Today was another scorcher in the month of May with temperatures hovering over ninety degrees in the city. And while most sought shelter from the sun, there is one man who spent the entire day standing in the sun. He is 60-year-old Charles Good and at seven this morning the retired soldier initiated a 24 hour hunger strike in front of the Social Security Board in Belize City. He told us why.
Charles Good, On Hunger Strike
"I am not only doing this for myself or for my family, I am doing this for those people who are being short changed by the Social Security."
And Captain Charles Good took that stand today in front of the Social Security Board's Belize City office where he says he will remain with his placard and on a hunger strike until his demands are met. Those demands are that he be paid the pension he says he deserves after a lifetime of contributing to the Social Security fund. The SSB only wants to pay him $77 a week, he says that's way too little.
Charles Good,
"I have some problems with the Social Security institution in regard to my pension fees."
Keith Swift,
Sir but with all due respect you filed the appeal late.
Charles Good,
"I was ill. I was in and out of hospital, I had a heart attack."
The 60 year old, who served in the Belize Defense Force, says he is fighting
for a noble cause and he is willing to, like he did in 1970s, put his life on the line for his country.
Charles Good,
"I have served my country Keith and I am taking this. Between 1969 and 1976 when the Guatemalan Armed Forces were prepared or poised to invade Belize, I and others were dug trenches to make the ultimate sacrifice. It is something like this I am doing here. I am going to stay here until I get proper satisfaction or justice served."
And his tactics may have worked because late this evening Charles Good told us he has temporarily called off his hunger strike because he has been called to a meeting scheduled for tomorrow afternoon at the Social Security Board's Office. We'll let you know how that goes. And while the SSB seems to be in a spirit of compromise, a press release stated that pensions are calculated by a standard formula - end of story. They however promise an in depth investigation into his claim.
