REPORT #611 February 2003
WHY DID THE QUEEN'S REPRESENTATIVE AID AND ABET A CRIME, TO STEAL THE ELECTION IN BELIZE?


By Ray Auxillou

I was up in Corozal yesterday and somebody accused me of impugning the character of the Governor General, Sir Colville Young in a previous posting to the Belize culture listserve. I want to set the record straight. I did not impugn his character, he did it to himself!

To my knowledge I have never met the man and everything I have ever heard about him was positive and highly complimentary. That said, I can only take the position that a person must be judged by his actions, not his words.

When it comes to Governor Generals, or being the Queen's Representative the record is a mixed bag. It was about thirty years ago that the Governor of Nassau in the Bahama's was allegedly bribed with $22 million USA to sign over Paradise Island to a Casino group. I don't know the ins and outs of the story, but remember that he resigned his position and disappeared from British Public Service with his loot someplace? Then there was the Governor of the island of Dominica in the West Indies. He was retired home in a scandal after his wife found out during his term on the island that he had rented a whole motel in the mountains and stocked it with 22 nubile island maidens for his sexual pleasure, so the story went?

On the issue of the local Queen's Representative, Sir Colville Young, his actions speak louder than words. I've heard of stuffing ballot boxes, and switching ballot boxes, or sliding in extra ballot boxes onto the truck for counting and stealing an election that way. But knowing that Musa and PUP are a shrewd cunning manipulative bunch and would attempt to buy the election, or steal it some way is a given. It is just trying to figure out how it will be done that is the question? With $400 million a year in booty, under this West African governing system that Musa has setup, that comes to getting his greedy sticky fingers on $2 billion over the next term in office. Don't get me wrong! I like Musa and admire the man's finesse and scheming immensely. But partially stealing an election before you even get started is a new one! I had never heard of that before? I take my hat off to Musa; the scheme is brilliant, every bit as good as Machievelli in ancient Florence, Italy. In order for the scheme to work, they needed the connivance of the Governor General who refused to do his duty and act as the policeman. He dissolved the government knowing before hand, that the Election and Boundaries commission had not done the necessary re-districting. The fact is we know that; because the leader of the Independent Movement, Francis Gegg served him publicly with such notice and requested him to do his duty. They stole 3 electoral divisions from the Cayo District and gave it to PUP cronies who share the loot in Belize City. They could only do that with the help of the Governor General. As I see the Constitution of Belize, the Queen's Representative is the watchdog, the policeman who is supposed to stop warring political factions from stealing and fighting with each other. In this case the watchdog, the Governor General aided and abetted a crime in my opinion, he helped Musa and the PUP steal 3 electoral divisions from the Cayo District. This represents 12,000 lost votes. A big amount in an election with only 115,000 voters.

So how do you judge the character now, of the Governor General, Colville Young? Did he, or did he not malign and impugne his own character? I certainly didn't do it! I'm just reading the facts from his actions. As to speculation why Sir Colville Young aided and abetted the PUP and Musa in a crime to partially steal 12,000 votes, or 3 electoral divisions from the Cayo District. I'm as much in the dark as anyone? But the logical assumption is that crimes are committed for money? Does that fit here? You judge? How much would you pay if you were Musa and the PUP to get 12,000 votes for your cronies in Belize City and your hands on $2 billion in cash over the next five years?

Some people say Sir Colville Young is to be respected because he is a Knight of the British Empire? C'mon get real! The British Queen gives knighthoods to rock and roll guitar players and others. How serious is that?

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