I think that money was very important in the 2003 general elections, Lord Michael Ashcroft?s money, that is. UDP Opposition Leader, Hon. Dean Barrow, kept waiting for Ashcroft to send a junk of money his way. Barrow knew that Ashcroft was feuding with Said Musa and the PUP, so he kept criticism of the Lord and his exorbitant BTL telephone rates to a minimum on his UDP radio and in his UDP newspaper.

Campaigning in 1998, Prime Minister Musa had promised to lower water, electricity and telephone rates if he was elected. Sometime in 2001, I think, he decided that, at the very least, he had to do something about the telephone rates. He made a strong speech at a function at St. Catherine?s Academy in Belize City calling for lower telephone rates. Everybody knew Ashcroft and BTL were making a killing.

Cedric Flowers has insisted, for a long time, that Intelco was never intended to fly. It was a game being played at high levels in government circles. You know that I respect Cedric?s opinions highly, and I have no way to prove him wrong. What I do know is that it seemed to me that the Prime Minister needed to fulfill some kind of promise, and telephone rates were out of control.

I began to realize then, following Mr. Musa?s challenge to BTL, just how big Michael Ashcroft was. Mr. Musa did not want to take on the Lord one on one. He wanted to avoid a confrontation if it was at all possible to do so.

There was a long period of back and forth between the Government of Belize and Sir Ashcroft, but when election crunch time came in March 2003, GOB and the British peer were back in love again. The UDP was left out in the cold, waiting for Godot.

In politics, there is strength, and then there is popularity. Strength comes from money and organization. Popularity comes from the love and goodwill of the people. In Belizean politics today, the leaders of both the political parties believe that money is more important than the people. That is why both Mr. Musa and Mr. Barrow treat Lord Ashcroft as if he is God on earth. They are afraid of his money, because they believe that money can buy the people.

The UDP could have become more popular in 2003 if Barrow had attacked Ashcroft and BTL. The UDP decided to wait for the Ashcroft money, instead. The money did not come the way it was expected, and the people saw the UDP as wishy-washy.

So now, exactly what is the UDP?s approach to 2006 and 2008? If Lord Ashcroft?s money is more important than the people, it means that our democracy has been badly damaged. It means that the politicians believe that we, the people, are for sale. And the sad fact of the matter is that we, the people, have given our politicians reason to think the way they do.

On election day, popularity plays a role in the morning. But it is organization that wins elections in the afternoon. The parties have canvassed the constituencies to know exactly who are their voters. So in the polling room, the party agents in the morning are busy noting all their voters who have cast their vote. The important information involves those who have not voted. The polling agents inside send this important information outside to the party organization outside of the polling room, and by early afternoon the taxis start working for their money – going out and bringing all those who have promised to vote and have not yet done so. Out there in the constituencies, the party street captains have their own organizations. The street captains know everything about their assigned areas. If you buy out a candidate?s street captains, that candidate is crippled, Jack.

You need money to build an organizational machine. Money pays for a lot of other things ? newspaper, radio and television advertisements; campaign literature and material, street signs and posters, musicians and entertainers for public meetings, buses to move supporters to rallies all over the country, food and drink, and yes, handouts. The Belizean people are poor, so if a candidate wants to create a buzz, he has to spread money and goodies around.

All that said, however, it is the organizational machine that wins the election on the day itself. On the day itself, despite what the Beatles sing, money will buy you love. That is why Ashcroft is bigger than Belize. He has more money than anyone else, and he?s willing to spend it when he has to – to sew up politicians.

There?s only one place where it?s still power to the people. Seems like it?s old-fashioned these days to believe that the people are more important than the money. But on Partridge, we know no other way. We?re gonna hold the flag high, come hell or high water. Power to the people.