Definition of Democracy

My friends. I'm sorry for the long hiatus. I have three half-written blogs, but I haven't had the inspiration to finish them.

It's not as though the issues have disappeared... they're still there!

Case and point being the situation in Honduras. I'm perplexed by the OAS's support of President Zelaya's. Please read the following, which is taken verbatim from an article titled "Honduras defends its democracy" by Mary O'Grady. {I strongly suggest Googling the full article}

"... Mr. Zelaya acted as if he were above the law... While Honduran law allows for a constitutional rewrite... only... through a national referendum approved by its Congress.

But Mr. Zelaya declared the vote on his own and had Mr. Chávez ship him the necessary ballots from Venezuela. The Supreme Court ruled his referendum unconstitutional, and it instructed the military not to carry out the logistics of the vote as it normally would do.

The top military commander, Gen. Romeo Vásquez Velásquez, told the president that he would have to comply. Mr. Zelaya promptly fired him. The Supreme Court ordered him reinstated. Mr. Zelaya refused.

...

The attorney general had already made clear that the referendum was illegal, and he further announced that he would prosecute anyone involved in carrying it out."

Now, I'm shocked and surprised when I learned that Secretary of State, Mrs. Clinton had leapt to the defense of President Zelaya. Next came the support of President Obama, our own Hon. Dean Barrow, and the UN.

I ask you, my fellow Belizeans, to look in your hearts and define democracy. The Honduran constitution allows only a one-term president, because of atrocities of the past. Look in the history books, and you'll quickly understand why. {It's not taught in Belizean schools, but Central America has had a very turbulent history.} There is a reason so many Central American immigrants come to our nation.

Personally, I stand behind the Congress of Honduras. True, a military coup was NOT the way to go, but their actions have foundations in righteousness and goodwill. Through their actions, however, of expelling President Zelaya, their "good" has been severely tainted in the eye of the world. I pity them. May I remind you that President Zelaya only had a 30% popularity vote earlier this year. His referendum most likely wouldn't have passed.

Sometimes the boundaries between good and bad aren't as distinct as we want them to be. Sometimes you have to put yourself in someone else's skin and walk around a little bit.

Comments, please.

The Voice

Missing

It's not uncommon for things in Belize to go missing.

Seven little girls went missing a few years ago. We've somehow managed to lose common decency and respect, though I hear it's hiding in a few villages in the rural. Asphalt often goes missing from our highways and roads. {That one still amazes me}. We've even managed to lose several million dollars. (I hear that this too is hidden somewhere. If I were you, I would check under the mattress for this!) Most of all, I miss our small town ways and manners... respect and fear...that made living in Belize so safe.

But, all these lost things aren't the focus of this article. What I can't believe went missing are 24 grenades from BATSUB. What the hell? Am I the only one shocked that this is only being disclosed to us four years after the fact?

I wonder what happened...

**Picture, a solider counting grenades**

"Four hundred seventy-nine, four hundred eighty.... uh oh!"

** Runs to his commanding officer**

"Sah, Sah, twenty grenade missing!"

**Officer**

"It's okay, son. I'm sure they'll show up somewhere..."

And they have shown up. In our streets. By the feet of our country's children. We need fi come betta than this, Belize. Share in my indignation and outrage! Enough is enough. I'm ready to take back the streets of Belize from hooligans and Neanderthals. Just as long as someone would kindly return all the asphalt that's missing...

The Northern Highway

What a disgrace the Northern Highway between Belize City and Ladyville has become. In fact, it has become the symbol for the sorry state of the country we live in.

When it is dry it becomes a dust bowl. When it is raining it becomes a swamp. In between, it is a mixture of potholes, badly patched tarmac, half-fixed tarmac and Indianapolis speedway for buses, taxis and blue plated vehicles. If this is not just like our country, what is? Everything is falling down, while the few elite breeze on through. GOB attempts to patch itself, but it keeps raining on them, and bigger holes soon appear. When it does stop raining, they are so relieved that they forget to work on the issues that cause the disrepair in the first place.

As we continue to dodge countless potholes and drive through chassis high salt water on a regular basis, we must wonder...are we really living in a country moving forward? Where are our priorities? And shouldn't the highest priority be to fix the one piece of road in the country that is not only the most driven, but the first stretch of road that visitors, investors and the IMF see? The people that keep Belize going.

We've thrown down millions for a now trash littered Marine Parade, but those tour buses still have to chug through the eyesore we call "Friendship Street". They still drive on the stretch of road that is a killing field for pedestrians and motorists. Several years ago, someone coined the term Kamikazi Junction. Well, this road should be called Snipers Alley. Every time you take a drive on this road, you are risking your life, dodging holes, vehicles, people, water and even the odd real bullet. Mostly we avoid all the perils, but occasionally we fall in that big new hole and never come out. Will Belize finally fall into a really big hole and never come out? Some would argue that we already have.

Lets fix the road, fix ourselves, and fix our country. We deserve it. Our children deserve it.

Dean Barrow and the Twist of FATE! - and the multiple court cases against Lord Ashcroft

When a few months ago the then PUP administration wanted to make the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) the Court of Last Appeal for Belize, replacing the Privy Council in London (I fully agree with and support this move), the PUP did not have the necessary three fourths majority in the House of Representatives to pass the necessary amendment to the Constitution. The then Leader of the Opposition. Dean Barrow, refused to support the move, later agreeing only after attempting to 'blackmail the government', i.e. making demands on the Government that would have emasculated the PUP. The motion was withdrawn.

FATE is now has a cynical smile for Dean Barrow, now Prime Minister, and blessed with the the required three fourths majority! IF ..... if only he had agreed to replace the Privy Council with the CCJ back then, he would not have to worry about the Lord dragging him and the Government across the Atlantic in the multiple court cases against Ashcroft, should the Lord not have his way.

"Bottom Line"

The POLITICS the PUC and BEL PLAY!

How asinine can the Chairman of the PUC get: he says that "B-E-L is not obligated by law to pay out dividends!" Who are you kidding – do you think that BEL and its shareholders are in business because they love you? John Avery is the former Editor of the Guardian Newspaper who was known to use the pages of that paper to vent as an outspoken critic of the rate setting process between BEL and the PUC. So, how low can you go to play politics for your UDP masters? The new UDP administration appears to 'have it iinn' for BEL. This same administration readily admits that it cannot stop the rise in the price of fuel at the pump, but in the same breath, via their recently appointed PUC Chairman, it is saying that BEL is not entitled to get an increase in its rate, in a business where the cost of fuel is predominant.

And BEL? Well, if they were not playing politics, I don't know what to call this: for weeks before the recent election they spent big bucks running a high class, expensive ad campaign for several weeks BOASTING that despite the big increases in the cost of fuel, BEL was successful in keeping the electricity rate unchanged. I wonder why! And then, a week or two AFTER the election, they bawling that they NEED an increase in the rate because of the uncontrollable rise in the cost of fuel!

So, Mr. PUC and Mr. BEL, please stop playing politics with electricity rates! Let's get real! Electricity affects everyone and all aspects of the economy; it’s TOO BIG to play politics with, using us the consumers as pawns.


Comments welcomed.

"Bottom Line"

PUP Leadership

I'm young. Too young to remember when we sung God Save the Queen to the Union Jack. Too young to remember George Price ever being Prime Minister. And certainly too young to have witnessed the processes that led to the formation of the PUP, UDP, and other political parties. It would seem that the political choices most people make are not based upon current times, but what happened "all the way back when". This antiquated system of voting a certain way "because me granny da mi big UDP" or "Well, back inna the sixties, George mi give me grandpa piece ah land" have led to our debt and might continue leading to our downfall. The opinions I'm sharing are based on reading the Amandala with the great commentary of Evan Hyde and other "I was there" Belizean figures, the biased "13 Chapters in a Belizean History", and the observations of my short political consciousness. This is my personal anaylsis of the PUP and their current leadership crisis.

The PUP to me have been an infallible power. They rule by intimidation. If you don't agree with them, you're not patriotic and you stand against George Price, himself! They present themselves as having the best interest of the Belizean Public at heart, as they take our national resources and public monies to build and fund projects that only enrich themselves. They take advantage of the weak and uneducated and will do anything to enrich themselves. Maybe it's unfair to say ALL PUP are like this, but those in the leadership positions are. At the end of the day, that's what matters.

Now, as I understand it, these corrupt greedy souls, who are so willing to rape the country for their own riches, are a new wave of PUP, shaped by the puppet master, Ralph Fonseca. The "true" PUP and PUP spirit are embodied by people like Philip Goldson, John Smith, UBAD Movement, and lately, as the picture is being painted, Mark Espat, Cordel Hyde, and Johnny Briceno.

Mark and Johnny have both decided not to run for Party leadership, because of inter-party corruption and brow bashing, so Francis Fonseca will be declared as Party Leader at their convention, hands down. Strategically, I believe the PUP are making a mistake. Francis represents manipulation, corruption, and all the bad things that the PUP have done and continue to do. Without playing party politics, I can honestly say that this man is not who I would vote for as my Prime Minister. Let's look at the numbers; he won his division by 18 votes. That's the most narrow PUP victory. And let me speak the truth, the only reason he won is because the UDP candidate running against him is equally someone not suitable to be an elected representative. In good conscience, it was HARD to vote in the Freetown Division in 2008.

It's a battle between the "good" PUP and the "bad" PUP. At the end of the day, it all boils down to money {from where I'm looking}. The "bad" PUP are all about creating economic prosperity for themselves and to hell with everything else. Even if a PUP-inclined person would argue that this is not so, this is the face that they are portraying for all the world to see.

I don't understand why Mark and Johnny continue to be support a party who they see as corrupt. It shows a certain hypocrisy on their part... complacency, cowardice, and endorsement of the PUP and all that they are doing. I wish that they would break away from a franchise that are nothing more then a weight around Belize's neck. Ralph Fonseca and Said Musa are bad men. Not to punch below the belt, but look at their personal lives and the liaisons they've made for all the country to see. If a man can't keep his own marriage vows, that he made before God and man, an oath means nothing to him. They might have sworn to protect Belize, but these words are worthless to men of corrupt character.

To conclude, let me reiterate that I am not a UDP or trying to PUP-bash. I just want, now and always, what is best for Belize. We need to stop this open hand "gimme" attitude that George Price himself instilled in us, and change our societal mindset to "what can I do for myself and my countryman". Let's learn from the Chinese and Mennonites, who have immigrated to our country, found riches, and thrived. Everything we ever needed to succeed lies at our very fingertips. Reach out with me, let us grasp it, and damn to hell any power or person who tries to stop us. Be it PUP, UDP, or the Queen of England herself!

Again, I welcome all opinions and comments. And I encourage you to THINK for yourself.

~The Voice

...and the truth shall come to light!

On the night before the general elections on February 7th, I had a dream; perhaps it was not as profound or poetic as Martin Luther King's, but all the same, I felt that it bore some salient symbolism. I dreamt that I while I was petting my cat, I noticed that she was struggling to scratch her ears. No matter how many times she scratched with her hind legs, she just couldn't seem to put an end to the itching in her ears. I got a tweezer and when I checked her ear, I discovered an enormous "wahry tick". It was fat and grey and had situated itself deep within the confines of a fold in her ear. I attempted to remove it, but it refused to budge. My cat began to fidgit and I found it difficult to get a hold of the creature. After a few tugs however, I dislodged it and I knew that my cat had found relief.

When I heard the results of the elections, I felt that indeed, the people of Belize had gotten rid of its parasites - those that had tried to hide within the financial and social folds of their party and those who had sought to use the law to their advantage. The breaking news over the past few days relating the sordid scheme of using public funds to act as security for private debts has only made me accutely aware of the blood-sucking that had been taking place in this country. (Who knows, maybe if I'd checked the other ear of my cat, I would have found even more of the little suckers hiding there too!)

It has been a long time coming, but the truth has finally surfaced and the criminals have been exposed for what they are and what they have been. It gives great comfort to know that my perceptions of the former government were indeed right - I wasn't crazy when I agreed that they were a criminal organization - Belize's own mafia.

In the Prime Minister's two press conferences, I had scoffed at the restrained tone with which P.M. Barrow outlined the past government's numerous scams and infractions. He should be visibly livid, I thought; he should be banging his hand on the podium - I would have given him all rights to pontificate if he so desired. But, he kept his cool. Fine. Let him keep his cool when he talks to the press, but when he deals out justice, just make sure he "buhns fiah" and put those scurvists in Hattivelle.

I have a demand...
SEND THEM TO HATTIVELLE!!

Lying by Omission

We all lie. Some of us more than others. I always feel guilty when I lie -- remnants of a semi-strict Catholic upbringing. I remember when I was a little girl in Religion Class; we were learning about lying one day. The Religion teacher and Parish priest taught me that even thinking about committing a sin was in itself sinning. And they also taught me that by withholding the truth, by knowingly saying nothing to someone when I knew the truth was indeed contrary to their thinking, I was lying. This kind of lie has a special name. To lie by omission.

I watched the news broadcast yesterday very attentively. We were told by the PM that not only was $20 Million Belize Dollars from the Venezuela Government used to pay UHS debt, but also another $20 Million Belize Dollars from the Taiwanese Government given in September of last year was spent on the same purpose! Now, it's not as though Belize has excess money to waste and give away. We're barely making it. And the world out there is getting harder. Food and Fuel are becoming more scarce and more expensive in the Global Market. We unwisely have our dollar pegged to a currency that is rapidly losing value. Our imports still far exceed our exports and the atmosphere in the country currently is not especially conducive to
entrepreneurship.

Yet, with all these external forces challenging us, we still had a greater internal threat. Because for the past ten years under our previous government... in addition to the bold face and brazen lies we, the Belizean people, the people they SWORE to protect and help, were told, they have also lied to us by omission. Secret deals with under-the-table additions. Time and time again they used our public monies for private interest. The moved the wealth of this country into their own hands and pockets instead of the hands and pockets and bellies of all of us!

We all suspected it... but now, in the face of real evidence, I'm just in shock. In a 6 month span $40 Million Belizean Dollars which was gifted to the people of Belize was diverted to a private enterprise. We, the Belizean people, pay and we get NOTHING. NOTHING. NOTHING.

I'm furious. I'm offended. And I wonder, how many millions, or dare I say billions, have been diverted away from our national coffers and into private hands?

I demand compensation. I am happy that the current GOB is looking into the possibility of legal action and implications for these actions that can be described by no other word but evil. And I pray, my Belizean people, that you feel as shocked and offended as I, and fight, along with me, for what is truly and justly ours.

All comments are welcome... enjoy the blog, and feel free to share it.

~The Voice