REPORT #44 Feb 1999
NEW PUP POLITICAL PARTY WITH ABSOLUTE POWER HAVE TWO CHOICES!


Produced by the Belize Development Trust
The nation of Belize is facing a crisis. The crisis is man made and as numerous United Nations Reports and Development Bank Reports outlined. The crisis is one of political re-structuring. The crisis is not finance and not education and not intelligence. The crisis is one of political restructuring.

In 30 years the existing way of doing things has not worked. There is no belief that 30 years more of doing things this way will change anything. For one thing, the lack of media attention to subjects like the Referendum ideas in Report #43 is contributing. The media should be publishing these ideas and the pro's and con's by various viewpoints on the individual choices within these Referendum ideas, for public debate and discussion. So, at some point the public can make an informed decision. The media is failing the country on devining the course of the future.

The PUP party itself is also failing during it's first two quarters in office. All signs indicate it is going to be business as usual, as done during the last 30 years. This way lies failure! Day to day problems aside, such as electricity, medical supplies, roads, housing are problems that are not as important as re-structuring the way we politically govern ourselves. Otherwise, these mundane day to day problems will still exist in variations for the next political party to win power in five years. One party, or the other will do either better or worse in solving these problems, but there will be no fundamental solutions or ways to change the course of the future for the nation of Belize.

The major problem facing Belize that effects everything else is Political Re-structuring. The PUP political party is refusing to face this fact, outlined time and again by outside sources, such as the IDB and UNFAO.

The PUP political party have two basic choices, to change the future of Belize.

1) Restructure the Government to change from "elected representative" government to "participatory government".

The signs are; that the PUP either do not know as a membership how to do this? Or they do not want to do this, as it makes the future self interests of members unknown in a new scheme of things.

The PUP have a window of opportunity of 18 months to complete re-structuring. Of this 18 months, 4 months are already gone. This political party are showing no signs of grasping the basic fundamental changes needed to change the future of the nation of Belize. Either that, or they are simply ignoring the need and procrastinating, with puff and rhetoric as a substitute. Leaving the future of the nation, to be more of the past historical 30 years of blundering waste.

2) The second item that is important from a basic underlying fundamental standpoint. Is balancing the budget and wiping out the National Debt. >From the looks of things, PUP history will repeat itself and five years from now, we are going to have even greater national debt and the next party elected to power for five years are going to claim the Treasury is empty and the same repeating refrains we have heard for the last 30 years. Self sufficiency is more than just a phrase.


There are many and sundry problems facing the nation of Belize, but all others pale beside these two fundamental changes needed above. If the PUP cannot immediately meet these two challenges, they will be failing the future and the nation of Belize.

Ideally, the political re-structuring, legislation, debate, forums and referendums could be finished in one year from now. It would then behoove those of the PUP still in the mechanisms of political power to turn their minds to wiping out the second item, the national debt and balancing the budget. Perhaps 3 to 4 years from now, Belizeans could be proud of what the PUP political party had accomplished and the nation would have a new foundation on which to build a more secure future, with a smoother development and political growth curve, slowly rising for the decades ahead.

The continuation of the status quo is FAILURE by the PUP to lead and initiate! The choice is that of the PUP membership.

Back to Main Belize Development Trust Page

Maintained by Ray Auxillou, Silvia Pinzon, MLS, and Marty Casado. Please email with suggestions or additions for this Electronic Library of Belize.