A Recap Of Independence Day Activities
At the top of the news, we told you about all the bad news coming out of yesterday's Independence Day holiday...but while there was a too much violence for anyone to stomach, there was also laughter, dancing, celebration and the pomp of officialdom as Belize celebrated the country's forty-first year of Independence.
Daniel Ortiz has a recap of all the official events:
In the last few hours before the official arrival of the 41st anniversary of Belize's Independence, local artists and performers kept Belizeans at the Memorial Park entertained and immersed in an interactive live concert.
But, at the stroke of midnight, members of the Belize Defense Force Honor Guard raised the Belizean flag marking the arrival of September 21st.
A few hours later, government leader, diplomats along with supporters headed to the National Assembly Plaza in Belmopan for the official Independence Day Ceremony.
Prime Minister John Briceno reflected on Belize's 41st year of nationhood in the context of ongoing global crises facing Belize and the rest of the world's countries.
John Briceno, Prime Minister
"This year we celebrate our independence in a time of global upheaval. There is unthinkable conflict in Eastern Europe with talk of nuclear weapons. In Asia, our close ally, the Republic of China on Taiwan, is menaced constantly by the military threats of its mammoth neighbor. In Latin America, democratic principles are stressed by the lure of autocracy in addressing injustice, while the passing of Queen Elizabeth II in the United Kingdom will force a rethink of constitutional tradition in Belize, the Caribbean, and the African Commonwealth. And, of course, even as the COVID pandemic and its massive ramifications recede, the demon of high inflation has been let loose upon the global economy. The climate crisis is wreaking havoc in every corner of our planet. Today our thoughts and prayers are with the people of Mexico and of Taiwan, where two separate earthquakes caused the loss of life and limb and billions in loss and damage. As we enter the active period of the Atlantic hurricane season, we in the Caribbean have to deal with the annual shocks caused by ever-increasing violent storms. Whether wildfires and droughts in North America, monsoons and flooding in Asia, deforestation in Latin America, or crop failure in Africa, the world is unarguably less hospitable to humanity today than at any time in living memory."
PM Briceno stressed though that even in a time of global upheaval, Belize still enjoys stability small victories.
John Briceno, Prime Minister
"Belizeans can be proud that our Constitution is unblemished in 41years. Six times since Independence, there has been an orderly transition of political power, without violence or even the threat of violence. Just two weeks ago, a new Chief Justice was sworn in, and she will oversee an entirely independent Judiciary, free of political control or interference. The Belizean public square, buttressed by myriad freedoms, and a vibrant, independent press corps, is more lively and more animated than ever. Our resiliency is home-grown, not IFI-imposed. Our focus, our insistence, is that this growth be equitable across districts; focused on job-creating industry and export-oriented businesses to further fortify the Belize dollar. At present, our fixed peg is backed by well over four months of import cover. We are resolved to transform the national infrastructure, not with extravagant spending that provides one-time jobs but with targeted, prudent investments that enable product-to-market transfers and that build intra- community wealth."
Opposition Leader "Shyne" Barrow took a different approach in his remarks and chose to focus on what he thinks are major, multiple crises facing a beleaguered populace:
Moses "Shyne" Barrow, Leader of the Opposition
"The majority youth population of Belize will not give any government more than five years, or one term, to deliver on their promises. This generation of Belize will demand the promise of Independence be fulfilled by each administration. So indeed, we can celebrate true independence, freedom, and democracy on September 21st every year. Patriotism requires sober reflection, and in my sober reflection, both political parties have contributed to the failure to deliver on the promise of independence. The promise of independence requires a revolutionary, systematic overhaul that will allow all Belizeans to have economic independence, political independence, security, stability, and equal opportunity for all. Far too many Belizeans have been denied the promise of independence, with only a few politically connected enjoying the paradise that is our Belize. For too many, it is a nightmare that, through share grit and perseverance, do they endure, marching through the long night of Jouvert, hoping for the morning when the promise of independence will arrive. To be fair, there have been efforts, gargantuan efforts by some of my forebearers. Former Prime Minister Rt. Hon. Dean Barrow tried. Manuel Esquivel tried. Rt. Hon. George Price tried. But, this government is not trying."
And after all of the formalities in Belmopan were completed, Belizean marched in citizen parades all across the country. In Belize City, onlookers were treated once again to the sight of high school students marching in their uniforms, a tradition that has also returned this year for the first time since the COVID pandemic first became a major public health threat.
Joining the Belize City's parade were Fort George voters, who allowed their Area Representative to flex some political and patriotic muscle on this Independence Day.
One piece of hard news coming out of yesterday's official addresses, is the whereabouts of the Belizean flags that the Guatemalan Armed Forces took from the Belize Territorial Volunteers at Sarstoon island over the weekend.
During his remarks, Barrow brought up the issue, and Briceno responded by disclosing that the flags that the GAF contingent confiscated are in possession of the Belize Embassy in Guatemala.
And after wrapping up his Independence Day speech, Prime Minister Briceno flew out of the country, headed for the 77th Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. The release gives no date of return but reports tell us that he won't be back until October 7th.
In his absence, Deputy Prime Minister Cordel Hyde will act as Prime Minister.
Channel 7