Tuesday, December 12, 2006 The INdependent Reformer Page 1 The dependent IN Reform for the People Vol. 1 No. 3 Tuesday, December 12, 2006 $1.00 RapeRapeRape ofofof aaa VillageVillageVillage By Special Correspondent Pursuant to the act, the Village of Placencia proceeded to have their By- The Village Council Act was adopted Laws and the Legislation that was by the Legislature on the 28th day of necessary to carry out the functions of January 2000. The purpose of the act the Village prepared. So that everything was to empower the Villages and give would be proper in form they employed them the autonomy to enable them to an eminent attorney to assist them. conduct their own affairs. The completed legislation was The Prime Minister, the Hon. Said forwarded to the Human Development Musa, presented the act to the villagers. Office for its approval. The office gave He held up a copy of the act and spoke its approval and forward the proposed of the struggle that he had with the other legislation to the Solicitor General’s Ministers in having Village Council Act Office, for him to place the Legislation passed to become law. before the legislators for its final But the Villagers were to learn that approval. the struggle was just beginning. The proposed legislation rested on There were Ministers that coveted the the Solicitor General’s desk for two (2) power that belonged to them. They were years,without further action. In the to learn that instead of gaining power, meantime, there were many aspects of the Villages would be stripped of the affairs of the Villages that were authority that had always been causing problems. Among the problem (Photo courtesy Destination Belize) recognized as theirs. were, lack of building restrictions. The act provided the Villages with the People were building up to property Office remained on the Solicitor Nothing has been phased out. right to draft and have approved lines without proper set backs for light General’s desk. It stayed there in spite The UDP had responded in their Legislation that was necessary to govern and air. There was the inability to raise of the PUP’s promise in their 1998 1998 Manifesto that “The new UDP them. Yet none of the Villages have been funds necessary to conduct Village Manifesto that, provided: “a Village Government Rape of a Village will able to take advantage of the act. There affairs, licenses were granted without the Council Act will be passed taking into introduce Legislation for a Village were Ministers who, like piranhas, Villages approval. full account the proposals of the Council Act to provide autonomy to devoured the Villagers’ rights. The Village’s Legislation that had been Villagers. Ministerial power over all Villages”. approved by the Human Development these bodies will be phased out”. (Please Turn To Page 13) Inside this Issue Fr ee Stay Belize update Bond presented to National Assembly By: Judy Duplooy prize will be awarded to her in New York our really offering free rooms and thought Pg. 3 Dir ector, Belize Hotel Association next week. He also did an outstanding it was some sort of scam. Ms. Rose and job of keeping the website up to date a lot of other people can assure you that Why would 34 hotels throughout the and the information flow going. it wasn’t. Too little, too late country of Belize offer free rooms to guests The general consensus of the people Our overnight tourism business is shaky for 4 nights in December? Maybe who were lucky enough to take advantage at the moment and our occupancy isthe Pg. 4 because, after a bad “off-season”, they of the free rooms is that Belize is a great lowest in the Caribbean. A few of the wanted to prove that Belize is just as great place to visit and they will tell their friends reasons could be: Don’t destroy the during this time as it is when it is busy? In about it. Some of them said that they The cruise industry is a deterrent to fact, some people like it better when it is wouldn’t have thought of coming here but eco-tourists who respect the environment bedrock not crowded and they have Maya sites, were very happy hey did. And we all know and culture, spend time learning about Pg. 5 caves, rivers, trails and coastal activities what our best advertising is - work of places they visit and appreciate where virtually to themselves. mouth. they are. These folks, along with a lot of From December 3-7, nearly 100 Belize’s Advertising Agency, RFCP did people in the overnight tourism industry, Total Madness people enjoyed free rooms and one of a great job of getting the word out on this believe in truth in advertising and don’t them,Yvonne Rose, a US citizen, was the program and it received publicity from think that we can court massive cruise Pg. 7 winner of a US$1,000.00 Bank Account several major US newspapers, radio ships and present ourselves as an eco donated by Atlantic Bank. We didn’t get stations and websites. destination at the same time. Crime and the a photo of Yvonne, because she had gone Dani Pop from the BTIA office did a Crime scares people away. People from Cayo’s Crystal Paradise Resort to great job of creating an instant website who read before they come wonder why Belizean Society Caye Caulker when the drawing was held where people could log on and make their the private sector had to provide reward Pg. 8 on December 6, but Efren Perez from the own reservations. money and equipment for recently BTIA office tracked her down and her A lot of people were skeptical about (Please Turn To Page 13) Tuesday, December 12, 2006 The INdependent Reformer Page 2 Editorial Director Meb Cutlack LettersLettersLetters tototo thethethe EditorEditorEditor Hard to swallow Belizean agro-industries and a crooked government, and, manufacturing. It did not do enough government’s complete tax Madam Editor, for citrus during the hard times. It giveaways to the shrimp industry. Editor I had a little difficulty is not doing enough for sugar in Those stories may well have played swallowing Meb Cutlack’s Shrimp these hard times. Maybe it is not in other papers. I don’t think so. But Scampi. He opened his piece by doing enough for banana, yes, and no one is reporting that essential Karla Heusner Vernon cursing a proposed GOB decision tourism at this time. I will not information. to ease the tax pressure on the condemn it if it does enough for You did not carry Dean Barrow’s shrimp industry as “the most shrimp to help us weather this speech to the Better Business extraordinary crony deal yet storm. Bureau, probably because you devised.” Yet, in the third paragraph In respect to mega projects, Jim didn’t receive it. Design/Layout of his article he states that this tax Hyde, one of the pioneers of the However the Guardian reprinted relief is coming “at a time when the shrimp industry, was a firm a copy and I was impress with the international shrimp market has believer that Belizeans should Opposition Leader’s first call for Marigold Enterprise been hit by an unprecedented glut participate in the shrimp and fish reform: The right of the people to of Asian shrimp which has lowered farm industries, not only as recall a minister or Government if the price of shrimp internationally workers, BUT AS OWNERS OF they determined they have been lied to less than the price of chicken in SMALL FARMS. He felt that such to or they need to stop an ongoing many countries!” farms are not only financially situation like these Pirates Using General Manager In the fourth paragraph Mr. viable, but that they are important Politics (PUP) to loot the Belizean Cutlack concluded that there is no for our social structure. I am ship of state. way Belize “can possibly compete certain the farm models he I have been screaming for that Trevor Vernon with the rising Asian shrimp designed and advocated are on reform from down in P.G. (which industry.” files. is out of the loop) because that Indeed, Madam Editor, can we Finally, there is a certain irony truly ensures that power stays in the compete with Asia with anything? to the present shrimp situation. Mr. hands of the people. If we follow Cutlack’s logic we Cutlack noted in paragraph four of The right of the people to recall Published by: should have closed down the citrus his article that the Asian glut “has a minister or Government for industry when Florida and Brazil lowered the price of shrimp cause—either for promising what had us squeezed these last two internationally to less than the price can’t be delivered just to win an Independent Publishing decades. And we should have of chicken in many countries!” I election, or, once in office, doing Company Ltd. closed down the sugar industry a was told that Keith Jackson, who what the politicians wants because ○○○○○○○○○○○ long time ago too. Please, what is brought his money from Texas (?) they rule by right for five years— P.O. Box 2666 to become of us? to start the shrimp industry in is an essential way we the people Belize C.A. I got the sense from the article Belize, dreamed that shrimp would can control the people we elect to that the author has a strong bias for one day compete with chicken for government.