We also challenged the Leadership Intervention Unit on the possibility that this gang mediation strategy will eventually fizzle out in a similar manner as its predecessors, such as Conscious Youth Development Programme and Restore Belize.
They did lead to brief periods of calm and a cessation of violence, and then, there was an eventual return to the status-quo of gang tensions and spikes in violent crimes and murders.
Here's how Musa answered that one:
Hon. Kareem Musa - Minister of Home Affairs
"We cannot in any way discount the value of those other programs, which likewise have had relative success in terms of reaching out to our marginalized youth. And so, while at the same time recognizing that this particular road map as devised by the LIU, and the LIU does not just include these three gentlemen you see here. It includes pastors, businessmen, police officers - like what Mr. Dawson said - a wide range and a cross-section of concerned Belizeans who have come together to formulate this particular road map. And so it is all about implementing this road map step by step, week by week, day by day, minute by minute. It does involve a lot of micromanaging. It does involve very quick response opportunities that may arise because this is a very fluid initiative. And so I have to give these two gentlemen a lot of kudos. They have been at the forefront of this initiative, as I said, that has had very good success in the first two months. We want to see the long-term success of this program and we urge Belizeans to look and to see the value in it. It's a little bit of money all the time we hear about saving wildlife and saving manatees and millions of dollars that goes into that. But we never hear about saving the lives of our marginalized youth."
William Dawson - Member, LIU
"We also want to thank the City Council and the Belize Police Department, who are huge players again in all of this? The support of the Commissioner of Police and his assistant, Dr. Rosado, is very important because we're we had a meeting last week with the GI3 commander, Mr. Gomez, who is saying that it's important for the GI3 to change its narrative, and to look forward to working with these young men, instead of just looking at this oppressive tactics. To hear that from the GI3 commander was very welcoming, and I'm looking forward to an excellent and productive new year with all stakeholders. I do believe that it will work."
The members of the LIU are hoping that Belizeans will embrace the initiative, and bear patience to allow the process to work. Here's that sales pitch from the head table:
Hon. Kareem Musa - Minister of Home Affairs
"Last year, when we had the state of emergency, and even before that, we had the 40 scholarships initiative, along with the Ministry of Education, and that was really our first point of engaging these young people. And thereafter, the state of emergency, which many said all you're just locking them up. But that was not the experience, or that was not the purpose or intention of that. It was up to it to get all the participants in one location to see to them. This is the program that we're going to be launching in a very short time. We want you all to be on board. And from the very outset, they have been clamoring for a program like this for an initiative like this. And so far they have received it well. They are excited, they're happy. And it's just showing by the statistics that in fact, in the last two months, particularly in the city, we have seen that reduction in violent crime. one of my constituents even opined or shared their feeling with me over the Christmas holidays, he said. When you went out to BTL Park to see so many people out there walking and eating ice cream and having fun, you said that feeling is what has been missing from the city for so long. And, it is because you have all of these young men saying, we don't want to continue that life anymore. We want these opportunities, educational and employment-wise. And so, they are coming together to try to work on this piece. So that's why I keep saying that we as a society, need to give and needs and initiatives like this are a real shot."