On Wednesday, the Supreme Court issued an injunction against Brown Sugar Marketplace for a boardwalk that is being constructed on the National Fishermen Co-operative's product landing dock. That's where the Co-op's 500 members offload thousands of pounds of marine products, as they've been doing for the past 40 years. National's Chairman Charles Heusner, he told us that the boardwalk will interrupt their operations and also raises health concerns for the tourists trafficking the area.
Well today, spokesperson for the Brown Sugar Marketplace Project Ernesto Vasquez told us that his group is not the big bad wolf. Vasquez says it's a $24 million project that 14 investors are working on. They thought an agreement had been reached with national.
Ernesto Vasquez, Brown Sugar Marketplace
"The injunction came as sort of a surprise because this has been in discussion for over a year. We have met with the cooperative, with the members, and it's practically been said to 'go ahead, do it.' We've gotten all permits, all the SIs have been passed and everything. Somewhere along the line they have, as you know, they put in an injunction and they had their reasons. We are actually wondering why they want to stop when we've gone this far because actually this
is going to be better for everyone.
The company is going ahead. As you know the river belongs to the government. So actually we go to the government to ask them if we can build this and they said yes. But we want to do it in a friendly manner and we actually talked to the Co-operative as well. So coming together we say it is better for everyone. We've offered to build them a pier. They said they wanted the pier and they even told us what size of pier they wanted. All that has been discussed; what size pier, how deep they want the pier, what angle--all these details have been worked out so as far as we are concerned it was a friendly discussion and we could proceed with the issue. That is why we went this far.
We are trying to show that what we have here is progress for everybody. Like I said it is a win-win situation. We can't stop progress. Tourism is progressing, tourists are coming to the country, and Belize needs to beautify itself and this is one of the way it is doing it.
We are trying to create an area in Belize City where it is attractive for the tourists to come and this, Brown Sugar Marketplace, will be accessible also to Belizeans. Shops will be here and you can shop all the time. This will not be one of those places where you can't enter. When there is no season, they will still be here.
We have all the permits. This is legal what we are doing. What we are trying to do is be friendly. We can go ahead and do this. We don't have to ask permission."
Alfonso Noble,
This is what I am referring to, big money muscling in. You have gotten your permits, you are going ahead and build your boardwalk no matter what.
Ernesto Vasquez,
"Mr. Noble I am standing here talking to you...is this muscling in? This is not muscling in. I am trying to make "
Alfonso Noble,
By your actions Mr. Vasquez.
Ernesto Vasquez,
"What actions?"
Alfonso Noble,
By the actions of having driven piles without the knowledge of the National Fishermen Co-operative.
Ernesto Vasquez,
"We want to finish this, well I think we are being a little bit optimistic, we want to finish this yes, by the end of the this month. We are working 24/7. Is that muscling in? We are working 24/7 to build the place, we are not taking weekends off. It is being built. If it is called big dollars muscling in, how else can I tell you. How else will you describe it? They wanted to finish, they want to continue progress, they want to work. But I am standing here telling you want to do this thing as right as possible. We have offered everything to Co-operative. We're not bullying anyone and we will not continue bullying.
The injunction is here, it is started, we will wait. But at the same time, we have to do our PR. We are not trying to squeeze anybody here. We are not going to bully, bully our way through, and build this, eventhough we have all the permits; we are not going to do that. We will continue discussions with the Co-operative and we hope that it comes through."
Vasquez says they are proposing to build a $180,000 thousand dollar pier for the cooperative. The health concern over the traffic of tourists in the area while product is being delivered will be addressed by adding gates to prevent tourists from coming into contact with the work of the cooperative. As for the overpass, Vasquez says that is simply not feasible even to entertain. And though Brown Sugar has all the required permits, its lawyers must still go to the Supreme Court if they want the injunction lifted.
