From the oldest grampa to the leelest baby, we all know the impact of compound interest on principal. Left to its own devices, compounded interest is the absolute worst curse that can happen to the purse of an individual or nation. It can bring a nation, or country, to its knees.

The clear victory for Boledo is a solid, consistent 30% gouged from every dollar, out of which take comes a little share for vendors on the ground, and to pay the $2million tax agreed to with Godwin Hulse, for the government of Belize.

Cart road math

I think I’ve just about had my say on the ICJ. Almost everyone has dropped their fears about the 1859 Treaty. It’s now all about the compromis, which some have described as a major hoodwink, a wikid wap put on Belize by people who want to appease Guatemala.This piece is for the few who still see opportunity for the Guats on the cart road.

This cart road story goes back to a time, 1859, when Spain was a factor here no more. This was an age when no one in the world frowned on military invasions. The British, in 1859, could have marched in and taken Peten. The British could have taken a lot more than Peten.

One source says that the British parliament thought the estimates for the cart road, done by a Captain Wray, were too high, and they turned it down. Another source says that the Guatemalans were not in a position to make their 50% contribution, so the British agreed to scale down the project.

Eventually, 1863, both sides settled on 100,000 pounds. The British agreed to pay their share in 10,000 pound installments. Remember that they, the British, had already done all the groundwork for the construction of this cart road.

What we see here is that the British are bending over to help the Guats. Remember that the Guat leadership at the time were friendly with the British, and friends don’t usually embarrass friends.

Guatemala was not flush with cash at this time. Guatemala had pretensions, ambitions. One faction, the one in power, was allied with the British. A faction that was dreaming of power was about making an alliance with the Americans.

Yes, I am painting a picture which shows that the Guatemalans didn’t want, or couldn’t pay their share. They do not ratify the 1863 agreement; instead, they get involved with infighting and some quarrel with their neighbor to the south, El Salvador.

On the face part, the British made Carrera’s government look good with the cart road agreement. On the business part, the British must have felt that there was just too much dilly dallying on Guatemala’s part. On top of that, they were starting to cozy up to the Americans.

British haters look at these developments and conclude that the British were chaansi. Well, I’m not going to sweat fever for anybody who is out to chaans me. Bah, who, besides a British hater, can blame them when they threw in the towel with this note re the 1863 agreement? The excerpt is taken from “Unilateral Denunciation of Treaty Because of Prior Violations of Obligations”, written by Bhek Pati Sinha.

“The two contracting parties entered into an engagement to do a certain thing by a certain day. One of them was ready to perform its engagement at the proper time. The other declined to do so, but after more than two years called upon its co-signatory to fulfill the engagement which had lapsed. Her Majesty’s government cannot admit that one contracting party is entitled to hold an onerous engagement for an indefinite period over the other party…”

Absolutely fascinating Portillo

Gustavo Portillo is a Guatemalan that some Belizeans love to quote.In the preamble to his paper.

Background and Study of the Special Agreement…”, Gustavo Adolfo Orellana Portillo wrote: “Enigmatically, the privileged geographical position of the Central American territory (Belize), within the heart of the Americas and the world, was one of the reasons that, together with political ambition and lack of vision on behalf of leaders at the time, prevented the Central American Federation from succeeding. This tragedy is a mistake we will have to pay for…”

My fellow Belizeans, we are a big reason why the Central American Federation failed. When the fox couldn’t reach the grapes, he had the good sense and composure to ease his frustration with the little lie that the grapes were green. There are comments I could make about Mr. Portillo’s statement, his giant reach, but it not my style to be harsh to a neighbor.

I will direct my attention to Belizeans who would find morsels among that gentleman’s offerings to present to the Belizean table. I say, please cease, desist. A man should not allow his zeal for anything to overwhelm his good sense. Mr. Portillo was just way too excited about his cause. Not even the Americans who so loved their mission to displace the British and become colonial masters here, entertain “our” being as an essential reason for the failure of the Central American Federation.

Fred Hunter, Sr. is sold on 1859 Treaty

Former government Minister, Fred Hunter, Sr., is one hundred percent sold on the validity of the 1859 Treaty. This excerpt, excellently researched, is taken from his analysis of the treaty, which was published in the May 7, 2016 Amandala:

“The boundary treaty between Britain and Guatemala was signed on April 30th, 1859. The British view on Article VII was that Britain would provide all technical inputs…By November 1860 Capt. Wray (army engineer) had indicated a road from Izabal on the South Shore of Lake Izabal to Guatemala City, (157) miles which he surveyed and designed and estimated to cost 145,000 Pounds Sterling and would take 4 years to complete…In 1861 Capt. Wray had started surveying from Garbutt’s Falls toward the North in conjunction with the boundary commission. Indian activity in the area caused the project to be ‘put off’ – 23 miles completed (Handbook of Br. Honduras, 1925).

“In 1863 Britain and Guatemala agreed on a convention to be ratified in six months, which Britain did. This stated: The Government of Britain would apply to Parliament for 50,000 Pounds Sterling which it was agreed would be Britain’s contribution to fulfill her responsibility in the joint venture to complete the means of communication. Britain signed and ratified within the six-month period. Guatemala, being at war with Salvador, did not ratify within the six-month period stipulated. However, Guatemala finally ratified in May 1865, with added ‘clarifications’ which Britain rejected.”

Mr. Hunter, Sr. is sold on the 1859 Treaty, but he still says NO to the ICJ. The following are his comments on the matter, taken from Channel Seven files, as recorded during a debate at the Bliss Center for Performing Arts on Friday, June 24, 2016. Mr. Hunter, Sr. said, “The 1859 Treaty is in full force demarcating the border between Belize and Guatemala. Why in the name of logic should we go to the ICJ to tell us where our well-marked out legal borders are? We must internationalize this problem with Guatemala. We got our independence by going to the United Nations, which from 1970 to 1981. We should go back to the United Nations. We should get fellow members of the Commonwealth, CARICOM, the ACP and all our friends internationally and put this question in United Nations to deal with Guatemala in not respecting the integrity and the inviolability of our borders as the 1980 Resolution. Article 7 said that our borders must be viable and respected.”