Upliftment, it was the buzz word added to the political lexicon in 1998 when the Musa administration was swept into office on a promise to sweep out London bridges and shanties from the city's southside. 7 years later, and those abysmal conditions have only worsened. But now, presumably in the wake of the killing of 4-year-old Oscar Velasquez, government has announced that Prime Minister Said Musa will be heading a south side committee.
Comprising three ministers, the committee is tasked to look into the special needs of south side Belize City and to propose a development project to improve the lives of residents in the Collet and Port Loyola areas. The committee will be looking at land, housing, infrastructure, and employment to come up with a project document for the development of the southside. Notably, there are no elected representatives, either PUP or UDP, from the south side on the committee. That includes or in this case excludes elected Collet Area Representative Patrick Faber. He today told he believes he will have to see but it seems like just more empty rhetoric.
Patrick Faber, Collet Area Rep.
"I believe there is a push now for him to make the impression that something is happening on the southside so that is all I make of it. We have seen continuous neglect by the People's United Party for the south side of Belize and in particular in Collet."
"To me it seems that yes in fact they are trying to make quick fixes, at least they are trying to pay the lip service to it. And indeed that situation that happened in our constituency was a very sad one. In fact the whole infrastructure in the back area of Collet is a sad one and that is something I have complained about time and time again."
"If the Prime Minister is indeed serious about fixing the situation in here then he would give us the resources and you have heard me say that over and over again. But let's say they don't want to give us the resources, then at least include us in on the planning. We hear big plans coming, according to the release, for Collet, we hear big plans coming in for Port Loyola. You know of my colleague 'Boots' Martinez, it's his struggle to get resources for that division. Yet they close their eyes to that, they turn their backs to that, and then now they give lip service. So we have to believe that is all it is, lip service. They want to try to make the impression that they are doing something but I believe in the end it will prove they are not considerate and they do not care about those living on the south side of Belize."
Joining the Prime Minister on the committee are Ministers Jose Coye, Godfrey Smith, and Servulo Baeza along with Senator and the Prime Minister's advisor on southside Richard "Dickie" Bradley.
