Author: Twocanview LLC

Belize mired in a tangled web of citizenship definition: By: Hubert Pipersburgh

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Hubert

Hubert Pipersburgh

As re-registration continues unabated. The issue of Guatemalans’ citizenship or a lack thereof remains front and center. The constitution of Belize has four categories of citizenship. Section 23( born before 1981), section 24( born after 1981), section 25( by descent or born abroad), section 26( by naturalization).
Chief among the reasons these designations are important are for several reasons. For one thing, it helps to understand how citizenship is defined under Belize’s constitution. For another, it gives a clarification of who can be granted or are entitled to citizenship.
Moreover, it also helps to underscore what categories falls under the ministerial discretion. For instance, section 23 and 24 are entitled. Section 25 and 26 are granted per the constitution. The minister has no authority or discretion on section 24 and 26 citizens. Only on section 23 and 25 citizens.  In addition, Section 29 (3) of Belize’s constitution carries two distinct conditions. First, If you show allegiance and second, if you are citizen of a country that doesn’t recognizes Belize. Thus, you are not qualified to naturalize If you are citizen of Guatemala or if you show allegiance.
Again, according to section 29(3) the minister have discretion in section 25 and 23 citizenship not 24 and 26 citizenship which is what Guatemalans are designated.
It’s a widely held belief by many that section 29 (3) only applies to persons claiming citizenship via section 26 ( naturalized) or section 25( by descent). It also applies to persons who are entitled to citizenship and persons who are granted citizenship.
No one shall be entitled to be a citizen of Belize who is a citizen of country who does not recognize our sovereignty such as Guatemala.
Using the constitution, no one can claim citizenship on this part (part 3 of the constitution ) if you are citizen of a country who does not recognizes Belize.
Notice I’m not saying granted I am saying entitled such as myself a section 23 Belizean. So the one individual the constitution disqualifies is that a born Belizean be a citizen of a country that does not recognizes Belize.
Consider the children of Guatemalans born in Belize: Section 144 of the Guatemalan constitution automatically designate them as Guatemalans at birth. Section 29 (3) of Belize constitution stipulates you cannot claim section 24 citizenship if you are a citizen of Guatemala. In short, since ministerial discretion does not apply to section 24 citizens, they are disqualified even though they are born in Belize. They are not Belizeans using that constitutional definition.
True, Guatemalans can renounce. However, Guatemalan officials has either sent mixed signals or have offered no definitive clarification to Belizean officials regarding renouncement of their citizenship.
Additionally, Guatemalans can renounce, but run afoul of section 19 of the Nationality Act, invalid renouncement. So since Guatemala do not recognized their renouncement it’s invalid and according to section 19, which makes rescind or revoke a mute point because they were never Belizeans.
Unlike 21-1-c of the Nationality Act that states frauds were Belizean until the declaration they are not legally a citizen.
My sincerest hope is that this issue is not ignored because it is a legitimate public policy issue. Going forward, somethings need to be done, not precipitously and it must not disrupt the life of these people. This is an issue that should be put to a referendum.
I in no way want to disrespect or disrupt anyone. However, we are a constitutional democracy and the Supreme Law of the land is the constitution.

see:
The Belize Nationality Act states in Chapter V Sec 19:
In any case where any person purports to renounce citizenship of any country for the purpose of acquiring, retaining or resuming, under any provision of this Act, the status of a citizen of Belize, and it is found at any time that the renunciation was not in accordance with or not effective under the law in force in that behalf in such other country, that person shall be deemed never to have acquired, retained or resumed, under that provision, that status of a citizen of Belize; and if the Minister makes a declaration to that effect in any such case, the declaration shall be final.

The Definition of Insanity by : Joseph Monsanto Joseph discusses the growing scandal of Guatemalans unconstitutionally granted Belizean Citizenship

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Joseph Monsanto

Joseph Monsanto

I recently read an editorial on the Reporter’s website from last week’s paper. And honestly, while it makes some valid points about the need to resolve the situation with Guatemalans, who have Belizean citizenship illegally; I disagree with the position that the Opposition and the Government must accommodate them to be able to become Belizeans and keep their Guatemalan citizenship. The gist of the editorial is to find a fair and equitable solution for the Guatemalans, and Belizeans, so that the Guatemalans who wish to become Belizeans do not contravene Section 26 of the Constitution, can be Belizeans, despite not renouncing their citizenship from Guatemala.
There are several problems with this position, and while it is a sentiment I share that it must be fair, there are obstacles in the way of this happening. Namely, the position of the Guatemalan government, stating that every Guatemalan will always be a Guatemalan national, and that they will not do anything to render their citizens stateless. A very similar problem exists with the Guatemalan claim, in which despite recognising Belize as an independent nation, Guatemala’s congress cannot or will not repeal their claim to our territory, and their courts have made such constitutional amendments in the past notoriously difficult.
Let’s start with why is it that the debate is so prominent. As all of you know, the visa and immigration scandal that erupted in 2013, which many of us know as Pennergate, exposed the corrupt dealings of various government ministers in the Dean Barrow Administration, and exposed the practice of granting Guatemalan nationals Belizean citizenship, and this was done to pad voter rolls in general elections. Let’s be honest, this happened during the Musa Administration as well, but it was especially pronounced during this period, and we are dealing with the consequences of that today. The Senate Select Special Committee has exposed quite a bit of illegal activities taking place under Elvin Penner’s watch as Minister of State for Immigration. Among those is granting Guatemalan nationals, who did not renounce their nationality to Guatemala, Belizean citizenship. Dianne Locke, the Immigration Director, testified in 2017 that before changes were made by the Immigration Department in the wake of the scandal, there were no efforts to verify that those Guatemalans who became Belizeans took any steps to formally renounce their citizenship in Guatemala. And even after those changes, she testified that absent any notification that the Guatemalans would reject the paperwork from the immigration committee, that the Guatemalans would not respond to anything that the department would send to the Guatemalan Foreign Ministry, regarding renunciation of Guatemalan citizenship. This was further complicated by the response to the Government’s inquiry to the issue before us. Guatemala believes once someone is Guatemalan, they are forever Guatemalan, and that even if it was to facilitate Belize’s process of nationality, they cannot render a citizen stateless. If one views Guatemala’s reply through their history, then such a stance, especially in context of what is happening in Myanmar(Burma) with the Rohingya makes sense. But if you look at their official policy position regarding Belize, and their ongoing claim, then you would be of the belief that such a policy is used to infiltrate Belize, to influence their politics, and their policy, so they can be friendly to Guatemala. Such a goal was the reason why the prohibition on Guatemalans becoming Belizeans exists, outside of the exceptions of being married to a Belizean or being born in Belize.
Let’s come to the crux of my disagreement with the editorial. The Government has not displayed any willingness to work with the Opposition, or civil society on this issue, or for instance, the 9th Amendment. The Barrow administration in 2011, pushed a constitutionally dubious amendment, that would have stripped the right of judicial review from the courts on constitutional amendments, as well as other provisions that would have allowed the government to control Belize Telemedia Limited. The provision that would have stripped judicial review was declared unconstitutional some time later. The Government has also been unilaterally signing agreements with the Guatemalan government regarding the change to the referendum law, and de-linking the referenda for Belize and Guatemala, without consulting the Opposition. Since 2015 GOB and the Opposition have not seen eye to eye on the matter of the Guatemalan dispute, with the Government consistently saying that the People’s United Party is playing politics. The facts however speak to the politicisation of the dispute being the handiwork of the governing United Democratic Party, and therefore the bungling of the referendum result, as well as Belizean discontent surrounding the Sarstoon river and isle is squarely on their hands. I do not have the confidence that the Government believes that it is in the best interest of Belizeans and Guatemalans who have Belizean citizenship, through the schemes of ministers during Pennergate, or otherwise trying to become Belizeans legally, to resolve this, by working with the Opposition. Their history on the 9th Amendment, and the history of the Government working unilaterally on what was traditionally a national issue is the guide here. I believe that the Government will rush through an amendment that will nullify section 26 (3), and allow Guatemalans to keep their citizenship, as they become Belizeans. Appeasement is the order within the Government, especially if you consider the representation Belize has on the dispute with Guatemala. The Opposition, while they believe that any one who is a Belizean must be able to vote on this issue, would be remiss not to challenge this glaring problem, especially given the controversy this caused from 2013. However, given the statements from the Leader of the Opposition, do not hope for a productive solution for this issue.
Given the complexity of this issue, I have a few solutions to this issue, should they be taken seriously. Guatemalans should be allowed to become Belizeans, should the paperwork that acknowledge the renunciation from Guatemala City is given to Belizean authorities. This is the easiest and clean solution for those Guatemalans who legally go through the process of becoming Belizeans. But given Guatemala’s Congress, their courts and their government, this is unlikely to happen. Another solution is to clean up the voter registration list and scrutinise it for Guatemalans who have gained citizenship during Pennergate. While this seems to be what the Government is doing, I am not going to hold my breath, because there has yet to be a case tested in court over a Guatemalan gaining citizenship during that time. And the fact that they announced the date for the referendum, and the voter re-registration exercise, suggests to me that they have not taken this issue very seriously at all. We must also look at the possibility of disenfranchising those Guatemalans who have gained citizenship through Pennergate. While it is a potentially unconstitutional move and very controversial, there is a valid national security reason for it. Given the fact that the Government has facilitated this activity, albeit through the illegal activities of some government Ministers, one could make the case that such a move to disenfranchise this group of Guatemalan-Belizeans is a necessity. But the editor is right. It is a complex issue that requires an elegant solution to this problem. However, given the past 10 years, and recent history, I do not believe that the Government is one for elegant solutions, unless it is expedient and benefits them.

We Got Net (W.G.N.) written by: Jose Sanchez

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 A thoughtful, historical and analytical piece examining Belize’s cultural evolution and media.  Aria Lightfoot

Jose Sanchez 

We Got Net (W.G.N.) by: Jose Sanchez 
Reprinted with the permission of Jose Sanchez 
A young man from British Honduras, Ludwig Lightburn walked into Madison Square Garden and stood up to a goliath in the boxing world, the number 2 lightweight contender Ralph Dupas. While the Garden felt each solid blow, and the fight was one of the first televised, they could only be heard by a few radios in the Central American nation. Neighbors gathered around and listened as Lightburn punched his way to victory. It was 1955, almost 3 decades later video would kill the radio stars and television would reach British Honduras.
 Just like your fathers the Baymen, valiant and bold, Arthur and Marie Hoare had no idea that their business idea would change the landscape forever. They weren’t looking for timber, but the rooftop antennas connected to the tube would not only bring entertainment, but their Channel 9 would provide a compass for thousands to follow and would change lives and culture for Belizeans to this day. The television signal stretched all the way to Wrigley field, all the way to that box where Harry Carey sang “take me out to the ball game…” for the Cubs. Initially, Chicago’s WGN would be the only station we would be able to see and not only did we watch them lose because of the curse of the goat, we would love these losers as if we were residents of Chicago too. You could always know when the cubs were playing, you would hear people sing the song of camaraderie; you would hear the groans of a loss. The Cub games which were family events, no national events for Belize, would be the penultimate reason much like a blacksmith’s steel, which would heat, knock and forge a bond like no other seen before. Yes, there were other staples on WGN, in the mornings, kids could watch the lovable Bozo the Clown, who actually has a striking resemblance to Stephen King’s IT; “’they float, Georgie, and when you’re down here with me, you’ll float, too!”
 And like Georgie, we floated with the CUBS, not Da Bears. We did not need a Cambridge Analytica to decipher our society. We recently gained independence and would not replace British subjugation with Guatemala’s. Our goal was to remain sovereign and our window to the world was WGN, so shaping our opinions had an easy delivery system that was as direct as an injection to the bloodstream. Some smart people realized the power of the tube and antenna and invited a Cubby to Belize. Not just any cubby, but the Sarge, outfielder Gary Matthews. “I had never heard of that place, what is it called? Belize?” Cub manager Jim Frey said on February 28, 1985, when Matthews was scheduled to fly to Belize. While we consumed a diet of dollar chicken and Polar Pak Orange Juice with our cubbies, they had no clue they were the biggest phenomenon in Belize since Dutch cheese.
“They’ve got me scheduled to go out on something called Taca Airlines. I have a policy of never going on an airlines that I can’t spell,” Matthews said. “All I know is that I started to worry when they asked me to wear a bullet-proof vest in the parade. Don’t start the season without me. If I’m not back by April, you guys come and get me…When (general manager) Dallas (Green) was talking to me about this idea the other day and asked me about Belize, I thought he was talking about another player he wanted to trade for. I said to Dallas: “I don`t believe I know this guy. What position does he play?”
The Sarge would be traded, but in 1987, and Matthews’ junior would follow in his father’s footsteps and play for the Cubs from 200-2001. But by that time the antenna signal would be replaced by cable television, dial up internet would be a thing, and the movie Colors would usher in a definitive sign that Belize had gained influence from the US. I could give you 13 reasons why but just accept that the gang culture was exported to Belize as the movie, which was scripted for Chicago but shot in Los Angeles, highlighted the Crip and Blood gangs as they took root in Belize. We had more television than Americans, and only for a fraction of the price. But regulation could have occurred from the 80s or the 90s. The excuse everyone had bought into was “the market is too small” and the cost/benefit would be negligible. There was no big stick, no need for dollar diplomacy, America had not only replaced England, it colonized the minds and shaped opinions of Belizeans by simply letting Americana’s rivers flood the homes of Belizeans. That was when I realized how truly important it is to get different source materials before making judgments.
Today we can tell a lot of the opinion by which free stations we watch. If your neighbor watches Fox News regularly, you can assume they are either Republican or a Trumpster who wants to make America great again. It isn’t a coincidence that Chicago is a major hub for the diaspora.But there just isn’t enough hours in the day, you could watch whatever you wanted. The internet would change communications forever. At first the government attempted to block any voice related apps and websites to keep a revenue stream for the telecommunications company. The internet has provided more options. Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Firestick, Apple TV, Youtube and others that are competing with Network Televisions’ NBC, ABC, and CBS. The people of the world have become the pirates of the Caribbean. You can find phone apps and websites (coolkecktv, putlocker, couchtuner) that provide the same premium content made for those platforms but for free. Stranger Things have happened but the cable companies in Belize are entering the upside down while forging ahead with rates moving up from $45 to $60 monthly cable fees but with less channels. And though it will be many channels, people are already complaining that they don’t watch many of the channels because the content may not be to taste. I had to unfollow and Ghost some FB friends who did not have the Power to refrain from posting spoilers. But eventually I too made the call and bent the knee when someone in India posted GOT episodes before the HBO world premiere.
But when it comes the sports, there isn’t just baseball, there’s basketball and football and just about any sport you desire. And there are many teams. Belizeans have now laid claim to America’s basketball teams across the North American continent just as they once did with the cubs. It is all about Lebron James, right now and if he loses, there are more players and teams to choose from, right bro? Having options leads to developing taste. Belize’s primary goal, to remain sovereign did not consider the identity of the Belizean, which is why it was so easy for America to replace England. The country claims American athletes in the diaspora, though they wave the US flag. They can’t represent us at the National level in politics and they can’t vote in our ICJ referendum. But then again, that is why the internet has brought us options of enjoyment and knowledge. We need distraction from the politics, from the corruption, from the daily shit that has repeated itself in some form of the Matrix many times before. How many years have gone by since Sir Colville Young wrote about “Jonas Parker, the silver tongue talker”, the politician who wondered about how people could live in poverty in his division. It doesn’t matter which party won, don’t we always hear about the pot holed streets, and that Orange Street in Belize had a flood after a rain and whomever is in power is to blame? We are all in the sunken place with Kanye West. Get out!
That’s why Netflix exists, that’s why data is more important to Belizeans than a phone bill or a cable bill. You watch your content at the time you want on a daily basis or on the weekend in bulk if its binge worthy. We want internet and the power to decide who we will call, if and when we want to see them while we talk or send a voice message or type and decide which app we want to use. Will it be in an Instagram story? Snapchat story? FB message? Whatsapp? Heck you can put on virtual deer ears and nose to match your mannerisms in a video chat. The local television is divided into 3 categories: 1 news; 2 talk shows; and 3 entertainment. You can hear talk shows on the radio or watch them on TV live or on repeat, you can see the news live on FB or Youtube. The entertainment section is broken down into sports, karaoke, and limited programs which are seasonal typically by 10 episodes. Tastes are changing. Everyone is online, which is why the news industry has shifted online; newspapers have a webpage, FB page and are looking for opportunities to adapt. The internet has killed many printed newspapers around the world. Why read paper, when you can either watch online, or read online? Interactive stories such as the New York Times Snowfall, show how storytelling and technology can merge. Narrative writing and social marketing (not to be confused with social media marketing) have changed how content is absorbed. You can get an education online on YouTube. You can take courses, learn, and there is a feast of information suitable for every palate and at any time. In the age of Youtubers, you can speak to and communicate with a live expert on their channel. Classes can now be taken online.
Rain Drops? Drop top? Fishermen can check an app for the weather. The weather service is only bad and boujie during hurricane season. We can check an app or go online to see if weather conditions permit to go fishing at sea or to plant crops. You can use the internet and data from social media sites like Instagram and Facebook to target a specific age, sex, or region of a country. We are in an age where there is excess as well as excellent delivery systems to the brain.
Companies use influencers and experts to shape opinion prior to the release of a product in order to generate a buzz and content from trusted sources. Check out Sony Kando or Kando 2.0, as an example. However, during the last General Elections I met university students who were hired as influences and opinion shapers for youth of voting age. They did this mostly online, they met in WhatsApp group to receive their talking points and these popular people, some of whom were more noticed for their selfies and duck faces suddenly became political. They got paid and that’s an excellent illustration of technology’s use. I received a notice from Facebook that someone on my friend’s list completed the survey that would eventually send millions of data including mine to Cambridge Analytica and the data would be used to determine weaknesses or biases that would help to steer an opinion. If you liked an article about better border control, then you would have received more content on your news feed about Mexicans taking American jobs, or America needs walls. Strange that for the past few years, no one has used the power to help shape an argument of whether or not we should go to the ICJ? My bad, Guatemala did it, I saw their videos and their posts from every level. Data is not all about memes, shade and selfies, but is it Laurel or Yanny bro?
The beauty of the dilemma is that while Belizeans are being shaped, they are now in the driver’s seat to decide which content they will consume and what platform they will receive it. The Belizean identity is always in flux and how it will continue to shape is anyone’s guess. The phone companies as well as internet only companies are selling data and in some cases data with Netflix to the public. The future for cable providers can simply be in selling data or by providing original content that is not available on streaming services. To survive, they will need to hire content creators to be leaders, not followers. Everyone’s doing karaoke, radio and TV but only one can lead in that. It is possible that cable companies will be cannibalized in order for that industry to survive.
In the past, the play book meant, supporting Bowen as a Belizean entity when Caribbean and beers threatened the niche market. When Telemedia became nationalized, it too became the battle cry, “support Belizean businesses.” It worked for a while. When Albert Street started seeing loss to Chetumal and Melchor, “support Belizean businesses” once again became the anthem. The truth is there are many people employed and many families supported by jobs in this industry that did not pay content providers. Data alone wipes out the need for the two cell phone companies and all cable companies. Perhaps that is why they are all selling internet now, and of course that is why the Government is taxing it, just as fuel is being taxed. Eventually residents at our border towns will buy data from Mexico or Guatemala just as they do now with fuel. If there is a limit to salaries in this economy of the working poor, more taxes simply means people will learn to do without. The cable industry needs to create content and become competitive.
So looking back at the lesson learned from using the Cubs to unify our people, why hasn’t any budding politrician invited him to Belize yet? Does the cost of an international call or text matter to you? Does it matter if you missed the news at 6:30 pm? Does it matter that something happened Friday night and you have to wait for Monday morning talk show for an update? No. Why? W.G.N. We Gah Net.

European Deception – Argument for reparations in pictures by: Aria Lightfoot

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Some of the biggest European lies that persist today:

  1. You are natives/inferior and need protection if you are not white-
  2. Natives/indigenous people were/are primitive
  3. Natives need to be saved by Jesus Christ
  4. Brown, Yellow and Black people are minorities
  5. Non-whites are genetically predisposed to certain characteristics and behaviors
  6. History Books of the world.
  7. The world was disconnected tribes of people living in isolation until Europe connected it.

Europeans systematically  destroyed  worldwide cultures, identities and reprogrammed cultures to stay in a  present condition of fear, victim hood and despair where people cannot see the atrocities committed and celebrated in today’s labels such as “First World”, “G20”, “Advanced”, “Superior” ” Weapons of Mass Power” .

England used a celebratory Chinese invention,  gun power,  to conquer and dominate the world.  European crimes and atrocities against humanity/nations and cultures  are beyond anything one can phantom.

Pictures below are taken from the world’s “ancient architectures” . As you can see, cultures of “ancient” civilization were far from primitive. They were superior in architecture, and also in music, writing and scientific discovery.  The Maya Calendar, Math and Astronomy, even though it predated the “discovery of the world being round” and discovery of planets and solar system, is accurate as today’s calendars and discoveries.

I theorize Europeans “discovered”  the “New” World during invasions of Africa where they gathered stories of great wealthy civilizations in other parts of the world. Europeans may have forced  “primitive” seamen and trading partners who traded with Africa,India, Asia Central/South America to show them a sea route where the wealth originated.  In Europe’s insatiable greed to continue their path of expansionism, they offered commissions to many people to find the sea route to wealth; with Christopher Columbus being the first European to make the “discovery” . Once colonization occurred, “primitive” cultures’ knowledge, wealth and history were abnegated and everything we know from there became rewritten European lies to hide merciless bloodshed,  terrorism, genocide, theft, and rape….that make Europe and by extension, the USA wealthy today.

When Africa and the “New” world  were invaded by Europeans,  books were burned, ideas stolen, wealth stolen,  women raped, cultures destroyed  and coincidentally Europe went thru a renaissance period of discovery.  A sudden burst of new ideas, culture, art and buildings.

I find it hard to  believe that Columbus and Europeans were welcomed with open arms by tribes without a familiar face on board invading ships. I find it hard to believe the designs and buildings were so similar for disconnected cultures;  I find it hard to believe Christoper Columbus just happen upon the “New” world by accident; I find it hard to believe Spain would pay for an expensive trip without proof of the new world; I find it hard to believe Europe just miraculously went thru an enlightenment period;  I find European history books  hard to believe when the pictures tell a different story of a connected world.

Pictures below are of ancient architectures in: Africa; Middle East; India;  Australia;  South America;  Central America; Asia

Let who have eyes see….Are you willing to challenge indoctrination?

 

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A Tale Of Two Cities – Belize City and Belmopan Municipal Election 2018 -analysis by Aria Lightfoot

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Aria

 “…the only thing we saw from the previous council are the good streets that we are killed on…” Micah Goodin, newly elected Belize City Councilor

 

Elections are over in Belize and the results were shocking with aftershocks yet to follow.  While I believed that United Democratic Party would lose ground in the municipal election, I did not anticipate such an astonishing defeat in the old capital. Only one person, Verlene Pitts, correctly predicted the city loss.  I personally thought the city would yield a split council.   The United Democratic Party was unable to retain a single city council seat in a political powerhouse and in what appeared to be a hard-working council. The seemingly improbably defeat exposed severe weaknesses in several UDP strong hold Belize City constituencies, making the silent voter who sat out the municipal elections an untapped power punch; 49% of city residents did not vote.  More people sat out elections in the city than determined the margin of winners.

So, what happened?

While the Prime Minister highlighted some obvious weaknesses, his analysis did not go deep enough because he probably did not want to publicly criticize the missteps and failures of the UDP and obviously he did not want to build on the People’s United Party momentum; PUP finally broke the political barriers that kept them in exile from any significant political leadership for more than ten years;  and to the political observer, PUP won Belize city without much fanfare, fireworks and candidate name recognition.

The UDP blamed voter fatigue, outspending, not enough men on the ground challenging key positions etc., but the party will need to take an insightful analysis as how they are perceived by the voters.

Here are my observations as an arm chair analyst/ Facebook commentator I was coined by OJ and other members of the UDP. There were many factors that made this loss predictive for those willing to take an unbiased look….

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The United Democratic Party Belize City campaign team disregarded an important aspect in every successful campaign- the personal people aspect. The UDP known supporters and campaigners were publicly abusive and dismissive; in fact, the negative perceptions may not be from the candidates themselves, just their entourage of friends and cronies feasting at the trough of the tax payer.  The chosen few members operate like a popular teenage cliché, showcasing their access and money; sometimes taking grand trips around the world and plastering it all over social media thinking that social media likes equal political popularity. Some of the supporters were online bullies and while they were dominant in many online conversations; many spent an enormous amount of time defending, accusing and pointing fingers, but spent little time listening, reading, analyzing, or being sympathetic to the concerns raised.

There were hundreds of conversations happening daily in groups with as many as 100K followers. These UDP operatives used social media to brag within a small political microscope and appeared to voters that their lifestyles were tax payer sponsored.  The perception created a very negative perception.  Social Media has evolved into a very important and powerful device in politics. Social media is big in Belize City. Most city residents have access to social media, regardless of their economic conditions.  Social media is a transformative and compelling tool because the communication is extensive, the messaging is instant, the audience is substantial, and the message can be recycled in many ways and can always be presented as current. According to Cornell University’s Steven Strogatz, social media sites can make it more difficult for us to distinguish between the meaningful relationships we foster in the real world, and the numerous casual relationships formed through social media. Someone who misunderstands this, can magnify the perception of their political party either positively or negatively. The misconceptions can also mislead one into thinking that their message is resonating.  Arguably the perception of the Belize city political elites left much to be desired.

Social media also affords the unique ability to organize, energize and connect. Discussions are real time, constant and telling of the perceptions of the average person.  The UDP operatives misused social media and media in this campaign.  On many issues they dominated the dialogue but were tone deaf to the beat of the city. The “optics” were horrible in a city overwhelmed with poverty and crime.

Many UDP supporters will attest that their support of the United Democratic Party begins and ends with the Hon. Dean Barrow and his loud powerful stance against corruption where he promised to address it whenever and wherever it appeared. When PUP demitted office, not even money could buy the support of voters because the corruption and disregard for the common man left an anger in the society that played out for over ten years.  Now in 2018, UDP Belize City find themselves pretty much in the same scenario. The people of Belize are over corruption, excuses for corruption, “lack of proof” of corruption and failure to tackle systematic failures that allow corruption to thrive. One UDP confided that she did not vote because she refuses to vote anymore for the lesser of two evils. The Boots Martinez controversy and Montero controversy weighed heavily on citizens who are truly fed up with corruption.  PUP, at their own peril, defended the decision of the new city council’s appointment of Joe Coye to head of the transition team.

The failure of the United Democratic Party to effectively address the vicious crime rate in Belize City, failure to acknowledge and sympathize with parents of dead babies was callous. I can’t imagine who advised the government to take a silent approach on this issue.  The head in the sand approach no longer works in a social media era. In times of despair and hopelessness, people look to leadership for support.  The only person publicly offering condolences was the leader of the opposition. The Prime Minister and every UDP Minister who represented these divisions silence was deafening. If anyone saw the video of one young man with his daughter who expressed outrage over the death of the 17month baby, would have clued anyone into the anger brewing in the city. The man in the video was visibly enraged, his anger was powerful, raw and scary.

The removal of Police Officer Chester from the City for Vidal was a poor decision. Chester along with Nuri Muhammad and Diane Finnegan had brokered a fragile peace among gang members in Belize City and with the removal of Chester, Vidal ushered in a brute force police dominance. Vidal was less sympathetic to gang members and the videos of police brutality flooded social media.  I also believe that the murder of popular barber Fareed Ahmed for which a police officer was arrested, and the deteriorated relationship with police and the citizenry added to the perception that there was no love for the affected citizens by the political elites.   The PUP also used effective propaganda videos showing powerful ministers giving interviews that the crime rate only affected a certain area; suggesting that the crime rate was not a big issue for them.

The UDP Belize City political commercials were silly, playful, corruption deflection, finger pointing and completely aloof and insensitive to the daily struggles of the citizens especially amid a crime spree and a murder rate that was as high as one murder every 42 hours. The UDP wanted the citizenry to examine the levels of corruption against a PUP government that has not been in power for over ten years. The argument was old, and it created an impression that UDP was now okay with corruption if it wasn’t as bad as PUP’s corruption.

UDP had a popular outgoing mayor with a constituency bigger than any other elected official in the country of Belize, Yet Mayor Bradley was practically invisible during the campaigning process. The people of Belize, regardless of political persuasion loved Mayor Bradley, he created a business like, corruption free environment; but he was treated at arms -length.  Bradley is a good candidate for leadership in the party, not necessarily party leader yet, but instead of a political snob, why not bring him to the forefront, offer him a secure division such as Dean Barrow’s division or even Boots or Elrington…begin grooming him for future leadership. Mayor Bradley should have been effectively utilized to see if he could be effective nationally as he is for the municipal elections. When UDP treats UDP with disdain, it creates even less public trust and love for the party.  The perception is “if they will treat their own in that manner, what will they do to us”.

UDP also has a very poor relationship with their supporters and allow rabid party supporters to further undermine the rapport.   It appears UDP opts for a transactional pay to play relationships and have not forged deep committed relationships like the party of the past. The George Price generation of die- hard support and loyalty voters are diminishing, which makes the swing vote population more powerful than ever.  The youths are less impressed with status quo.  Politicians today are under complete scrutiny and people are beginning to understand their power.  Political apathy and distrust grows and as such, enough was not done to convince the voter that they were the only choice; evident in the numbers that voted against the UDP and those who sat out the elections; numbers that could easily flip outcome for either party in the general elections.

Another problem, much like the pre-2008 PUP, too many family members are intertwined in the middle of party business making unbiased analysis near impossible.  The family members visibility in powerful positions adds to the perception of a few beneficiaries within the party. The image of political elitism need to be addressed.

The UDP will need to go back to the drawing board and address these deficiencies before going into a national election. UDP is also headed for a leadership change and the party will need to start making effective, succinct and expeditious changes to prepare for 2020.  Belize City will be far more important for a national election win.

What was PUP’s formula for success in the City?

The People’s United Party formula was easy.  They spent less time show timing and more time grass root campaigning. PUP members were engaged online but from the perspective of activists. They engaged the online community, promoted the issues of concern and push propaganda in effective ways.  They were able to deflect the corruption charges with fresh new blood in the party. PUP recruited the salt of the earth Belize City candidates who were already activist, community organizers, health care providers and candidates from the south side Belize.  The PUP candidates were people who overcame their own obstacles of poverty and rose to leadership. The PUP candidates were credible to the citizenry.

Another effective tool by the PUP was to turn the attention from the true responsibilities of the city council, which involves maintaining the city to a national conversation around crime and corruption.  The outgoing UDP city council did an excellent job maintaining the city and PUP had nothing to compare to it. When PUP changed the conversation, UDP did not effectively redirect the conversation to the responsibilities of the city, choosing instead to wage a finger pointing corruption war which only reflected on UDP as the party in power.

The Opposition Leader Johnny Briceno also brought forth instances of corruption by Belize City Minister Boots Martinez; all indications of the last general elections, Boots and Elrignton were weak candidates winning their divisions by small margins. The powerhouse Ashcroft owned entity of Channel 5 helped PUP make the argument credible. Channel 5 focused on crime and   hammered on Elrington making multiple faux pas remarks around growing concerns of Guatemala; and taking an aloof approach to crime and policing for which he is in charge.  The reporting on Boots accusation of corruption made a very strong case of UDP’s disregard for supporters.  Boots accusation was powerful because his accuser indicated an uncompassionate Boots, who uses his assistant to gain access to his bank account without any reward. The assistant publicly admitting to laundering money through his bank account with 100% of the proceeds going to Boots.  The corruption charges added to the credence to a perception that UDP uses supporters for their own selfish intentions.  This narrative was used by many PUP operatives.  “Only a few benefits under the UDP”.

PUP made inroads during the midterm elections and have ignited their base into action. PUP however already made a serious misstep with the controversial pick of Coye. The pick created controversy and in old political style, PUP defended the decision.  This misstep is indicative of why the silent vote remains powerful as they sit and wait to see which party will rise to the expectations of the electorate.

As I am not as familiar with the North and South politics, I will give a tale of two cities, Belmopan and Belize City.

Contrasting Belmopan UDP win/PUP loss vs Belize City  PUP win/UDP loss- Khalid is a well-liked mayor.  He is humble, respectful, accessible and he works. John and Khalid have a good working relationship and John works his division and he adapts quickly and responds effectively to criticism. John and Khalid keep a relatively low social media presence, John only to address and promote Belmopan events or to address controversies. At one point, John had the same rabid supporters around him, but I think the public discontent was heard and that problem was seemingly addressed. The offenders have taken on a less social media presence.  John can be described as passionate and zealous about his politics, seemed to have matured over the years and have worked the division thru losses and wins. He is impressive and politically astute, because he understands the political constituency and respond efficiently and competently to the electorate. John told me he would bring home all his candidates and he was right. I thought Anna departure would hurt the party initially, but that was quickly squashed which did not allow the negative to spill out into the political arena for too long.

PUP did not present a good Belmopan team. PUP brought the same message to Belmopan that was effective in Belize City, but the cities are not plagued with the same problems. PUP failed to use the same formula that was effective in the city. The PUP aspirants were relatively newcomers to the Belmopan community except for JB Wade and Brian Mira. The successful Belmopan City Council, much like the Belize City council winning team, have salt of the earth credible residents Similarly, they spent a lot of time grass root campaigning and limited their social media to campaign messaging and working messages. You did not see one Belmopan political aspirant using social media to brag about their access or success.  Most of the messages were conservative and thankful.  I also believe that Mayor Belisle has softened up John’s image quite a bit. The popular and humble mayor is well spoken, hard worker and well liked and have forged a working partnership with John; that working relationship is beneficial to the Belmopan residents.  Things can be done when the city council and the area representatives are from the same party.  The Belmopan team through trial and error understands that relationship building is a key component for continued political success.

While there is still discontent in Belmopan as with any community, the discontent is nowhere close to Belize City.  As a city, Belmopan is thriving. There is less crime; the poor are not in destitute and drug infested conditions. Belmopan residents are also able to transition out of poverty, more diversity, more access to NGOs, Embassy contributions, scholarships, good schools, living spaces and a very dynamic community vested in their own future. The Belmopan voter is far less dependent on government to handouts. Hence Belize City messaging is meaningless in Belmopan.

What’s Next?

While the United Democratic did lose the biggest constituency, there were significant wins in Central and Southern Belize and while PUP did lose the Central and Southern Belize, they made significant wins in the North, Belize City and made significant impact in San Pedro.  PUP and UDP will see leadership challenges and how that plays out will have a significant impact on the national elections.

Both parties will need to realistically examine their present state and work thru their successes and failures; Parties will need to take a serve the people approach and tone down their rabid supporters who see politics as a blood sport winner takes all game.  Politics have greatly evolved in Belize and each election brings in new voters with different expectations. People want a stake in their future and the messaging will be very important going forward.  Leadership will also play an important role in how people perceive political parties.  Political parties must begin the arduous process of dropping dead weight and attracting the young and vibrant talent to their pool. The question of corruption can no longer be deflected. The people of Belize want opportunity, access, security and corruption free government.  The municipal election reminded both political parties who are really in charge. Democracy was vibrant, the people spoke or remained silent.  Political parties must be mindful that a much bigger election is upon us and that election will awaken a silent powerful vote.  Who will hear and respond?

No Justice No Peace by: Aria Lightfoot

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Aria

Aria Lightfoot

I have not written about Belize for almost a year because it was getting frustrating to see the problems and being helpless in bridging solutions. It is disheartening to know that our little Belize has no value for human life.

Murder or attempted murder is now a daily pastime in Belize. I joined a Belize WhatsApp news group and it is scary to think that people are being gunned down or stabbed daily.  Murder is so rampant that the media and police can no longer dedicate more than a few days and only to the most sensational ones. Life is meaningless that there is no pause, reflection or anger except for the meaningless condolences messages that do not translate into effective advocacy or motivate any action, not even from the victims’ families.

I feel like Belizeans are a bunch of sheep waiting and expecting to be slaughtered.  Belizeans have no concept of justice, accountability, right nor wrong. We are shallow, consumer driven with no moral compass.  God in Belize is used for present-day judgment, social tea parties, inaction and after life reward.  Belizeans seems to have lost their instinct for self-preservation, community and generational survival.

Belize has seen over 4000 citizens brutally murdered with absolutely no closure, no prosecutions and no active investigations. A surplus of psychopathic killers is getting a thrill terrorizing and murdering the citizenry.  The cancer is spreading so fast that people now feel that the police are carrying out targeted murders.  Many of the officers who are there to serve and protect are power drunk making crucial decision over citizens’ lives, death and freedom with no regard for due process or justice.

We see a system that does not adjust to offset loophole laws that make criminals walk; we see attorneys making a mockery of the criminal legal system; criminals walk away from egregious acts based on trifling technicalities; we have a DPP with job security, in place now for over a decade; and piss poor job performance of 3-5% conviction rate.  We see no solutions from the guardians of our laws because -let’s face it – we have no value for life or love of our fellow Belizeans.   We are a cold, callous, soulless people in love with brand name everything,  we love partying, we hate rules therefore actively participating in our own genocide.

Do you recall the video of the emaciated polar bear? The gut wrenching viral picture of a helpless bear on the brink of death and no solutions to solve the immediate issues of Global Warming destroying his environment?  That picture is reminiscent of Justice in Belize. We see it dying, we know what is killing justice, but we are helpless with no will to solve it.

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it is hard to remain focus on anyone murder because the numbers are astronomical.  We are three days into the New year and there has already been three murders. We are in a state of paralysis.  Recently Caleb shared a list with me of 33 gay men who have been murdered in Belize.  The method of murder ranges from strangulation, multiple stab wounds, shooting and physically beaten to death. The list is reflective of the savagery that has befallen our society.  Even sadder and likely because of the overwhelming murder rate, people dismiss victims of murders due to their sexual orientation, domestic relationship and gang affiliated murders. Belizeans have convinced themselves that once they stay away from the categories listed above, they will remain safe.  Sadly, we seem clueless of the high incidence of murder by hire, robbery; burglary, being an unfortunate witness, drunk driving (yes, they are murderers too).

Today I listened to the father of Fareed Ahmad express anger by calling the accused “souwa” and some people were offended by his use of words to describe the accused murderer of his son;  rather than being offended by the murder itself; rather than being offended by the perception of police involvement, rather than being offended that a young productive young man is dead; rather than being offended that the victim leaves behind young children; rather than being offended by innocent death; rather than offended that the name of the victim is being tarnished to protect the guilty.

Belizeans get offended over blue Santa Claus, beauty queen contests, Facebook posts and political tomfoolery …but no demand for Justice and no expectation of Justice. Until we purse Justice and value the life of every citizen there will be absolutely No peace.  Every single Belizean life matter and every Belizean life is at stake.

Guatemala waits for us to  complete our self-destruction….

 

 

 

Open Letter to the Prime Minister of Belize and Leader of the Opposition

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OPEN LETTER TO THE PRIME MINISTER OF BELIZE

AND LEADER OF THE OPPOSITION

 

June 16, 2017

 

The Rt. Honorable, Dean Barrow, Prime Minister

The Honorable, Johnny Briceno, Leader of the Opposition

Belmopan, Belize

 

Dear Sirs,

 

Belizean Citizens Abroad (BCA) is an organization committed to bringing together Belizeans living abroad in a non-partisan manner. Our goal is to empower and strengthen the democracy of Belize by working with ALL Belizeans at home as well as the Government of Belize on solutions and issues of concern to the community of Belizeans living overseas. As such, we are currently advocating for the equal rights of born Belizeans with dual citizenship.

We are asking for bi-partisan support for an amendment bill to remove the discriminatory provisions in our Constitution limiting the citizenship rights of born Belizeans who gain dual nationality and to reintroduce the same amendments as section 4 and 5 of the BELIZE CONSTITUTION (SEVENTH AMENDMENT) ACT, 2009 that purported to amend Sec 58(1) and 63(1) of the Belize Constitution. These discriminatory provisions in our Constitution limit the POLITICAL rights of born Belizeans and hamper our ability to solve many of the problems that Belize face in an ever-changing globalized world.

The Constitution of Belize contradicts the idealism of equal rights and equal protection under the law by establishing underclasses of citizenship.  Furthermore, the Constitution is in contravention of the very idea of human rights.  According to the United Nations Human Rights International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights Article 25 – every citizen shall have a right to take part in the conduct of public affairs and to vote and be elected in periodic elections.

It is a travesty that foreign-born individuals who become Belizean dual citizens have more rights than born Belizeans who gain an additional citizenship.  This literally means that born Belizeans are second-class citizens in our own country.  Currently, there are thousands of born Guatemalans who have acquired Belizean citizenship enjoying more rights than born Belizeans who have acquired dual nationality.  This is so even though our Constitution bars Belizean citizenship to members of any country that claims Belize.  How can it be that despite a clear constitutional prohibition, a born Guatemalan with dual Belizean citizenship status can become Prime Minister, set policies, hold national decision-making positions determining Belize’s future, but a born Belizean with “dual citizenship” cannot?

BCA is ready and willing to work with both the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition to table a historic, bi-partisan legislation to remove sections of the Constitution that limit rights for born Belizeans. We further ask that individuals originating from any country that claims any part of Belize be prohibited from attaining Belizean citizenship with only few, if any, exceptions. BCA strongly believes that the ministerial discretion granting citizenship to members of countries that claim Belize should be restricted with much clearer and narrower guidelines.

Finally, we urge Belizeans at home and in the diaspora to contact their respective Area Representatives and encourage them to support a national bi-partisan effort to amend the Constitution of Belize protecting the equal rights of ALL born Belizeans.

Respectfully,

Belizean Citizens Abroad
Email: belizeansabroad@gmail.com

 

President: Mario Lara

Vice President: Joseph Guerrero

Treasurer: Al Smith

Communication Director: Debbie Curling

Secretary: Aria Lightfoot

A Belizean Diaspora Perspective By: Debbie Curling

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Debbie Curling 

Belizeans at home and abroad must begin to realize that despite the fact that time, space and location separates us, we have a shared identity and culture that makes us stronger together than separately. REMEMBERING is what heals: remembering our cultural traditions, our enthusiasm for sports, our passion for politics, our very good food, our Belizean music in all its varieties, our childhood proclivity for hopping fences to steal mangoes and craboo, riding our bikes to fetch buckets of water at the pipe stand, and many more. Oh yes! And playing bruk makachistah, bruk me bak!

Funnily enough bruk makachistah is full of symbolism and meaning as it applies to our Belizean cultural heritage, personalities, attitudes, and our strength in the face of adversity. With hands akimbo and chest pumping, the entire game, if you will, is premised on defiance and a dare; a challenge that if you think you can bruk my bak, try it! The words and imagery signify our spirited, Belizean assertiveness, unafraid to face down a bully because we’ll duke it out fistycuffs, your mother will come to my mother’s house, we’ll both get our rear ends belted, and eventually after our egos have settled down, we’ll move on to becoming friends again. Times have changed I know, but this is the Belize WE know, WE love, and WE share…immigrants will come and go, but WE know OUR identity and WE know OUR culture!

Belizeans share so many great experiences along with a strong and proud identity so why this division, this love/hate relationship, between us: based Belizeans vs. diaspora Belizeans? the Diaspora feel invisible, resented and unwanted to those at home and those at home feel abandoned, angry and resentful for being left behind “to suffah.” If we are to overcome this great divide that separates us, we must critically interrogate both perspectives to get a deeper understanding of the root causes. Understanding the psychology of abandonment is very important to the discourse if we are to heal our wounds and start fresh.

So what exactly is abandonment? According to J. Ray Rice, M.S.W., who has written several self-help books on the issue, “Abandonment is emotions, feelings, and acts that leave us with feelings, or experience of alienation, loss, betrayal, desertion, separation and segregation […]. These experiences or issues left unresolved affect our ability to reason, bond, trust, love, communicate, problem-solve […] respect the rights of all and live with our neighbors in peace.” http://blog.itsallaboutabandonment.com

Many Belizeans, particularly children, have experienced abandonment due to a parent(s) or spouse(s) making the tough decision to leave their loved ones behind in order to provide a better life for them at home, not realizing the traumatic impact such an event will have on those they love. Those left behind may experience the inability to feel safe due to threatening circumstances, feel emotional neglect, or might not have been provided adequate shelter which creates fear and a strong sense of insecurity. Unfortunately, victims of abandonment often live a lifetime of fear that abandonment will recur. Dr. Claudia Black, M.S.W., states, “Shame arises from the painful message implied in abandonment: ‘You are not important. You are not of value.’ This is the pain from which people need to heal.”

Based Belizeans feel a strong sense of betrayal toward its diaspora who they believe left them behind in search of “greener pastures,” and who might be prospering, while they at home continue to suffer. I would argue that these feelings of abandonment is the site of our contest. This deeply rooted grudge that manifests itself in a desire to somehow even the score even if it means shooting oneself in the foot. Belizeans at home often express a sense of entitlement to all things Belizean, attempt to shut us out of the political discourse by silencing our voices, our Constitution condones (or perhaps sets the standard for) this behavior by taking away our birthright, they criticize diaspora activists for being out of touch with the political reality on the ground whose politics is detached from the complexities of their lived reality, and the tension builds with accusations that the diaspora are cowards who ran away, or would run back to the States from the frontline of the struggle when things go wrong; the guilt-shaming list is long and harsh, but here is our perspective…

While the diaspora appreciate the validity of some of these arguments, the Belizean discourse reveals that, in a limited way, we are dealing with a reality that is more complex than the argument presented. As I write this I am conscious of how my criticism will be received, I am conscious of that oppressive chasm that exists between us, and the notion that “home” is not necessarily a comfortable, welcoming place for the diaspora. We hear the echo of your voices telling us, “why you no go bak da States,” or the mumbling voices that ridicule us when we speak English, “e fahget how fuh talk creole.” It is within this context that based Belizeans fail to bridge the gap and why the diaspora, paralyzed by these criticisms, may refuse to cross over to shake the hand of our brothers and sisters. For us it is clear, based Belizeans do not allow for the crossing and re-crossing of our borders and see it as an invasion rather than a re-connection.

It is partially true that to be from the diaspora implies a certain level of consumption and opportunity to achieve wealth and a good education, but it also implies responsibility and obligation to family and dependents at home. To be fair, Belizeans in the diaspora face three challenges when they go abroad: surviving in a new and hostile environment away from the support of family, struggling to taking care of themselves while taking care of their families at home. Basically, supporting two households! Their mission to send remittances, boxes of clothes and other necessities to their families in order to provide economic relief props up the Belizean economy, but some pay a very high price to achieve this goal. Attracted to the possibility of work and the opportunity to acquire a good education, diaspora Belizeans sacrifice a great deal when taking this leap of faith. For most, it’s a hard life and not all it is cracked up to be; therefore, YOUR perception at home is not necessarily OUR reality abroad.

Further, not everyone who takes the giant leap to seek better opportunities abroad end up living a grand lifestyle. Some of our people (particularly in the “States”) come here with limited education, some illegally, they end up working two or three jobs to send money home to feed their families, they live in some of the most violent and depressed neighborhoods, their kids are exposed to tough gangs in schools, and they spend most of their time scrambling to survive so they can keep their families at home afloat. There is only a very small percentage of Belizeans who by a stroke of luck, or by their own perseverance, can claim success and wealth that allow them to go to and fro.

To be honest, our struggle to survive in a hostile, foreign land would be made a lot easier if Belizeans at home would welcome us with gratitude and appreciation for our sacrifice, instead of resentful displays and hurtful words. We get that most Belizeans at home cannot afford to travel anywhere and are perhaps stuck in the boredom of their lives, so when they see us, they are reminded of that. But what they must realize is that WE are happy to be home, away from the rat race, and envy the simplicity of THEIR lives. It is exactly our inability to reconnect with each other that cause the distancing and misunderstandings.

The term “diaspora” clearly has elitist connotations. It conjures up an idea that builds on a fantasy that coming to America means affluence and easy riches. These perceptions are often reinforced by some members of the diaspora (not all) who do return home flaunting their newfound status with “states clothes,” an American accent, and that Yankee dollar; this is true. But for many who are faced with hardships, along with the shame that they might not be living up to your expectations, your criticisms and your resentments are undeserved and hurtful.

Yes, there are advantages but there are also limitations to living in the diaspora. When we arrive the diaspora is engaged in an ongoing process of negotiating our identity for our selves and our children. Understanding our displacement, the cultural challenges we face, surviving the politics of a new country, having to maneuver and negotiate our space in unfamiliar territory, or trying to blend into a new society that we sometimes do not fully understand, or cannot fully penetrate, can sometimes beat us down. So, yes, protracted exclusion is our daily reality (at home and abroad).

We regret that your echoing voices misnaming us, truncating our Belizean identity while simultaneously inscribing us with your language of exclusion and marginality, may never stop. But we hope the term BelAm will be subject to new analysis, new understandings, if we are to unlock a discourse that continues to inscribe the diaspora as outsiders. Why are these definitions being deployed against us? Your language of separation is mostly applied to Belizeans in America; the eye opener for us is that Belizeans living in the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Africa have no such negative inscriptions. The term BelAm suggests a state of opposition or resistance when juxtaposed against Belizeans at home.

With that said, Belizeans in the diaspora will continue its ongoing search to find language to articulate ourselves. We have no desire to negotiate the terms of our identities in ways other than “representing” OUR Belizeanness because anything else would contribute to our destruction. It is in this context of refusing to surrender OUR love for Belize, OUR Belizean identity and OUR culture…this forced construction, that we demand our seat at the table so OUR voices can be heard. Based Belizeans are not more entitled to all things Belizean than us. Concessions will have to be made and there is no need for an unnecessary war of words. Paula Giddings once wrote, “A nation is therefore a large-scale solidarity, constituted by the feeling of the sacrifices that one has made in the past and of those that one is prepared to make in the future.”

The Belizean diaspora is not going anywhere because we love our country too. We have been criticized for our inability to effectively organize ourselves so we can make a difference at home and that is a fair argument. The Belizean diaspora often bemoan our lack of unity, our failure to organize and mobilize in an effective way, how we often undermine ourselves by factionalism from different groups, how scattered and divided we are across regions, and how we have a tendency to compete for political space rather than cooperating with each other. We are distrustful of some of our fellow Belizeans who quickly change course when they see a better opportunity elsewhere, but some of us refuse to give up and where there is a will, there is a way.

Our determination and strong sense of responsibility to The Jewel is boosted enormously by new communication technologies that allow us to communicate, organize and spread the message through social media and the Internet. Facebook offers us the opportunity to communicate, argue amongst ourselves as Belizeans often do, it offers the cross-fertilization of ideas and the possibility of immediate exchange between us in all our scattered locations. The texts we create in our discourses have the ability to circulate in communities far and wide and have brought us closer together in more meaningful ways than we could ever imagine.

If Belizeans at home and abroad can draw on a shared cultural repertoire of ideas perhaps we can find some common ground. At the end of the day REMEMBERING…that we share the same love of country, the same cultural identity, the same political concerns for Belize’s political transformation, the same hope for Belize, then perhaps once we recognize that WE ARE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER, we can start extending the hand of friendship, maintain some degree of civility towards each other that results in dignity and hope for ALL. We are on the same page folks! We are on the same page!

Hatred paralyzes life; love releases it. Hatred confuses life; love harmonizes it. Hatred darkens life; love illuminates it. – Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Debbie Curling was a member of the Belizean Diaspora and has recently returned home to Belize. 

The Chains of Colonialism : The Neal and Mora Secret Tapes by: Aria Lightfoot

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Eldred Neal and Marvin Mora are leaders within two of the most powerful  unions in Belize representing a diverse membership from all over the country of Belize.  Both men were secretly taped using racist terms and cultural stereotypes against the Garinagu people of Belize.

If you were raised in Belize, you are familiar with the sundry list of racial adjectives and stereotypes thrown at our diverse melting pot of cultures.  Many people think that such words are innocent, playful or even harmless and maybe even cultural jabbing. Some people will argue that Belize is a racial utopia and in the next breath utter cultural and racially insensitive stereotypes. When you speak to Belizeans who grew up dark skinned, darker,  short haired, wide nose,  Creole,  Maya, Garifuna, Mennonite, East Indian,  Mestizo, Arab,  White – the pain is evident in their stories and what we think  is cultural jabbing  is a form of racial bulling that undermines ones dignity, self esteem and individuality.

The racist and divisive expressions stem from a dark colonial history. Many cultures in Belize are victims of an orchestrated psychological form of racism producing self-hate, divide and servility.   We don’t question the status quo, we don’t challenge injustices, we don’t fight for each other.  We are a “docile people”  – mental slaves.  We have too many people who subscribe to a romantic notion of European ancestry even though their features, hair, skin color betray them;  many revere  European laws and order even though Europeans have committed the worst atrocities against our ancestors.

Belize is historically flawed because of  fairy tale books that pass off as history books and  the failure to introduce Maya and African history into the curriculum.  Neal and Mora are ignorant to their own subjugation.  They promulgate hate and devise a culture war against a race of people they share ancestry with.  Neal, in his rant, did point out a truthful yet sordid past about Belize; Belize practiced segregation.  In additional to segregation, there were extreme forms of  bullying.  The Garinagu were banned from living in Belize City and were only allowed to visit on allocated days.  The Garinagu that visited the city as  fishermen and vendors faced the scourge of rude children’s stones, teasing and disrespect.  Is this something that Neal should be celebrating?   Even within Creole culture, there were mulatto children who hid away their dark skinned parents or parents who treated their darker children or family members with disdain. There are even stories of abandonment due to complexion of children.

Colonialism was a systematic and power tool of control. Races were eradicated; histories and identities of ancestors were erased; subjects were confused with divisive tools, whipped into compliance, subjected to an acceptable form of  inequality, limited access and exclusion.

Belize City has the most powerful leaders; every Prime Minister in Belize’s short independent history  has originated from the City.  Belize City can be described as a predominantly black city, with some of the most educated people, the epicenter of Belize’s legal and financial centers,  and yet the city boasts the poorest divisions, worst living conditions, highest crime rates, and the most evidence of wealth inequality than any other part of the country of Belize.  Why?

Too many Belizeans in powerful positions prefer to transplant wealth and land to foreigners before they extend a hand to uplift the people they share a birthright, culture and citizenship with. Belizeans have accepted divisive labels such as  political affiliation, sex, sexual orientation, ethnicity and citizenship unable to recognize the destructive forces of colonialism.

Think about the power of colonialism that even today, people are unable to break the chains.  We have highly educated and intelligent people still advocating stereotypes, distrusting and fearing people of their own citizenship.  We have people we have entrusted  to lead us, to fight for us – dividing us. Please let your voices be heard. Let your leaders know that we will break this mental chain, we will resist the culture wars, we will break the chains of colonialism and we demand that all citizens be treated equally without exception.

“Emancipate yourself from mental slavery, none but ourselves can free our minds” (Bob Marley)

 

 

 

Dear Teenage Girls….by: Kiah Pastor

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Kiah Pastor

Dear Teenage Girls of Belize,

There are a couple tragedies currently in the media that has hit close to home therefore I’d like to speak on one. There was a situation that occurred where a 13 year old female sent nude photos to a man and he then threatened to expose them if she did not have sex with him. Well she ended up having sex with him twice.

We live in a Society where men glorify women and their bodies but there is a very fine line between being human and appreciating a woman’s natural physique and then just being out right disrespectful. In Belize, most cases it’s being disrespectful. But as a child having your body go through changes, you’re left some what confused. Why should I as a teenager not show off my newly developed breasts if they’re so many older and more developed women on social media also showing off their bodies and getting glorified by not only men but other females as well. Do you see my point? Nudity has become a part of pop culture. Nudity has become art. Nudity has been accepted in every case EXCEPT when it has been shared against your will. The amount of guys I’ve seen preaching about “having self respect” and telling girls to stop sending nudes to young boys are the same guys I recall have asked me to send them a nude when I was between the ages of 12-16.

Almost every male will vow they’ll never associate themselves with younger girls but they’re so many of them who love it! It’s the idea of being with a female who doesn’t have a set of boundaries mostly because they don’t know what the boundaries should be. The idea of not being with a female you need to break all sorts of walls to get through to because she hasn’t been scarred by other men in order to build those walls up in the first place. And lastly it’s the idea of having a body that hasn’t been touched. The inferior feeling of taking it all away. Men love dominance.

Now let me redirect my energy. It’s not solely the men of our society’s fault but also the women. We should work hard as women to be advocates of true self confidence and self love. We should be more willing to reach out to the younger girls around us and be a big sister figure to them and be there to advise them so they don’t need to figure it all out on their own. This is very hard because there’s a lot of adult women themselves who don’t have self respect nor show true value of themselves as women but that’s okay! You don’t need to be in that space forever! You don’t need to be vulnerable to these men. You don’t need to use sex to feel powerful and you don’t need to showcase your body to get attention. You do what you’re confident with not what you feel is pleasing to others. Where do you think promiscuous women are stemmed from? Sexual acts that occur in early stages of life. Let’s make an effort to be the best examples to younger girls and to show them how they should react when put in compromising positions! You’re not alone!

From a young woman building herself back up,
Kiah Lisani Pastor 💓

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