And while the Chamber has taken a 15-day wait and see approach. It seems that the general membership of the Teachers' Union is more riled up than ever. Today they held rallies and marches countrywide. In Belize it was an austere observance as teachers were asked to use black and white as a sign of mourning for a troubled nation state. President of the union Anthony Fuentes explained.
Anthony Fuentes, BNTU President
"At our council of management meeting that was held on Saturday we agreed that countrywide the teachers will be wearing black and white to show that we are not satisfied with what is going on. We decided on the first of February because it is the day when government want to implement the tax increases on the Belizean people."
Elena Smith,
"Today is the day when those taxes go in effect and that is the reason for this black Tuesday. We are mourning the implementation of these new taxes. We are willing Jules to go as far as is necessary. We are not going to give up. We are teachers who are very determined and we won't give up."
But Belize District Branch President Elena Smith wasn't just talking hard. Her district branch members didn't want to waste their best funeral clothes. They went the whole way with a bizarre mock funeral. Here's how that went.
Elena Smith,
"We will have a funeral and you will be here to witness that. The funeral is symbolizing, how should I say, how fed we are about what is going on because we have been trying very hard to get the government to see that the people cannot afford new taxes and they are not listening to us. So we have to find ways of showing them that we are really really fed up and this is one of the ways that we are using to show that if you can't listen then you will just feel."
And they did just feel with the sharp satire that the teachers put on today with their mock funeral, complete with a tiny cardboard coffin for two large public figure, presided over by no less than a mock forensic expert.
"I am Dr. Estradabran and I was asked to conduct an autopsy on this dead body. It is said that all the times that may have caused the death of our dear friend Belize may not be so, so I must now proceed with my examination. I must start from the head because I am afraid if you will look at educated people and call them lunatics then you must have your head examined. This is caused because of a lot of mismanagement and corruption. Now let us examine the torso, do you also realize ladies and gentlemen that it is also sticking out here. This is gross abnormality, that is correct, this is because of, oh my goodness, the corruption and mismanagement has spread like a cancer through this entire body. I am afraid that I missed something before, the corruption begins in the head which is Ralph, I thought it was Musa, it says Ralph. So how did Ralph become the head and Musa become the tail?"
And with that pronouncement a final blessing was given and the body sent on its way.
"Go away. Corruption be gone, mismanagement be gone, lies and deceit be gone, and everything be gone."
The coffin was laid to rest in the outdoor latrine.
And while teachers wore black and white to mark a symbolic mourning in Belize City teachers rallied in Punta Gorda Town and San Pedro. These images from Punta Gorda show a good sized group of protestors, almost exclusively teachers, from the Toledo District marched through the principals streets of the town bearing placards and carrying the Belize flag.
And in the rarely resistant island town of San Pedro, an island-sized crowd took their true marching through the municipality's streets this morning.
