2 weeks ago
15
A protest march and rally led by Leader of the Opposition Tracy Taegar-Panton drew supporters to the streets of Belize City today as the United Democratic Party called for greater accountability and transparency under the theme, “Stand for Belize.” Supporters gathered this morning at the UDP headquarters before marching through the streets and making their way to Battlefield Park, where the main rally was held. Under the message, “Enough is enough, Belize deserves better,” participants voiced concerns about governance and called on the government to be more accountable to the Belizean people. The demonstration comes amid ongoing public discussion surrounding allegations involving the Ministry of National Defence, which are currently the subject of a government-ordered audit. Organizers said today’s event was an opportunity for Belizeans to express their concerns and demand greater transparency from those in authority. Addressing supporters at the rally, Opposition Leader Tracy Taegar-Panton explained why she believes it was important to organize today’s march and what message she hopes Belizeans take away from the event.
Tracy Panton, Leader of the Opposition: “The parade is on fire and the stage will be on fire and we will keep the fire going until the corrupt Briceño led administration calls the elections because it is time for him to go. I am not completely surprised because we have felt the pulse of the people and people are frustrated. They are tired. They are suffering. And we need to create a space where Belizeans can come out and say enough is enough. We have representation from the northern caucus, from the southern caucus, and of course the central caucus and San Pedro.”
Also participating in today’s demonstration was UDP National Campaign Manager Juliet Thimbriel, sharing the party’s concerns about corruption and why she believes accountability in public office remains an important issue for Belizeans.
Juliet Thimbriel, UDP National Campaign Manager: “Good governance. We have to do right by the Belizean and people. They are tired of stealing. They are tired of politicians that are frauds. They are tired of politicians that give their family members contracts. They are sick and tired of being taken advantage of. We have buses on the road that have been held up and I think it’s a, I don’t want to say it is on purpose, I think it’s a regular checkpoint that the police probably take precaution of when we have different events. So they are being held up on the road and that is the reason we are holding up a little bit. I am not a politician on ballot. I am in politics and I am informing the Belizean people. And they can say anything they want against me, it does not matter. I am not the problem. The problem is the Prime Minister and the People’s United Party that continue to pressure the Belizean people and take advantage of them.”
Today’s march was the UDP’s latest effort to bring its concerns to the public, as the party continues to call for greater accountability and transparency from the Government of Belize.
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