by Colin Hyde
In a story too long to explain, the UDP’s show on Wave television is off air; so, for some time now, anyone who wants to know how the party feels about the pressing issues was limited to the Guardian Bz, which is published weekly, and clips on social media. But maybe going on two weeks now, the views of the UDP, from the mouth of their star television host, Fonso, has been on air, on Color Blind, a UDP affiliate. The PUP has its Vaughan and Hilly Show; it’s right that the UDP counters the propaganda from there, with theirs.
When the UDP had its show on Wave it was hosted by the tag team of Fonso and Joe Bradley; but Color Blind wants no part of Joe, which is obvious, Alfonso being alone. My guess is that the Color Blind caters to a more mature audience. Color Blind has never had a full-blown red show with all the bias, until the Fonso Show. Well, Color Blind has to rearrange things, because in the present format Fonso is going to get wasted.
Fonso is a talent, definite Lower House material. When the show was on Wave, Fonso with Joe, Joe handled all the calls from the wild wing of the red party. Both these main parties have their die-haadz, people on the extremes who never have a kind word about anything the other party does, people who will twist and lie with no shame. When Joe was with Fonso, Fonso was insulated because Joe would handle. With Joe up to his knees in the mud, a la Hilly and Vaughan, Fonso was free to show himself on the topics sober Belizeans talk and want to hear about. Kwik, faas, an hori, the UDP needs to get a Joe type on Color Blind, before dehn ruin Fonso.
If you’re thinking I’m gone UDP red with this expression of concern, naa, it isn’t that; it’s because we need a strong Opposition; it’s because a little country like Belize can’t afford to dump on talent; and maybe most of all, because the brother’s from Kubaali Aali, a Water Lane bwai, from the ‘hood where I was born. Fonso said that’s where he lived when his family moved to the city from the country. Ah, Kubaali Aali! I bet Fonso doesn’t know that in the days when we were under colonial SOE, when British soldiers marched through the city streets at night armed with carbines fitted with bayonets, our insurrectionists escaped being collared by laasing them through the alley. Hmm, that Fonso had to grow up to be a rebel. Hmm, but they were in power for 13 long punishing years!
I said Fonso is Lower House material. Joe Bradley said a man who taak big shud put his name on the ballot. Joe did, and his horse didn’t get out of the gate. But you know the why of that. Belize can’t use mischief makers in authority positions. It is to be seen how the ballots would treat Fonso.
Fonso’s involvement in a tragedy
I thought Fonso would have stepped up in 2025, and thinking on it later, I think the only reason he didn’t goes back to 2016, when he was driving a vehicle that ran over a man who was riding a bicycle. Looking at that painful, unfortunate story, the Amandala of November 11, 2017 said Fonso settled with the family of the brother, Gilbert Myers, who was tragically killed. Leaning on the story, it said: “Today, Noble reportedly settled with the wife of his accident victim, Andrea Myers, who reportedly will be paid a six-figure sum by Noble’s insurance company, RF&G. The settlement was brokered by the law firm of Musa and Balderamos, who represented Mrs. Myers.”
The story is that the accident happened on Christmas Eve. I haven’t heard that he was speeding. There is an accusation that Fonso was drunk, or high. There is an allegation that Fonso refused to give a specimen to the police, and that he told them it was against his religion to do so. An officer who was at the scene said he could not say if Fonso was drunk, but he would say that he spoke well.
The Amandala of November 5, 2019, said in court Fonso pleaded guilty to the “charge of causing death by careless conduct and Justice Williams fined him $3,000.” The Amandala said, “In court, Noble expressed his remorse for causing Myers’s death and he sincerely apologized to Myers’ family”, that he told reporters “he was truly sorry for the accident.” The story said Fonso said “on the night of the accident … it was raining and the road was dark, and that Myers was dressed in black clothing.” The story said Fonso, speaking on the cash settlement, said “no amount of money is enough for the loss of life, and that is something that he would have to live with for the rest of his life.”
The horrible danger of driving at night
We absolutely shouldn’t drive while we are intoxicated. Neither should we drive when we are seriously fatigued; and re driving at night, we shouldn’t drive between 6:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. if we don’t have good “light sight”, eyes that handle lights at night. For years, once each week I used to travel with my younger sister to visit our old folk in Belize City. I drove on the trip down and she drove on the trip back to Camalote, the later trip usually being at night. She drove on the night trip because I take a few drinks when I’m with my family; and while only on a few of those occasions I got tipsy, if someone runs into you, or you run into someone, the slightest whiff of rum on your breath you’ll be declared drunk, even if you give a sample and it is below the limit. On top of that, I don’t have great light sight.
Many times on those trips up to Camalote with my sister I wanted to nap, but instead I kept my eyes “peeled” on the road ahead, to give my sister extra sight. That highway is a dangerous place at night.
It’s the rottenest of luck for Fonso that he hit a man that night; and worse for the man, who, unfortunately, tragically, died. The road is terrible after dark. I am sure I am not the only Belizean who says, “Thank you, God,” on arriving home without incident.
The state failing its responsibility
The roads being especially terrible after dark, no one should be riding a bike between 6:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. on the road. We shouldn’t; we do; I have. We understand Belize, not all of us can afford a vehicle. In the realm of I told you so, let me say it again: it should be the law that if you ride a bicycle at night on the highway, for your sake, for everybody’s sake, you should “shine like a whorehouse.”
But I don’t put blame on Mr. Myers for the accident, for his reportedly not going the extra yard to ensure that he was seen. Our country’s leaders have huge blame for tragedies like these. It’s hard to change culture. Leaders have a duty to insist that we ride as safely as possible. If you’re in a leadership position and you don’t understand that, you are misplaced.
If Fonso puts his name on the ballot
We should not drive if we’ve been drinking. We should also not drive when we are extremely fatigued, or ill. Assuming that Mr. Noble was high or drunk, if you’ve ever driven a vehicle while high or drunk, you share in the guilt. You’ve just been lucky. Fonso most likely had been drinking. But the police officer said he spoke well, which would suggest that he was clear in his head.
I can tell you why, if Fonso’s name was on the ballot, I mightn’t let that tragic incident play any part in my yay or nay decision. I believe he is remorseful. I know we share in the guilt. I bet if he was in the House he would be a great poster boy for road safety. If Mr. Myer’s widow and their children forgave him, Fonso might be free, if it’s his inclination, to try and serve his country at a higher level.
Unithiol
This is an excerpt from “Development of an oral regimen of unithiol for the treatment of snakebite envenoming: a phase 1 open-label dose-escalation safety trial and pharmacokinetic analysis in healthy Kenyan adults”, a report in ScienceDirect: A large proportion of the world’s medically important snake species cause toxicity through snake venom metalloproteinase (SVMP) activity, a group of zinc dependent enzymes that are vulnerable to inhibition through chelation. Unithiol, a chelating agent that is routinely used to treat mercury and arsenic poisoning, has recently demonstrated promising efficacy to prevent tissue damage and death in animal models of snakebite envenoming. The optimal dose of unithiol for snake envenoming is uncertain, and this clinical trial was undertaken to define the safety and pharmacokinetics of oral dose escalations amongst healthy adult volunteers.