From its beginning in Belize some two decades or so ago, the Audubon Society has been the preserves of Belize’s extended royal family. The local Audubon is internationally affiliated, but because the local Audubon Society’s officials derive their power, ultimately, from the socio-political standing of the most powerful family in the People’s United Party, Belize’s Audubon is not generally a boat rocker.

A few years ago one of their highest-ranking officials went on "the take" with respect to the controversial Chalillo dam. It seemed that the green of the money became more exciting to him than the green of the environment, because after Chalillo the environmentalist became a consultant for the anti-environmentalists, who are very well connected within the ruling PUP.

The Prime Minister’s explicit and unconditional endorsements of the Carnival/Port and Ara Macao projects have established him, without any apologies, as an anti-environmentalist. Our sources have named him as completely committed to the Stake Bank and North Drowned Caye projects, but he has not made public statements on these projects, as he has on Carnival/Port and Ara Macao.

At this newspaper we are environmentalist in philosophy, but in constitutional terms a newspaper’s opinions in Belize are insignificant. The Audubon Society’s opinions are significant, though, because they represent a faction of Belize’s most powerful political family. This is how Belize is during the final months of this PUP administration. If the Audubon Society members of Belize’s royal family are serious, they can get some things done to control these monster projects.

All these gigantic projects which will change the sea environment and seacoast landscape of Belize in unprecedented and unpredictable ways, are based on the assumption that millions of cruise tourism and other foreign tourists are about to flood Belize, and the financiers of the Carnival/Port, Stake Bank, North Drowned Caye (and Ara Macao) projects expect to make hundreds of millions of dollars in the foreseeable future.

The question that the present government leadership appears willing to ignore, is what happens to the thousands and thousands of Belizeans who have been eating food from these same areas of the sea and land which have been made available for the ruthless and reckless experiments of Ashcroft, Feinstein and Ara Macao. Most of us Belizeans believe in a Supreme Being, a Supreme Being whom we believe to have been responsible for the creation of the land and sea which have made our existence both possible and sustainable. This land and this sea which gave us life were not created by Michael Ashcroft and/or Michael Feinstein. If the PUP government leaders are enthralled and intimidated by their billions, we are not. Human beings can?t eat money.

We are intrigued by the Audubon Society?s statement this week, years after the fact. Still, it is better late than never. Could it be that the international affiliates of the Audubon Society are bringing down pressure on the local branch to examine and speak out on what should be so obvious and painful to them?

This nation has reached a point where the PUP leaders believe that no amount of dissatisfaction and dissent among the people presents any danger to them, as long as they maintain party unity. The precedent for this was set during the pre-Independence PUP administrations, which were committed to brute force in the defence of their mandate. It appears in Belize that when we, the people, vote for a government once every five years or so, we give up our rights for the next five years or so. There is nothing which can convince any elected government here that they should be replaced, because there is only one mechanism which they will accept as proving to them that the people of Belize have turned against them. The only mechanism, as things presently are, which can prove to the legislators of Belize that there should be a change, is the very mechanism they are committed to reject – general elections. Right now, it is a case of power to the PUP. Real.