Less 105

They weren’t 105 pigs. Neither were they 105 dogs.

One hundred and five living breathing human beings have been killed, thus far this year in Belize. That’s more than most high schools graduating classes. That’s 105 families affected, 105 empty beds at night, 105 smiles that we’ll never see again.

The tears in my eyes are no match to the weeping of my heart. My very soul bleeds. I can drop to my knees and scream my frustrations to God; I can blame every politician under the moon; I can call every radio show and talk until my voice is lost… but none of these actions will constitute change in our tiny damaged beloved Belize.

How badly I wish we could truly restore Belize. How badly I wish there was a fast solution.

But, it took a generation to get us to this point, and it’s going to take at least one generation for us to fix it.

We, the ordinary citizens need to recognize that we instigate change – back to the Belize of our memories. We need to live truly lawful lives. In small things, like traffic laws and littering. If we take personal responsibility for our own actions, if we obey each and every law, then we’ve made a beginning. Every level of our society does what they want, when they want to do it. Is it any wonder that we’ve degraded to this extent? There is no respect until tragedy occurs.

I don’t mean to sound class-ist, but this kind of personal responsibility must trickle from the more educated echelons of society down. We need to learn and live by example. Also, we need societal checks in place that ensure that every child is in school, every belly is fed, and every individual in Belize lives with HUMAN DIGNITY. Once each Belizeans has his or her basic needs met, we’ve made a beginning.

Because sometimes I think we’ve lost our respect for human life. To kill Raylene Dyer where they slaughter pigs, chop off her head, and throw her remains in the river. Her murderers don’t fear God. And if they don’t fear God, surely they have no fear for the Belizean Judicial System!

It’s the murder of the children that hurt me most of all, one as she slept in her own bed at night. Who did these children hurt or threaten? We can’t afford to lose another child. We can’t afford another murder.

I challenge each of you to be personal responsible. I know there is hope for Belize. Societal support of Tarrel Sutherland and baby Daniel Estell shows me that there are still traces of the old Belize left, under the dried blood and guns.

Microcredit

Like a typical Belizean, I love to lament. I hope for better days, but I have no real concrete solutions. So, I've been challenging myself to think about tangible actions that the country can make. Hopefully, this blog will be one of many.

If we solve our economic problems, we'll solve our social problems too. There is a direct link between the GDP per capita of a country and it's level of happiness and level of crime & violence. Notwithstanding the diluting effect of HIV/AIDS and prevalence of drug usage, which lowers economic development.

So, we need jobs in Belize. It's highly unlikely that we'll attract a big company to start a manufacturing plant here. They've been here before, and they've left. The country benefits in the form of salary of employees and business tax, which the government collects. Though labour in Belize is cheap, it's not cheap enough. These big businesses are looking for the lowest costs so that they can maximize their profits. Why pay a worker $1.50 American an hour here when they can pay $0.50 an hour, or less, in India? And institute 12 hours work days? Which Belizean do you know would work under such conditions? Our labour laws protect us.

Since we can't attract outside investors, without guaranteeing them 15% profit on their investments {or more}, or arranging to neglect business tax {an incentive some countries make}, we should look at smaller scale ideas.

Enter microcredit. Microcredit offers the poor training and small loans to start small business. These are the people who have no collateral, so they are ineligible to banks and credit unions. In business, this is one of the most high risk investments of all. Nothing but honor are preventing the loanees from taking the money and never returning. The loanees are supposed to pay back their loans, and the money circles as the creditor loans it to another poor person.

This incenvtive is a great hit in South East Asia. In Bangladesh, where the incentive started, $5 billion has been distributed to $7 million women. Many of them single mothers. I don't have to spell out the benefits to the nation because of microcredit.

Now, I'm not exactly sure what the original parameters of the failed DFC were, but I'll guarantee you this, they loaned money to the wrong people for the wrong reasons. Microfinance is the way to go in Belize. With strict parameters and mandatory training. Training is key... in literacy, basic math skills, and accounting... for this idea to work.

Now, as to where we'll get the money to finance such a scheme, I have no idea. We're facing a multi-million dollar budget shortfall. Again. I'd suggest that successful businesses can help to provide the capital. Or the Government can set aside 30% of collected business tax.

You help the poor and you help the most vulnerable of this nation. Tell me, isn't that the very definition of democracy?