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Kareem Musa, Minister of Home Affairs
"Me and my team, and I always want to acknowledge the efforts because it's not a singular effort on my part, I have a very supportive cast behind me as well as the community. I think that we have done a lot in a very short period of time especially when it comes to the safety and security of our neighborhoods, working along with neighborhood watch groups, putting up cameras in the area, police booths in the area and fixing all of the parks, that has been something that I have been very proud of. We have, I believe the most parks per capita in the entire country and we're now in our sixth park, the Noel Ferguson park that we're actually refurbishing. Hopefully that will be done within the next three weeks or so and so it's just a lot of work, continuing to work, delivering services to our people of Caribbean Shores, groceries to our elderly, land distribution to our constituents who have been land less for so long, especially our young people. I find that that has had a great impact and especially housing. I think we have done a magnificent job as a government distributing houses to our people, and very good concrete cement houses that they're so proud to have a roof over their heads and I look forward to the next five years of just continuing the work we've been doing. I know that I personally have a big project in mind and that is repairing the MCC grounds, the historic, legendary MCC grounds which sit in my constituency. I have already been given the assurances from the prime minister that that will be on the table moving forward so in terms of big projects, that's something that we have to look forward to."

Reporter:
"How do you size up your opponent nonetheless?"

Kareem Musa, Minister of Home Affairs
"You know, I've never looked at my opponents as opponents really, just trying to work along with them if they're interested in working along with me. I know that Ms Nelma Mortis has a history of working in mediation and certainly I've met with her even in other forums prior to her announcing her candidacy but I never size up my opponents, I don't take any of them lightly, I certainly give them equal weight, but at the end of the day, the people will decide based on my track record, my performance, and my team's performance."

FSC Encourages Engagement With Investor Week

In recognition of World Investor Week The Financial Services Commission of Belize, sat down with the media today to discuss how they are raising awareness about the importance of investor education and investor protection through various initiatives of security regulators. World Investor week will take place between October 7th to the 13th and here's what FSC has planned.

Nilda Sosa, Director of Operations & Corporate Services, FSC
"So the world investor week is a week-long global campaign that's promoted and coordinated by IOSCO. It will start on October 7th that's next week and it will conclude on October 13th 2024. Like the director general mentioned, it is the first time that FSC and Belize is participating in this global initiative but 2024 marks the 8th edition or the 8th year that IOSCO is doing this global initiative. We are joining over 100 other security regulators and supporters and together we will collectively embark on this global campaign to elevate investor education you have heard that being mentioned throughout the press conference. Investor education we want to strengthen investor protection and of course enhance financial literacy. The DG mentioned three thematic areas, the world investor week is focusing on technology and digital finance, crypto assets and sustainable finance. These three main thematic areas are being complimented by three other areas which are fraud and scam prevention Investor resilience and basics of investing. So in essence all ISCO members and supporters such as IDB the world bank group the OECD who are partnering with IOSCO to promote this global initiative will be launching investor focused activities and services there will be competitions that will focus on the importance of investor education and of course there will be webinars and workshops with the objective of educating the public in different areas that were mentioned."

Do Businesses Support FSC Regulations?

And while the financial Services Commission tries to engage the general public and the business community in its discussion of securities - we had to ask how good the relations are with that community. That's because since the FSC came into being, many complain that there's been a lot less ease in doing business.

Haylock rejected that:

Jules Vasquez
"The FSC has produced regimes that drive up the cost of doing business. Do you think that you all still have the good will of the business sector?"

Claude Haylock, Director General, FSC
"Well let me say two things that I disagree with your portrayal of the cost of business a matter of fact we believe that for example the cost of incorporating a company and the facts will bare this out that those costs have actually been reduced."

"So the perception of that may be driven. It's something new for them. I mean when you've never had to comply with something before I mean you have to start complying. It's a very different perspective."

"I would push back, I push back very forcefully on this perception that we have driven up the cost of doing business. As a matter of fact I think to the country you know we have made it easier I mean incorporating a company today. How long did it take you before? Weeks? 24 hours, in 24 hours you can incorporate a company in Belize now and we did that very quickly and efficiently. Belizeans can now go online and manage their own companies themselves. They do not have to pay these exorbitant fees by people who say they are helping them to form their companies."