Today the Prime Minister gave the UDP Town Council in San Pedro $3 million for street repair. We'll tell you all about that later, but first...as the Prime Minister left the island of San Pedro with a heart content by doing a good deed on this Valentine's Day, he received almost as kind a gesture when he landed in Belize City. When he arrived at the Municipal Airstrip he was greeted by unionists who presented him with a bouquet of roses, a Valentine's card and a message. A bouquet? A card? A Valentine's Day note? Union to PM? Could it be...love? We think not! Here's why.
Alfonso Noble Reporting,
On arriving from San Pedro this afternoon Prime Minister Said Musa was greeted by nurse Lidia Alpuche Blake and teacher Elena Smith, the President of the Belize City branch of the BNTUu who gave him a bouquet of flowers and this Valentine's Day card.
Elena Smith, BNTU
"NTUCB and the NAB along with the BMDU saw that today was a fitting day to show the Prime Minister how much the people of Belize need to be loved and for that reason we want him to show us that he is going to deal with the health care system and that is why he was given that Valentine's gift today. It was just a bunch of roses and a card. This is a sample of the card we gave him. It says, 'if you love the Belizean people, save our public health system,' and that is our message on this Valentine's Day and that will be our message on Saturday as well."
The unions now consider the Prime Minister served with their sentiment and their follow up action to take place on Saturday. But while it's being led by the Belize Medical and Dental Union, the NTUCB is fully backing the effort, President of the organization is Dylan Reneau, he also represents the Public Service Union.
Dylan Reneau, PSU President
"We've been asking all our members to come out to support the march. If you would go around to certain government departments you would have noticed that people have been wearing the black ribbons in solidarity. So I am expecting a good turnout on Saturday from the membership of the public service union. In fact the public health care system is what we manage and we run so we have a vested interest in ensuring that the public healthcare system is rescued."
And while the PSU may be ready to rescue the situation, the call that the NTUCB and the BMDU is making extends to all unions. One that is ready to respond is the national teachers union. Anthony Fuentes is the president.
Anthony Fuentes, BNTU President
"All our branch presidents are going back to their respective branches and they'll be having an emergency meeting with their members and then they will then call in the headquarters in Belize City to say whether they will participate in the demonstration. So until I get that response from the branch president, then I'll be able to say whether teachers will be participating. The teachers feel that yes they should participate in the demonstration and along with that there are other issues affecting our countries and so they feel that they should participate in the demonstration."
And the teachers are being called to action through this bulletin. It encapsulates the present issues and troubles of the country. It was drafted by unionist George Frazer.
George Frazer, BNTU
"We are sounding out this call to government. Why would we want to go out on the street just to cause disturbance? We are not for that. And even the last time when people were trying to pin us down and blame us, it is not true. We are not for violence. All we are saying is respect the wishes of the people. You were elected there to look after the best interest of the people and there it is, that is our call. Once our trade union colleagues ask for the support and our members give us the mandate we have to be there shoulder to shoulder with our colleagues. The fight is not for teachers or just nurses, it is for Belize. It is sending out the message both to government and to the Belizean people that we cannot take anymore of this nonsense. We cannot take anymore and people have to stand up. We are not for violence, we are for dialogue and the demonstration and protest march are forms of sending out the message."
Dylan Reneau,
"He leaves us with no choice but to take it to the people and to conjure up memories of 2005."
But they don't want a repeat of these unforgettable images from 2005 when teachers were gassed and dragged by security officers, and bonfires were set on the Belcan Bridge and chaos reigned of the city. Reneau says the lessons and labors of 2005 have taught the unions much.
Dylan Reneau,
"We have learnt some lessons and certainly it did not get out of control, it was only when there were certain, I would want to say political influence, that got into the whole demonstration that you had the riots and certain aspects that were necessarily what we wanted to see happen. But I think this time we are much educated about what we need to do and how we need to control the process so I don't think that we are going to start a fireball that we won't be able to control. If the government does not come to us and dialogue certainly we believe that we still have that capacity and there are so many other issues that need addressing and we believe that we are a social partner that has the capacity, along with the business community, and the potential to brace the government and ensure that we get positive resolution of these matters for the Belizean people."
"Let us march together in solidarity against a government that has brought our country to this dire and dreadful state" - that's the wording of a press release from the United Democratic Party today in which the Opposition commits to support the unions. The release says that the UDP will support and stand in solidarity with the unions during their protest march of Saturday. Add to that the fact that Orlando Burns of the Orange Walk Business Association says they have committed as many as ten busses in support of Saturday's march...and it makes for a most interesting week end event. Government though, seems to be betting that the unions cannot, from a cold start, muster much hard corps support, so we'll just have to wait and see.
