by Colin Hyde
Ouch, when I heard David Gegg was on it, I said to myself, I said, man, you know the area, why didn’t you see it until AFTER he did. Hmm, who knows if I had been privy to all the information the British put out on Belize, if I too, ahem, might have seen the possibilities and moved to get into bed with Royal Caribbean and Boskalis, and begun earnest conversation with Erwin and Patt.
Over the weekend, a former UDP minister with big credentials — I actually have conversations with a former bigwig – told me he once had a book written by one who had done extensive research of potential sites for ports in Belize, and the story was for us to look south of the Sibun. Could it be that Gegg has that book? Call me a “scratched record,” but I “know” Gegg had his hands on the missing page in Dr. Thomas Gann’s book, the one where he mentioned a gold vein, and I got all excited, and then went flat because the page with the location was missing. It must be Gegg, all right! But Manuel Esquivel stopped him and his mules and mining equipment in their tracks.
Call me a “scratched record”, but there’s loads of stuff we roots Belizeans don’t know about Belize. Gustave D. Damann, of Eastern Illinois University, in his 1976 research paper titled, “Belize (British Honduras): Odd Man Out, a GeoPolitical Dispute”, wrote: “Besides losing her governmental function [because of BMP], Belize City may be losing her port function as well. At present ships must anchor more than a mile offshore due to shallow water. Lighters add greatly to the expense of handling cargo. Feasibility studies are being made of a potential new port area near the mouth of the Sibun River, which is five miles south of Belize City.”
And Leicester University’s John Cater Everitt, in his 1967 book titled Terra Incognita, wrote: “The long- term government plan calls for the construction of a super-port, five miles south of the Sibun River mouth, which if constructed might sound the death knell for Belize City.”
Aha, now we’re done with the sea thing: this week I also got to chat with another elite brother of UDP stock who knows things, and he told me volumes about that swamp that Patt signed over. Now, there must be a “questions to former ministers” category in the House rules, and someone must prompt this brother, Patt, to tell us all about it. We really need a walkthrough here. Portico claims that the terrestrial part of the project, inclusive of roads, is 250 acres. It’s a question why they need all that. They can’t be allowed to justify their ambition with any comparison to the old capital, which is similar swamp country. My, the people in that Belize City seem to have license to raze every “mangro”, all 8,000 acres, to the last square centimeter.
The capitalist system is much like monarchy business
The amount of noise that went up when three fishermen were fined close to $100,000 for illegal catch and fishing without a valid fishing license seems to indicate that the majority of Belizeans thought the fine was excessive. It turned out that one of the men was but a passenger on the fishing vessel that was found with the products, and he was let off. The Love FM story on the matter said the men were fined for 58 Angel fish fillet, 23 Angel fish, 24 conchs, 28 lobsters, and for not having a license to fish. If the men don’t pay up by September 28, they will be confined for 6 months. I expect they will be confined.
My guess is the men were scraping, and if that’s not the story, then we have some massive fetish for marine Angel fish here. I wasn’t aware that there was a prohibition on that fish, but I should have known, because one of their foods is algae. They, like the parrot fish, help to keep the coral reef healthy. Hmm, I understand scraping, the temptation for some fisherfolk to take out-of-season and undersized product. I don’t understand taking prohibited species.
About the size of the charge for the fishermen, it’s cruel, I know, but it’s necessary, and the penalties will become even harsher as time goes by. That vicious law, it’s there to protect the fishery. Yes, it’s rotten for who gets caught, but it’s the best, the most efficient, the only tool the authorities have. Those two fishermen might be the least of the bad aaaplz, but they pay for all.
Okay, we’ve reached our destination, this business of the capitalist state. Not more than a month after the boom was lowered on the two fishermen, another cry went up, this one when Rainforest Seafood Limited, a foreign-owned company, was caught with over 20,000 undersized conchs. This cry, it was to make the authorities know that they were being closely watched and that it was expected that the same hammer that fell on the two fishermen would fall on the foreign company. Well, the hammer was dropped on the foreign company, which must make a lot of people happy.
I want to spot my light on the trikinis of the waters in this capitalism we love so much. There’s a part of the Bible where the prophet Samuel warned the people about replacing him with a king. He told them all that a king would do to them. We know that kings want all the ripe maidens. I read that one Solomon corralled a thousand of them. I understand that on those Mayan temples the kings did wicked things to young girls. And kings just love to send other people’s sons off to war.
After all the numbers were crunched, the foreign company with the undersized conchs was charged over $700,000, which is nowhere near a comparable fine to the one the two fishermen have to pay. The unequal charge, the difference might be over prohibited marine Angel fish, which wasn’t in the company’s freezer. Still, 700 thousand is a sizable fine. No, no one from Rainforest is going to jail here. I expect the company will pay the fine, and if the government considers them to be good for Belize, they and the government will work out something to help them get back their money down the road.
A 2016 story in The Gleaner said Rainforest said it had invested US$2 million in a processing plant, had acquired a 1,500-acre shrimp farm, and that it had 35 workers at the facility. We shouldn’t be surprised if fisherfolk who supply Rainforest are happy selling them their produce because after hard days at sea fisherfolk really don’t look forward to going to market to haggle with customers over prices.
Of course, the Fisheries Department can’t turn a blind eye, not even to the biggest businessmen. But ah, 35 workers could easily be 35 breadwinners, heads of families with children. Governments notice these things. When no jobs noh deh, whom do we call on? You bet governments give out favors to those who employ people. And the more people you employ, the more protection you get. If that upsets you, don’t blame me, I’m only the messenger. It’s the price of having a king, the price of the capitalist system.
As for the poor fishermen, I am certain big government ministers must have been grieved too, when they heard about the penalties, and under the table some might have tried to do a thing to ease their pain a little. It’s crazy, the penalty of $100,000, but they have to do it.
Hey, I have a response on file to a recent Brother Clinton piece. Brother Clinton wrote many, many well thought-out and, yes, provocative pieces. But for now, goodbye and respect to the great brother. And mucho love to your family, Comrade.