When a newspaper criticizes one of the two major political parties, that newspaper opens up itself to savage counter-attack, the reason being that the two major political parties are, by far, the largest secular organizations in the country of Belize. And so, what happened when Amandala criticized the UDP, was that the UDP organs attacked us. Citizens who do not belong in the streets, have had to take to the streets, because the UDP was not the threat to the ruling PUP that the UDP should have been.

The problem for the ruling PUP was that those citizens who began taking to the streets and who began organizing forums late in August of last year, are citizens who cannot be daubed with the brush of political ambition. The corruption and arrogance of the ruling PUP had riled up some citizens whose credibility in the community was great, so great that last week the Prime Minister, in desperation, accused them of being dupes of the UDP. Fifteen months ago, we accused the UDP of being dupes of the PUP. Today, Monday, January 24, 2005 ? who is who and what is what?

As we look back in time, we can see that there were two distinct periods when this newspaper fought the PUP tooth and nail ? this would have been from 1970 to 1973, and from 1981 to 1984. The PUP had become insufferably arrogant by 1969. Between 1961 and 1969, the PUP had won 51 out of 54 seats in the British Honduras House of Representatives. Such massive success would have spoiled anyone. Then again, in 1981, the PUP became intoxicated by the achievement of independence to the point where their inner circles behaved as if the party were greater than the country.

The United Democratic Party benefited a great deal from those two periods when Amandala fought against the PUP, but UDP leaders do not recognize the debt. UDP leaders appear unable, for whatever the reasons, to put Partridge Street into its proper context. And so, after all the years of disrespect and ingratitude, we confess that we were reluctant to fight the PUP, because it was so obvious that we would be creating benefits for people who despise us.

Today there is a vacuum into which a well-organized third party could step and become strong very quickly. The younger generations of Belizeans have absolutely no idea what it is the PUP and the UDP stand for or represent. The younger generations of Belizeans are the most educated and most wealthy Belize has ever produced, but they are the least politically concerned we have ever had in this country.

But, enough of that. The UDP and the so-called social partners who travelled to Belmopan last Friday to express their serious dissatisfaction, both wish that the ruling PUP would disappear from the scene. The more experienced UDP, however, should have been setting the tone where preparing the people of Belize for a protracted struggle was concerned. To suggest that the PUP were going somewhere or anywhere was rhetorical to the point of being ridiculous. The PUP are the most cunning and powerful secular organization in Belize. They have three more years left to govern on a legal five-year mandate. The inner circles of the PUP care more about the party than about the country. They will prepare to do anything rather than go anywhere.

Since March of 2003, many Belizeans have lost faith in the ruling faction of the PUP. But the constitution of Belize does not factor in mid-term ?loss of faith.? Apart from that, it is clear that the PUP ruling faction is precisely that ? the ruling faction. They have control over the other PUP area representatives, who are spear carriers and flag wavers.

The loss of public faith is a problem for the PUP which will damage the productivity of Belize. Our people have become cynical, and others will now have become bitter since last Friday. We got to this crisis because the PUP won too big on March 5, 2003. They had already messed up a lot of things between 1998 and 2003, and yet they were returned to office with 22 seats out of 29. This should not have been. The UDP would like to blame the people of Belize, including institutions like this newspaper, but this is pointless. The people, in their wisdom, voted for the PUP in 2003 because they considered them a better choice than the UDP.

Today, the people are disgusted with the same PUP for whom they voted almost two years ago. We don?t believe any more. We have lost our faith. The way that Belize?s system of democracy is set up, it would be good if we could find something to believe in.

(The above editorial has been reproduced from the Wednesday, January 26, 2005,

issue # 1928 of Amandala.)