The year 2024, like years past, started out tense, with all eyes on the north, where the largest grouping of sugar cane farmers, the Belize Sugar Cane Farmers Association (BSCFA), and the miller, Belize Sugar Industries (BSI), were again deadlocked in unproductive discussions over a new commercial agreement. There were blockades in front of the mill and along the Philip Goldson Highway which interrupted sugar cane delivery; and Agriculture Minister, Hon. Jose Mai almost faced physical confrontations from some frustrated cane farmers. Government officials even made remarks in which they contemplated nationalizing the industry. Intervention from the Prime Minister (who aborted a trip to meet the Pope) and his team, led to a 2-year interim commercial agreement on January 8. In May, however, labour shortages caused delays in the sugar cane harvest.
Photo: Cane farmers’ roadblock at Mile 66.5 on the Philip Goldson Highway
A key sugar issue was resolved by Government-appointed expert, Hugh O’Brien who was tasked with conducting an assessment of the throughput fee and terminal handling charge to export raw bulk sugar through BSI’s terminal in Big Creek. He found that the charges were justified. BSCFA accepted the results but noted that the charges were being applied prematurely, and called for other costs to be similarly reviewed.
The promised Sugar Industry Commission of Inquiry was not started until May 29, with foreign commissioners. Prior to this, there was some back and forth between the Government and BSCFA, which wanted the inquiry to include a review of BSI’s financials. Upon approval of the Commission’s terms of reference, ASR threatened to consider its options in Belize. The Inquiry concluded in November, but by the end of December, the stakeholders had only received an executive summary and were awaiting the full document.
Meanwhile, faced with a first-ever sugar shortage that started around August of 2023 and continued into 2024, the Government allowed BSI to import 250 metric tons of plantation white sugar from its principal in the United States, American Sugar Refining (ASR), until local production was once again at satisfactory levels. The imported sugar sold for double the price of local sugar. Repeated requests from Santander Sugar to sell sugar locally were denied. Fortunately, though, it appears that measures taken by the Price Control Unit of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Security and Enterprise, in collaboration with BSI to monitor local buyers of sugar, seemed to work, and there were no reports of sugar shortages at Christmas time this year.
The standoff between the Central Bank of Belize and the Belize Bank (and later, other local commercial banks) continued in the High Court, as they sought to reverse the regulator’s introduction of Practice Direction 7 that would see consumers pay reduced fees for some services. In the end, there was an out-of-court agreement, and the commercial banks slashed fees for ATM withdrawals, instant funds transfers (IFT) and electronic funds transfers (EFT). They also discontinued fees for account closure, maintenance of accounts, waivers, dormant accounts and early loan payouts. In the third quarter of the year, however, the banks introduced increased charges for over-the-counter withdrawals and deposits of cheques. Central Bank Governor Kareem Michael noted that the gains are higher, as fewer and fewer people are going into banks.
U.S. national, John Delong won the gruelling 96-mile KREM 2024 New Year’s Day Cycling Classic, the second largest event on the cycling calendar. Cory Williams placed 2nd. Due to an injury, Delong announced that he would not be participating in the 2025 race to defend his title.
On January 4th, the People’s Development Movement (PDM) gave Belize City voters a third option to the two mass parties. However, its mayoral candidate, Estevan Perera, Sr. would only receive 391 votes in the March 6 municipal elections, compared to the over 12,000 votes garnered by incumbent People’s United Party candidate, Bernard Wagner, who won a historic third term. Elsewhere, the PUP also remained strong, and only saw regression in San Ignacio/Santa Elena, where Mayor Earl Trapp was re-elected along with 5 UDP councillors as opposed to only one. In total, the PUP won 61 of 67 seats in the municipals.
Belize lost beloved Catholic Bishop Lawrence Nicasio to cancer on Monday, January 1. He passed away at the age of 67 after giving 34 years of his life to priestly and Episcopal ministry.
January also claimed the life of 1980s football star, Kent “Gigante” Skeet, who passed away after prolonged illness. In February, our Publisher, Evan X Hyde would lose his beloved wife, Audrey Margaret Hyde nee Scott. Then on March 23, he would say goodbye to his illustrious father, Charles Bartlett Hyde, at the age of 100.
In January, the Belize Peace Movement (BPM) continued to push for a redistricting exercise, but their court case did not end in an order that the Elections and Boundaries Commission comply with the Constitution by producing a report with recommendations for the number of voters in the country’s various electoral divisions to be as nearly equal as possible. Justice Nadine Nabie ruled that the Elections and Boundaries Commission had complied with its mandate to produce a report for consideration by the National Assembly by the agreed timeline of July 2023. The report was actually tabled for debate on May 30, but at the end of the year, it had yet to be brought back from committee for debate. At the end of May, government officials, including the Prime Minister, started hinting that time was running out for a redistricting exercise before the next general elections. The Court advised the BPM to bring another claim to challenge the constitutionality of Schedule 1 of the Representation of the People’s Act (ROPA) – which they did. In December, the Briceño Administration retained two high-powered attorneys, Senior Counsels Eamon Courtenay and Godfrey Smith, to contest the challenge. On the other hand, the BPM was having difficulties finding representation, but must also consider the implications of losing the case and the Government being awarded costs.
In January 2024, the Belize Police Department was celebrating the fact that the murder count for 2023 was 87, the lowest since 2005. The murder rate stood at 21.5 per 100,000.
It was an exciting day for the Belize City Council and the Transport Department when the first electric buses (under a collaboration with UNDP) arrived in Belize on January 29. They entered circulation in the city on July 19. After some months, Mayor Bernard Wagner described it as a hugely successful venture in his quest to create a smart city.
On January 12, two women filed rape reports against attorney Orson “OJ” Elrington, but he was not charged until March. Prior to the charge, he resigned from his United Democratic Party posts. He unsuccessfully challenged having to stand trial. The women reported that they socialized with Elrington at a Belize City entertainment spot and then agreed to stop in at his house for final drinks, and after a certain point, they could not recall what happened. Elrington claimed the intercourse was consensual. He later faced backlash after using his Facebook news blog, Hot Off the Press, to discredit the complainants. This prompted a Cabinet discussion about regulating social media news blogs. The attorney would face even more trouble after being found guilty by the General Legal Council on April 19 of grave professional misconduct.
Popular attorney, 54-year-old Oscar Selgado also faced personal problems after being found guilty on March 8 of abetment to murder. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison on June 14.
Photo: Attorney Oscar Selgado
On January 16, former Port Loyola area representative Anthony “Boots” Martinez lodged a recall petition against current area rep, Hon. Gilroy Usher. However, he was found to be 96 signatures short. He said he was considering legal action, but eventually dropped the challenge altogether due to timeline restrictions.
The preliminary inquiry for former police officer Elmer Nah in connection with the triple Ramnarace 2022 New Year’s Eve murders started on January 26 with Jamaican special prosecutor Terrence Williams. Nah was committed to stand trial at the High Court on April 16. However, there were many delays and the Defense, taken over by Senior Counsel Godfrey Smith in the last quarter of the year, complained that the Crown had not complied with requests, including the provision of the surveillance footage of the murder for enhancement. Nah had requested that this be done by the police to prove he was not the triggerman. He alleged that it was another police officer.
Photo: Former police officer Elmer Nah
In February, the National Assembly approved increasing the age of compulsory education from 14 to 16 years.
Change also came for downtown Belize City when it was announced in early February that Hofius Limited would close its doors by mid-year following a decision of the stakeholders. The hardware store had been a landmark on Albert Street.
In a shining moment for Belize, Marques Warrick, star basketballer grandson of Tony Wright, became the men’s basketball all-time leading scorer at Northern Kentucky University in mid-February. When visiting Belize, Warrick assists Belize basketball legend, Clinton “Pulu” Lightburn with his Future Shock Basketball initiative. Meanwhile, in April came the news that U-18 basketball star from Dangriga, Douglas Langford, Jr. was offered a full scholarship from U.S. Ivy League university, Yale. Lightburn said the scholarship is worth over a million dollars for four years.
Photo: Marques Warrick and Douglas Langford, Jr.
The Senate Inquiry on the controversial Portico Definitive Agreement faced many setbacks in 2024. When they appeared before the commission, former UDP Deputy Prime Minister Hugo Patt and former Lands Commissioner Wilber Vallejos refused to answer questions, using a legal copout. They were represented by Senior Counsel Dean Barrow, who was Prime Minister when then Minister Erwin Contreras signed the document without Cabinet approval. Then, the Briceño Administration, through Cabinet Secretary Stuart Leslie, would decline to provide documentation, citing Cabinet confidentiality. In May, real estate businessman Sunjay Hotchandani merely admitted he was director of some 7 companies which sold 17 parcels totalling over 750 acres of land to Portico Enterprise Limited just days before the November 2020 general elections. The Portico principal, David Gegg himself testified in May and affirmed that the much-maligned agreement was valid. Meanwhile, in November, Contreras was compelled—on warrant — to testify; but he too stonewalled the Committee, saying the matter was before the court.
Photo: Former Minister Erwin Contreras
In February, Belizeans started experiencing blackouts, which became more frequent in April and May, as Belize Electricity Limited had to ration energy due to multiple complicating factors which caused a shortfall in electricity supply. Ambergris Caye residents faced the brunt of it. Heat waves increased energy demand. Notably, the Met Service recorded an all-time temperature record at the PGIA weather station. At the end of the year, BEL said it is in a better position to avoid “load shedding” for 2025.
A community effort led by activist Eworth Garbutt in February got the Government to suspend dredging by Angelfish Caye LLC at Will Bauer Flats. In October, the Government moved to compulsorily acquire the island to preserve the livelihood of the sports fishers.
Photo: GoB notice for compulsory acquisition of Angelfish Caye
In the case of the long outstanding Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) bill, in the works since 2011, there was slow progress in 2024, as Cabinet approved amendments presented by the OSH working group. However, by the end of the year, the bill had still not been passed, and several parties have noted that there is consideration about updating the bill so that it would be in line with changes in the workplace, particularly after COVID and development in Artificial Intelligence.
The face of the busy Mahogany Street in Belize City got an uplift in 2024 in a collaboration between the Belize Tourism Board and the Belize City Council. The area was spruced up with spanking new and colourful vendor booths, public bathrooms and a dedicated parking area for St. Luke Methodist Primary School.
Photo: Vendor Booths on Mahogany Street
On February 27, the National Garifuna Council announced that the Ministry of Education had granted permission for Garifuna to be taught in schools in the traditional Garifuna communities in Stann Creek and Toledo.
On February 28, the Prime Minister met with representatives of the Christian Workers Union (CWU) to discuss a sugar redundancy package in compensation for bulk sugar operations having been moved to the south from the now government-owned Port of Belize Ltd. It was agreed that Government would make a $1.5 million ex gratia payment to the stevedores. However, the signing did not take place until March 18, as the CWU refused a quid pro quo of having to accept terms by the new interim board outside of what already existed in their CBA.
On March 22, KREM Television, the youngest arm of the KREMANDALA media organization, was rebranded as XTV Belize.
New transport regulations came into effect on March 1st, requiring the use of seatbelts on all roads, and also regulating the use of cell phones while driving.
Belizean basketball star from the ‘70s, Gustavo Perera, passed away on February 26. He was one of Belize’s greatest shooting forwards, and was also the first Commissioner of semi-pro basketball in Belize.
At the end of February, the Belize Agricultural Health Authority (BAHA) went on alert due to increasing cases of the New World Screwworm in Panama and Costa Rica. By mid-year, the disease had spread to Honduras; and in the last quarter of the year, it had arrived in Guatemala. On December 28, the Government of Belize announced it had detected a suspected case in Crique Sarco. The disease had been eradicated in Belize and the region some 30 years ago. It threatens a now 90-million-dollar livestock industry; but thankfully, Mexico has agreed to continue allowing imports from Belize under strict conditions.
Belize City residents were shaken when they learned on the morning of Saturday, March 9, of the murder of City Administrator Stephanie Lindo-Garbutt by her husband, Oswald “Wally” Garbutt, who then took his own life. Meanwhile in Belmopan, a shocking scene played out on the afternoon of Tuesday, March 12, when a gunman, 59-year-old Haitian American, Robert Joseph, went after an entire family who were buying ice cream at the crowded market. 44-year-old Laura Fiorito and 8-year-old Mexican student, Megan Petkau Klassen succumbed to their injuries, while three others survived.
Explosive news on the business front came on March 14 when Atlantic Bank placed Stake Bank Enterprises Ltd. (SBEL) under receivership. The Bank would subsequently take SBEL principal Michael Feinstein to court, alleging fraud over a 23.4-acre extension around Stake Bank Island placed in Feinstein’s name rather than SBEL. To try to see the cruise port project completed, the Government moved to compulsorily acquire the extension to benefit OPSA, the Honduran company that bought out the $62 million SBEL debt from Atlantic Bank, but that was challenged by Feinstein. The hearing took place in the third week of December. A decision is expected by mid-January 2025.
Photo: Unfinished Stake Bank project
A criminal case that meandered through the court system was that of accused triple murderer Jared Ranguy. However, on March 15 he became a convict when he pleaded guilty to killing his mother, his sister and his stepfather in 2012. On July 16 Justice Nigel Pilgrim sentenced him to serve three life sentences, to run concurrently. He will spend 37 years in prison, and can seek parole after serving 25 years. The Skeen family was grateful for closure.
For the first time, a State of Emergency (SOE) was declared on March 26 not only in parts of Belize City but also in the villages of Roaring Creek and Camalote in the Cayo District, in an attempt to curb a surge in violence. In June, an SOE was declared for parts of Belize City, Roaring Creek and Cotton Tree Village. It was subsequently extended until September.
Honduran Luis Lopez set a record time winning Belize’s 2024 Holy Saturday Cross Country Cycling Classic in 5 hours, 39 minutes and 26 seconds, surpassing the time set by American Ryan Baumann in 2008.
Photo: Honduran Luis Lopez
Belize bid farewell to Ambassador David Gibson, one of our foremost diplomats and Belizean patriot on Easter Monday. He died quietly in his sleep.
At the beginning of April, it was revealed that a wooden bridge had been built within the Colombia River Forest Reserve, presumably by Guatemalans who have been decimating our forest resources in the reserve. The structure was destroyed by the BDF.
On April 8, the 2022 census data was finally revealed and pointed to an increase in the population by 75,000. The total population figure was 397,483.
Dr. Fernando Cuellar, described as a pillar of the medical community in Belize, passed away on April 20 after being diagnosed earlier in the month with cancer of the blood. Then, on April 22nd, Toledo East Area Representative, Hon. Michael Espat passed away at the age of 76 after suffering heart failure.
BDF Commander, Brigadier General Azariel Loria himself got into a confrontation with the Guatemalan Armed Forces (GAF) on April 25th at the Sarstoon on the occasion of the inauguration of the refurbished Forward Operating Base. The GAF top brass then went on their own visit to the Sarstoon, and in a subsequent press briefing, the Guatemalan military officials stated that their elements on the ground were merely following Guatemala’s protocol, and affirmed that the entire Sarstoon River and Island belong to Guatemala.
Starting out the month of May, Cayo mourned the loss of Cristino Jorge Ortega, a football icon known as Maya. He was a star forward for The Mighty Avengers football team from the late 1960s and early 1970s, managed by Polo Waight.
Residents of several villages in Toledo, in particular San Pedro Colombia, were plunged into crisis when forest fires that raged on for weeks decimated farmlands, a few houses and stored crops, leaving over $8 million in damages in May. Over 250 families were affected. The National Emergency Management Organization (NEMO) had to be activated to address the disaster, and a localized state of public emergency was declared on May 19. Wild fires then brought significant pressure on other communities in the west, including near the Elijio Panti National Park in San Antonio Village and also in the Mountain Pine Ridge National Forest Reserve. Losses of over 400 acres were also reported in the Tapir Mountain Nature Reserve due to an unattended farm fire.
It was a remarkable moment for Belize when our U-18 National Basketball Team pulled off a historical upset, beating Brazil in the opening game of the FIBA U-18 AmeriCup Tournament in Argentina.
Photo: Belize U-18 National Basketball Team
Back home, it was a terrifying moment for staff at the San Ignacio Community Hospital when they were threatened and harassed by thugs purportedly to save the life of street figure, 40-year-old David Galindo, who had been shot. There was no security on hand, and police had left after dropping off Galindo, as they only had one vehicle and had to respond to another incident. This led stakeholders to discuss how to prevent a reoccurrence.
In a year when Belizeans are still reeling from inflation, the Government finally gave in to years of lobbying from bakers by raising the price of the 16-ounce loaf of bread to $2.10 on June 3rd. It marked the first increase since around 2008.
On June 12, the Government finally signed the Collective Bargaining Agreement, outstanding since 2008, with the three unions representing public sector workers. The holdup had been Proposal 22, which required Government to pay 100% of the salaries and service benefits of all teachers and staff at grant-aided secondary schools and tertiary level institutions, instead of 70%. At the end of 2023, the Briceño Administration committed to foot the bill of $12.74 million annually.
Belize beamed with pride alongside Belizean Americans Kara Young and Maleah Joi Moon, who won Tony Awards on June 16. Young won for Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play, while Joi Moon won a Tony for her first professional role, debuting as leading actress in the Alicia Keys musical, “Hell’s Kitchen.”
Kara Young Meleah Joi Moon
Credit: Playbill Credit: Vogue
In the third week of June, the Government participated in a first ever Diaspora Summit organized by the Belize American Chamber of Commerce. It was held in Los Angeles, and both the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister attended. The summit included a land clinic and an immigration clinic.
On Sunday, June 23, just after midnight, criminal elements in Roaring Creek took things up a notch when they fired at the village police station, almost injuring a police officer who was sitting outside the entrance. Then on Tuesday, June 26, shots were fired at the Commissioner of Police’s house in Belmopan. Only his son was at home at the time. The ComPol opined that the shooting was intended as a message, given his department’s ramped-up efforts against crime.
At the end of June, the country bade farewell to psychotherapist Jenny Lovell, the former singing star of Mass in Blues. It was later determined that negligence at the Western Regional Hospital contributed to her death.