Thursday, February 9, 2012 Capital Weekly Page 1 CapitalCapital FromFromFromWeekly Weekly thethethe HeartHeartHeart ofofof thethethe NationNationNation tototo thethethe SoulSoulSoul ofofof thethethe PeoplePeoplePeople No. 021 Thursday, February 9, 2012 Price: $1.00 Anger or Fear? Why PUP Candidates are Jumping Ship Anthony Mahler Cordel Hyde Mark Espat Johnny Briceno Stepped down from Stepped down from Stepped down from Might Step down from Caribbean Shores Lake Independence Albert Division Orange Walk Central Gone in less than three Maybe, we shouldn’t say would have us believe that very much afraid of losing the weeks, three PUP standard finally, because word in the their primary or sole reason elections to some of the most bearers, two of them sit- streets is that at least one for doing so is that they are aggressive UDP candidates in ting area representatives; more is on the brink of jump- unhappy or angry at their those divisions in a long time. Anthony Mahler from Car- ing off, that one being former current party leadership. But It goes without saying ibbean Shores; then, Cordel PUP Leader Johnny Briceno. we are too smart to fall for that Santino is virtually un- Hyde from Lake Independ- The PUP area reps that. We know for a fact that beatable in Caribbean Shores. ence; and finally, Mark Es- and standard-bearers who all PUP ex-standard-bearers But in Lake Independence and pat from Albert Division. have been stepping down were in serious trouble and (Continued on Page 2) Congrats to IDB President in Town Mayor Lopez resident of the women and children. Called IDB, Luis Al- the Salud Mesoamerica 2015 berto Moreno, Initiative, the project aims to has beenP in Belize quite a reduce maternal and infant number of times since this mortality among the poor. administration came into It’s an innovative office in 2008. This week public and private part- he is here again for the 26th nership that seeking to re- meeting of IDB Governors duce health equity gaps of the Central America and in Mesoamerica among Dominican Republic being the poorest populations. held on the island of San Representing Belize in Pedro, Ambergris Caye. the absence of Prime Minis- One of the major ter Barrow is Acting PM Hon. items on the agenda is a Gaspar Vega. Honourable Luis Alberto Moreno project to benefit thirty IDB President thousand young Belizean (Continued on Page 13) Story on Page 3 Page 2 Capital Weekly Thursday, February 9, 2012 From the Desk Anger or Fear? of the Chairman Why PUP Candidates are Jumping Ship The Invisible Hand of the ‘lord’ As to the invisible hand behind all this, we have no doubt it is that of the lord, not the Good Lord, but the ‘bad lord’, if you will. He’s got curren- cy by the billions and can certainly pay for an in- ternational report to his liking. And oh—in case Santino Castillo Mark King UDP - Lake Independence you haven’t noticed—the UDP - Caribbean Shores timing is certainly no co- incidence, coming amid the election campaign in which the government that dared to take him Delroy Cuthkelvin on in the interest of the Chairman, Editorial Board nation and people of Be- he news lize has a clear lead, by all earlier this accounts. week that A word to the wise: one ofT those interna- being from the South, we tional financial agencies have certainly seen much Herman Longsworth Denny Grijalva UDP - Albert Division UDP - Orange Walk Central has downgraded Belize’s better ‘jancunu’ dance. credit ratings comes as So, it’s the PM’s (Continued from Page 1) in his speech in Orange Walk Central where his Country- no surprise to us. We statement about the Su- Albert, Mark King and Her- wide tour took him last Sunday. won’t even name the in- per Bond that sent the man Longsworth have also Let’s wait and see stitution or repeat what it wrong message, they say. been working like the devil. whether Briceno has the cour- had to say. What’s impor- Obviously, they’re listen- Add to that the fact that PUP age to press on, or whether tant, we believe, is who’s ing attentively. We hope standard-bearers always need like the three others before behind it and what’s their they also heard an earlier lots of money to run an ef- him, he decides to call it quits. purpose? portion of the PM’s state- fective campaign (and much But, before we get ment addressed to the of that was not forthcoming to that, let’s just say, we’re Belizean People: “You, this time around to the ex- Capital Weekly sure the PM himself is the People of this Coun- standard-bearers in question) From the Heart of the Nation not at all surprised ei- try, are our comfort and and it becomes all too obvi- To the Soul of the People ous why they just could not ther; nor should the Be- our strength. You enable afford to take the risk and lizean public at large be. Published By: and empower us. You are stay on until the elections. In fact, it only served to also our monitors and Roots & Rhythm Ltd. As to Briceno, he and 15 Gibnut Street confirm what the PM our judges. Politically we his family have lots of their Belmopan warned us of in his state- answer only to you.” own money to bank on (by ment announcing the One last thing— whatever means they’ve Chairman: elections. and this is to the ‘bad earned it); but it is well known Delroy Cuthkelvin “Still, the forces opposed lord’ with the invisible that he has grown weary of to our nationalism and hand—you might have spending his own money on Compositor: our social justice con- big people and power- the party, reportedly one of William Cuthkelvin tinue to fight. At home ful institutions in your his main reasons for stepping and abroad; they assault pocket, but you certainly down from the leadership. Telephone: 802-1284 our pro-poor and pro- don’t have the whole Similarly, the UDP’s Denny Grajalva is on the hunt in people policies, and some world in your hand. that constituency, apparently Email: of them even claim to Only the Good Lord possessed by the Holy Spirit, capitalweekly_bze have you on their side,” does. Happy Elections; as Prime Minister and UDP @yahoo.com the PM said. and God Bless Belize! Leader Dean Barrow put it Thursday, February 9, 2012 Capital Weekly Page 3 Kudos to Plus TV Congrats to Mayor Lopez n Tuesday poll the PUP candidate, as night of this Paul Morgan himself had week, Febru- already done in the March ary 7, O2012, residents of Bel- 2009 Municipal Elections. mopan were treated to a first But for the post of Mayor, of its kind debate between the man to beat is really candidates competing for the incumbent UDP Simeon position of Mayor to govern Lopez, and in the end we the local affairs of the Capital believe none of the others City for the next three years. were able to show up the Independent Marlon Skeen Mayor Simeon Lopez VIP Candidate Paul Morgan The debate was or- debate was among UDP We won’t go into a current mayor or prove ganized and aired live by incumbent Simon Lopez, point by point analysis of that they would be a bet- Plus TV, which is based VIP’s Paul Morgan and the debate, but one issue ter choice for the position. in Belmopan, and which breakaway former VIP in- we found particularly in- The real winners of is, arguably, pound for dependent Marlon Skeen. teresting (and also quite the debate were, of course, pound, the most heavy- Both Skeen and Mor- entertaining) was that of the the residents of Belmopan hitting station in the land. gan scored major points alleged proliferation of bars, who got an excellent oppor- Moderating the de- in their answers to ques- night-clubs and even alleged tunity, never before afforded bate were Louis Wade and tions posed by residents places of ill-repute. A blind- them, to have the issues af- Patrick Jason Andrews of of Belmopan, and Mayor ing light was shone on at least fecting their city being ad- Plus TV; and participating Lopez was straightforward one of the very participants dressed by those who seek in it were all five candidates and effective in address- making an issue over that to govern their local affairs contesting the municipal ing all the issues raised aspect of the city’s affairs. for the next three years. elections on March 7 for the and the points put forward, As we said before, we In closing, therefore, position of Belmopan May- from financial manage- believe VIP candidate Paul we say, Respect to Paul or, namely, incumbent May- ment and accountability, Morgan and breakaway Morgan and Marlon Skeen; or Simeon Lopez of the UDP, to bars and nightclubs, to former VIP independent Congratulations to Mayor Jorge Flores of the PUP, Paul infrastructure and sports. Marlon Skeen scored ma- Simeon Lopez; and Kudos to Morgan of the VIP, and in- The debate was timely jor points; and we would Plus TV for a job well done! dependent candidates Mar- and the format most ap- add here that, based on the Long live Democ- lon Skeen and Rudy Wade. propriate as the questions debate, we would not be racy! Long live the Capi- From the word go, were submitted and posed, surprised if they both out- tal City of Belmopan! it was clear that both PUP not by the moderators, but candidate Jorge Flores and by the residents themselves, Read Capital Weekly Online disgruntled PUP indepen- which is to say, the vot- dent Rudy Wade were out- ers that will decide who In Living Colours at: classed and out of their governs their local affairs belizenews.com/CapitalWeekly zone, and that the real for the next three years.