And apart from the launch of the program, the minister had also visited an area in Grace Bank Village where over 100 acres of land is being offered to the Leadership Intervention Unit to create a farming space for gang members who want to make an honest living.
Minster Musa explained that while they're grateful for the donation, they also need further support to acquire equipment. He also added, though, that while most of the men are willing to put down the guns in favor of shovels, the ones who are insistent on committing crime will face the consequences.
Hon. Kareem Musa, Minister of Home Affairs and New Growth Industries
"As you know, the LIU, last October, got the support of Cabinet and government in launching its program, a lot of it having to do with creating opportunities and I am very happy to announce that we caught the attention of a very philanthropic humanitarian in Dr Alvaro Rosado who has very generously offered to the LIU 120 acres, we are working the details of this MOU but basically it is farm land that we are looking at. We obviously will need a lot of support form other members of the private sector as well as government in terms of the technically support for agriculture, setting up greenhouses, clearing the property, so Ministry of Infrastructure has also communicated their support for this initiative and it's just, like I said, all in line with a very wholistic approach, a comprehensive approach that the LIU is implementing because a lot of our at-risk youth want opportunities to engage in farming, not all of them of course, but some of them do want that opportunity and we have to ensure that we create those opportunities and find them."
"There has to be two approaches we take, it cannot be that we are creating this positive, uplifting approach, offering these opportunities of education and employment, and farming and agriculture. There has to be a penal side to all of this and so we are separating those that are just hellbent on wreaking havoc as terrorists on our society, wee will go after them hard, there is legislation in place and we're looking at further legislation when it comes to the illegal guns that are on the streets of Belize City and so yes I understand what you're saying that we are just creating these opportunities but these young men might not want it, I can tell you that a majority of the young men are appreciative of this program but for the others who do not want to change, we will ensure that they are dealt with by the law."
