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Consultation and democracy — About sports fields and school buildings

EditorialConsultation and democracy -- About sports fields and school buildings

Our Belize Constitution makes reference to the working of the democratic process as being necessarily dependent on our elected representatives making decisions and taking actions on behalf of the people who have empowered them to do so by their majority vote in elections, and as being the only practical way to get things done on behalf of the people. As it is explained in the Preamble to the Constitution in section (c ), “… the will of the people shall form the basis of government in a democratic society in which government is freely elected by universal suffrage and in which all persons may, to the extent of their capacity, play some part in the institutions of national life…” Of course, it is impractical for one to expect any government to come back to the people on every decision that must be made. But there are times, and there are matters of such magnitude and long-reaching impact, that it is considered necessary to consult with the people through a referendum, one such matter being any proposed settlement of the Guatemalan claim to Belizean territory. However, it would seem from past history that our governments seldom feel the urge to come to the people for their blessing when making decisions on big investment projects, whether they be road construction, office buildings, housing construction, or a major infrastructure project. Thus, there have been huge projects with long-term cultural and economic impact that were never discussed with the masses, or their approval sought in any form of meaningful consultation.

   The habit from our colonial days, when important decisions were generally handed down by whichever governor was in charge, seemed  to have taken root by the time our local leaders attained “self-government” in 1964 and later “independence” in 1981. All the discussions and plans for the building of the new capital following the destruction of Belize City by Hurricane Hattie in 1961, were done by our elected leaders and their British consultants. The Belizean people (British Hondurans then) just received the news when it was announced at public meetings or on the government-controlled British Honduras Broadcasting Service (B.H.B.S.), then later Radio Belize. The masses of citizens would be happy to get some jobs, and a new site for the capital away from hurricane tidal waves was a no-brainer. Of course, everyone would support that proposal. But were they ever asked? The choice of site was another matter that was left up to the brilliance of our inspired leaders, led by Premier George Price.

   Decisions, decisions, so many decisions to be made, and the only way to gauge the pulse of the people was by person-to-person contact in Wednesday clinics, grassroots gossip-sharing at the Central Market, or in trips across the country to meet with citizens in the various villages and towns, and sometimes through small  gatherings. Those were the days when only a few people had a telephone in their home and most long-distance communication was by inland mail or airmail to foreign countries. Ever since Universal Adult Suffrage in 1954, voters have depended on the people they elected to office to work on their behalf to get things done for the country so that all could benefit. They placed their faith in those leaders, and trusted them to lead and guide them on the path to nationhood, which was the dream of one day shaking off the exploitative yoke of colonialism and finally having full control of our destiny and whatever wealth the nation had to offer its citizens. That faith was tested sometimes, but the hunger of the masses for independence was strong enough to overcome any doubts or fears arising from the Guatemalan threat.

   After Independence, when our economic woes had led to the first change in administration, the message reaching the masses was that the new leader, Manuel Esquivel, believed in “strong government;” meaning he was comfortable tackling the hard work of governance with very limited effort to seek feedback and the go-ahead from an electorate that had already given their overwhelming stamp of approval for his team in office. Decisions were made, and things were done in the people’s name, and that’s the way it was.    

   But the times they were “a-changing” indeed; and with another change of government on September 4, 1989, suddenly there was an explosion of unrestricted communication with the people when the first private radio station, Krem Radio, hit the airwaves on November 17. And soon, with the new voices and panel discussions on the Kremandala Show, and then the advent of the Dikie Bradley Talk Show on Krem, Belize would never be the same again. People from all over the city and the country could call in (“no call no name”) and express their views on any matter, including actions by the government.

   It wasn’t too long afterwards that other private radio stations began popping up all over, and then it was cable television taking off, while BTL was pushing the nation full steam ahead into the modern age of telecommunication.

   By the mid to latter-1990s, the internet was exploding, and cell phones were becoming the order of the day. And the capacity for consultation just kept getting better and better by the decade, with e-mail, Facebook, YouTube, WhatsApp, etc. etc.

   The problem is, it seems that our elected politicians were not too enthused by this new capacity for consultation with the people to get their feedback and approval, especially when there was funding available for large and expensive projects. Whatever consultation is said to have been done, it is often only superficial and hardly impacts the decision already made. For example, when “big things” were reportedly happening behind a twenty-foot-high zinc fence surrounding the old Central Market near the Swing Bridge, it was only when the work was almost completed that curious citizens realized that our Central Market was gone, and a new Commercial Building was in its place. And some years later, when the remodeling of Battlefield Park and the major re-routing of traffic in downtown Belize City was being considered, some “consultation” was done with drivers on Orange Street and probably Albert Street to get their views on the proposed blocking off of the two outlet lanes bordering the Belize Bank and the one bordering Brodies Store; but no numbers were ever published to indicate the “yea” or “nay” views from the public.  The same with the works done at Memorial Park that removed all the citizen-sponsored marble-surfaced benches that once adorned the perimeter of the park. The beautiful Belize Civic Center is perhaps the most striking evidence of lack of consultation with the populace. As the over 33-million-dollar structure began to take shape, curious citizens wondered about the apparent lack of ventilation, and if, as it seemed, the building was to depend on air-conditioning. And so it was, a wonderful “white elephant” that is too expensive for sporting groups to profitably utilize.

   In this day and age, our leaders should appreciate that the facilities now exist for quick, effective and economical consultation with citizens when there are major decisions on projects being made that may have great and long-lasting impact on the social and cultural life of the community. At the very least, citizens have a right to know before decisions are finalized.  Belizeans should not be in the dark if there is a decision being contemplated to replace the old Swing Bridge with a modern, fixed cement bridge. They might want to have a say on that. And, with the current scarcity of playing fields in Belize City, if the Education Ministry thinks it is prudent to discard the old Technical football field, and put another ITVET building on the grounds instead, such a major move should involve some consultation. It may just be that many past Technical students, as well as sporting groups who have enjoyed use of the field over the years, would appreciate at least being first afforded some time to grieve before the first piles are driven, or a platform to forward their emotional or logical arguments on why they don’t think it is a good idea.

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