by Colin Hyde
Mr. Vernon, one of those Belizeans who keeps calling for us to dump the King and become more like the Americans, one of those Belizeans who doesn’t realize that Belize has as much independence as it realistically needs/can handle/can defend, has come out for matters related to the Constitution to not be placed on the ballot in the next election. The Reporter said Vernon cautioned that we risked “reducing critical constitutional issues to partisan conflicts” if we had the “constitutional reform referendum on the same day as general elections.” I agree lock, stock, and barrel.
The controlled sessions presided over by Brother Antonio Chanona have taken this show just about as far as that type of forum will allow. Away from the politics we can get on with this debate in earnest, in a necessary no-holds-barred environment, gloves off.
Anthony has done his part. This thing ordered by the overreaching civil society senators to shield Shyne Barrow from the 11th amendment (because of space constraints we won’t ask John B to explain why he went along) has to be aired out. Yes, now it’s time for us to pull out the stops, of course without losing all our decorum.
Ai, I have to remind myself sometimes, to chisel away most of my rough edges so I don’t lose my space in these pages. Staying, ehm, nice: our educated elite think that with more time for them and their friends to spin their web, their sophistry, they will have a greater chance to sell their agenda. People like me, we don’t like cheap victories. Give them all the time they need to spread their foreign ideas. When this done, it must be as Therese Belisle-Nweke said, a Belizean thing.
The Reporter goes overboard with Shyne
First off, I’m not surprised about the enthusiasm in the world of hip hop fans, especially the BelAms and Belizeans who are frequent visitors to the USA, re: the Shyne Barrow show. They have their niche.
Readers of my column and my other published pieces know I not only have zero affinity for the gangster section in the hip hop genre, but that I also think it is sponsored by white supremacists. There is no upbeat in brothers murdering brothers in the streets, and sisters being prostituted; that’s a mournful tune, a dirge.
My music bias aside, of course Shyne has an interesting story, and of course there are some good things about the brother. I understand that Hollywood did a great job, as they usually do. Aha, it is novel, someone with Belizean roots “playing” the world on the movie stage. I’ll have to watch this documentary. On the matter of the wild night when three people were wounded by bullets, so many people on Facebook shouting, “I told you he was innocent; I told you he was innocent.” Hmm.
It’s just so unfortunate that when the brother couldn’t revive his gang banging days in song, which he persisted in even after finding a religion, his backers imposed him on us in the political arena. Reporter didn’t do its homework when it went about telling us why we should take his quest to lead our country seriously, as in legitimate. Sorry, I think you went overboard there, Braa.
The Reporter named four guys from the art world – Reagan, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and Trump—who rode their entertainment popularity into successful political careers. The Reporter could have added Jimmy Morales, and the super talented Pakistani cricketer, Amran Khan. If you checked those guys, you would see that, outside of their popularity as artists/athletes, they had pretty sound résumés. The 11th amendment aside, writing hip hop lyrics is no “creds” for leading Belize. I am not aware of any stories about the brother leading scout troops or being seriously involved in organized sports in his youth … or honing a special skill to serve the people, well, unless you put your premium on speaking English. Bah, all we have is the determined, selfish pursuit of hip hop.
I agree, though, that the comparison is a heap better than comparing him to Goldson, Mandela, and Castro, champions who put their freedom, their lives on the line for the good of their people. Not everyone who goes to jail is a hero. But Shyne is some kind of resilient to survive incarceration.
By the way, there’s a story coming from our BelAms that Shyne is the biggest thing ever on the world stage with Belizean roots. No, no, no; hands down Marion is number one.
You know, there are interesting parallels between the two. Both have Belizean roots, both grew up in America—Marion in Los Angeles, Shyne in New York—and both were mostly fatherless. Marion pursued greatness in track and field, sprinting, and in 2000 the world was at her feet. Around that same time Shyne was making waves in gangsta rap. I’ve told you my feelings about that kind of music. I’ve told you that trouble came to Marion. It could be said that Brother Shyne went looking for it. That’s it, for now.
I liked the letter to the US about Ayiti/Haiti, except for …
The UEF and BREDAA joined other groups in the Caribbean in a letter to the Americans, reminding them of some important history, calling them to task for initiatives that have damaged the interests of Haitians, and advising them on how they and their allies can go about making amends. The letter is factual, and calling out the Americans for being just too imperialist with their neighbors, particularly Haiti, is necessary. But I do have a question.
Before getting into the beef of the letter, for a couple months now I’ve been wanting to say thank you to Brother Romel Cuello for lending me James Michener’s historical novel, Caribbean. I enjoyed the book, and it’s quite informative, as historical novels go. I have, as Romel requested, handed it over to the UEF Library. Thanks very much.
The US was properly and deservedly scolded for its raw treatment of Haitian refugees, and for persistently undermining Haiti, and for their ingratitude to Haiti after the island nation’s giant stand against imperialism led to their gaining the vast Louisiana Territory. US policies, the letter says, have “stunted Haiti’s development, fostered violence, forced displacement, and deepened economic despair.” The letter noted the flooding of Haitian markets with US agricultural products, which devastated Haitian industries and displaced farmers.
Speaking to the present crisis, the group chastises the US for “the flow of arms … into the hands of paramilitary death squads.” Presently, Haiti is in the grip of gangs; the nation is in chaos. I differ with the group when it says, “deploying Kenyan police forces to Haiti – a nation [Kenya] with only recent diplomatic ties to Haiti—signal an alarming disregard for the Haitian people’s agency and self-determination. The U.S.-led decision to impose foreign forces, supposedly to manage Haiti’s internal affairs, not only undermines Haiti’s sovereignty but dismisses the Haitian people’s right to self-governance and independent problem-solving.” I have to believe that the majority of Haitians want law and order in the country, through any means necessary. It is the nature of most people to put peace, order, before everything else.
“Urging the U.S. to forge a new path—one that truly supports the right of the Haitian people to democratic government and nurtures an equitable and mutually respectful relationship with Haiti” is a humanitarian call, and if the US were to do so, the fruits could only be realized if the present chaos is arrested.
More Haiti: I see where France’s Macron has called the interim Haitian government an insulting name for replacing their interim PM, Garry Conille. Macron said, “it’s the Haitians who have destroyed Haiti by allowing drug trafficking. And then what they did: the prime minister was superb, I defended him, [but] they sacked him!” It is reported that France will provide US$4.2 million for the security mission.