23 January, 2008
Dear Editor,
During the question period at the UDP press conference on 8 January, 2008, I commented that there should be an agreed model for a reformed Senate before putting to referendum the question of whether the Senate should be elected. I therefore called for a “no” vote.
My reason for advocating a “no” vote was illustrated by the experience of citrus growers, who recently lost almost half of their interests in Citrus Products of Belize Ltd., comprising two citrus factories and thousands of acres of citrus groves and uncultivated land. They voted “yes” to a give-away Agreement, expecting that certain amendments would follow. Parties with special interests, along with clever lawyers, used their “yes” to finalize the Agreement and over one year later, some important, agreed amendments/recommendations are still not implemented.
Through the relentless efforts of Hipolito Bautista and Francis Gegg of “We The People”,Godwin Hulse, Henry Gordon, Kevin Herrera and others, a wide cross-section of Belizeans have come to favour an elected Senate. But an elected Senate must have adequate powers to effectively function as check and balance to the House of Representatives. Only so will it be able to meaningfully help to bring transparency and accountability to government activities, and curb corruption.
We now have the plans of the PUP and the UDP for a reformed Senate. The PUP plan offers an all-elected Senate of 14, chosen by proportional representation. This will allow for the deepening of our democracy by giving to each qualified citizen the opportunity to participate in choosing the Senators. However, without some far-reaching reforms, the ruling party in the House of Representatives will still have strong advantage – from the franking of letters, the use of government facilities, to the use of taxpayers funds for party purposes – to gain majority in the Senate. The control of both Houses by the same party will not normally bring best benefit to the people.
The UDP plan calls for a nominated Senate of 13: 6 from the ruling party, 4 from the Opposition,and 3 from the NGOs. This arrangement guarantees that the ruling party will have the minority in the Senate. And, of course, the NGOs may choose their Senate representatives through open elections by their members, as in the case of Godwin Hulse and the Chamber of Commerce.
Both plans give increased powers to the Senate.
As the two plans presently stand, in my opinion, Belizeans would be better served by the UDP model. But both fall short of powers to amend bills from the House of Representatives, and powers to force the kind of robust debate necessary to deal with important bills like the UHS bill, which should require two-thirds majority in both Houses for passage. Without such powers and powers to impeach, the Senate will be a lame watchdog.
For sure, the House of Representatives will not readily surrender such powers to the Senate, human nature being what it is. They will have to be wrenched away, whichever party is in power. This brings us back to the referendum.
The call for an elected Senate has momentum. This therefore provides a powerful leverage for the people to negotiate with the PUP and the UDP for a Senate with effective powers. Voting “yes” for an elected Senate in the upcoming referendum will dissipate the energy of the momentum. People will likely relax, leaving themselves open to get a Senate, elected or otherwise, with inadequate powers. That is what caught citrus growers.
Many Belizeans will be in a dilemma to vote “no” when they do want an elected Senate. Really, this referendum has placed us in a tricky position. It is distractive, tending to turn our attention away from focusing on securing a properly empowered Senate. It is divisive, tending to pitch supporters of one political party against the other, when all together we should be seeking to secure good governance for our country.
The best position for Belizeans may be to completely ignore the referendum and concentrate on getting the PUP and the UDP to agree to give us a Senate with effective powers. In that regard, I am hereby making a call to Hipolito Bautista, Francis Gegg, Godwin Hulse, Henry Gordon and Kevin Herrera. You have been in the forefront of the struggle for constitutional reform, with much emphasis on the Senate. Please come together quickly and give our nation the benefit of your recommendation for this referendum.
The importance of this issue transends party politics.
May God bless Belize.
Sincerely,
Denzil Jenkins