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COLA Launches T-Shirts: Build The Base Now
posted (September 3, 2015)
A week ago, we showed you the launch of COLA's campaign to pressure the Government to build the Coast Guard's Forward Operating Base on Sarstoon Island. The campaign is called "Build the Base Now", and we showed you how they seem to have major financial backing, mobilizing supporters, much like a political mass party.

Today, they followed up their campaign with the public launch of their T-shirts campaign. COLA President Geovannie Brackett told us that it is the continuation of their sustained activism on the Sarstoon Island issue:

Geovannie Brackett - President, COLA
"Daniel, being in the media you would understand that marketing is very important. So when you are doing your campaign, people want to be a part of it. People who may be in PG, but might not be able to make it out to a press conference. But by wearing a shirt they are showing solidarity and so the shirts are there. The back of it has our theme for this campaign "Protect Belize, Build the base now." This was effective when we did the "No ICJ" campaign. We had a skeleton budget, but at the same time it made the government had to spend millions in advertisement to battle this. We believe this is the same strategy that we are using and people and our membership, they want to be a part and so wearing the shirt is showing solidarity and it's always a good way to market the campaign."

Daniel Ortiz
"What do you expect in terms of the amount of persons who will buy in, support and wear this shirt along with you?"

Geovannie Brackett - President, COLA
"Edward, I think is out district today, but we were out last night and I can tell you we almost had to give away all the shirts. We had to try and fight to save some for what you see in a here, you see a pack room. The support is there. I mean from last week to now, we are the t-shirts launching. That is very evident of the support. I am not sure what you mean, in terms of realistic, but to me when you have people all over the country calling you and making request how they can help, how they can assist - that shows tremendous support and I believe that the government may be underestimating this situation and I think by ignoring the campaign or try to ignore the people by extension, they are doing themselves a disservice. We saw what that had done to them when they ignored those 30,000 people came out in the mock referendum on the No-OFF SHORE DRILLING. If you want to ignore the entire nation, then its to their jeopardy."

Daniel Ortiz
"Do you expect the government representatives to take you seriously in this campaign?"

Geovannie Brackett - President, COLA
"Do you expect us to take government seriously? It could be reversed the other way around. I mean when you look at an artificial minister - it's a joke. I am dying to sit in any room with Sedi Elrington and I would hope that the Prime Minister who have sat with me before would come to the table and to say hear what, let us push this base now. Before your election, let us push this base now. Let us build this base and let us remove Sedi. I know that ego is a big thing and I know that it may look bad. But the truth is Sedi really has done it to himself."

When we asked again today about where their financial backing for these events is coming from, COLA's members said that it came from concerned Belizeans who wanted to remain anonymous. We did notice on their new posters, a peculiar element. Seen here, one of the posters has a hashtag at the bottom, inscribed, "#GoBlue" - which we take to clearly suggest an alignment with the PUP, but we can't say for sure.

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