Monday, November 4, 2024

In November of 2020, both Belize and the mighty USA had general and presidential elections, respectively; but the term of their presidency is four years, while our administration has a five-year term. So, right now Belizeans are fully focused spectators at this year’s US presidential election, in which there are two major candidates/parties – the Democrats and the Republicans, Kamala Harris vs Donald Trump. And Belizeans are as focused and excited about this election as if it were Belize’s. And with good reason. The old adage, that when Uncle Sam sneezes, Belize catches a cold, was never more real.

Our Belizean-American community is significant, and their safety is a concern at this time as tensions are high going into tomorrow’s final day of voting in the U.S. Elections are usually mostly about the economy, and the remittances that bolster our Belizean economy are very much needed; but safety is also a concern in this one – safety for our relatives and friends in the U.S., and also for the Jewel, if a certain candidate should win, and proceed with his announced mass deportations of illegal residents. And their safety is also a concern if he should lose, as there are possibilities of violent reactions affecting ordinary citizens across the U.S. Our advice to our folks over there in these coming days: “kip outa lick way”.

Unfortunately, both candidates have maintained a stern pro-Israel stance – “ironclad” is the term coined by incumbent president Joe Biden, and it has been reiterated by candidate Kamala Harris; while Donald Trump is even more extreme in his pro-Israel and anti-Arab/Muslim sentiments. In regard to what has been allowed to continue occurring in Gaza for the past year, the massacre of Palestinians in the name of Israel’s “right to self-defense” has left many activists, including many Jews, feeling unhappy about their choices.

There is a third party in the U.S., but, like in Belize, the only viable participants in the electoral race are the two major parties. Despite their elaborate campaign financing regulations, it still is a big-money venture, and the platform of the third-party candidate, Jill Stein, may be very attractive, but voters all know that only two viable candidates are really in the race to become president; any other vote is a protest only. Because of their visceral pain and anger over their Democratic party’s reluctance, being the party in power, to stop the flow of bombs and military assistance to Israel until it stops killing Palestinians, some of the traditional Democrat voters find themselves forced to choose between “the lesser of two evils”, because they fear that the Republican’s Trump could be even worse. Some will still “waste” their vote by staying home or casting it for the third-party candidate; but others – and the Democrats are hoping that it is a majority of them – will “hold their noses” and give their vote to Kamala.

Indeed, there are many voters in the U.S. right now who sincerely wish that there was another viable option besides the two major parties, but the likelihood of their sentiments affecting change in this regard is probably insignificant, considering the fact that the power to effect such legislative change lies in the same two major parties who are comfortable with the status quo. In Belize, we currently have the same dilemma, though in a different style.

One of the PUP Plan/Belize manifesto commitments in the quest of “good governance” was the enactment of campaign finance regulations, as there have been a lot of complaints from citizens about the perceived influence of big party donors on the decisions made by governments in their favor. It is called corruption, and the only way it seems that this problem can be addressed is to enact strict campaign financing legislation, so that elections are no longer driven by millions of dollars in campaigning, which effectively eliminates any possibility of a new party being able to compete in an election. But if even the mighty USA, with all their campaign financing regulations, has been unable so far to overcome the impact of “big money” in their elections, the prospects seem dim for us in Belize. Perhaps it is because the campaign finance legislations are drafted by lawyers hired by the same politicians in government whose campaigns will be affected. And when lawyers draft laws, they know where to set the loopholes to suit those who hire them. The people are then left with false hopes of some new regulations which will stop the easy flow of big money to politicians at election time, only to find that there are various legal mechanisms that are used to achieve the desired result – large sums of money in the campaign coffers of both major political parties. So, in Belize we are still waiting for the drafting of the promised campaign financing legislations, while another general election is less than a year away and may be fast approaching.

If there was ever a need for a viable third party in Belize, now is the time. The infighting going on in the UDP has left the country without a strong Opposition, and it has resulted in the governing PUP being guided by their own commitment to their party and national vision, without the energetic and effective challenges and criticisms to keep the ruling party from slipping into corruption or making faulty decisions due to lack of sufficient consultation or outspoken criticism of a project before it becomes “a done deal.” The recent hoopla over the UB hospital land deal is a good example of a controversial decision by government that could have been avoided if there was greater respect for and concern about a strong and viable Opposition to deal with. In their drive for development and foreign investment to grow the economy, etc., the current PUP government runs the risk of overreaching and becoming reckless, like a runaway horse without the bridle of a strong Opposition to keep them in check.

In the U.S., the pundits are saying that this election is a toss-up, and it will be high drama, with very serious implications for everyone, including us in Belize and the diaspora, when the vote counting is underway tomorrow night. In Belize at the present, with the current state of the UDP, there is generally no doubt that the incumbent PUP government will sweep the next general election whenever it is called. There is no third option, maybe because of our first-past-the-post electoral system, and come election time, Belizeans will go to the polls to fulfill their civic duty. Die-hard blue voters will be celebratory; some die-hard red voters will solemnly do their painful duty, knowing that it is a losing effort, and hoping that next time around their party will be stronger. Both in the USA and in Belize, there has been frustration expressed at times with both major political parties; in Belize we have heard the reference to PUDP. For sure, both in the U.S. and in Belize, many citizens are wishing that there was a viable option besides the traditional two parties.