Sunday, October 1, 2023
Someone I respect very much — he’s the person who has encouraged me to put my thoughts into words — recently mentioned to me his increasing alarm regarding the nightmare on the Sarstoon! He believes that we don’t have the support of our previous colonial administrators, and that we don’t have the firepower to fight back. I respect his opinion very much, but if a high school girl can stand up to these bullies, the country of Belize should be able to do more to protect itself from our racist, often dictatorial neighbor!
How often do we have to see patriots like Wil Maheia and the BTV terrorized and disrespected within our own borders? When will the government of Belize, and this does not only pertain to this government, but any government, do something to protect our sovereignty? My friend JC Arzu enlightened me on the issue as to why the Guats act with impunity. He explained that the 1994 Esquivel/Barrow administration decided to make the Sarstoon/Temash and the Chiquibul, forest reserves; that as a result, people who worked and lived in those areas had to vacate, and their doing so left our borders defenseless and uncared for; and that we relied on the Guatemalan government to patrol our borders and protect us from incursions? That’s like putting the fox in charge of the henhouse! According to him, when people lived on the border, the Guatemalans did not dare intrude as they do now, especially on the Sarstoon. This is all so unbelievable to me, that we could be so reckless with our sovereignty! The current government should rescind a part of that law and make the border areas available and accessible to our citizens, to live and plant and grow, not for Guatemalans farming and fishing and living illegally in our reserves!
This has been going on for some time now, the Guats’ navy imposing their will on Belizeans trying to plant their national flag on our national territory! Their brazen disregard for our borders is so evident, so disturbing, so egregious that it blows one’s mind! They do it over and over again; our Foreign Minister complains to his counterpart, and life goes on, nothing changes! This is even worse than when Francisco Sagastume, with the blessing of President Ydigoras Fuentes, tried to invade Belize!
Guatemala’s claim on Belize is as ridiculous as if the United States were claiming Canada or Mexico as part of their territory. Well, America did take some of Mexico’s to enlarge itself, through wars and corruption, in my opinion, but you get my drift. That treaty which they refer to, gives Mexico the right to make similar claims on Belize; in fact, even Honduras is trying to get in on this nefarious scheme, trying to claim that the Sapodilla Cayes belong to them! This farce is taught in their schools; as a matter of fact, Guatemalans in the States refer to me as their paisano. Go figure. This has gone on for so long that even some Belizeans believe this legend!
I’m not suggesting we start a war with Guatemala; we could never win that one, but we can lobby and fight for our territorial integrity through constant diplomacy and with the cooperation of our allies, whoever they might be. We should build a permanent base as they have done, permanent and well-staffed, encourage our citizens to live on the borders, protect our citizens and our waters from harassment and illegal fishing from our disingenuous and unscrupulous neighbor! They have a new president, which, if he lasts, might be able to be reasoned with. Quien sabe?
As we await the decision from the ICJ, we should all be concerned about our fate as a nation. Hope and pray that we are not carved up like the electoral districts in the US through gerrymandering! I hope that these Justices will see it fit to let our Jewel be our Jewel in its entirety. To settle once and for all this weapon our neighbor uses for political purposes, to stoke the national pride of their population! As my friend surmises, we cannot depend on the Brits to save us anymore. That should’ve been done before we gained, or were given, our independence. There’s a word that doesn’t feel right or carry the weight it should, at this moment!
Glen