries Department. Further, we request that the Commission ensures that the Revising Court will be able to deal with the hundreds of objections that will be lodged.

We will not allow the illegality of this Government to corrupt the voters list in Orange Walk Central. We hope the Commission is of a like mind.

Yours truly,

Eamon Courtenay LLP

At page 6(c) of the Social Security handbook it states that – all employees are forbidden to become involved in any overt political activity…

At page 6 (b) it also speaks to national political questions which employees should stay away from. The question therefore is ‘are some animals indeed more equal than others?’ It is no secret that one Chandra Cansino, a senior employee, ran in an open political convention. Why would the Board and particularly the CEO allow this to happen? Others have been victimized just for suspecting to be from another party. Talk about wolf in sheep clothing. Whilst this writer supports women who may try to make a difference, we must have in mind that there is a policy that all staff must abide by. It is no wonder that the CEO has lost all credibility and respect from the staff. In fact staff is so frustrated that nothing positive is happening at SSB. Ask anyone who is the worst CEO SSB has ever had and quickly you will be referred to the lady who attempted to get her housing loan paid for by the poor tax payers of this country. What a shame! The word etiquette seems to have lost its meaning with her. This is supposed to benefit the poor and destitute, not those senior staff who are well paid and can pay. The interest on their loan is a pittance, damn it, so let them pay!

At page 6 (d) of the same handbook it states – at no time will employees use for private advantage to themselves, or anyone else, information known to them by reason of their official position. Isn’t the CEO guilty of this? Of course! How about the rest who ate of the apple.

How about the conflict of interest that’s occurring. Does anyone know who is the architect on the Board who gets to supervise/approve all constructions? Someone needs to check his costs quickly.

Robin Hood

(Being a staff member, of course, I can’t sign my name)

I humbly ask that you please print this letter in your regarded newspaper.

Here we have yet another case of the UDP Government and their Belize City Council in way over their heads, with no way out. A story first reported on television suggests that instead of dealing with streets that would be ‘beneficial’ to fix (i.e. convince the voters they’re not complete dolts incapable of simply giving City resident basic goods and services), these nincompoops show their true ‘freaky’ colors.

How, you ask? Well, they (in the face of Roger ‘El Suavecito the 2nd’ Espejo, and Hon. Anthony ‘Boots’ ‘Loud n’ Crazy’ Martinez) decided that instead of paving Castle Street, described vividly in the news as among the worst streets in the City in terms of driving and vehicular passage, they would instead pave…Seashore Drive, an area of affluent (and well-connected) taxpayers, and no less than the neighborhood where the Prime Minister himself and his family members live.

To make matters worse, both El Suavecito II and the Minister Loudmouth have the cojones to suggest that the area is a ‘thoroughfare’ that houses traffic from off the Northern Highway?!! Have y’all gone completely nuts, sipping on some red Fanta we don’t know about?!! Even if that was true, the people deserve to have the streets that were in need done first, with more affluent streets being done thereafter (even though Seashore Drive actually will cost more than most of the Southside-based streets).

Ladies and gentlemen, certain polls suggest that the UDP may narrowly win the Municipal or General Elections. But these bastards ought to be really worried about that 32%, and I’m one of them. Let’s vote for a responsible, honest and hard-working government.

Sincerely,

The Young Citizen

Please, please publish this letter in your next edition. Under this Government, one would find venting as a useful method of regaining composure.

It would be funny if it weren’t serious but what my eyes beheld on Monday was no laughing matter. There I was watching the evening news, as I religiously do, when lo and behold, I stumbled upon a news item on Channel 5 about a fire in Ladyville. Now, a fire is as ordinary an occurrence as there is but the fire reported on the newscast was anything but “ordinary”.

Early into the news report, I sat relaxed in my chair as the Safety Officer for the National Fire Service informed the news reporter of the fire which had occurred the previous day. As is customary, the Safety Officer started off by stating the approximate time that the report of the fire was registered.

Now, when the Safety Officer spoke of the time the Ladyville Fire Station had received word of the fire, I naturally assumed, as I’m sure every other viewer did, that I would’ve seen a team of firefighters on the scene.  Well, did I almost fall out of my chair when on my television screen I saw a lone firefighter tackling the blaze. Seeing how terribly tied the firefighter’s hands were, a brave little child and a “Good Samaritan” came to his assistance, the former carrying the water hose for him while the latter helped to straightened out the coiled up hose. As they did this, the firefighter ran back to the fire truck to turn on the water.  Like I said earlier, it would be funny if it weren’t serious.

Last I checked Ladyville is the largest village in the country of Belize with an estimated population of some 1,000 persons. For crying out loud, even my 3 year-old son could tell the moron named Melvin Hulse, the Minister responsible for the National Fire Service, that deploying ONE firefighter to serve a large population is the height of stupidity.  Now, either the Area Representative for Ladyville, the man called “Hutchie”, is as flippin foolish as his Cabinet colleague or, like Hulse and the UDP, couldn’t care less about the people of Ladyville or both.

I recall seeing and listening to “Mr. Madafish” just a few days before as he spoke at the passing out ceremony of the newest cadre of firefighters. As usual, the idiotic Minister spewed a lot of flippin bull. To think of it, he named Ladyville as one of the places that would receive additional fire trucks and firefighters – what a flippin joke!

The fire that occurred in Ladyville is truly a sad story and the moral of that story is that our National Fire Service is being ultimately led by a deranged lunatic. But “Mr. Madafish” is certainly not alone because ever since February 2008, our country has been led by a so-called Cabinet that is more an asylum. And the flippin Minister is proof positive that the crazy people are running the asylum.

What happened in Ladyville is a flippin disgrace and the honorable thing for the flippin Minister and his UDP Government to do, before RESIGNING, is to fully compensate the fire victims for the losses they suffered.  After all, aren’t they, as they proclaim, “Always for the People”?

Signed,

Seeking justice

The Honourable Dean Barrow

Prime Minister of Belize

Belmopan

Dear Prime Minister,

I register my grave concern as Leader of the Opposition, with respect to the integrity of the current composition of the Elections and Boundaries Commission. The matter is urgent because of impending elections in Belize.

Since the Commission is constitutionally charged with the responsibility for the direction and supervision of the registration of voters and the conduct of elections, its Chairman, must be a Belizean of the highest probity. The People’s United Party believes that the integrity of the Commission is directly called into question as a consequence of the continuous public display of partisanship by Alberto August, the Chairman. I remind you that in carrying out its mandate, the Commission must be transparent, accountable and free from the direction and control of any authority or partisan consideration. By the Chairman’s flagrant partisan display of activism even at the very steps of the National Assembly Building, the quality and integrity of our democracy is seriously challenged.

In addition, it has become evident that the presence and participation of the United Democratic Party’s Secretary General, Phillipa Griffith Bailey and the former UDP Leader and current political activist Dean Lindo as members of the Commission, is in direct contravention of the mandate for an independent Commission.

I call for the immediate resignation or the prompt removal of the Chairman of the Commission, as well as Mrs. Bailey and Mr. Lindo, and their replacement with persons without partisan consideration or affiliations. I therefore anticipate consultation on the urgent matter.

The necessity to act expeditiously is underscored by the fact that municipal elections are due on March 7, 2012 and general elections, by your public declarations, will be held this year.

Sincerely,

Francis Fonseca

Leader of the Opposition

The case of the Dangriga Scotia ATM theft is why I, Patricia Dunlap Jacob, am still writing. I am still concerned there has been no arrest or money placed back in my account. I question why there has been no reporting from any policeman in Hopkins or Dangriga of my case of clear thievery. When I make the call and ask about the case, most of the time I put on hold and then find I have been hung up on.

That makes me believe the police just do not care or are doing their job as to hang up is not proper procedure as I am a victim and do not believe I am being treated like a victim but more like an inconvenience. A victim is that unfortunate person who suffers from a clear adverse circumstance of being thieved from; I am a person who was swindled and robbed! I should be treated with respect and shown some concern for the situation that is still pending, the thieving from the known person they clearly identified on the film I paid for at the Scotia bank in Dangriga using my ATM card at the exact time $500 was withdrawn from my account. I should be able to learn his name, his address and his telephone number. I am not a violent person but a fair women who would give him a sensible offer, to make amends by replacing my money he was so tempered to steal because I made an error that can be reversed if addressees properly and promptly. To run, hide, have a warrant out to serve time in prison over $500 when he can reverse his mistake is what I offer!

I want to be properly treated as a victim. I would love to know that there is an hourly, daily, weekly, monthly search or any ongoing search for the man who thieved my $500 using my ATM card that I unfortunately was distracted and left my card before finishing my transaction while being rushed by the cab driver.

When I call the police station, or either 911 or for assistance in a police matter I find it very disconcerting that it is not routine for any police person to ever state their name, so you can know who you are talking with, especially in an emergency situation. It should be part of police training their daily routine when answering the phone as an officer’s job is to help victims not hassle them. Being polite is one issue, being professional as well as helpful is another!

Please help me, the victim in this unsolved mystery. Will I ever see justice in Belize with the help of our Police who are to serve us the victims?

Thank You,

Patricia Dunlap Jacob

I was watching the television last night and I saw a political ad for the UDP where they were telling the public all the certificates and powers that the UDP candidates for the upcoming City Council have. The political ad boasted that Joe Bradley’s son, who is running for mayor is second in control of the attorneys in Belize, as Vice President. That means that he sometimes can act as the President. The president is a member of the Judicial and Legal Services Commission who hand picks judges and magistrates.

I could not believe it. Even though he is running for office as a political operative of this vindictive UDP Government, he is still remaining as Vice President. I know of several Public Servants who left their office to run. That is the honorable thing to do. Resign and run.

For someone who pretends to be “holier than thou” and who blows hot air about integrity, why has he not only remained in that post, which is supposed to be an apolitical post? But he has gone further. He has grossly abused the sanctity of the office and used it in a partisan advertisement. This is a shame.

To use that position which he got only because of his father Joe Bradley (of nasty Wave Radio infamy) and a political compromise is wrong. The compromise I learnt was to full the executive of the Bar Association with UDP’s. I hear that at voting time for the posts at the Bar, the UDP instructs persons who work in Government offices to come and vote for the UDP operative. It is all politics and no shame.

How can all those rich and self-righteous lawyers sit in their fancy offices and allow the UDP to disrespect the confidence of the office?

I don’t like self-righteous people and I worst get upset when I realize that we are being abused and bullied by this UDP who are trying to turn Belize into a dictatorship, where they control everything. I am not only upset with Joe Bradley’s son, he is a politician, and we know that UDP politicians are invariably dishonest. I am also upset with the special club of lawyers who are just sitting back and allowing their little fraternity to sink into political partisanship and therefore ill repute.

The public needs an apology and the Bar Association needs to fix this.

Sincerely,

A. R. Sanchez

The BDF has been having a woeful time when it comes to transportation. On Sunday 18th December 2011, I was coming from Orange Walk to Corozal and I had the pleasure of picking up (4) BDF who were hitchhiking back to Corozal Town. When talking to the two riding in the cab, I found out that they had gone to Orange Walk Town to participate in a church parade in connection with the Christmas season. When finished they found out that they had no transportation to go back home, thus the reason for them hitchhiking.

They also told me that some weeks ago they were coming from Belize City where they had attended a funeral when one of the tires of the BDF truck burst; coming completely off the rim, nearly causing them to overturn. Also previous to that on a trip to Dangriga, the propelling shaft on their BDF transportation fell off and they were left on the road for hours until repairs could be made.

According to them most of the BDF transportations are running on old worn out tires and are mechanically unsound, posing a severe threat to our soldiers. Our soldier not only have to worry about patrolling our borders but they  first have to surpass the hazards of getting there on their run down transportations.

Mr. Prime Minister we know that your defense Minister is battling a severe addiction problem, and he has been found to be of no good use, but the buck stops with you.

Instead of buying all those brand new SUV vehicles for your Ministers you should have bought vehicles for the BDF. What the hell were you thinking? Damn boy, you sure know to *^% up a situation. Talk about being dumb. Get it straight Skippy? New Vehicles = Ministers = No, BDF = Yes. It is that simple.

Yours Sincerely,

Eulogio Itzab

San Narciso Village

Corozal District

Perhaps it’s simply best to refer to this complaint letter by an alternative (and more appropriate) title: “City Council just won’t do right, even by its traffic officers….”

The traffic officers who work on the Magazine Road-Johnston Streets have a very specific (and some would say simple) job… to not only look after the traffic, but also to inspect and certify that vehicles and owners have their proper ‘papers’, i.e. their license and insurance.

But they haven’t been able to properly do that, at least for a whole year or so now. As first reported in other media, the UDP Central Government ‘kicked out’ its own Belize City Council’s traffic officers from their original base out of Magazine Road and forced them to ‘move over’ to Johnson Street under a tent – the site of a former (or perhaps current) Panades Shop. Once the rain came down, fuggedabouit! They had to fend for themselves, and forge ahead with their work. But worst of all, when they (all men are posted there) had a need to ‘go’, they couldn’t. The old shed from which they originally did their business had no bathroom, so they had to – gasp! – pause their work and beg the neighbors to go in their homes. I’ve done research and learnt one can suffer some serious bladder infections from holding.

Dire, ridiculous – the adjectives (and even some invectives and expletives) keep on piling up. But maybe it shouldn’t come as a surprise where the blame (and the anger) should be directed: Councilor Dean Samuels, the man solely responsible for the City’s traffic. His incompetence and utterly depraved mentality to find an immediate solution to this crisis – and yes, it can surely now be called that – is surely ignoble and reeks of inexperience and mismanagement. Of course, I’ve been told I shouldn’t expect more when the Councillor was a barber before entering politics. At least he should have at least shaved some traffic congestion.

But while the people who must go through the process of checking their licenses are suffering unduly by the combined actions of the inept City Council and the Central Government, the Traffic Officers are essentially forced to ‘grin and bear’ until the Council builds proper facilities that will adequately assist the officers, and perhaps the citizens as well.

But since elections are forthcoming and this outgoing City Council doesn’t believe itself to be beholden to do something about this situation, it would be wishful thinking to hold our collective breaths for something to happen.

I am hopeful the next PUP City Council fixes this problem in its first days in office. This kind of inhumane treatment of workers under the UDP must come to an end.

Signed,

Nephew of Senior Traffic Officer

Kindly print the article submitted below in your next issue.

On Tuesday December 13, 2011, Hon. Elvin Penner, area representative for the Cayo North East Constituency held a public meeting at the Spanish Lookout Park. The people attending the meeting were mainly Mennonites with only a few Hispanics from the surrounding villages. Compred to a similar meeting before the General elections of 2008, this meeting was poorly attended.

There was no clear agenda for the meeting. The Minister throughout the meeting could not say one good word about his Party.  Minister Penner blamed his UDP government for His failure in not delivering to his constituency a single promise on the UDP manifesto.  He had no reservations on his blame game.  He firstly said that in regards to agriculture which is the livelihood of most Mennonites and residents of the surrounding villages that Minister Montero was selfish and brought all assistance to his (Montero’s) constituency only. He also mentioned that during the almost 4 years in government he has not been able to work well with any of his colleagues in government.  He claimed that hey are rather selfish and believes that there are too many selfish people in his government.  The blame game got worse when he said that he believes that both Montero and the Prime Minister Barrow do  not like the Mennonites.  He claimed that on several occasions he has tried to get the Prime Minister to listen to him and to award him with the Ministry of agriculture but said that despite Montero’s reputation as an arrogant, selfish and greedy Minister, Barrow seems to have some liking for him.

After the meeting was over, I overheard Penner while speaking to other Mennonites and said that one other of his principal enemies in his government is Minister Boots Martinez. He said he did not know what Boots had against him but he believes it is racial.  He told them that he cannot do any infrastructure works with regards to roads and streets in his Constituency because Boots Martinez refuses to help him.

My friends and I could not believe that Mr. Penner could have blamed everybody else but himself for his failure and much worse to do it in public.

Signed

Terry Perez

Duckrun