DOCSLIB.ORG

July 27, 2007 $1.00

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
July 27, 2007 $1.00 Friday, July 20, 2007 The INdependent Reformer Page 1 The dependent IN Reformer Belize’s Rebel Paper Vol. 2 No. 29 Friday, July 27, 2007 $1.00 judges. Except, BNE claims that disputes are supposed to be settled by arbitration and Spanish Lookout is saying “no” to arbitration. A Belize Natural Ener gy The Mennonites have a well (BNE) source charges that established reputation for being fair Spanish Lookout is causing the and wanting to get along with oil company tens of thousands everybody, so just what on earth is of dollars in damages every day going on here? by refusing to grant them more At the recent Landowners drilling permits to expand the Association meeting held at Spanish development of the Spanish Lookout, Allen Reimer, Chairman of Lookout field. the Spanish Lookout Oil Committee, BNE claims they will be commented that the problem is NOT holding Spanish Lookout that Spanish Lookout won’t grant accountable for the losses permits for the two new wells, because their refusal is because they will always abide by unreasonable and in violation of their agreements. He says the their agreements. problem is that BNE is in default BNE currently has 5 wells on a number of issues, and the Oil producing about 3,500 barrels Committee has required that the oil of oil a day at Spanish Lookout. company cure all of the defaults At current prices of BZ$145/barrel, On the other hand, Spanish Lookout BNE claims that they have been damaged involving the existing production that‘s half a million dollars a day, which hasn’t done anything with the oil. It is because they have to wait until next week before any new drilling site is means that the oil company is losing still in the ground ready to be pumped, or next month to make the same amount approved. some BZ$100,000 per day for each so it sounds like a lot of legal baloney of money that they want to make today? Frank Redmond, a consultant for new well they can’t drill. and huffing and puffing threats when But that is why God created courts and Spanish Lookout, at the Landowners meeting said the issues are very serious and involve moral as well as financial and legal issues, but he The famous British statesman W inston the country dry while thousands of transparency and accountability for the use would not elaborate. Churchill said, “For a nation to try citizens go without, and the poor and of taxpayer funds, yet neither political party It seems that the oil problems are to tax itself into prosperity is like a middle class are victimized? has proposed it. Such reform does not points of discussion for everyone in man standing in a bucket and trying It seems so, for the awarding of seem to be contained in either of the two the Spanish Lookout Community, to lift himself up by the handle.” bloated contracts continues and the main party’ s political reform proposals or but no one seems to have many What would he have thought of Belize government continues to borrow to manifestos. Do the major political parties details. right now? absorb the losses from these over simply want the crony system to continue At least two big problems exist: 1) Belize’s economy cannot survive payments. The national debt has so politicians can pay off their election BNE owes a lot of money to SLO the burdens that are being placed upon sky-rockets to $2.5 billion, a sum that season debt? for flaring penalties and refuses to pay it. Not just from taxes, but also the the grandchildren of today’ s youngest Another great burden on the Belizean it; and, 2) BNE refuses to install bloated contracts entered into by citizens will be strapped to pay for many economy is the excessive cost of utilities. meters to measure the oil production Government. There are records of years to come. There is not any country in the W estern so no one knows how much oil is construction contracts awarded by the It has to be a matter of political will, Hemisphere whose citizens have to pay as produced. Government which exceed four times for the practice could easily have been high of a rate for electrical, water and I asked Jim Cavanaugh, Spanish the amount of the bid of the lowest stopped by the appropriate legislation. phone service as is charged in Belize! Lookout Oil Consultant, about the qualified bidder . Legislation that would require all A major cause of the high cost of refusal to arbitrate and two big By spending excess taxpayer money, contracts above $10 million to have all electricity is the Government’ s guarantee problems. Government officials have acted as if bids published in generally circulated to Fortis of a return of 15% on its “The law requires that the they have a right to award contracts to newspapers at the time the award is investment. W ith this guarantee, Fortis can parties go to arbitration,” higher bidders, generally well connected made, along with the terms of the profit excessively by building dams, and Cavanaugh responded, “when they individuals, even when there are low contract that was eventually accepted rejoice in the size of the costs of overruns. cannot come to an agreement on qualified - and occasionally better by Government. Fortis could probably obtain financing in compensation. The problem at qualified - lower bidders. Further more, any citizen should the vicinity of 5%. The 15% guarantee hand is not failure to come to an Has either political party done anything have the right to proceed in court to gives a perpetual excessive return. The agreement, but rather default on to stop this practice? If they have, it is have the bloated contract declared return is close to being equal to twice the agreements that already exist. not apparent and most importantly, it is void and recover damages by way of proper return on the investments and Actually arbitration suits the not working. If they haven’t, why not? enforcement. spirit of the Mennonites very Is the crony system destined to bleed This type of legislation would ensure (Please Turn To Page 15) (Please Turn To Page 13) Read Independent Online at http://belizenews.com/independent or http://tinyurl.com/245dpp Friday, July 27, 2007 The INdependent Reformer Page 2 element, of the Heartland of Belize. The Only one of the new parties running Mennonites original agreement was that in this next national election offer much our national government would let them hope for the nation in my current fluid LettersLetters toto thethe EditorEditor govern themselves. They have built their opinion and that is the Mennonite run own schools, churches, streets and NRP. If this NRP could attract people The PUP is headed for OBLIVION! highways and paved roads, factories like Wil Mehia in Toledo and Clinton Dear Editor, manage the country, if they ever could, and stores, electric hydro dams, etc. Luna up in Corozal and hijack the With the birth of many new political and all indications are they have been For fifty years they have shown the rest honest UDP politician in San Pedro and parties, I think the PUP will disappear lousy managers, or at best mediocre. of us Belizeans how to govern. There maybe Mario Castellanos in Central into oblivion and history? In the The only thing the PUP have going for are now 50,000 of them. Cayo, they may have a chance? beginning, they were the party of the it, is a superb political machine, with I doubt the NRP as a Mennonite run There is no question about it, poor masses. Today they are the party block captains, active vote recruiting, party could find enough candidates for especially financially speaking, things of the rich who want to get richer and or vote buying systems, using tried and all district seats of their persuasion, but are going to get worse for the nation, if run by the wealthy. Consider that 55% true political patronage to ensure even so, if the Mennonite business the PUP are re-elected; using their of the working population work for allegiance. In this, they have no equal philosophy could control the purse formidable party patronage machine and the PUP government, at salaries ranging and in the past this has won many strings as Finance Minister, and Prime rich treasure chest. The only media on average around $1200 to $1400 a elections to make the PUP members Minister, and lend common sense and newspapers free, seem to be THE month. You notice in this statistic that more rich. long range planning to the Cabinet and REPORTER, THE INDEPENDENT the 55% of adult workers are I think the majority people, the poor control things. I think it is certainly and the AMANDALA this election government workers, yet their people, are slowly waking up and worth a try to change horses in the next time? I would ask them to promote associated family members most often hopefully this next national election, they election. these new political hopeful parties and are not. This gives another interesting will vote for the most HONEST Certainly after forty years of UDP and give us some choices. None of these statistic of 85% of the majority candidate and ignore the political party PUP we have learned the system of self new parties have newspapers, or population in Belize with cash incomes affiliation. It is definitely time for a interest and greed do not do much good television stations, or money to of only between $100 to $400 a month.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Big Game, Small Town Clientelism and Democracy in the Modern Politics of Belize (1954 to 2011)
    Big Game, Small Town Clientelism and Democracy in the Modern Politics of Belize (1954 to 2011) Dylan Gregory Vernon A thesis submitted to University College London in candidacy for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Caribbean and Latin American Politics from the Institute of the Americas, University College London 2013 Declaration I, Dylan Gregory Vernon, confirm that the work presented in this thesis is my own. Where information has been derived from other sources, I confirm that this has been indicated in my thesis. Dylan Gregory Vernon 2 Abstract Presenting Belize as an illustrative and critical case of clientelist democracy in the Commonwealth Caribbean, this thesis explores the origins of clientelist politics alongside the pre-independence birth of political parties, analyses its rapid expansion after independence in 1981 and assesses its implications for democratic governance. Based on qualitative research, including interviews with major political leaders, the thesis contends that, despite Belize’s positive post- colonial reputation for consolidating formal democracy, the concurrent expansion of clientelism, as both an electoral strategy and a mode of participation, ranks high among the worrying challenges affecting the quality of its democracy. Although intense party competition in a context of persistent poverty is central to explaining the trajectory of clientelism in Belize, the Westminster model of governance, the disappearance of substantive policy distinctions among parties and the embrace of neoliberal economic policies fuelled its expansion. Small- state size and multi-ethnicity have also been contributing factors. Even though the thousands of monthly dyadic transactions in constituencies are largely rational individual choices with short-term distributive benefits, the thesis concludes that, collectively, these practices lead to irrational governance behaviour and damaging macro-political consequences.
    [Show full text]
  • A Political and Economic Dictionary of Latin America
    A POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC DICTIONARY OF LATIN AMERICA A POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC DICTIONARY OF LATIN AMERICA Peter Calvert FIRST EDITION LONDON AND NEW YORK First Edition 2004 Europa Publications 11 New Fetter Lane, London EC4P 4EE, England (A member of the Taylor & Francis Group) This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2005. “To purchase your own copy of this or any of Taylor & Francis or Routledge’s collection of thousands of eBooks please go to http://www.ebookstore.tandf.co.uk/.” © Peter Calvert 2004 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be photocopied, recorded, or otherwise reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means without the prior permission of the copyright owner. ISBN 0-203-40378-9 Master e-book ISBN ISBN 0-203-41027-0 (Adobe e-Reader Format) ISBN 1 85743 211 8 (Print Edition) Development Editor: Cathy Hartley Copy Editor and Proof-reader: Simon Chapman The publishers make no representation, express or implied, with regard to the accuracy of the information contained in this book and cannot accept any legal responsibility for any errors or omissions that may take place. FOREWORD Latin America, in the first decade of the 21st century, remains as exciting, interesting and unpredictable as ever. In 2004 Haiti, the first Latin American country to gain its independence, celebrated its second centenary. But although the structure and organization of government, politics, production, international relations and trade in the region are by now well established, important changes are under way, and the Latin American countries are becoming more important than ever before in world politics as a bridge between the USA and the rest of the world.
    [Show full text]
  • Sunday, November 22, 2020 Vol. 23 No. 47
    Vol. 23 No. 47 Sunday, November 22, 2020 Page 2 THE GUARDIAN Sunday, November 22, 2020 Same old… Same old Belizeans ask for resignation of newly appointed CEO’s On Tuesday, November greatest attention. For younger Another CEO appointment much more to these two CEO’s, 17, there were announcements readers who do not know of that has raised eyebrows is that we must also remember Marco made of new CEO’s in various the history of these two, we of Amalia Mai. She was at the Tulio Mendez who was involved ministries. Those that caught can simply ask them to Google Ministry of Foreign affairs and in some serious allegations of our attention were the naming of their names and their infamy signed on behalf of the government sexual misconduct against some Narda Garcia as the CEO in the will pop right up. Garcia had to of Belize for 40 million dollars young girls who were under Ministry of Finance under Johnny resign from the Social Security granted to the people of Belize his care. Then we have Servulo Briceño, Amalia Mai as the CEO Board after scandal after scandal by the Venezuelan Government. Baeza, who once was the Minister in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs broke where the poor people’s The sum total of the grant was of Health and who had a lot to be under Eamon Courtenay, Servulo contributions to the system was not known until after the general desired in the running of that Baeza as CEO in the Ministry being used to finance private elections of 2008 when the ministry.
    [Show full text]
  • Nationality Immigration and Nationality Department
    OFFICE OF THE AUDITOR GENERAL OF BELIZE SPECIAL AUDIT - NATIONALTY IMMIGRATION AND NATIONALITY DEPARTMENT FOR THE PERIOD 2011 - 2013 Office of the Auditor General Second Floor Garden City Building Almond Drive Belmopan City Belize, C.A. P.O. Box 7 Tel. No. 822-2850/0208/0214 (General Office) 828-4362 (Auditor General) Fax No. 501-822-1041 Email: [email protected] May 31, 2016 Honourable Dean O. Barrow Prime Minister Minister of Finance Office of the Prime Minister Sir Edney Cain Building Belmopan Dear Prime Minister: In Accordance with Section 120 (4) of the Belize Constitution 1981, and Section 16(3) of the Finance and Audit (Reform) Act No 12 of 2005, I hereby present a Special Nationality Report on the Immigration and Nationality Department for period January1, 2012 – September 30, 2013. I shall be grateful if you would cause the report to be laid before the House of Representatives and the Senate in due course. Respectfully submitted, DOROTHY A. BRADLEY (MRS) Auditor General TABLE OF CONTENTS NATIONALITY SECTION II Acronyms..........................................................................................................................page i Executive Summary..........................................................................................................page iii Audit Mandate .................................................................................................................page 1 Background/Reason for Audit..........................................................................................page
    [Show full text]
  • Passport Immigration and Nationality Department (2011 – 2013)
    OFFICE OF THE AUDITOR GENERAL OF BELIZE SPECIAL AUDIT - PASSPORT IMMIGRATION AND NATIONALITY DEPARTMENT FOR THE PERIOD 2011 - 2013 Office of the Auditor General Second Floor Garden City Building Almond Drive Belmopan City Belize, C.A. P.O. Box 7 Tel. No. 822-2850/0208/0214 (General Office) 828-4362 (Auditor General) Fax No. 501-822-1041 Email: [email protected] May 31, 2016 Honourable Dean O. Barrow Prime Minister Minister of Finance Office of the Prime Minister Sir Edney Cain Building Belmopan Dear Prime Minister: In Accordance with Section 120 (4) of the Belize Constitution 1981, and Section 16(3) of the Finance and Audit (Reform) Act No 12 of 2005, I hereby present a Special Passport Report on the Immigration and Nationality Department for period January1, 2012 – September 30, 2013. I shall be grateful if you would cause the report to be laid before the House of Representatives and the Senate in due course. Respectfully submitted, DOROTHY A. BRADLEY (MRS) Auditor General TABLE OF CONTENTS PASSPORT SECTION III Acronyms..........................................................................................................................page i Executive Summary..........................................................................................................page iii Audit Mandate .................................................................................................................page 1 Background/Reason for Audit..........................................................................................page
    [Show full text]
  • Is PM Barrow Getting Ready to Roll the Dice?
    Thursday, December 1, 2011 Capital Weekly Page 1 Capital FromWeekly the Heart of the Nation to the Soul of the People No. 013 Thursday, December 1, 2011 Price: $1.00 Early Elections Is PM Barrow Getting Ready to Roll the Dice? t’s been ru- again our democratic moured for instincts prevent us from Isome time now, calling the election now. that with the chronic I say, we are not going to leadership crisis in the call it now, I never said Opposition PUP and the we will not call it next wave of populist support month, or the month af- Prime Minister Dean Bar- ter, or the month after.” row and his UDP Gov- In addition to ernment appear to be the PM’s public hint, there riding as a result of its were countless corrobo- nationalist stance, the rating reports, allegedly, PM has been contem- from members of Cabi- plating early elections. net and the ‘inner circle’ But the first hint claiming to be privy to the from the PM himself PM’s private thoughts on came just over a month the matter, and they were ago on October 21, 2011 all vouching that, as one in the National Assem- person put it, “the man bly during his wrap up is dead serious about of the debate on the calling this thing early.” Constitutional Amend- If such was the ment placing majority case, the PM clearly had ownership and control (Continued on Page 2) of public utilities in the Prime Minister Dean Barrow hands of the Government Meet ‘Santino’ and People of Belize.
    [Show full text]
  • Sunday, November 1, 2020 Page 2 the Guardian Sunday, November 1, 2020 Orange Walk Councilor Has No Regard for Safety
    Vol. 23 No. 44 Sunday, November 1, 2020 Page 2 THE GUARDIAN Sunday, November 1, 2020 Orange Walk Councilor has no regard for safety Haresh Vaswani and friends Time stamp of the photo uploaded on October 12, 2020 Haresh Vaswani is a notable Orange Walk. received at The Guardian show claiming that the images pre- PUP councilor in Orange Walk. One would have thought the councilor disregarding all date the pandemic. While they He is notable not for any good that the experience would have manner of Covid-19 protocols. He state this, at The Guardian we deeds he has done. Quite the caused Vaswani to be more careful is seen having social gatherings in have also received images with a opposite, he is notable because about his actions and in particular excess of 10 persons, not adhering time-stamp on it and the pictures at the end of April of this year because Orange Walk, where he to social distance as well as not were uploaded on October 12, he was arrested and charged for is a councilor, is an area with the wearing masks. 2020 at 2:40a.m., well within the being out after curfew hours. He highest incident rates of Covid- The irresponsible Orange time when he was in breach of the has since been found guilty at 19. Truth is, he is being anything Walk Town Council has dismissed regulations. What is more is that the Magistrate’s Court level in but careful. Images we have the images as cyber bullying we have audio files in which there is a coordinated effort to come up with a story to tell the people.
    [Show full text]