7 News Belize

The Teachers’ Western Rally Rails Against Hon. Faber
posted (January 24, 2014)
The Belize National Teachers Union's month of rallies continued today in the Cayo District. The country's most powerful union has done the north and center of the country, and today they moved west where the union branches of Benque, San Ignacio and are Belmopan are known to be well organized.

But then, it rained...as Jules Vasquez that didn't stop a spirited rally:..

Jules Vasquez reporting
Umbrellas set the tone this morning in the Macal River Park where a steady drizzle forced a late start.

An observer might have been led to conclude that there would be a poor turnout but the teachers kept streaming in in their neon green shirts and their carefully composed signs - designed for maximum insulting effect to the Minister of Education.

Eventually the teachers filled up six tents - we counted a total of 560 including just a few political interlopers. It's their biggest crowd yet, and there were 15 speakers in speeches that last almost four hours. A lot of talking and a lot of rancor against the government, particularly Education Minister Patrick Faber:

George Fraser, BNTU Senior Advisor
"Minister Faber has to grow up "Patrick, you are a boy to us, you are a little boy to us." Monday we are to meet and Patrick you better put on your girdle and come straight."

And 10 of the 15 speakers made references to the Prime Minister's Defence of Edmund Castro's use of Airports Authority funds for his political work:

Hon. Dean Barrow, Prime Minister
"I find it utterly and completely distasteful and I think the Airports Authority and the minister are both wrong. So don't think I am here making any apology for anybody, but call it what it is man. It is not corruption."

Luke Palacio, BNTU President
"Yes it could be distasteful and wrong, maybe its two different thing but it's not corruption."

Leandra Chulin, BNTU Benque Branch President
"Distasteful and wrong doing and error of judgment, a bad decision, a wrong doing and we can go on with such other terms. So then I can say we are not absent from school teachers. We are attending a professional development exercise."

Elito Puc, teacher - Mopan Technical
"And then we still have the man walk in the House of Representative represents us with a big long neck with everybody to see. Corruption, distasteful and wrong but it's not corruption."

The rally had the atmosphere of a social, lots of laughs for the teachers, mostly at the government's expense, and instead of tension or agitation, there seemed to be a kind of easy comfort: they know they'll get paid and this is just a way of flexing:

Luke Palacio, BNTU President
"We will not be intimated neither by Patrick Faber nor the government of Belize nor any other person who believes that they have power. The power is in our hands. We do not need any permission to have a rally, we've inform them that we are going to rally and rally we will until the end of this month."

George Fraser, BNTU Senior Advisor
"Just a while ago, not even half hour ago we got a phone call, the Prime Minister wants to meet with us. I don't know about what, but when the heat the come on and under fire, let his meet with Patrick and tell him to behave himself little boy."

And that defiant, entitled cool is the mood they took into the streets of San Ignacio for a march that saw about 450 teachers take to the pavement.

Again, here on the streets, it was super peaceful - more procession than march, they walked in three's, sang their union songs, no naked hostility, no rage, as if seeming to say that their numbers speak for themselves.

And while the teachers had good numbers - we note for the record that there are 1300 teachers in the Cayo district - and a little less than half about 550 of those showed up.

Additionally, there was to have been a simultaneous Town shut down organized by the Cayo Citizens Against Crime - but that totally flopped, as we didn't see any businesses closed.

Next week, the rally moves to the Stann creek District, where, the Minister of Education laments it will be on a Thursday, to accommodate school teachers who say they need the Friday off to cash their cheques. For Stann Creek school-kids, that means a 3 day school-week - which will surely give them reason to rally.

Later on, we'll have a little more from today's rally, where President Luke Palacio explains what happened to that voicemail he got from the Prime Minister three weeks ago.

Home | Archives | Downloads/Podcasts | Advertise | Contact Us

7 News Belize