?I believe that politics is any intentional effort to staff, occupy or otherwise serve in an elected governmental capacity. Take note that the operative concept in politics is ?service,?? he asserts.

He also declared that, ??individuals who get elected to serve in governmental positions and turn out to be dishonest characters are nothing but common criminals, because they commit the most unkind act to their fellowmen and that is betrayal. My point here is that one cannot claim to be a politician if he/she behaves dishonestly. I ask that the Belizean public recognize this fact and desist from bestowing the honorable title of politician on people who betray others. People who betray others are called traitors.?

For this 44-year-old husband and father, his interest in politics ?is a result of my total life experiences, combined with my natural tendency to help others who are in need.?

He said that he had a gut feeling, even before he got involved in politics, that he would be propelled in that direction.

?When I look at the social conditions in Belize, I see a condition of social decay. Our condition is not at all a matter of resource shortage but rather, it is caused by a rapidly growing culture of disregard for moral norms,? Morgan comments. ?I have witnessed how this rapidly expanding culture, has seriously damaged the quality of life I have enjoyed growing up here in Belize. I know that if we do not take urgent action to return to the culture of upholding moral norms, the result will be chaos and the end of our Belizean nation.?

He places especially strong emphasis on good moral norms, which he thinks must be recovered.

?We must reward the good and honorable people and actions, and punish and discourage immoral behavior. Our laws and public policies must especially be aligned with moral values,? he said.

He grew up in Punta Gorda Town the son of a schoolteacher and a housewife, who also became a teacher after her children were grown. He is the fifth of nine children and the second boy of the family.

The Belize he remembers in his childhood days is markedly different from the one he sees today.

?I believe that I grew up in a time of radical social and political change in Belize. I witnessed Belize move from communities in which neighbors cared for each other to the situation where, for the most part, neighborhoods exist without neighborliness. Our culture of moral norms is quickly becoming a thing of the past not only in Belmopan but all over Belize, and this is what we must break,? he appeals.

Still, he forecasts a bright future for Belize.

?Our best days are actually ahead of us,? he predicts. ?We will overcome our economic problems with ingenuity. We have the best chance in this hemisphere to demonstrate to the world the balance of quality living. Accomplishing this will not be easy. It will come with blood, sweat and tears. But in the end our generations will be thankful to us.?

He pledges the commitment of his team to work towards this end. That is, assuming a win on March 1, 2006. For his part, Morgan expresses full optimism that that will happen. As to what chances a third party might have on the national front, he says the results of the Belmopan municipal elections will be somewhat of a litmus test:

?I honestly cannot tell what chances a third party will have on the national front even though I have a gut feeling that the people are ready to chart a new course in Belize?s political affairs. I will certainly have a better idea after March 1stwhen the people of Belmopan will have spoken.?

Morgan says that his experience in politics has taught him that there is nothing new under the sun. ?Every old adage applies to our lives now and in our future,? he says.

Mr. Paul Morgan is a family man, a self-employed businessman, a politician and a sports (football) organizer.

He is a graduate of Michigan State University with dual degrees, the first in Agribusiness and Natural Resources Education, and the second in Food Systems Economics and Management.

He also established the Belmopan Football Academy (BFA), which works with over 250 children from ages 5 through 17.

He, along with Hubert Enriquez, Paul Aston McCord, and Robert Bobby Lopez, pioneered the VIP, which grew out of B-SAFE ? Belmopan Social Action for Fairness and Equality.