REPORT #138 Nov 1999
BELIZE TO BECOME A "POLITICIANS REPUBLIC"!


Produced by the Belize Development Trust

The rumor mill and various bits of scuttlebutt floating around, indicate that the PUP ruling party is split between forming a democracy and forming a Politicians Republic, when the Political Reform Committee suggestions are over, for changes in the Belize Constitution.

The major controlling players within the PUP party are going to make Belize a "POLITICIANS REPUBLIC" so goes the scuttlebutt. This means the dominating port town city gang, the capital of the Belize District, only one of the six districts that control the nation of Belize will retain control of all major things, like Castro and the Communist Party apparatus did in Cuba.

Control by a party elite will be of:

a) The Treasury
b) The borrowing "CREDIT" of the nation of Belize
c) The control of a continuing centralized NATIONAL POLICE FORCE
d) Control of the Belize Defense Force
e) Control of the legislature through paternalism
f) Control of the Senate, by continuing "appointed" Senators
g) The Royalists, or Monarchists will stay in power and keep their ties to Great Britain in the ways of doing things
h) Some independence for districts, but blocked from any real "check and balances" by the necessity of having approvals from tame Boards, Commissions, Governor, etc.,controlled by the party elite in Belmopan.
What will not be allowed are:
1) Veto's by districts on national legislation
2) Line item veto by an ELECTED Senate
3) Independently elected Cabinet Ministers
4) An independently elected Prime Minister
5) A shortening of the elected terms to two years from five years
6) No staggered elections for portions of the legislature
7) No local police chiefs that are elected by communities, or any independent local police forces (districts and towns)
8) No ELECTED local magistrates, or judges
Belize is to be re-affirmed as a POLITICIANS REPUBLIC!
Controlled by a small party elite.

Any PUP members in the party that threaten this setup will feel the wrath of the party elite. They will lose positions and money from the party Godfather distributions. Some might even be ejected from the PUP party. Any internal PUP party rebellion (which is disorganized -"divide and conquer" strategy) will be crushed and is being crushed, I am told as we speak. There will be no legal means of finding policy issues by consensus.

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