REPORT #189 Feb 2000BR> CONGRATULATIONS TO PM MUSA AND CABINET ON THIS ONE! WELL DONE!


Produced by the Belize Development Trust

In my book "The Future of Belize is Yours to Make!" I talked about Belize needing a Machiavellian government.

For those of you don't know. Machiavelli was the ruler of a City State, around Florence in the middle ages, surrounded by other and often larger city states. Constant economic and physical war was the rule of the time, for these small city states. City States, could be invaded and absorbed. Philosphically this sounds dry, but in reality was full of terror, torture, death, rape and plunder. Machiavelli became famous, because he preserved his small city-state through a lot of upheaval; by using inter-marriage among the various nobility of the time in different city-states and also by various treaties and agreements with various larger neighbors who were stronger than his city-state.

What made Machiavelli stories and history famous, was the banning of any books on his methods by the Roman Catholic Church. I believe they may still be banned to this day. The Jesuits used his methods extensively in Japan, as I recollect and of course have used them around the Latin American countries a lot. That is why they have been expelled from so many countries. They become a government within a government and usually end up owning large sections of the real estate and economy. Usually, from widows estates and preying on the religious, superstitious tendencies of old women.

Belize being surrounded by larger countries, that are more brutal, corrupt and with larger resources, is also a vulnerable city state in it's present political constitutional configuration.

I loved the response by the Belize Government, the PUP, PM Musa and clique in the cabinet, during the recent saber rattling and threats over in our larger neighbor Guatemala. I always knew Musa had Machiavellian capabilities, but it was nice to see it born out.

The trick is to harness these capabilities for the benefit of the nation of Belize and not for some corrupt mafia get rich system of greed and wealth and personal power. In this regard, my hat is off to our Prime Minister and the PUP cabinet. They did very well indeed and lived up to all the expected promise inherent in their formative years. We are a generation apart, but it was nice to see one's expectations of the younger generation actually bear fruit. Musa and friends in the cabinet did very Machiavellian well during the recent Guatemalan saber rattling. My compliments on a job well done!

Remember, the Guatemala fiasco was followed by public announcements that the British Army was resuming jungle training in Belize, the US Army were going to be doing some kind of engineers excercises in the Stann Creek District and the Defense Minister was off to Mexico, another neighbor, to inspect military training schools, programs and negotiate some joint training services? Yes siree! I laughed and laughed and laughed. Was very proud of Belize in that moment, to see the Machiavellian aspects of leadership and governing come out. It was perfect!

Compliments to the PUP government on this one. Well done!

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