I hate to be the one to tell you, but this is not a NEW government, it is the SAME government with a new batch of promises.... will they keep them? I can only hope they fail on Chalillo as overwhelmingly as they failed on political reform and creating the new jobs, houses, etc., etc., as they had outlined in their '97 Manifesto. How long have you lived in Belize?
Interestingly enough, there has never been even a hint of an open and transparent Public Hearing about the Chalillo Dam in which the concerns voiced by HUNDREDS of BELIZEANS from BOTH PARTIES have been addressed, so I'm certain that most people here in the country are sadly misinformed about the consequences of the dam. There are cheaper, less destructive alternatives to supplying our energy needs than building this dam. It will NOT reduce the possibility of floods as they state, and will probably make flooding even more destructive as has proved true in many other countries with dams.
I hope you will keep in mind that this isn't just a simple matter of sleazy corruption/regulation like ripping off the Department of Education for many thousands of dollars in phony scholarships, or putting our country's good name on ships that are not seaworthy or are used for illegal purposes.... this dam will actually destroy PRICELESS natural and cultural resources that are IRREPLACEABLE.... just as the Barrier Reef is irreplaceable....they can never be replaced no matter how many billions of dollars someone could try to spend to "restore" the river and ecosystem. Don't you think the people of Belize deserve to KEEP their priceless resources instead of GIVING THEM AWAY to a FOREIGN OWNED MULTINATIONALCORPORATION that is THEN going to SELL US THE ENERGY AT TWICE THE PROFIT THEY SELL TO THEIR CANADIAN PEOPLE? Do you realize if the dam breaks, their contract says they can IMMEDIATELY sell it BACK to BELIZE for $1, and have absolutely NO LIABILITY WHATSOEVER for any lives lost or any property destroyed? YOU may not be impacted by anything involving the dam, but my livelihood has already been diminished by Mollejon, will be further diminished by Chalillo, and my life and everything I own will be wiped out when the dam breaks. All of Cristo Rey Village, San Ignacio, Santa Familia and maybe even Frank Redmond will be wiped out. And break it will, because they have falsified the geology reports, are building it in a "fault zone" that can even be seen with the naked eye, and are planning to use a FOREIGN (CHINESE) COMPANY to build it, WITH A KNOWN RECORD OF CORRUPTION and BUILDING UNSAFE DAMS. And it only has a projected lifetime of 50 years AT BEST.... we will destroy this irreplaceable heritage for the sake of 50 years of profit for a foreign corporation?!?!?!?
Believe me, THIS is the kind of project any GOOD government should be PROTECTING us AGAINST!!