12 February 2017

Giovanni Alamilla
Treasurer
Belize Olympic & Commonwealth Games Association
Belize City

SUBJECT: Open Letter

Dear Mr. Alamilla,

Belize is a very small country and inevitably everything is either interconnected by family, culture, place of birth, place of work or the area where one now resides. It is only through the collective efforts of all Belizeans that our country will grow and ultimately prosper. That includes contributions from people like you and ordinary mortals like myself.

If my correspondence over the past few months to the IOC, Belize Olympic & Commonwealth Games Association, Belize media house and the Belizean public offended you in anyway, I assure you that it was not the intent, and if you took anything personally, then that’s on you. There are absolutely no hard feelings on this side, because at the end of the day we are all Belizeans and brothers in the same struggle. If you notice, you will see that nothing personal was ever addressed at you but rather the organization that you are a part of. As is now common today, I did not take the matter to social media but instead copied it only to those parties and organization involved to assure the privacy and confidentiality it deserved. At no time was there an attempt to smear your name in any way, unlike your attempt on social media to do to mine.

But, like yourself, I am a grown man and not a little girl, and I refuse to be dragged into quarrelling on any type of social media page. So that you do not continue to make wrong assumptions or ask around, for the record my name is Neri O. Briceño, and I was born to a Garifuna woman in PG. I am proud of my race, my culture, my colour and my heritage. Don’t let the Briceño name fool you because I am neither rich or connected and never ran for any type of political office as you presumed. Two of my closet friends are deeply involved in politics in both the ruling UDP and Opposition PUP. Am passionate about the political system because I think it is corrupt, one-sided and unfair to the ordinary working man.

For those who know me, I am about fairness, equality, justice and making Belize a better place for all. Most of those who despise me and, trust me, there are quite a few, are from the ruling social and political elite who prefer the “business as usual” approach to doing things in our nation. I have never worked for Shell, therefore I could not have possibly be fired from them for any type of fraud or embezzlement, so that information probably came to you from the type of people I described earlier.

As for my whereabouts, I never ran to the US, as you put it. I reside in the US at the pleasure of the US Government and make regular frequent visits to Belize because I can. I am able to travel freely the length and breadth of the US and to enter and leave as I see fit because there are no restrictions on me in entering the US.

Life is about second chances and while you have said that you committed an offence in the US, were convicted and paid the price with five years of freedom, as you put it, and that your approach has been that you entered sports so as to encourage youths not to make the same mistakes that you did, that is commendable. However, similarly like how we do not make child molesters work in daycare centers, whether they are reformed, have served time and are repentant, making someone convicted of bank robbery, the treasurer of the of the Belize Olympic & Commonwealth Games Association (BOCGA), should have been the same.

My bone of contention has always been with the BOCGA and it has been that if they chose to represent Belize abroad, then they must also be prepared to answer questions from the public, since ultimately they are accountable to the people they represent.

But moving on to the issue that you took so personally, let me reiterate my concerns to you for added clarification:

1. After having written extensively to your organization, my question to them was as follows. What is the status of Mr. Giovanni Alamilla as it concerns the election which will be held on February 18^th at the Radisson Fort George Hotel? We were made to understand that while he cannot run for the post of President, Vice President or Treasurer, but he can still run for an Executive Member post. If that is the case, why is this gentleman still afforded the opportunity to be a part of the Belize Olympic & Commonwealth Games Association (BOCGA) in an executive capacity with all the overwhelming evidence that have been provided to you regarding his conviction for bank robbery and subsequent incarceration in the US. If this was someone else, would he be afforded the same privilege? What gives Mr. Alamilla this added edge?
   We were informed that when your organization was questioned about this matter, your organization’s response was that this matter was vetted with the IOC and that as per their guidelines, it was OK. A subsequent check with the IOC does not confirm this and they have stated that they do not provide guidelines for local in-country elections and that for the most part that is left to each individual country. Please provide us with evidence of any kind of ruling which states that Mr. Alamilla can participate in local elections
2. Will the BOCGA be providing an audited financial report at its AGM? And if no, why not?
3. Will the media be invited in the AGM of the BOCGA? And if no, why not? Will there be a press conference afterwards so that questions can be asked of the organization? If no, why not?
4. Indicate to us the mechanisms, guidelines and procedure for the election. Who are the election monitors and what criterion was used to pick them?
5. What is the budget of the AGM? For some reason, your AGM’s always seem to be in lavish settings while athletes seem starved for resources.
6. It is my understanding that some members of your executive have been there for decades or, as Belizeans would say, donkey’s years. Why hasn’t your organization set term limits for its elected officials? Is this something that is being contemplated and is it a topic of discussion at the upcoming AGM?
7. The overwhelming concern of the Belizean public is that your organization is top heavy with executives and bottom light with athletes and that your executives are pretty much more concerned with the perks of the office, such as travelling and the associated entertainment that comes with that. What are your comments regarding that assertion?
8. In hindsight does the BOCGA still believe that Katy Sealy was the right choice to represent Belize in Rio 2016? If no, is it willing to do say so publicly?
9. In any modern organization, the responsibility rests on the shoulders of its leadership. With the dismal performance of Belize in Rio 2016, are you, Mr. Martinez, willing to step down or not offer yourself for office again at the upcoming elections?

If you notice, there was just one major bullet point out of nine that had anything to do with the office you hold. In my correspondence dated August 21^st, 2016 they were 12 points that I brought up and again, only one concerned your office. If you consider this a personal attack on you, then “person attack” must have changed its definition. My correspondence was never to dissuade any of the governing body of the different bodies from voting for you.  Because, as you said it, you were duly elected. My correspondence has always been about getting answers so that the public can know, because there is not much that the public knows about your organization, and what we normally see is failure. It’s called accountability. If your organization decides that it will accept persons with a checkered past and it’s universally accepted and incorporated into the organizational guidelines, then by all means. Belize welcomes second chances. But, if we do it for one, then we have to do it for all and should not “cherry pick” individuals based on gender, race, culture, social standing, political affiliation or religious belief.

However, your organization has arrogantly chosen to remain quiet, because how dare an ordinary person like me question them? What has angered your organization and most of those in its executive is, how dare someone question them when they have been doing this for years. The fact is that every red-blooded Belize has a right and a responsibility to question any organization that chooses to represent us, whether the nation funds them or not, because they cannot exist without the people and nation of Belize. Our country has been going to the Olympics since Mexico 1968. That’s 49 years and we are no closer to medaling in any Olympics. Our teams like softball, football, boxing and cycling who were once powerhouses in Latin America and were feared when they entered the field, are now almost guaranteed to be last place. This is not because our athletes are not patriotic, hardworking and dedicated, but because most of the senior leadership in sports are in it for themselves. If our lack of progress spells upward mobility to you, then we must be looking at two completely different sporting pictures. However, if as you claim you are one of the leaders who are in it to help the youth and develop sports in Belize, then we need more people like you and if you win in the February 18^th election, then that must be the message that you bring to the other elected executives. No one in Belize is more special than anyone else in this nation. Had your case been someone off the streets with a checkered past, served time and then rightfully turned their life around, only the organization you represent can say if they would have been given a similar chance.

So you are more than welcome to continue with your Facebook post and continue trying to smear me and assassinate my character, since I assure you that growing up black and Garifuna in this nation gives one some very, very thick skin. Bigger fish than you have taken swings at me and I am still here standing. If you continue to see this as a personal issue against you, then that’s on you. I make absolutely no apologies.

All the best and it’s all about the people!!!!

Sincerely,

Neri O. Briceño