Opposition UDP stirring up!

UDP promises to go “hard for the people”

BELIZE CITY, Thurs. Apr. 23, 2026

   After not hosting a press conference on national issues in ten weeks, the Opposition United Democratic Party (UDP) on Wednesday morning presented to the media a sweeping, hard‑hitting critique of the Briceño administration. The usual speakers – except for Hon. Lee Mark Chang, who was absent – sounded a warning that Belize is facing a full‑blown governance and cost‑of‑living crisis, which the party says is being woefully mismanaged by the current administration. Party leader, Hon. Tracy Panton, noted that even she is impacted by the cost-of-living pressures that are touching every household, every community, and every sector of national life.

   Panton opened the nearly two‑hour session by reading a sombre list of Belizeans recently killed in violent incidents, calling the surge in murders, disappearances, and road fatalities “mayhem” and “a national emergency.” She said the country is witnessing a dangerous unravelling of public safety, while the government remains silent, aloof, and “out of touch.”

   At that point, the UDP leadership proceeded to deliver a coordinated indictment of the administration’s handling of the economy, healthcare, land management, transportation, and national security. They argued that Belizeans are being pushed to the brink by rising prices, shrinking services, and a government focused on prioritizing mega‑projects and political insiders over ordinary families.

   Panton drew a direct comparison to the COVID‑19 crisis, while listing the direct relief measures that the then Barrow administration put in place to alleviate the economic pressures on the average Belizean and the productive sector. Panton affirmed that Belizeans are now living through “COVID 2.0”, which sees families being forced to choose between paying rent and utilities, or buying food and fuel, or seeking healthcare or simply going without. She linked those impossible choices to high fuel costs and escalating food prices. She accused the government of failing to realign national priorities to cushion the most vulnerable.

   Panton additionally warned that Social Security funds are being used as a “government piggy bank” to finance large‑scale acquisitions and projects without clear benefits to contributors.

   On the issue of rising bus fares beginning Friday, April 24, Queen’s Square area representative Hon. Godwin Haylock said the government has “lost its social compass”, and remarked that, “This government needs lashing.” He accused the administration of choosing to “tax the working class by increasing bus fares instead of reducing the taxes on fuel.” Crunching the numbers related to a $2.00 increase in bus fares from Belmopan to Belize City, Haylock said weekly transportation costs could reach $100 for some workers. According to Haylock, the administration’s promises of cheaper fares through the National Bus Company have not materialized, and he said that the burden is falling squarely on the backs of public servants, construction workers, and low‑income families. He remarked, “This is a gobble, gobble, gobble government. They are gobbling up money from every, every taxpayer everywhere in this country.”

   Senator Gabriel Zetina, who is also the UDP standard bearer for Belize Rural South, focused on what he called a pattern of “land grabs” in island and rural communities. In particular, he highlighted the uproar in Caye Caulker (which has a PUP village council), over the planned sale of the police station property. Zetina affirmed that the land was never theirs to sell in the first place, as it was originally donated by the Alamina family for public use. He shared that there was initial consultation with the council back in 2022 when the Government was seeking funding from CABEI to build an upgraded police station. Zetina said the council was told it would be easier for the government to obtain funding if it had title to the land, and that is when the transfer occurred. A total of $1.4 million was secured for the construction of the new police station, but then works were halted, and the villagers grew suspicious.

   Zetina called it a betrayal of community trust, and a broader trend of politically connected individuals receiving prime land, while ordinary Belizeans lose leases even when in good standing. “What the Caye Caulker villagers and the village council wanted was honesty, transparency – and not transparency after being caught,” he commented. Zetina added that, had it not been for the villagers standing up, the PUP would have sold the land.

   Today, Belize Rural South area representative Hon. Andre Perez issued a release which stated that following consultations with the Prime Minister, the Village Council and the Minister of Home Affairs, a position was formalized. Perez said he would work to ensure that the project advances in a “manner that respects the concerns of the community, while also improving public safety.” Since the release did not openly state what the decision was, we explicitly confirmed from Perez that construction of the police station will resume at parcel 815, as per the community’s wishes.

  Also during the press conference, Anne-Marie Williams, head of the UDP’s National Organization for Women, strongly criticized the Ministry of Health’s decision to require prescriptions for birth control, calling it a rollback of reproductive rights for women. She said the decision imposes barriers that disproportionately harm working‑class women, rural women, and adolescents. She warned that the policy will lead to longer clinic wait times, increased unintended pregnancies, and heightened risks of unsafe abortions and gender‑based violence. Williams noted that for more than 50 years, Belizean women have safely accessed contraceptives over the counter, and she called on the ministry to reverse the decision immediately.

   While closing the press conference and announcing that the UDP is ready to govern under a people-centered agenda, UDP chairlady Sheena Pitts called for the government to make birth control free and for it to be included under NHI. At the same time, she argued that if the government wants to make policy on reproductive rights, then it should be a punishable crime for men to refuse to wear condoms. She also demanded that there be education on vasectomy alongside tubal ligation education, and quipped, “caz if you want I tie it up, you betta snip it up!” Pitts pointed out that all the responsibility is being placed on women, while they are “letting men all scott-free.”

   Pitts also called for a pause on non‑urgent infrastructure projects, arguing that “poor people can’t eat streets.” Additionally, she said a future UDP government would reinstate supermarket discount cards.

   Pitts also raised concerns about the ICJ case, and called on the government to publicly outline its plan should the case “go left” for Belize. She declared that the UDP will get “hard for the people”, but also called on the Belizean people to “get hard upon this administration.” Speaking on another matter, Pitts warned that the UDP will be vigilant against gerrymandering, and insisted that Belizeans must be fully informed about the stakes.

   Lead UDP Senator Patrick Faber also weighed in on the birth control prescription requirement (now under a 12-month transition period), describing it as nothing more than a “racket.” Faber also stated that the government is failing to respond to rising crime, rising fuel costs, and rising food prices, and accused the administration of hiding behind the explanation of imported inflation. Faber urged Belizeans to stop being “soft on the PUP.” He added, “Stop treat di UDP like dehn gat leprosy. We had some issues; we done get rid ah dem.” Meanwhile, Panton issued a call for the people to rise up, describing it as a sacred duty when leadership fails the people.