December
Through the Residential Mortgage Payment Program, the Government of Belize will assist qualifying Belizeans by reimbursing December 2014 interest and principal payments on all residential mortgages with an original value of up to BZ0,000.00, as was stated in the Pime Minister’s Independence Day Speech. Borrowers from the National Bank, Commercial Banks, Credit Unions, the Development Finance Corporation and the Belize Social Security Board can apply for assistance; however borrowers must meet the following criteria approved by Cabinet:
1. Must be residential mortgages of original value of no more than BZ$100,000.00;
2. Must be residential mortgages for new home construction. Mortgages for home improvement will not qualify;
3. Mortgages taken out solely for the purpose of refinancing prior mortgages for the construction of new residences will also qualify for the program.
4. Must be legally registered mortgages and not merely the deposit of title deeds called “Equitable Mortgages.”
While payments will be made directly to the qualified borrower, the Government reiterates that it remains the sole responsibility of such borrowers to meet their mortgage payment obligation. Application forms for the program are available at the Treasury Department in Belize or at any District Sub-Treasury office and can also be downloaded from the Ministry of Finance website at ww.mof.gov.bz. Forms will require information on borrowers, their mortgages and information to be supplied by the respective lending institutions.Completed forms should be submitted to any District Sub-Treasury or the Treasury Department in Belize City as soon as possible but no later than December 31st, 2014. Upon submission of forms, the department will issue a receipt to prove that the submission was actually made.
The BSCFA and ASR/BSI has had a extensive impasse on the agreement that has been distracted the sugarcane industry from starting the crop season. The Belize Sugar Cane Farmers’ Association (BSCFA) and Belize Sugar Industries Ltd (BSI) met for 5 straight hours on Wednesday 3 December to continue discussions on a new commercial agreement, as facilitated by the Prime Minister, Hon. Dean Barrow.
Of the five issues of contention, two were disposed of quickly, but three core areas of disagreement were discussed at length. These three areas are: the length of the new agreement, the payment for bagasse, and the ownership of the sugar cane.
With the continued impasse, executives from American Sugar Refinery (ASR), the major shareholder in Belize Sugar Industries, is set to meet as principals of the factory owners with Prime Minister Dean Barrow in hopes of starting the crop season before Christmas, which obviously didn’t take place. With the Prime Minister’s intervention, BSI and the Belize Sugar Cane Farmers Association resumed negotiations on December 3, something which had basically stalled. Then, Prime Minister Dean Barrow cut his trip short to the CARICOM-Cuba Summit and returned home to hold meetings on how best to get the crop season started. It is expected that he will try to convince the ASR executives to see the value of the cane farmers’ compromises to get the crop to start, and why they as the factory owners should do the same.
The final agreement which the farmers passed at their general membership meeting on Sunday, December 14, has 3 main points that the farmers have agreed to. First, the commercial agreement for the crop year will last for 7 years. Second, BSI will make a payment for bagasse at 51 cents per ton of cane, and third, when the cane is delivered, the farmers hand over ownership of it to the factory owners.
At this time, the attorneys from both sides are drafting up the final copies of the agreement that both sides will sign and the crop season will begin. Both sides understand that time is vital at this time, and so this signing of this agreement is being handled with urgent attention to get to the beginning of the season 2 or 3 days after the documents have been prepared. Once again Prime Minister Dean Barrow’s intervention into the Sugar Industry has yielded results that will see the beginning of the 2014/2015 cane crop.
Cane Farmers force Fair Trade money bonanza
In August, three and a half months ago, news emerged that Fair Trade intended to reduce the amount of Fair Trade Funding that the Belize Sugar Cane Farmers Association received after buying Belizean sugar at premium prices. Secondly, the organization which provides oversight of the use of the money, Flo Cert, temporarily decertified the association yet again due to financial misappropriation and theft of the association’s funds, and the violation of child labour statutes. Only 2 days after being officially cleared of the most recent ban, the farmers are forcing the Association to do something which is bound to get them in trouble again with the oversight bodies of the Fair Trade agreement.
Readers may remember the expose that this newspaper printed in which we discussed the misuse and poor handling of Fair Trade money over the past 6 or 7 years in which 20 million dollars ended up in the accounts of the Association, set aside as a social program for the farmers. Well, to add to that, the general cane farming membership of the association passed a resolution at their meeting on Sunday, December 14, that 2.5 million dollars will be shared among the general membership of about 5,300 farmers. It’s a sort of Christmas cheer that the farmers are giving themselves in which each member will received approximately $470 for themselves. That’s not exactly the way the money is to be used for because such wanton spending is not permitted.
The Fair Trade program is supposed to be done to improve the lives and quality of cane farms of the Association members, and not to be given away like some Christmas bonus. The Association Executive tried to reason with the farmers at the meeting that this is not the way to use the money, but they were ignored and the motion passed. The Financial Controller for the association has told the press that he will resign before being forced into signing the checks for that distribution. That should be a clear indication that the Fair Trade agreement may be placed into jeopardy yet again. The country now has to wait and see.
Chetumal Street Bridge
After months of back breaking labour, the Chetumal Street Bridge is now a reality. In September, it was announced that a new bridge would be constructed over the Haulover Creek which would connect Belama and Fabers Road. This was deemed necessary to alleviate the traffic which flows through the city. Many criticizims were made, including that “Criminals will have easy access from the ghetto to the north-side.” The Chetumal Street Bridge is the first fully local constructed state of the art ferro-concrete bridge, now spans the Haulover Creek. Which just a few months ago the area where the bridge now sits was nothing but wilderness and it was almost unimaginable that such a transformation was possible with the construction of a bridge. Apart from the improved aesthetics that this bridge now provides to the area, the economic benefits it represents are unimaginable; it saves drivers valuable time, not to mention the fuel that is consumed whilst in traffic, thus leaving drivers with more money. It is a reality that people’s pockets will have a little more money as the expense and time of travelling will be cut by three miles. The traffic through the city will be significantly reduced and the wear and tear on the city streets will be less. There are so many benefits that this bridge brings especially to the people who live near it. Property value will surely go up. Businesses will be established and the correct ones will definitely experience an increase in traffic. Easy and quicker access to downtown Belize City for residents of Belama and the list goes on. The bridge which cost the Government of Belize 5 million dollars was funded with Petro Caribe Funds. This goes to show that despite what people may say, this government has shown that it works in the interest of development; for Belize and certainly for its people. The bridge was designed and constructed by M&M Engineering and made history by being the first bridge in Belize to be fully conceptualized and built by Belizeans in Belize. The estimated time for completion is for this month and by the looks of it the contractors are on target. The legacy we leave behind is what our children and grandchildren will judge us by. The Honorable Dean Barrow and the UDP have ensured that what Belize is being transformed into will be a legacy our grandchildren will be proud of.
With dedication to bettering standard of living for Belizeans, Gas prices fell even more.
Later November the prices of gas went down by 91 cents; however, on a Friday morning, drivers were again happily surprised that the price of premium gas had gone down by 44 cents and the price of regular had gone down by 43 cents. The price of premium gas is now $9.57 while regular is $9.21. Diesel has also seen a decrease, on Tuesday, November 25, it went down by 49 cents. Fuel prices are now at the lowest they have ever been in 3 years.
Better yet, GAS GONE DOWN AGAIN!!! Gas decreased twice in the same month. Diesel is now $7.88, Regular is $8.37 and Premium $9.63.
Hypocrisy
On the 25th November, just seven days after the matter was taken to the National Assembly, the People’s United Party wrote to the Financial Secretary – Mr. Joseph Waight, that they, The PUP, will be participating in the Christmas Cheer Program which is funded through the Petro Caribe Funds. The PUP is clearly drowning in a sea of hypocrisy. In an interview with Channel 7 News on the 8th December, Francis shamelessly tried to justify his lack of common sense. “We run the risks of looking hypocritical, but we believe that of all the programs funded under the Petro-Caribe program, this one in every respect perhaps the most transparent, the most accountable.”
Smart loosing service.
After February 28, 2015 the Belize Telemedia Limited will no longer provide Disruption Tolerant Networking (DTN) Lines to Speednet; therefore, Smart customers in Southern Belize should start switching to the company owned by the Government and people of Belize.
Speednet has been sourcing DTN connection from BTL since July of 2014, when it ended a service agreement with its original network support provider for Stann Creek and Toledo. Around the end of September, BTL informed Speednet that it would have to cut the service “due to increased demands on its [own network]”. In a statement to the press, the company said, “BTL can no longer provide the DTN Lines to Speednet while adequately satisfying its own demands and requirements in providing quality telecommunications services.” After a 30 day grace period had passed, BTL went on to cut the service from 16 megabits to 4 megabits in early November. This caused internet, voice and SMS services to deteriorate significantly for Smart customers from Independence to Punta Gorda.
Speednet then reached out to the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) for what it considers to be “hostile” behaviour on the part of BTL. The Commission informed Speednet that it cannot force BTL to provide the service; therefore, the company took its grievance to court. BTL had informed Speednet that it would cut the lines completely on November 14 but it held out on that move until the two parties could meet in Court.
The case was taken before Justice Shona Griffith on Monday, December 8. During the hearing, the companies informed the Court that they had reached an agreement. BTL’s attorney, Rodwell Williams, gave an undertaking that the company would continue the DTN service to Speednet until February 28. After that date, Smart will be on its own and it will have no case against BTL. Speednet also informed the Court that it was withdrawing its claim against the Public Utilities Commission. The Commission subsequently made a request for Speednet to cover its legal fees for the case.
Speednet has bigger issues on its hands at this time. According to the company, seven thousand plus customers rely on service in the area dependent on BTL’s DTN lines. The company has to develop its own infrastructure by March 1 or its customers will be in communications black hole.
Belize’s High Seas fisheries get a boost
On Monday December 15, the European Council adopted a decision to remove Belize from the list of ‘non-cooperating third countries’ in the fight against illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing. This decision was taken pursuant to a recommendation by the Directorate General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (DG-MARE) to remove Belize from this list in consideration of the concrete measures taken by Belize to rectify the deficiencies pointed out by the European Commission earlier this year. This decision by the EU Council shall enter into force on December 18, 2014, the day after its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union. This is the first case where a country is removed from the list of non-cooperating third countries through cooperation and on-going dialogue with the Commission; and it demonstrates that the EU system of bi-lateral cooperation and collaboration to assist third countries in fully implementing the IUU Regulation is indeed effective and bearing fruit. Since the pre-identification of Belize by the EU, the Commission has provided guidance to Belize in developing its legal framework and implementing the necessary measures to rectify the deficiencies that existed before. Working in partnership with the Commission, Belize has demonstrated a strong commitment to fighting IUU fishing and has significantly improved its ability to tackle this problem. The implementation of these new management and control mechanisms will greatly assist the work of the Belize Administration and will serve to ensure that IUU fishing has no place in Belize’s high seas fisheries. It is an unequivocal demonstration to the world that Belize takes its obligations under international law seriously; as the same laws also provide for Belize’s sovereign and inalienable right to fish on the high seas.
IUU fishing poses a significant threat to the sustainable exploitation of global marine resources and jeopardizes the food security of all nations. As such, the responsibility to fight IUU fishing can only be achieved through the multilateral effort of all nations; and the leaders of responsible fishing nations including Belize must therefore be applauded as they endeavor to eradicate the scourge of IUU fishing.
The Prime Minister of Belize, Hon Dean Barrow, has welcomed the decision of the European Council of Ministers to delist Belize and has pledged to continue the fight against illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing.
Guatemala does not constitute and will never constitute a threat to Belize
The occasion of the 40th Summit of the Central American Integration System (SICA) held in Placencia served up the perfect opportunity for a historic meeting between the President of Guatemala and the Prime Minister of Belize. Hon. Dean Barrow presided over the Summit as he ended Belize’s six-month pro-tempore presidency of SICA and handed over the reigns to the President of Guatemala, H. E. Otto Fernando Perez Molina. Over breakfast a meeting between the two leaders was held to discuss Belize Guatemala relations and the thirteen agreements that both countries had been negotiating and ready to sign at the end of the SICA Summit, signaling a renewed commitment to strengthen relations between the two countries. The thirteen agreements Year in Review 2014
between Belize and Guatemala establish formally and for the first time functional cooperation programmes that are practical and progressive. In their implementation they will bring tangible and practical benefits to the people of both countries. The functional cooperation agreements range from formalizing the serving of penal sentences, to the recognition of educational documents, environmental protection and sustainable use of resources to recovery and return of stolen vehicles.
In his intervention at the Summit, President Molina expressed “ Guatemala and Belize will be neighbors forever and for this reason we want to live in peace and we’re partners in the development of our populations and its important to understand that Guatemala does not constitute and will never constitute a threat to Belize.”
Hon. Dean Barrow said in his remarks at the signing of the 13 agreements, “How did we get here? First we got here because both of us desire to live in peace, side by side in friendly neighbourly relations. Second, after decades of unsuccessful negotiations the time had come for us to enhance our cooperation and build confidence between our governments and peoples. So we agreed to implement the 2005 Agreement on Confidence Building Measures, which had set out a list of cooperation areas to be actioned via the work of the Belize-Guatemala Joint Commission. And the word became flesh, so to speak, after our two Foreign Ministers met at the beginning of this year and formalized the Roadmap’s Work Plan.”
Hon. Dean Barrow recognized the indispensable role of the Organization of American States (OAS) in helping to make the agreements possible. As well, he singled out the OAS Special Representative Ambassador Raul Lago and the Head of the Fund for Peace, Magdalena Talamas. His greatest praises of congratulations were reserved for the two Foreign Ministers and their teams in the Joint Commission. Prime Minister Barrow stated that “they and their negotiators have managed this process in a most skillful and timely manner and set us firmly on course to enhance relations, increase goodwill, and draw us closer to that day when we confine the claim permanently to the ash heap of history.
Public servants of city and town councils in every municipality of Belize can now do their jobs without fear of political victimization, thanks to a document endorsed by each member of the Mayors Association of Belize on Wednesday, December 17, 2014. The Mayors of Belize signed an agreement to abide by the policies and stipulations of the Municipal Service Regulations, a document drafted to establish a consistent set of policies and practices for all nine municipal governments.
Honorable Senator Godwin Hulse says it is a historic day for the country, one that is supported by senior officials of both major political parties. Hulse says the Ministry of Local Government has been pushing for the universal regulations since 2008 and he is glad that it is now passed with him as Minister.
The taskforce worked together for more than eight months before the document was ready to be presented. Mayor Darrell Bradley of Belize City and Mayor Kevin Bernard of Orange Walk Town were instrumental in providing legal advice and public service guidelines.
The year 2014 has seen its fair share of improvements, but with projected increase in development and investors in 2015 it will keep the country growing sustainably and the standard of living rising. May the achievement for the New Year be twice as successful and the people be more peaceful. Let’s escort in the new year of 2015 with a promise to keep working for a better village, a better town, a better city, a better Belize.
