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PUP’s Youth Arm Not Impressed With Budget
posted (March 25, 2015)

And while those figures will be grist for the elected politicians tomorrow in the House of Representatives, today the PUP's Belize Youth Movement of the PUP scheduled sort of a pre- debate session at Independence Hall - highlighting the shortfalls of the budget from the youth perspective. The areas of concern are education, training and employment. This morning the members of BYM told us that the financing proposed for these areas is not enough.

Josue Carballo - BYM member

"We see now that there are less registered businesses, less number of active businesses. Which means we saw a shortage in our economy. Even though there has been an increase of over 5,672 jobs within those 5 years. However if you do the maths you will realise that every year there is an increase of over 4,000 new high school and tertiary level institutions graduates. That means within those 5 years we're had over 20,000 new job seekers. So where are they getting placed? Where are the jobs to be created for our newly educated? I have condensed 3 action points when it comes to job creation, job simulation. First has to be the direct action concerning skills development training. Secondly, the direct actions concerning job creation and thirdly, policy making and advocacy."

Micah Goodin - BYM member

"I am a youth, I am 21 years old and my life is in jeopardy. My country is considered the third most dangerous place in the world to live. Here out youths are filling up our cemeteries faster than they've ever filled our classrooms. From 2008 to this day, almost 1,000 has been killed. Of which, more than half have been young people. There has been 26 body counts for this year alone. Including Oscar Daniel Vasquez and Michael Usher, who were both murdered cold bloodily in Orange Walk. And more of us will continue to die because a budget like this, a bandaid budget, does not protect us but merely attempts to stop the bleeding after we have been wounded."

Alberto Vellos - National President, BYM

"We believe that the areas of education, skills training and job creation. Creating jobs for young people is very important. We do understand that we have a role to play. In fact we have always embraced that role. We have always offered suggestions, we have always spoken on how to improve the situation. We don't know if the message reaches because we don't end up seeing a difference. We have also been open to sit around the table, in fact we have demanded that - that we sit around the table and discuss how to go about making life better for our young people and improving the situation for Belize."

Other areas addressed at the forum include crime reduction and their proposal for disbandment of the GSU.

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