Enough Is Enough Plans Belmopan Protest Over Cost of Living and Corruption

A group of Belizeans is planning a protest in Belmopan to raise concerns about the cost of living, corruption and the use of public resources.  Organisers of the group, Enough Is Enough, are calling on supporters to gather at the National Assembly building. Their flyer also calls for the completion of steps to bring measures related to the United Nations Convention against Corruption, or UNCAC, into Belizean law.  Group leader Marianne Ramclam says members first connected on Facebook, where they discovered they shared concerns about national issues, particularly the cost of living. She explained how the group came together and why they decided to organise the protest.

Marianne Ramclam, Protest Organizer: “The purpose of the protest is to give ordinary Belizeans a voice. You know, we’re standing against the high cost of living, corruption, the misuse and misappropriation of public funds, the abuse of our country’s resources. You know, people are working hard, yet many are struggling to make ends meet. You know, if we take a current look at the cost of food, electricity, fuel, and other basic necessities, you know, these things continue to put pressure on our families. We believe that Belizeans deserve better, and we believe the people have a right to demand accountability from those entrusted with governing our country. This is not about supporting a political party or one political party over another. This is simply about standing up for Belize and, you know, demanding transparency, accountability, and meaningful changes that will benefit the people. I know that I am fed up. I’m tired, you know, of the cost of living constantly rising. You know, it’s difficult to kind of make ends meet especially being a single parent and having three kids of my own to fend for. You know, I’m certainly feeling the brunt of high-rise cost of living in our country and so I made it my business to seek out like-minded individuals from across this country. And so Kyle Bedran he’s a resident of Belmopan. You know, I met with him also on Facebook, and I’ve known him prior to that. So we decided to, you know, make the group “Enough is Enough,” and that’s how we joined the other individuals. We created that group, and that’s the group that we started to do all the planning in, you know. And everybody, we’re all on the same page. We’re all a bunch of fed-up Belizeans, you know, tired of not just the cost of living, but the corruption happening in our nation.”

The event is set for Friday, November 13.