UDP Loses Ground, But Holds Unto Two-Thirds of Municipalities The Municipal elections are over - and tonight, the UDP can claim victory, again - for the fifth municipal election in a row. The ruling party won 6 of 9 municipalities and 41of 67 seats overall. But, they lost their crown jewel, which is the Belize City Council - and, very surprisingly, lost the vote in 6 of 10 city municipalities.
Tactically, symbolically and in real terms, that alone is a huge setback for the UDP - a real back - breaker, and it is also that much of a momentum giver for the PUP which pulled off an upset with convincing numbers in the UDP's biggest stronghold.
Still the UDP can console itself that it controls the municipalities in the west and south, namely Benque Viejo, San Ignacio Santa Elena, Belmopan, Dangriga and Punta Gorda - while the PUP now holds the north completely in Orange Walk and Corozal, and snatches that jewel in the central area, Belize City. The only mixed slate is in Dangriga where a single PUP councillor, Erica Jang was elected.
Will There Be a Recount of San Pedro Ballots? PUP Discusses Options The People's United Party in San Pedro, Ambergris Caye today is looking into legal options and working along with its headquarters to come up with a plan of action regarding discrepancies in voter numbers in the Belize Rural South municipality. The PUP Secretariat has suggested a recount and the UDP Secretariat is neither accepting or rejecting the suggestion. Members of both political parties spent the entire afternoon at the Election and Boundaries in San Pedro going over the numbers presented to them by the returning officer. We understand that the PUP is leaning towards calling for a recount, but are still discussing their legal options as they believe that the discrepancies have raised some doubts in the process of vote counting. They have also indicated that today their numbers are off, compared to that of the returning officer from when they signed off at the end of election day.
The Blue Was Bullish Up North
We take you now to the north - which is the PUP's stronghold. We start first with Orange Walk, where the UDP's were trying to pull off a huge upset in John Briceno's hometown.
That's the only town that the PUP won a majority of the seats in 3 years ago, if the ruling UDP was able to reverse that, it would been a deathblow to Brice�o's command of the north.
Our news team was there, and Daniel Ortiz reports:
Early in the morning at the San Francisco polling station, we found the PUP Incumbent, Mayor Kevin Bernard, and his UDP challenger, Phillip De La Fuente , trying to secure as much votes as possible. Both men were projecting confidence for the end result in Orange Walk, however, the incumbent was predicting a landslide.
UDP Left Shell Shocked In OW
So, that was a serious blow out that the UDP suffered yesterday, and, today, we got a reaction from both the UDP Mayoral Candidate for Orange Walk, and the Orange Walk East Area Rep., who was trying to close the gap on the PUP.
Here's what they had to say about the PUP's dominance in Sugar City:
Daniel Ortiz:
"I know you're disappointed in Orange Walk. You were as a UDP general holding your ground, holding the line, the East."
Hon. Elodio Aragon Jr. - UDP Area Rep., Orange Walk East:
"We always knew it was going to be hard in Orange Walk. We were up against the opposition party leader, we were up against a lot of money, we knew it was going to be tough, we were trying to ensure we get out and have our campaigners get out there and bring out the vote."
UDP Lost Narrowly in Corozal
Our news team was also in Corozal Town where both major mass parties put together teams made up almost all new candidates. The ruling UDP was trying its best to hold on to Corozal after its 4 term mayor moved on.
Here's what our news team found in that northernmost town:
Up in Corozal Town, the two mass parties were clamoring for the municipality as best as they could. Both sides featured new faces in politics.
The PUP was hoping to seize on the opportunity of four term Mayor Hilberto Campos's exit from municipal politics. While the UDP was hoping that a long-time town council employee would make a seamless transition to the Mayoral office.
Both sides were predicting that they would be victorious.
How The West Was Won
We've already given you the broad outline of yesterday's election: the PUP went from controlling just one town with 5 councillor candidates, to controlling two towns and the big city, with 25 seats. The UDP went from controlling 6 towns and two cities, to controlling 5 towns and one small city with a total of 41 seats.
Overall, it was a mixed bag - with both sides able to claim decisive wins. But, nowhere was it more decisive for the UDP than in the west - which the red swept with three decisive victories.
Looking only at the margins for mayoral victories, we start off in Belmopan, where UDP Mayor Khalid Belisle beat PUP's Tanya Santos by 943 votes. Belisle got 3,298 votes and Santos got 2,355.
New City Mayor - Did He Try To Send Everyone Home?
And while the UDP are looking for a reset in Port Loyola, the PUP are now resurgent in the city - which was the UDP's stronghold.
Leading that resurgence is new mayor Bernard Wagner.
Wagner has many plans to continue Belize City's transformation but what is his first order of business as Mayor? He said he's focused on getting to know his new staff:
Bernard Wagner - Belize City Mayor/PUP:
"Ms. Vasquez fantastic win for the PUP. We were the underdogs going into this election, we started in October as the rebirth, we felt that we could not take anything for granted. We had to beat the incumbent at their own game."
Sahar Vasquez:
"Sir tell us what will be your first order of business once you get into the office."
City is Blue For The First Time In 12 Years
But, it's not like that "lack of presence" happened just yesterday - the UDP went into the municipal election knowing full well that it had huge holes to fill. But the party never thought twice about it because it was counting on huge blowout victories in Collett, Port Loyola, Mesopotamia and Queen's Square - and to at least break even in Pickstock. But, those never materialized in Port Loyola and Pickstock, where the UDP lost.
And that led to the biggest upset of the election where Belize City has gone blue again after a 12 year drought. Sahar Vasquez was all around the city for our Up Fi Grabs coverage and she has this story:�
Upset, devastation, and shock. The UDPs unflappable confidence was shattered in the course of 16 hours. The team of eleven experienced members went into the election with very little doubt. In fact, they were almost sure they would pummel PUPs rebirth team.
Electorate grew 8% since last municipal election
Voters across 9 municipalities went to the polls on March 7th to choose the individuals and parties that will govern locally for the next three years. At last report, 114,574 people ages 18 and over were registered to vote, representing an increase of 8% since the last 2015 municipal elections.
The last time the People's United Party won the municipals was in 2003, when 70,692 electors were registered to vote. Since then, roughly 44,000 voters were added to the list - an average of roughly 3,000 voters each year.
The voters list grew by double digit figures for the periods 2003 to 2006, 2006 to 2009 and 2009 to 2012. The interval which saw the biggest growth in the voters list was 2006 to 2009, when the electorate grew by 14% or 10,965 voters. At the time of the following election, there were 9,565 more voters added to the list - representing an increase of 11%.
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Controversy Mars Well-Run Election in San Pedro Town
Discussions continue at news time in San Pedro, where on Wednesday night the People's United Party felt they had claimed yet another scalp from the ruling United Democratic Party. But as the night progressed, it was the U.D.P. seven led by incumbent Mayor Daniel Guerrero who narrowly reported as victorious. This afternoon there was an hour-long meeting with returning officer Catherine Cumberbatch, at the end of which the P.U.P. secretariat suggested a recount. The U.D.P. did not accede to or reject the suggestion. The P.U.P. is exploring a potential challenge of the result. But before Wednesday night's drama, it was a mostly peaceful day of campaigning on La Isla Bonita. News Five's Aaron Humes reports.
Aaron Humes, Reporting
According to returning officer Catherine Cumberbatch, the pace of counting on the island was slowed down by lack of space for all seventeen boxes and their counters.
Catherine Cumberbatch, Returning Officer, San Pedro
"Over the years, San Pedro High School has increased the numbers so we've had to increase the number of boxes. So we went from, normally - I'm not sure if it was thirteen or not - to seventeen boxes we had to count. And if you look at San Pedro High School, the space for counting is very, very small. So we actually had to have our presiding officers, the election officers, some of them had to wait for space, for one box to finish."
Results were not in until near three a.m. this Thursday morning. Less than twenty-four hours earlier, the island came to life as the two major political parties and their candidates went head to head for voters' support. Area representative Manuel Heredia Junior and P.U.P. leader John Briceno, visiting from the North, were both on the ground.
Manuel Heredia Jr., Area Representative, Belize Rural South
"From this morning, it has been very busy and we have been working, both teams have been working extremely hard. But with the difference that my team has done its job for the past ten years now, fifteen with the town council, and that makes a difference with the community. But indeed I think everybody is trying, except that I believe we have the bigger numbers."
John Brice�o, P.U.P. Leader
"There is a lot of displeasure; there is the issue of corruption and crime and the economy and cronyism and incompetence. We also find it just as important to put good teams: for instance here in San Pedro with Andre [Perez]; in Orange Walk with Kevin [Bernard;] with Rigo [Vellos] in Corozal and Bernard Wagner in Belize City; we are so excited about the people we have put forward. And because we have good teams and good manifestos, we believe that the people are going to support us."
A few voters also spoke about their choices.
[Exit polling�voters sharing comments on what triggered their decision]
�and at the end of it all, both candidates found something to be thankful for.
Andre Perez, P.U.P. Mayoral Candidate, San Pedro
"I am feeling grateful for the support of this town. We have made a big difference, a big dent; and though we lost the war, I think our battle was admirable. I think we did a great job and I want to thank my entire team. With them, we made a very big difference so that it was very close, extremely close."
Reporter
"Tell us about the numbers?"
Andre Perez
"For starters our Mayoral candidate we lost by only thirty-eight votes; that is unprecedented, we made a big dent. So we believe right now that our party especially here in San Pedro, is a bit down, but we have something to build from, to raise the party from. We are not fragmented; we are united right now to look forward. But for now we just want to re-group."
Daniel "Danny" Guerrero, Mayor-elect, San Pedro
"I am very thankful to the people of San Pedro. I had mentioned earlier that San Pedro would remain red. Even though it was a very close race, it remained red and we just have to focus on our people and make it stronger for the next election."
Reporter
"During the day did you have any doubts about the win?"
Daniel "Danny" Guerrero
"I knew we would make it but never expected it to be that close, I'll be honest."
Results to be Challenged in San Pedro�
As of news time, a legal challenge to the results is pending. The Elections and Boundaries Department made note in a press release this evening that the result given this morning is not the official result. To be made official, the official forms must be handed in by the Returning Officer and the figures checked and verified for accuracy. The release distinguished between official figures and the hourly count maintained on the elections website, which does not take into account persons in the line at the time the information is transmitted. Nonetheless, in the figures provided earlier today, Daniel Guerrero defeated his rival Andre Perez by two thousand, six hundred and sixty-seven votes to two thousand, six hundred and twenty-nine, a difference of thirty-eight votes. His six re-elected councilors were Hector Tito Alamilla; Flora Ancona; Ruben Gonzalez; Gary Greif; Severo Guerrero and Gabriel Nunez. Here are the unofficial "official" results read by Cumberbatch.
Catherine Cumberbath, Returning Officer, San Pedro"For the United Democratic Party, Daniel "Danny" Guerrero received two thousand, six hundred and sixty-seven votes; Hector "Tito" Alamilla received two thousand, eight hundred and eighteen votes; Flora Ancona, received two thousand, nine hundred and four votes; Ruben "Rux" Gonzalez received two thousand, nine hundred and four; Gary Christopher Greif received two thousand eight hundred and ninety; Severo "Severito" Guerrero received two thousand seven hundred and eighty-nine votes; and Gabriel "Gaby" Nunez received two thousand eight hundred and nine votes. That's for the United Democratic Party. For the People's United Party, Abner Andre Perez received two thousand, six hundred and twenty-nine votes; Dianelli Aranda, two thousand, six hundred and five; Johnnia Duarte, two thousand five hundred and fifty-four; Undina 'Dina' Graniel, two thousand five hundred and forty-three votes; Marina Graniel Kay, two thousand, six hundred and twenty-four votes; Ruben Navidad received two thousand four hundred and seventy-five votes and Ian Pou received two thousand five hundred and twenty-nine Therefore, the duly elected candidates are from the United Democratic Party."
The public is advised to check the website for the official result which will be shared with the public once received, checked and verified for accuracy.
�But Not if P.M. Can Help It
But if it were Prime Minister Dean Barrow making the decision on a potential recount, the answer would be no. The United Democratic Party leader made a two-pronged attack on the idea of any alteration to the results at the start of today's press conference. One is that, as already noted by Elections and Boundaries, their hourly count is not representative of the total number of votes cast at any given hour as there may still be persons in the line voting. The other, says the Prime Minister, is that the P.U.P. signed off on the reconciliation of boxes and the final tally, meaning there is no changing the result now.
Prime Minister Dean Barrow
"There is a foolishness that the People's United Party is putting abroad, suggesting that there could be some sort of challenge or some sort of a recount with respect to Danny's victory and the victory of the United Democratic Party entire seven in San Pedro. As I understand it, talking to the chairman of the Elections and Boundaries Commission, al that happened was that, at six o'clock, the returning officer submitted to the Elections and Boundaries office the total number of voters that had cast their ballots at that point. But we all know: you shut the gates as six, nobody else can come into the yard; but once you're in the line, you vote. So the total number of votes actually cast, exceeded the figure that had been sent at six o'clock. When the P.U.P. lost - after having done the reconciliation and signed off on each reconciliation sheet and signed off on the final tally, when they realized they had lost - all of a sudden they hit on this bright idea, that the ballots tallied do not coincide with the number posted by Elections and Boundaries as having been the number of ballots cast. Again, that's because the Elections and Boundaries Commission, posted the number of ballots that had been cast as of six p.m. - did not include the ballots cast thereafter, legitimately, by all those who were already in the line when the six o'clock hour came. But as I said, in any event, the P.U.P. - all their officials, all their counters, all their scrutineers - witnessed the counting of every ballot; signed off on the reconciliation sheet, signed off on everything. And so, ladies and gentlemen, Danny's victory is a matter of record and a matter of history, and unalterable history."
UDP wins Municipal Elections in San Pedro Town; PUP questions results
Daniel Guerrero and his six United Democratic Party (UDP) Councillors have been declared winners of the 2018 Municipal Elections held on Wednesday, March 7th. However, that victory is being questioned, with allegations of discrepancies in the election's official results. The People's United Party (PUP) and its supporters are disputing the results based on the total number of voters recorded, which, according to them, do not match the total number of ballots counted. The PUP has since sought legal advice in an effort to find a fair solution and perhaps even a recounting of the votes. However, the idea of a recount was never confirmed by Returning Officer of the Elections and Boundaries Department, Catherine Cumberbatch.
The PUP say they will continue to look at legal options to press their issue, as they are doubtful of the dubious figures from the election. Cumberbatch has declined speaking to the media, while it has been said that the official figures of the voters' turnout is yet to be updated with the final counts. Elections and Boundaries did not indicate when they would produce the updated figures, but The San Pedro Sun was assured that there are no discrepancies in the final figures.
Click here to read the rest of the article and see more photos in the San Pedro Sun
PUP to seek court action for a re-election in San Pedro
The controversy surrounding the results of the 2018 Municipal Elections in San Pedro Town continues to brew as the People's United Party (PUP) disputes the election results that favored the United Democratic Party (UDP). On Thursday, March 8th a day after the elections, San Pedro PUP Mayoral Candidate, Andre Perez along with members of his party began seeking legal options regarding the alleged discrepancies in the electoral process that declared UDP Mayoral candidate Daniel Guerrero and his team winners of the elections. The PUP alleges that they are in possession of legal documents, including official documents from the Elections and Boundaries Commission that show over 200 unaccounted ballots. The next legal action, according to PUP Senator and attorney Eamon Courtenay, will be to demand a new election in San Pedro after challenging the recent results at the Belize City Supreme Court in the upcoming days.
The PUP claims that there was a strong swing for their party during the election process on the island. Party officials also said that they were told of certain movements inside the counting room and perhaps due to that they now have significant discrepancies with the results.
Courtenay stated that the PUP will continue fighting for what is right. "We believe that the PUP won San Pedro and we are going to court to establish that," said Courtenay. This is about the San Pedranos who voted and that is what we are fighting. We are fighting for every single vote and expect the PUP to be triumphant."
Click here to read the rest of the article and see more photos in the San Pedro Sun
Brice�o: We Have Not Given Up on San Pedro
As for the situation in San Pedro, Brice�o says that contrary to what the prime minister said on Thursday, that the P.U.P. had signed off on the reconciliation sheet, as well as the final statement of poll, that is not the case.� In fact, lawyers are reviewing the outcome in an effort to determine whether there will be a legal challenge.� Until then, Brice�o remains circumspect, but optimistic that Belize Rural South will by 2020 become a P.U.P. constituency.
John Brice�o, Party Leader, P.U.P.
"There seems to be a lot of uncertainty and we've been going through, all night they were working and as I am told we have our lawyers looking at it before we make any big decision because for Andre Perez it's thirty-eight votes, you know, and this is an area where the area representative, Honorable Heredia, has always boasted that he has under complete lockdown.� Despite all his efforts and all the resources that he put behind his mayor, we're just talking about thirty-eight votes, and when there seems to be� Votes are not balancing or ballots are not balancing, you know, with how much ballots were issued and how much were actually voted, there seems to be� It is not balancing but we need to take a closer look before we can say anything.� But whatever happens, at the end of the day we are extremely happy to show that in San Pedro we have broken again the back of the U.D.P. and that we are confident that whenever they call the [general] elections, well for the next municipal election that we are going to take it all.� And certainly for the general elections when you look at those thirty-eight votes lost and you include Caye Caulker which usually gives us anywhere between two and three hundred votes, Heredia is toast."
Democracy won yesterday, Wednesday, in Belize, again. It was not the general elections. This one was "just" municipal elections, decision-making time for folk in the cities (two) and towns (seven) to elect the men and women who would get the jobs of keeping the streets in a good state, the drains flowing, the garbage collected, and so and so forth. But the undercurrents in this one were so thick with implications, even in the villages, that Belizeans stayed up way into the night to hear how the numbers played out in Belize's urban world.
At the beginning of the day, the government of Dean Barrow sat on a 62-5 seat advantage, and his party held 8 of the 9 municipalities, including the largest, Belize City. His party has won 3 consecutive times in general elections. While the UDP has been winning, Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition has been floundering. They, the PUP, have been victims of an internal struggle over the direction of that party.
The PUP crashed from grace after they ran the economy into the ground during their 1998-2008 reign. The PUP had embarked on an ambitious economic plan, called growth economics. The UDP 1993-1998 had pinched the economy into submission. The PUP 1998-2008 were big spenders on big projects. There was expansion in education facilities, health facilities, health insurance, and housing,
While many considered most of their projects noble, the party's dependence on high-interest loans from abroad, and sale of prized essential utilities mostly to private foreign interests, was worrisome. What probably sank their government was greed and corruption at the top. And speculation. And the use of public money to back private projects when the private investors ran into trouble.
The PUP split apart when a faction of that party insisted that they turn away from the full-scale capitalist growth economics and return to their social justice roots. The healing has been long in coming. While the PUP has been fighting, the UDP has been winning, big.
We have heard Lord Acton's assertion, power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely, so often that he is now a household name and his saying is now a clich�. The Barrow government has had near absolute control of governance institutions in this country for nigh a decade.
The UDP had come to power (since 2008) on a promise that they would expunge "even a whiff of corruption" if/when it reared its ugly head in their government. The UDP, if it was sincere about controlling corruption, tried to carry out that objective without availing themselves of the tools that are in place to keep a close eye on the government's finances. The furniture in the offices of the Public Accounts Committee and the Integrity Commission are covered with more dust and cobwebs than the set of a ghost movie. Belize has been without a Contractor General for some months.
The charges of corruption have been piling up on the government for some time now. On top of that, this nation, our tranquil haven, has been reeling from violence in the streets that has escalated over the last decade to civil war proportions. On top of that, the jobs outlook for the working population is not encouraging, this despite a massive injection of cheap capital from Venezuela, as well as the largesse of nearly a decade of the BNE oil bonanza.
But the UDP had invested our finances strategically. The cities and towns have been the beneficiaries of cement and steel projects that transformed the landscape like never before. And this election was just for the citizens who lived in said areas. It would have, could have been a stroll in the park for the ruling UDP, if the municipal elections were only about streets and drains. And if the PUP hadn't pulled together, though not seamlessly, and made this election a referendum on the UDP's stewardship of the nation.
On one hand, making the elections national was a big gamble for the new PUP leadership. A UDP victory at the polls on Wednesday would have taken down two birds with one stone. It would have been a blessing for their massive expenditure in projects made out of imported cement and steel, and they would have driven back the charges that they were crushingly corrupt, and blind to the violence in our country. A UDP victory would also have sent the People's United Party into disarray, again.
On the other hand, maybe it wasn't such a big gamble for the PUP's new leadership, because when you sit on only 5 seats out of 67, you don't have anything to lose.
On Wednesday, Belize held its breath while waiting to see which party the tides in March would bring in. It was the PUP. Officially, they increased their number of seats to 26 (they won a seat in Dangriga). At this writing, the results in San Pedro are under review.
The PUP victory at the polls was impressive. In the north of the country the PUP Leader's (John Brice�o) electoral machinery behind mayoral candidates Kevin Bernard and Rigo Vellos, and their councilor aspirants, rolled over the territory.
And in Belize City, the Cordel Hyde (PUP Deputy Leader)- led machine on the south side that featured first time mayoral candidate Bernard Wagner, and a stellar slate of councilor candidates, gave the PUP visions of their good old days when they had seats on the south side of Belize City that were impregnable. On the north side of the city, Said Musa and his son, Kareem, and Francis Fonseca, delivered hugely for their party, again.
It wasn't a terrible day for the UDP, but it was worrying, very. They held on to six constituencies. On the surface that is a victory. It was far from that, however. All the numbers are not yet in, but it appears that they have lost ground in most constituencies. In Corozal Town they were defeated, and in Orange Walk Town they got walloped. In Belize City, the biggest prize, they were humbled.
Over the days ahead, Belizeans will be studying the numbers to see who did what, and where. Many will be doing so just for the fun, while the political actors will be grinding the numbers to see where they are weak, and have to strengthen, and where their strongholds are. The performances of the third parties and the independents will be closely scrutinized too.
It is to be seen how the UDP will respond to the awakening at the polls on Wednesday. They can point to what they didn't lose, but the evidence on the ground is that considerable real estate went over to the other side. They could sulk and become mean, or more mean. We have seen the UDP behave like that before. That would be bad for Belize, and for them. They could try a makeover. Surely, it is within them to perform the duties they were entrusted with, without fear or favor. They could try and find that anti-corruption machete and cut out the rot that has eaten into their core.
The victory, as we pointed out earlier, is for the country. Democracy is alive in our first-past-the-post system when there are two viable parties (at least) reaching out to voters. Wednesday's results said there are.
PUP Seeking for New Election Process in San Pedro
PUP Taking Court Action for New Election in San Pedro - Allegedly 275 Ballots Cannot be Accounted for by Elections and Boundaries Commission.
Municipal elections in Belize are a wakeup call for the current government
By Wellington C. Ramos
Since the 2006 municipal elections, the United Democratic Party (UDP) has won and controlled all the municipalities in the country of Belize except for Orange Walk Town, which has since been under the control of the People's United Party (PUP).
The municipalities include Belize City - a mayor and ten councilors; Belmopan City, the capital - a mayor and six city councilors; Punta Gorda Town - a mayor and seven councilors; Dangriga Town - a mayor and seven councilors; San Ignacio/Santa Elena Town - a mayor and seven councilors; Benque Viejo Del Carmen - a mayor and seven councilors; San Pedro Ambergris Caye Town - a mayor and seven councilors; Orange Walk Town - a mayor and seven councilors; and Corozal Town - also with a mayor and seven councilors.
When this is all added it comes up to nine mayors and 67 councilors.
In the elections that were held on Wednesday, the PUP won Belize City, Orange Walk Town and Corozal Town. This gives them three mayors and 25 councilors out of 67 because a PUP counselor also won in Dangriga Town. Now the UDP has six mayors and 42 councilors which is still the majority, but losing Belize City is a major shock to them. Why? Because, since the UDP came to power in Belize City in 2006, they have spent millions of dollars on infrastructural development in Belize City compared to the other municipalities. Yet, despite all this spending, Belize City has the highest amount of gangs, crimes and murders in the entire country of Belize.
This has caused many city residents to leave the city to live elsewhere in the country and Belizeans who live abroad to build their homes away from Belize City. Tourists have also avoided the city and, if they go there, they have to be very cautious of what parts of the city they go to avoid becoming victims of crime. It has gotten so bad in Belize City that every time you listen to Belize news, two or more people have gotten killed for no good reason or reasons.
Life in the city seems to have no value no more and many city residents are living in fear for their lives. Many of the accused killers have been arrested, brought to trial for their crimes, acquitted or sent to prison but the killing goes on like there is no end in sight and no regard for a person's life. The government has come up with several plans to combat these crimes and murders but nothing has changed in Belize City.
There has been a lot of emphasis on upgrading law enforcement strategies but it has not worked and it is not working. Maybe, now is the time for the government to look into the root causes of crime in Belize and implement some programs to change the minds of the young and poor Belizeans. People who do not have the basic means to survive as human beings are vulnerable and become good customers to be induced to commit crimes and they will commit them.
When the elections come around, they will take any amount of money to vote for a candidate but they do not really care about the candidate, his party, his politics or his ideas. The worst thing any political party or politician can do is to pay Belizeans to vote for them because the situation will only get worse and has gotten worse. People will only vote when they get paid a certain amount of money and will not vote if the right money is not given to them.
The value of the Belizean vote has diminished and is diminishing over time as well. The UDP in power now needs to pass campaign finance laws in Belize as soon as possible to save Belize's democracy. The legislation should set a reasonable amount of money that all candidates should spend for municipal, general and all elections. Also, make it a criminal offence for any candidate running for office, to pay or bribe a citizen to vote for him or her.
An Ethics Commission should also be established by the Election and Boundaries Commission, with a representative from all the registered political parties in Belize to be on the board. This commission will have the power to monitor the enforcement of our election laws and practices. If the laws are being violated by anyone, charges must be brought against the candidate or candidates and if they won the election it should be voided and another election must be held after the court proceedings.
I left Belize in 1978 but have stayed in tune with Belize politics since my departure. I have spoken to many Belizeans who live here in the United States and in Belize about the state of politics in our country. If money has now come to be the main reason why a candidate can win a seat for office in Belize, then we will not get the best people to represent us and become our leaders. We will only corrupt our political system further.
There are many qualities that a person needs to become a leader and money is only one of them. With this type of system in place, these are the results that we will get in Belize politics; rich people ruling the country and securing their personal and family interest, rich people ruling the poor people and paying them for their votes, rich people leading the intelligent poor people and using them as puppets to serve their interest, unintelligent rich people becoming our representatives.
Campaign finance laws could be a controversial issue like it is here in the United States. However, in a small country like Belize it should work. Because it is needed so that the political parties do not have to go and look for rich people to finance their campaigns and then become obligated to them. The Michael Ashcroft experience with our then prime minister, Said Musa, and the PUP seems to have not taught us a lesson yet. If it did not teach us anything then, it will not teach us anything again. We are still haunted by that relationship and it is costing our people and nation millions of dollars.
If we love our people and country the way we say we do, then let us get up and do something to show our people and country how much we really do love them. Remember, that if we do not act our country and future will end up in the hands of the wealthy over our poor vulnerable Belizean citizens. Some of these things are taking place in our country now as we speak and it is time for it to end.
Our country of Belize cannot continue to endure this pain and suffering any more. All Belizeans who care and love our people and country should join me so that together we can call on our government representatives to act now before it is too late to save our beloved country Belize.
The opinions and views expressed on this board are the subjective opinions of Ambergris Caye Message Board members and not of the Ambergris Caye Message Board its affiliates, or its employees.
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