7 News Belize

Dangriga Mayor, Cola, Contractors Protest SIF
posted (September 27, 2013)
And while that's what was happening in the house - outside there was a protest. It was a mixed affair with three different interests coming together to voice their condemnation of government actions. And, they voiced it very loudly - not quite loud enough to be heard in the chamber, but as Jules Vasquez found out, it was not for want of trying:..

Jules Vasquez reporting
Today's crowd was by no means overwhelming - probably less than a hundred - but what they lacked in numbers - the made up for in volume.

Geovanni Brackett, President - COLA
"Our people have been put aside, have been made to shame but today is the day that the revolution has started. So we say "charge Penner now." [Crowd chanting: charge Penner now]."

It was a mixed bag of issues - COLA wanted to charge Elvin Penner, The investors in Kennard Smart's project want their hundreds of thousands back while the PUP Mayor from Dangriga brought his drums - he wanted them to finish his market:

Mayor Gilbert Swazo Sr., Mayor Dangriga
"We want our market. When [Crowd chanting: now]."

"Santi - resign [Crowd chanting: resign]."

"We have been silent for too long, so we are demonstrating just like anybody else that we are frustrated and tired of all the wrongness that have been perpetrated on our people who have fulfilled all their obligations."

Jules Vasquez
"Sir, SIF is saying that they have to put in out to tender and they have their process and they have to ensure transparency - all these things take time. Is that a reasonable response for you?"

Mayor Gilbert Swazo Sr., Mayor Dangriga
"If they were talking about transparency, if they were transparent, out market would have been completed by the 31st of July."

Jules Vasquez
"Sir, the Prime Minister recently spoke about all these infrastructure investments that the government plans to make in his Independence speech, but that has to kind of stick in your throat because...."

Mayor Gilbert Swazo Sr., Mayor Dangriga
"Very much so Jules. If you notice, everything that the Prime Minister indicates is surrounded in Belize City - City centric. He is indicating to the entire nation of Belize that Belize City is Belize country. He is only concern about Belize City. What happen to the South?"

"The Prime Minister has it in his power to decide and take decisive action to do whatever he will. It is increment on the Prime Minister to stop the suffering in Dangriga and then divert that money to complete at the first instance the market of Dangriga."

"Our purview remains to be that we want our market to finish and to finish as early as possible. There was the opportunity for the market to have finished the 31st of October as stipulated by SIF. That is not in Dangriga in any way or form. We want our market now!"

Mayor Gilbert Swazo Sr., Mayor Dangriga
"When do we want our market? [Crowd chanting: now]."

"SIF is a [Crowd chanting: fraud]."

"It is time for the South to rise and this is the beginning of that journey."

Jules Vasquez
"It would be argued that if it is indeed time for the South to rise - you need a bigger crowd than this. Considering it's such a well know issue - this is a fairly small crowd. I have to worry about the crowd sir."

Mayor Gilbert Swazo Sr., Mayor Dangriga
"The crowd in my view is not an issue. The first step always starts small and then when you start getting use to the struggle and the pace and you start speeding it up. That in my opinion is not worthy. That is a not an issue."

Money is the issue for Lyndon Bailey and Emy Ramirez.

Lyndon Bailey, Investor, K and G Construction
"We want our money because it was a big corruption at SIF that caused us to be in this problem that we are in right now and I need my money."

Jules Vasquez
"Then sir, without being unkind - you shouldn't have invested in what would be called "junk bonds" - high risk - high yield. It was high risk."

Lyndon Bailey, Investor, K and G Construction
"We thought that SIF was a well-organized and reputable firm working for the Government."

Jules Vasquez
"You didn't invest in SIF. You invested in Smart."

Lyndon Bailey, Investor, K and G Construction
"No, the project was run by SIF."

Jules Vasquez
"You don't have a contract with SIF."

Lyndon Bailey, Investor, K and G Construction
"I was a part of that contract under the part that says "sub-contractor could be brought in.""

Jules Vasquez
"We lived in a world of paper sir. You didn't have any paper contract with SIF."

Lyndon Bailey, Investor, K and G Construction
"I have a paper because I have a signed document from SIF recognizing me as the "sub-contractor" on that site."

And while Bailey had the volume pumped way up - COLA was there for pure rage - not politics they say.

Geovanni Brackett, President - COLA
"We need to come and support the people of Dangriga. We don't care about the political issue. We are not here to support a PUP Mayor. We are here to support the people of Dangriga that needs their market like from yesterday, like last year."

"The second thing why we are here is because there is a mirage of allegations of corruption within the government. It doesn't just start with the immigration scandal, it isn't just the issue with Castro, it goes way back with the Noh Mul, the KHMH issue."

"We brought in 135 people to come here to lodge our complaint on the record because the time for press release and press conferences is gone. The time for people movement is now."

Aaron Humes, reporter
"Earlier you were talking about charging Elvin Penner with regard to his part in that passport scandal with the South Korean. What crime has he committed?"

Jihad McLaren, COLA
"Passport sale is illegal because it doesn't exists any more. Automatically that is a crime. It is a crime and a betrayal."

Aaron Humes, reporter
"You are making a false statement but that's hardly a matter for jail time."

Jihad McLaren, COLA
"It's beyond that. It's a charge that goes beyond that."

Aaron Humes, reporter
"Procedure was not followed but I am asking specifically, what crime did the Minister commit?"

Rufus X
"Subverting our country's sovereignty - that's treason."

Geovanni Brackett, President - COLA
"Aaron Humes, if you were the one that sign that thing, you would be long gone in jail and we would be here fighting for you."

"The point is that the allegations of corruption has come tumbling down on this government and somebody needs to go on record and to say that corruption should not be tolerated."

Jules Vasquez
"Are you all lobbying for a change of government sir?"

Geovanni Brackett, President - COLA
"Sir, I am not lobbying for a change of government because sometimes we change one in and one out but what we are lobbying for is true change. We want transparency and accountability, not the appearance of it."

Today, though the appearance was what the effort needed - it didn't lack in fire or rhetoric but in numbers - to which we'll point the PUP, mass party and all was no help at all - even to their own PUP Mayor.

The protesters calmly dispersed just before midday.

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