It seems safe to say that the Rt. Hon. Dean Barrow and elements of the Barrow family have joined the ranks of Belize’s financial oligarchy. Since money is the ultimate yardstick of talent and success in Belize, as in most of the world, Mr. Barrow and his family should be congratulated.
At the same time, I have watched Mr. Barrow victimize our Kremandala businesses ever since our people began to speak out against the Elvin Penner/Citizen Kim passport deal in the latter part of 2013. That is seven years of pressure.
But, when he and his party came to power in 2008, Mr. Barrow had personally come back here to Partridge Street to express his appreciation for Kremandala’s role in fighting the financial scandals inside the Musa/Fonseca/Godfrey administrations of 1998-2003 and 2003-2008.
Kremandala had lost friends in the People’s United Party (PUP) because I took a stand of principle at the time of G-7 in August of 2004. In fact, it may be that G-7 was originally formed by Joe Coye, Bill Lindo, and myself on my Seashore Drive verandah after the outrageous Social Security Board scandal of July 2004.
As an indirect result of G-7, Hon. Mark Espat (Albert), my son-in-law, was fired from the Musa PUP Cabinet in December of 2004, whereupon our family asked Hon. Cordel Hyde (Lake Independence), my second son, to resign from the Musa Cabinet in solidarity with Mark.
It is not possible for me to say how much Mark and Cordel lost in financial terms as a result of their being outside of the Musa Cabinet for great lengths of time between late 2004 and 2008. I can’t say because I don’t know.
My proposition, nevertheless, is that Kremandala paid a price for taking a stand of principle on behalf of the people of Belize in August of 2004.
Rt. Hon. Dean Barrow and his family benefited substantially from that Kremandala stand of principle. He turned around and began victimizing us in 2013, as I mentioned before.
This is how it has been for Kremandala going way back four decades and more. Ruling politicians, sometimes men we have helped to elect, have battered us for taking stands of principle. That is why we always have to remind you, the Belizean people, that it is your support which has enabled us to survive the batterings from ruling politicians over the decades.
These days of 2020 are cruel times. These days of 2020 are rough times. From where they are relaxing in Belize’s financial oligarchy, Mr. Barrow and his family are not feeling my pain and your pain. You and I need to be in solidarity.
Power to the people.