He is referred to as the Father of The Nation by many Belizeans and today the first Prime Minister of Belize, Right Honourable George Cadle Price is celebrating his ninety first birthday. He was born the third child of William Price and Irene Escalante on January fifteenth 1919. Price entered politics in 1947 with his election to the Belize City Council. Three years later, on September 29, 1950, he cofounded the People's United Party, which he led for four decades. In 1956, Price became Party Leader of the PUP and as First Minister, he led the team which began negotiations over independence with Great Britain. In 1981 Belize gained its independence, and Price served as the Country's first Prime Minister and Foreign Minister. Today Love News spoke with Former Prime Minister Said Musa.
Said Musa; Former Prime Minister
"Ninety one year old Mr. Price is in good form. He is still very clear and articulate in his thinking. He has been the inspiration in my political career; an outstanding Belizean, the father of our nation and of course our national hero. What do I know of Mr. Price? What I admire the most about him is that he is a very simple, unpretentious, honest and dedicated servant of the people. The thing that the Belizean people love most about Mr. Price is his humility and deep concern for his fellow human beings. He is the father of our independence, he is our national hero. Belize would not have become an independent nation were it not for the steadfast commitment of this man in leading the Belizean people. Of course, he could not have done it without the blessings of the almighty and without the support of the Belizean people but we needed a leader. We needed a leader who had a clear vision of what needed to be done in this small country in Central America. At that time no one envisaged that we could become an independent nation with sovereignty and territorial integrity. Mr. Price was able to achieve that on September 21, 1981 for all the Belizean people."
In 1982, Price became a member of the United Kingdom's Privy Council. In October 1996 he announced his resignation as party leader and on November 10, 1996 was formally succeeded by Said Musa. In September 2000, Price became the first person to receive Belize's highest honour, the Order of National Hero, for the prominent role he played in leading his country to independence. He has received similar honours in other Caribbean and Central American countries.
LoveFM