And, tonight we note the passing of legendary unionist and former long-time Secretary General of the Belize National Teachers Union, George Frazier. He served most prominently from the early 90s to the 2000's.
Frazier died this afternoon after 1:00 in San Ignacio at the age of 78. According to family members he had been ailing since about June of 2025 and leaves behind two children.
And while he's gone now - Frazier's history as a firebrand looms large. In the 90's and early aughts, he distinguished himself as a tenacious, formidable and tireless agitator for the rights and the remuneration of teachers in particular and unionized workers in general.
While he is all over our news archives, tonight we take a quick look at a day of militant agitation in Belmopan, January of 2005 when Frazer led the charge for the unionists who took a stand against the Musa administration - demanding reform:
January 21, 2005
George Frazer, Secretary General, BNTU
"It is an indication that government is getting the sense and they better listen to the people. We gave them some very realistic and achievable recommendations. We insist there must be reform. We got to clean up the system."
"We got to clean those out who are part of the abuse and we got to respect the rights of our Belizean people. Increased taxes can only bring hardship on our people. So we will review it and we are prepared to enter dialogue with government."
Frazier and other unionists ended that day in open conflict with police as he draped himself in a flag.
Since his passing the PM has issued a statement of condolences expressed that Frazer showed that "partnership is possible even when views differ". Additionally, the NTUCB issued a statement saying that Frazer "was not only a towering figure within the NTUCB, but a fearless, principled, and courageous champion of teachers' rights, social justice, and good governance in Belize."
