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Belice es Nuestro!

FeaturesBelice es Nuestro!

September 21, 2060. — “President Donaciano Emilio Santillan, affectionately known as Chano, by his supporters, declared today in a speech to the nation, that Belize will now be officially known as Belice! Spanish will be the official language, and the country is withdrawing its membership from CARICOM and the CCJ! Chano, who is very popular, son of Salvadoran immigrants, had campaigned on the issue of whether Belize was Central American, or Caribbean. He won by a landslide! The people from San Pedro and Caye Caulker and Northern Corozal, all a part of the state of Quintana Roo now, breathed a sigh of relief. They had been annexed by Mexico, after years of fighting to become a part of the Mexican state, an annexation they had desperately sought! In the last 30 years, Belize, lovingly called the Jewel, in days far off, has seen one of the most surprising transformations in the history of the world. A country, which was majority black just a few decades ago, now has a Latino majority, and blacks in Belize are now in the same boat as those in all the other Latin American countries — ignored, marginalized, and with no political voice, or muscle. The present government, the PPP, Partido Popular del Pueblo, has strengthened ties with Guatemala, which has sworn to defend Belice, in times of conflict.” End of the newsflash.

If all this seems dystopian to you, my fellow Belizeans, you might be right, but it’s not impossible to imagine, and see such a scenario become reality. Belize is already a minority Black country, through migration of our Creoles and Garifunas to the United States, and other parts of the world. Then in the 80s we decided to to accept refugees from Central America, which began to turn the the country more “Spanish” than ever. And now I just read with disbelief, that the government has, or is, deciding to allow approximately 60,000 more refugees to come in? That, along with the hundreds that become citizens every year! Are these refugees going to be vetted to make sure they’re not criminals, and can read and write?! After the last influx, our literacy rate fell dramatically! These refugees are also more enthusiastic in their need to procreate than are our native sons and daughters. We have gone soft, metaphorically speaking, of course.

What those in favor of this policy seem to not realize, or maybe just don’t care about, is that the 40,000 to 60,000 will turn into 150,000 in no time at all, and I’m being conservative with these numbers. Those 60 thousand all have relatives who will follow them to the land of milk and honey, and so on and so on! Does any government want to be responsible for the demise of our unique, and special Belizean way of life? So it is written, so shall it be done!

Let me make it clear. I don’t have anything against refugees, fleeing poverty and oppression, but that’s what the United States is for. They have the Statue of Liberty, in the New York harbor, welcoming the poor, the unwashed etc. They can afford to absorb millions and not suffer any undue consequences, except when megalomaniacs like Trump make it an issue. Belize is small and poor; we don’t have the infrastructure to deal with the influx, and the costs that will result because of this policy; the displacement of our poor Belizeans, to accommodate more poor and unvetted refugees, is unimaginable! Plus the lighthouse in our harbor has no such invitation; it is there as a symbol of the kindness of a person who fell in love with Belize!

So yes, that announcement of the intention to accept more refugees, or the rumor of such actions, alarmed me, as it should everyone who cares about the Jewel. Imagine in the future, no PUP or UDP, history whitewashed, and Price and Goldson are no more! There was a study that I read once, long ago, that claimed that there were more Belizeans living abroad, than there were actually in Belize itself! If that’s true, then it’s our fault, for abandoning our native land, and shame on us! I am guilty of being one, and every day I regret not sticking around, and making a living in my homeland. I won’t be around then, in 2060, but it is something to worry about, don’t you think?

“Was it a vision, or a waking dream? Fled is that music, do I wake or sleep?”
—Keats.

Glen

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