Friday, January 5, 2007 The INdependent Reformer Page 1 The dependent IN Reform for the People Vol. 2 No. 1 Friday, January 5, 2007 $1.00 ManMan andand WomanWoman ofof thethe YYearear The INdependent Reformer problem? I couldn’t get up the nerve Weekly is proud to announce our to disturb the din of restless young selections for Man and Woman of minds and mouths to simply raise the Year. Our editorial board has my hand to ask the teacher to ask chosen Jules Vasquez and Lois the teacher a question In a bustling Young Barrow this year. classroom of more than 30 restive Jules Vasquez is widely children, she found time and recognizable all over Belize as the consideration to help me out of my fearless Reporter and News shell. Director of Channel 7 News. But Congratulations Jules Vasquez; this apparently sociable and fearless the man who no longer fears journalist was not always able to disturbing others, but asks the express himself, let alone put Prime questions everyone else seems Ministers on the spot. reluctant to ask. Belize is better Jules was born in Born Belize Jules Vasquez Lois Young Barrow because of you. City in 1970 and went to school at And as for Woman of the Year, St Catherine’s Elementary School, Ysaguirre, now deceased. With a chronically shy, so intractable a the Independent Reformer has St. John’s High School and Sixth perfectly straight face he says “The condition it posed a serious threat selected Senior Counsel Lois Young Form and Florida Atlantic woman saved my life. I was to my continued education. The (Please Turn To Page 3) University, where he dropped out at the end of his junior year to get an education from a TV station. In Boxing Day TKO: Belizeans get pumped, AGAIN! 1993 he started working seriously At midnight on December 26, just Probably because no one is buying it If we take the words of the Director at his family owned TV station, twenty four hours after Santa delivered anymore. General of the International Monetary Channel 7 - presently the longest his goodies, Scrooge took over. Regular The rumor mill had been working Fund seriously then not only is gasoline serving broadcasting entity in fuel prices jumped from $9.37 a gallon to overtime over the Christmas and word likely to go up but other taxes will also Belize, dating back to 1981. In a whopping $9.77. There was no public was prices would go up as soon as the increase in 2007. 1994 he started 7 News and he is announcement, no “Merry Christmas holiday was over. On December 20, Director Rodrigo still there. Belize,” just a price hike in the night. Can we expect more price increases De Rato y Figaredo, issued a letter to the He says his favorite teacher was Interestingly, the price of diesel went up locally, even though world prices are “International Financial Community his Kindergarten teacher, Zoila by only 1 cent, and premium not at all. falling? (Please Turn To Page 3) Foreign Donors & Volunteers Inside this Issue Intimidated by the Government of Belize Representatives involved make the same Contributed conservation of the district’s rich natural Total Madness resources made in abroad, or even in old speeches to launch and keep track of Belmopan, were unrealistic and/or the the projects, the volunteers get their pg. 5 The people of Toledo District, less than consultants were not truly qualified to assignments and the money and work 20,000, have been involved with “self- provide helpful advice. continues to go down the drain. All the help” projects to solve their economic The non governmental organizations, while, the people become poorer. The Fake Jobs problems and save the endangered who actually received the aid from the resources continue to be lost, more and and Lies environment for over 25 years. During that funding agencies, say that they had no more foreigners come in with private sector time, over $60 million of foreign aid not choice, if they wanted the aid, they had to money to take advantage of the many pg. 7 counting counterpart funds from GOB has accept the plans and the consultants. The opportunities. Their claim of helping the been spent in the Toledo District. USA government Ministers have also said they local people and economy, is that they Peace Corps has been stationing had no choice in the matter; the Peace provide employment. Of course they do. IMF Roadmap volunteers in the district for over 30 years. Corps volunteers have also indicated they How else can they get the work done? Yet the last poverty assessment have no choice but to help the NGOs who Too often the profits they make go out of for Belize indicates that over 70 percent of the asked for their assistance. the country, especially in the country’s pg. 14 people are poor and over 50 percent are Year after year the funders provide the largest industry, tourism. very poor. It is estimated, by international money, organizations like the Inter After more than a quarter of a century agencies that three out of ten rural children American Development Bank, Caribbean of this constant consultant failure, and the are malnourished to the point of mental Development Bank, the European Union expenditure of many tens of millions, Governed by retardation. and many others. The NGO’s sign actually over one hundred million dollars, vested interests With all this financial and volunteer aid, contracts to implement the plans. The the people from all walks of life got how can the people of Toledo be poorer volunteers help them, and predictably, the together and developed a comprehensive pg. 10 now than ever before? Many locals believe results are the same year after year. eco-development plan, called the Toledo plans for the development and The government Ministers and Area (Please Turn To Page 3) Friday, January 5, 2007 The INdependent Reformer Page 2 Editorial Director EditorialEditorialEditorial NoteNoteNote Meb Cutlack Dear Readers, being acted on in the south simply Happy New Year to you all and because people are too afraid to thanks for finding your copy of suggest anything else. Editor Independent Weekly so quickly after An international piece on the holidays. We took a little break, Honduran society is very likely to but not much since the staff and I cause many of you to compare their Karla Heusner Vernon were working for most of it anyway world to ours and the cartoon may and so were many of our contributors. do the same thing: the comparison I would like to invite you all to being between the libraries of the consider submitting letters to the people who are “in charge” and the editor or even articles if you have ones the rest of us frequent. Design/Layout something you would like to share. I have to admit the most enjoyable In this edition Richard Hulse takes part of this issue was selecting Man exception to the way “Culture” is and Woman of the Year. Believe me, Marigold Enterprise vendors for their tireless efforts to being promoted in Belize and likely there was some back and forth among get this new paper circulating. If this to provoke some controversy, and the editorial board members and is the first issue you are reading, you hopefully a response from the people some minds were changed then have one of them to thank for he’s referring to in his piece. changed again. Jules Vasquez was a getting it to you. And now they have Des Parrett has sent us a very unanimous selection, but Lois Young two papers to push early in the week General Manager interesting item on how electing Barrow is one controversial woman. instead of just one. More business people who think they know about Sometimes that is exactly the sort of for them, and the publishers we Trevor Vernon economics is not the same as person you need the most. Belize hope. electing people who do, and we have could certainly use more people like Again, Happy New Year. Let’s another article which suggests that them both. make 2007 memorable, starting this certain government policies are I would like to thank all our week, shall we? Published by: Independent Publishing LetterLetter toto thethe EditorEditor Company Ltd. ○○○○○○○○○○○ P.O. Box 2666 Belize C.A. Babies die while friends get rich Dear Editor, depths they would sink to measly $10,000.00, Listening to the Minister of gain political favour with a comparatively speaking, for Telephones: Health explaining the details selected few. baby Kemora. of the Government of It is a downright shame that Such blatantly shameless (501) 225-3520 Belize’s involvement in the the Government of Belize conduct of the Minister – and Universal Health fiasco, can bail out these ‘favoured his CEO –warrants Email: itsaddens me to know the few’ to the tune of millions immediate resignation. extent to which he and his of dollars, while that same [email protected] cohorts will go, and the Minister could not find a Signed: T. Thompson Printed by: National Printers New Road INdependentThe Belize City, Belize Reformer [email protected] P.O. Box 2666 Belize City, Belize YES! 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