Dear Editor:

Humans are influenced by genetics and environment, and the same can be said about nations. The genetics of Belize is made up by the people who inhabit it and the characteristics of the families, communities and, to some extent, the race and customs that mold them. Countries, however, are also influenced by the geographic location in which they are. In Belize’s case that would be the nations of Latin America, more so than the nations of the Caribbean. It must be noted that the group of nations that make up Latin America have been forged by violence and today still face huge national challenges to secure peace, law and order. An additional modern influence that cannot be underestimated in 2017 is that of social media, and I am pooling television along with that.

Social media, which was a key ingredient in the Arab Spring revolts, makes the dissemination of ideas and messages literally at the tip of your finger. Every nation in Latin America and as far as South America has been forged at some point by some type of revolution or mass unrest. These have been created mainly by three things; a quest for independence from some imperial power, a difference in ideology, and the depletion of the middle class. Belize, after only 36 years of independence, is heading in that direction. In other words, our nation is surrounded by those who were created with violence, unrest, revolution and strikes and, like a growing child, we will be influenced by our surroundings.

Some might say that I am being alarmist or that I have caught the Chicken Little disease, but rest assured, we are heading that way, and it is just a matter of time before that happens if we do not contain the erosion. The powder keg for this is growing and all we will soon need is that one small spark to set it off. While some will argue that Belize is not a violent nation and that the Belizean population is one more about peace than of violence, I say just look at the evening news and your mind might change. While the violence is obviously there, the only difference is that the reason behind the violence is different. I in no part wish our nation any type of violent route, but if we look at the example and history of all those nations around us that faced the same challenges in their infancy that we do, then we have to check ourselves. The good thing is that we have them to learn from and not go in that direction. We can learn from history.

To look at the first reason, the Belizean fight for independence was more a diplomatic one than one of a violent struggle. Great Britain had already grown weary of managing its overseas territories and the huge financial gain from them was basically no longer there. Standing empires had become unpopular and the British saw it fit in their own way to grant us independence. Had the British never wanted this, we would still be saluting the Union Jack and singing “God Save the Queen”. Therefore, for the most part we received a pass on the first ingredient for seeking a path of violent change. While this avoided a tremendous amount of shedding of blood, what it has also done is weaken the taste of what it really meant to become independent. Items that are gifted are sometimes not as much appreciated as those which are fought for.

The second one is more broad and wide. The number of different ideologies that are coming to Belize range from the liberal versus the conservative view, to governance and constitutional reform to the elephant in the house party politics. The nation is being pulled at the seams by a number of competing interests, all in a quest to shape a modern Belize in their view. Add the Latin American influence, which is the largest and fastest growing population, and as I noted before, these mainly come from nations which have accepted violence as a sometimes necessary path to move forward, and the situation becomes even more volatile. There is no unifying interest that is uniquely Belizean, and while you may think that the external threat that Guatemala poses would be that unifying force, that too has been clouded by party politics.

The point is that the fissures of division that are being created affect the population of a very young fragile democracy and they are not closing, but just opening more. The leadership of the nation seems to agree on almost nothing, with one desperately hanging on to stay in power while the other anxiously awaits its turn. The nation will not unite, regardless of which mass party is in power. What we need is a unification on all levels — social, economic, religious, cultural, racial and political, if we are to see this nation moving forward. Disagreements can be seen in the LGBT issues, criminalization of drugs issue, corruption versus transparency issue, good versus bad governance issues, the power of the state and the influence and power of elected representatives/Ministers of government.

Lastly, the one match which has lit the largest number of incidents of unrest, remains the economic factor. As long as the middle class continues to dwindle, the economic power of the nation and its ability to grow will follow. As the gap widens between those that have it all and those that are at the brink of survival, people will more and more see the need for drastic change and the patience of the public will wear thin, especially when an election is not in sight. The absence of land reform and limited availability of resources, lack of jobs, inadequate healthcare, and limited access to quality education push people even further to the threshold of anger. Now if we take a step back and cannot see that these are the current realities in Belize, then we are somewhat blind. The conditions for unrest are slowly but surely building up, and nothing seems to be able to put a halt to it.

The one hope for people seems to be that pretty soon an election will take place and then the public will be able to show their dissatisfaction. But what happens when no real political change takes place, but the status quo remains? The problems that we have accumulated in 36 years as a nation will not evaporate with the changing of the guard, if and when that does happen. Like a slow buildup, these problems are things that must be systematically broken down to ease tension and create national hope.

Now to the most pressing financial issue facing the nation. The payment of the massive $90 million USD settlement to Belize Bank. The question is not whether we will or will not pay, the more demanding question is what happens if we do pay. With the number of litigations we have been losing and the enormous drain on our treasury, what really if anything is left for the nation to survive? On the other hand, what will happen if we refuse to pay? The answer is that either way there are consequences to paying or not, neither of which will make the life of the ordinary man better. With a small economy like ours it will be decades upon decades before the nation is on a strong financial footing again. Now ask yourself, do you still believe the nation is not heading to a chokepoint?

It’s all about the people!!!!

Sincerely,
Neri O. Briceño