The last time we heard from FECTAB was 6 weeks ago. That's when President Tom Greenwood sent a 1,000 word letter to the BTB, condemning the entire Harvest Caye operation, and dubbing it "Alcatraz". It's certainly not the first time Greenwood and his crew have raged against Harvest Caye, but on the ground it's made no difference. And so, today Greenwood along with familiar faces from COLA continued their campaign against this mega cruise resort, and a campaign for the Belize District alternative Stake Bank. Here are a few excerpts from this morning's press conference.
Tom Greenwood, FECTAB
"The failure of government to allow stakebank to happen we believe is the root cause of our present problem in Belize City."
"All NCL ships are gone from Belize city and that represents a loss of between 40 – 45% of revenue for the players in Belize city and again I say from out hair braiders and our people who are trying to sell their hard worked with products right up to the top, tour operators and the like, it is a blow of major proportions, when you add to it the fact that many of us have bills to pay where mortgages are concerned, then you are talking complete disaster."
Yohny Rosado, Cavetubing.com
"From Altun Ha we hear the cry, from Franks Eddy we hear the cry, from all the way from Benque from Xunantunich we hear the cry, all the buses that used to go to Lamanai from all the ships that are going South we hear the cry."
"it is the middle of the high season, November, high season, December high season, January high season, February and March, April is the ending of it and we are having a press conference to let BTB know we are not making , to let the Ministry know we are no making it, to let the government know we are not making it, to let the whole country know that cruise tourism is not for the small man, we are not making it."
Geovannie Brackett, President - COLA
"It is disheartening when you have hair braiders who have been working for 15 or more years who are out of jobs, who have to wonder when they will get another job to plait another hair, and when you don't get a job so long and you get one job and you feel you have to charge that person for all the other weeks you didn't get any job, that is the reality on the ground."
Tom Greenwood, FECTAB
"I believe that the only way to rescue Belize City, the only way to rescue Belize city is to grant stake bank the final permission to operate."
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