So, the PM says that the man who came on the suspect plane in July is a significant investor, a US 20- million dollar man, and he followed all the safety protocols until he left ten days after arriving. No, it could not be he who was the source of the COVID-19 that took root in San Pedro and eventually derailed our best laid plans to reopen the airport for tourism on August 15.
My, so many millions and millions of dollars in physical assets just sitting there, and all of our highly trained people just twiddling their thumbs and hoping for a pantry, because we let the COVID-19 get away from us.
Oh bah, the wealthy guy couldn’t find one honest, competent Belizean to oversee his businesses and make a decent report; no sir, he had to come himself, in person, and we are to believe that he didn’t have COVID-19, and if he did, well, he did not mingle with our people.
What is it with us and being so impressed with these significant investors? When they come to our little country, they act so mercenary. I see Breaking News frequently publishing posts about Lord Ashcroft’s thoughts about our economy, and it’s so much like a predator circling their wounded prey. It’s the optics, the optics look that way.
Our leaders, they just love the rich and famous. I have to say it, I don’t want to, but I have to say it¯you see that house that Minister Pablo Marin is living in? Why, why are our people so impressed with the trappings of the rich and famous? Don’t we know that if we grab the giant concrete and steel fortress, we lose the thing that makes us special, the thing that makes us so human? Oh no, that minister is not alone in having the dreams of Hollywood living.
Of course we can use the investment. I guess it’s too altruistic, too socialist, to think about all the reasonable-sized houses that we could build with all that cement and steel, and could rent in hire-purchase arrangements for a small profit.
There were other planes flying around that could have remained on the ground. So much hinged on our remaining COVID-19-free, so much hinged on our having the disease under control so we could open our airport, so a few hotels could have gotten some occupancy, a number of workers in the industry could have gotten their jobs back, and our country could have earned some vital foreign exchange to help save the economy.
All of us should feel remorse
A few days ago the Minister of Health might have shot and killed a man who allegedly had broken into a section of his house. According to the report the minister gave the Commissioner of Police, he came face to face with the robber. The day after the tragic incident, the minister was interviewed by the police, and the reports are that a case file has been sent to the DPP’s office for further review. You know, with this present government, that at best we’re looking at bad luck — they being at the wrong place at the wrong time so many times.
Like so many others, maybe everyone but the minister, I wasn’t on the scene, so I don’t know what happened. We are pretty sure the minister fired shots; he said so. We haven’t been told if the man who lost his life was hit by a bullet or bullets, and if he was hit by a bullet or bullets if it or they were from the gun of the minister. A ballistics expert will have to determine that. We don’t yet know the cause of the gentleman’s death; a medical examiner will have to determine that.
It’s a pity that after the investigation is completed we’ll still be speculating about what happened on the fateful night. I am not targeting the integrity of the minister. It’s all because we live in a very dishonest country, and in a dishonest country every man’s integrity is diminished.
From the information we have, the minister shot the man because he had invaded his property. I have read literally hundreds of Facebook posts that say the minister had full rights/was right to shoot the intruder, and very, very few posts that question the use of such force. At the latest virtual press conference hosted by the Prime Minister, he expressed his support, his complete solidarity with the minister. The minister, one of his lawyers says, has expressed remorse for what happened.
It is important, I think, to look at the possible angles of this case, for the growth of our country. We grow when we all share our ideas, and we listen to each other.
I know it’s not a good thing to have your home invaded or to feel physically threatened. I understand why someone would shoot under circumstances such as those. My experiences tell me that if I walked around with a gun, that’s how I would react. I don’t think that’s anything to be proud of.
Was the life of the minister or a member of his family in danger? Did the minister shoot to protect his property? We should find out these and other things, but we won’t, because we are living in a very dishonest country. Let me explain that further. We are skeptical about everything, because we believe that our political leaders sometimes, oftentimes interfere with the work of our Police Department.
Our hard working Police Commissioner keeps saying the right words, but after decades of the wealthy and powerful in our country being immune from prosecution by the law, the police would have to arrest and the courts successfully prosecute some big people to hold up as proof that it ain’t just talk. We live in a spoils system, and the people who hold power, and their families and friends, take the best and are above the law.
I said I noted the consensus is that if someone invades your property you have the right to kill them, and not only that, it is a good thing if you did. I think anyone who feels that way, anyone who feels it is a good thing to kill somebody, should check themselves.
If you aren’t weeping for the brother who was killed, then ice water now flows where warm blood once did. The reports are that the brother had lost his way to drugs and had become a nuisance. That could happen to any of us, or our children. Yes, there, but for the grace of God, we go.
It is so wrong, the suggestion that the deceased man, Mr. Matura, was worthless. Even as a drug addict, he has worth. And he could have cleaned up. Maybe if he had he should never have become a security guard at a pharmacy, but he could have run errands; maybe if he had cleaned up he shouldn’t have become the head of the NDAAC, but he could have been supporting staff, poster boy for persons recovered from addiction.
Where there is life, there is hope. Life is a precious, precious gift, and it is the worst of tragedies when someone in their vital years loses theirs. I don’t blame the minister for what happened. Only the minister knows if he did what he had to do in the situation, if he panicked, or if he was overwhelmed by anger.
I don’t know what happened in the incident. The end, the loss of life, is what I and all of us should be sad about. It is good that the minister has expressed remorse.