The Government of Belize announced that it has set the date for Belize’s decision on taking the dispute arising from Guatemala’s claim to Belize’s land and insular territories, and to the maritime areas pertaining to them, to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for final settlement. That date is Wednesday, April tenth, 2019. It is five days before the one-year mark of Guatemala’s referendum and approximately a week before the Easter holidays.

A statement from the government announces that the already commenced public awareness campaign will now be stepped up under the banner of “ICJ, Be Informed.” The nationwide campaign will include various approaches in an effort to reach citizens in every corner of the country. The statement says Belizeans are encouraged to learn more about this very important issue that they will be asked to decide upon.

Guatemala achieved a ninety-five percent yes vote in its referendum on April fifteenth despite only twenty-seven percent of the seven million eligible voters turning out. Belize, on the other hand, needs a simple majority of voters to participate for the referendum to be valid, and a simple majority of the vote to ratify an agreement to go to the I.C.J. The government is expected to spend approximately eight million dollars on the referendum campaign and a similar amount on the re-registration exercise that precedes it in July. There are around two hundred thousand eligible voters to participate in the coming referendum.

Channel 5

by Hector Silva

LISTEN BELIZEANS, Red, Blue, Green, Yellow or Stripped.

The Referendum agenda is a FARSE. It is in total violation of our Belizean Constitution. - Sad that our learned lawyers have not

challenged this gross criminal Activity.

MAY I INVITE OUR BELIZEAN LAWYERS,- -( I mean those who love Belize for what it is, and not for what Belize gives )

THE CONSTITUTION OF BELIZE clearly defines the territory of Belize to the last SQUARE CENTIMETER. ( Schedule ONE )

THE CONSTITUTION OF BELIZE at Section 69 ( 1 ) states. " The National Assembly may alter any of the Provisions of this Constitution in the manner specified in the following provisions. "

and PART I Subsection 2 states.

" This Constitution is the SUPREME LAW OF BELIZE. and if any other law is inconsistent with this Constitution, that other law shall to the extent of the inconsistency BE VOID, ( Nulo )

TO SUMMARIZE,- SCHEDULE ONE of the Belize Constitution defines every inch of Belizean Territory, Maritime, and Insular.

SECTION 69 clearly states that ONLY the Belize National Assembly can alter any section of this Constitution. ( Not I.C.J, ) AND PART I Section is telling us that the REFERENDUM is that other law which is INCONSISTENT with Schedule I.

SO THIS PROPOSED REFERENDUM IS VOID because it wants to empower the ICJ to be able TO ALTER certain parts of the Constitution - It is bogus because it is inconsistent with the POWERS which only the National Assembly of Belize has to alter Schedule ONE.

A conversation with Richard “Dickie” Bradley about the ICJ and Belize Guatemala territorial dispute, on Open Your Eyes.

ICJ - Public Opinion Divided

So, the Guatemalans said "yes" to the ICJ on April 15th, and next year on April 10th - Belizeans will get to have their say.

Nationally, it's an existential decision that requires lots of reflection. But today on Albert Street, we found quite a few who already knew what they wanted. Sahar Vasquez has more:...

Sahar Vasquez reporting
Wednesday, April 10, 2019, is the day you will get to vote on this question. The vote will either be yes or no and today we found out that quite a few Belizeans actually want to go the ICJ court in Hague, Netherlands to settle this centuries-old dispute.

Interviewee 1
"I can understand that Belize has its fact already. We have our treaty since 1859 so I know that Belize has its obligation in England and we finalized this a long time."

"I would vote yes because we don't have anything to hide. We don't anticipate in any situation we hide and we don't go against. Why we have time to do that then."

Interviewee 2
"Hell yes let's carry them to the referendum and carry them to court. They already stole one of our islands and we can't go to Sarstoon Caye at all. Even if we do step foot there they want to chase us away."

Interviewee 3
"I figure that is the only way to solve this problem. That is all."

Sahar Vasquez, reporter
"So your vote would be yes?"

Interviewee 3
"Well, I will vote yes."

Sahar Vasquez
"Would you vote yes let's go to the ICJ and deal with this thing or No we don't have to?"

Interviewee 4
"Yes."

Sahar Vasquez
"Why?"

Interviewee 4
"Because I feel we need to make this situation end."

Interviewee 5
"I don't mind us going to the ICJ because it will be better for Belize. Once we go there and see what is going on. I don't really have anything against it."

But for others, the answer is a harsh and firm "no!"

Interviewee 6
"I think if we vote to go to the ICJ then we are legitimizing the claim that Guatemala has so if we vote don't vote it is just like it does not exist. We just have to find another way to deal with it. If we do go to the ICJ I have strong hope in Belize but at the end of the day, we have the most to lose."

Interviewee 7
"From when my mother used to take me to political meetings it was no Guatemala, no Guatemala with Phillip Goldson and I am gonna vote no Guatemala at the ICJ. For the ICJ none at all. We are not going there."

Interviewee 8
"No definitely no."

Sahar Vasquez
"Why not? Don't you think we could settle this dispute once and for all?"

Interviewee 8
"Yes but Guatemala does not have anything to lose. They are the ones claiming something from us only Belize could lose in that."

Sahar Vasquez
"Next year we will have our referendum. What would you vote yes let's take Belize to the ICJ and settle this thing or no?"

Interviewee 9
"No."

Sahar Vasquez
"Why not though?"

Interviewee 9
"They can't take Belize."

Interviewee 10
"I would say no because we are already an established country and we have the flag at the United Nations. It is the same between Israel and Palestine. If anybody should go to the ICJ it should be Israel and Palestine. Belize is in the same situation but why not take I Israel to the ICJ. If you gonna take Belize why not do the same."

Interviewee 11
"I would vote no because in every situation you have something to gain and you have something to lose and I really don't want to lose my country."

Sahar Vasquez
"So no going to ICJ."

Interviewee 12
"What for like I said they never owned any land. We know the real history of all of Central America from here to Panama."

Interviewee 13
"No we don't need to go anywhere Belize is for Belize. Guatemala does not have any proof about Belize. Belize is a Belizean territory."

Interviewee 14
"If we take Guatemala to the ICJ it is like we are giving them. What they and the court says we can't do anything to fight them back so I say no to it."

With Guatemala presently provoking and pressuring on the Sarstoon - we will see what kind of effect this pressure has at the poll by next year, but, right now, on a Mayday in Belize City, it seems the yes's are not too far behind the no's and the no's are not too far ahead of the yes's.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs says it will step up its public awareness campaign under the theme - "ICJ, Be Informed."

Channel 7

Belize Constitution: Schedule Defining Belize. Land and Sea

LET'S NOW DEAL WITH THE MILLION DOLLAR QUESTIONS . Is the I.C.J. Authorized to alter the Belize Constitution ? - NO !

Is any ruling by the I.C.J. on Our Sovereignty valid ? - NO ! Can the I.C.J. alter our Territorial Integrity ? - -- - - - - - - -- - NO !

SO WHY THE HELL SHOULD WE GO TO THE ICJ ?

In answering the three questions above, I invite you to read very CAREFULLY what our Constitution says on these questions. PART VI, Section 69 (3) House of Representatives. - - I quote. " A Bill to alter this Section, Schedule 2 to this Constitution or any of the provisions of this Constitution specified in that Schedule, shall not be regarded as being passed by the House of Representatives, UNLESS on its final reading in the House, the Bill is supported by the votes of not less than Three Quarters ( THREE QUARTERS ) of all the members of the House. "

I INVITE ALL BELIZEANS AND OUR TEACHERS TO READ AND MEMORIZE THIS STATEMENT. - ( No lawyer or Lawyers can deny these facts, unless they have been recruited . )

SO THE ICJ HAS ABSOLUTELY NO POWER, OR AUTHORITY TO CHANGE THE COMPOSITION OF BELIZE, NOR ALTER ANY SECTION OF OUR CONSTITUTION.

AGAIN, WHY THE HELL ARE WE HAVING A BOGUS REFERENDUM TO EMPOWER A COURT OF JUDGES, THAT DON'T CARE A HOOT ABOUT BELIZE, HOW CAN WE PUT OUR SOVEREIGNTY AND TERRITORIAL INTEGRITY IN THE HANDS OF THESE UNKNOWN JUDGES TO DECIDE THE FATE OF OUR NATION. HOW MAD ARE WE TO EMPOWER A COURT TO ALTER our CONSTITUTION WHICH SAFE GUARDS the SOVEREIGNTY OF BELIZE and its TERRITORIAL INTEGRITY

- ( Below you will read the Schedule Defining Belize. Land and Sea ) THEREFORE I SAY NO TO THE ICJ and I INVITE BELIZEANS to also vote NO so as to save our dear Belize.

by Hector Silva

PM says best option is to say ‘yes’ to the ICJ

Prime Minister Dean Barrow says Belize has an airtight case if Guatemala’s claim is decided upon by the International Court of Justice (ICJ). This pronouncement was made this morning at a prime ministerial press conference in Belize City. The last time the Prime Minister called a press conference was in March to address the increased gun violence in Belize City. Two months later, PM Barrow summoned the media to the Biltmore where he addressed issues of national importance. Prime Minister Barrow first addressed taking Guatemala’s claim to the ICJ. Guatemala’s voting populace has decided to take the claim to the ICJ and in Belize, the population will get to decide on April 10, 2019. The Government is Pro-ICJ and it is the hope of the Barrow administration that the people vote ‘yes’ .

Cabinet’s official position is that a yes vote ought to be recommended to the people of Belize. Barrow says that majority of Cabinet Ministers will vote yes and most UDP area representatives would advise their constituency to do the same. However, the Prime Minister says that this should not clash with the ICJ referendum campaign being conducted by the referendum unit.

Barrow recently met with the Secretary-General of the Organization of American States, Luis Almagro, and impressed upon him the need to have the OAS Adjacency Zone office properly maintained.

LOVEFM

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Last month, Guatemala made a decision to take the Belize-Guatemala territorial dispute to the International Court of Justice, Belizeans will soon have the same opportunity. With the referendum ahead, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is leading a public awareness campaign to ensure that Belizeans are aware of all relevant issues before casting a vote.

Ambassador Alexis Rosado presents Belize's case

As part of the education on the Belize-Guatemala differendum Ambassador Alexis Rosado makes his presentation in Benque Viejo at the invitation of the John Paul Jr. College admistration.

St. John's College held a student debate on the ICJ Referendum