7 News Belize

BDF Beef: Complaints from Senior Ranks About Officers “Past Retirement Age”
posted (November 10, 2017)
We always look to the the BDF to put its discipline on display - but tonight we can confirm that there is growing frustration in the middle to upper ranks of the army because of differences over the retirement age.

Up until recently, the retirement age was 45 for the most senior officers, or 42 for majors. Government recently revised that law with this Statutory Instrument which came into effect a year ago on August of 2016. It changes the retirement age to 55 for a commander, 52 for a Colonel and 50 for a Lieutenant Colonel or Major.

But, now there's contention within the senior ranks because some officers who are stuck at major are seeing the promotion of two men who they believe should have already been retired.

The issue is the date of Statutory Instrument bringing the new retirement age into effect - August of 2016. By that time, the present Commander Steven Ortega, should have already retired in June of 2016. Same for two officers who are about to be promoted to Lieutenant Colonel: Major's Amoa and Romero. The BDF's "Seniority Rolls" - which 7News has obtained show that they should have been retired in April 2014 for Amoa, and June 2016 for Romero. In all three cases, their listed date of retirement preceded the date of the Statutory Instrument.

Today, the CEO in the Ministry of Defence, Felix Enriquez told us that it's all a mix-up. He says the decision to extend the age of retirement was made over 2 years ago, but the S-I wasn't passed until a year later.

So, he says that it was just an administrative delay that affected these officers and it is through no fault of theirs. So, when they elected to continue serving, "they were permitted to do so by the Defence Board."

That is not likely to sit well with the current crop of young majors waiting for a promotion. They feel that they are being passed over in favor of officers who should be at home enjoying their retirement. They claim their promotions are being blocked by Officers who have no legal right to be employed in the BDF.

CEO Enriquez told us that the Ministry has to try and start a dialogue to ensure these younger officers that their turn will come.

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