To date, the Police have yet to arrest anyone in connection with the sensational kidnapping on Sunday, May 27 of this year, of former UDP area representative and Minister of Government, Mr. Derek Aikman. At the time of Mr. Aikman’s kidnapping, he was in the process of leading his Belize Covenant Movement in the conduct of a nationwide referendum to determine the people’s will in connection with the hotly debated issue of the government guarantee to pay off the UHS private loan from the Belize Bank of some 33.5 million dollars US. However, at the time there also arose another equally vexing matter before the House of Representatives, and which Mr. Aikman was also outspoken about in interviews on KREM Radio and KREM TV. That issue was the “Vesting Bill” for the Belize Telemedia Company, to replace the Belize Telecommunications Limited.
At the time of Mr. Aikman’s kidnapping, the Prime Minister had already withdrawn the UHS guarantee from the agenda of the House meeting, so all eyes were focused on the Telemedia matter. It had been passed in the House on Friday, May 25, and was supposed to be put before the Senate for approval the following Monday, May 28. Derek Aikman was kidnapped on the intervening Sunday night, May 27, and his kidnappers reportedly threatened his life on a condition that had something to do with the passage of the Telemedia Bill. Unless Mr. Aikman made up everything, it would appear that some interested parties in the Telemedia affair felt agitated enough to resort to illegal “rough tactics”.
Since that incident, the Belize Covenant Movement held a poorly attended launching at the SJC gymnasium and then faded from the public spotlight. Not much has been heard from Mr. Aikman since.
The Sunday, September 30 issue of Amandala was actually printed on Thursday night, September 27, and hit the streets on Friday morning, September 28. The attack on KREM WUB host Mose Hyde’s vehicle occurred in the very early hours of Friday morning, so if anyone was annoyed about the headline, “Scurvy UHS loan is still with us!,” this action couldn’t be considered related, unless they somehow had previous knowledge of what the report would have been. But the previous issue of Amandala, for Wednesday, September 26, focused squarely on the Telemedia matter with the headline, “Prosser, PSU and BNTU fight Telemedia and GOB!”
It has become the norm in Belize that hot topics highlighted in the newspaper inevitably get discussed in the local talk shows. Many citizens don’t bother to read, but the vast majority listen to the talk shows, so people with vested interests are understandably concerned about the “hottest” call-in talk show in Belize – the WUB. It is quite coincidental, then, that the attack on Mose’s vehicle should occur at a time when the Telemedia issue is highlighted in the news, and the kidnapping of Derek Aikman occurred when the Telemedia issue was even more highlighted, some four months ago.
When the attack had occurred on Mose’s vehicle, it was first suggested that it may have something to do with his strong comments against narco trafficking in Belize in an earlier show. But the attack last night on Rufus X, upon reaching home after the KREMANDALA SHOW, the most listened to night radio/TV show in Belize, suggests a different source. Rufus X had nothing to say recently about narco-trafficking. If a message was being sent, it appears the senders wanted to make sure KREMANDALA understood where they are coming from.
In Belize, as violent as our society has become, and as many crimes as go unsolved, some obviously done as paid “hits”, it is clear as day that these recent acts of violence had their origins in some contractual arrangements with the protagonists. Some poor misguided soul was offered money to do a dirty deed. And it is a strange coincidence, indeed, that such violence against popular public speakers should occur around the time when the Telemedia and UHS topics are big in the news.
This is a time of heightened sensitivity in political circles in Belize, especially on the side of the government, which has seen our country’s international corruption ranking fall from 66 to 99 recently under their watch. There are many interested parties, including politicians, in the whole Telemedia and UHS affair. And there may be some politicians on the government side who are overly anxious about the possible consequences of their party’s losing the next election.
In sports, it is often the case that the losing side will begin “playing dirty”, and sometimes even try to “bruk up” the game. Escalating violence could give the government an excuse to declare a state of emergency” and thus suspend elections. These are serious times, indeed.
My humble advice to our people at this time would be the words of Marcus Garvey, “Keep cool; keep cool”. As long as the referee/police remain in control, stay on the right side of the laws. The long whistle will soon blow.