I have heard a number of people express the opinion that they love to hear the talk of Mr. Patrick Rogers, of the Commoners/VIP. Well, we already have a party that has the patent on the blahs. Gimme an R…gimme an E…gimme a D. Can you spell UDP? Yap!
One of Mr. Rogers’ babies is PR (Proportional Representation). PR would sound good to a talker. Listeners too. It’s a great idea…if it could work. Our present system allows for only a few dominant candidates in a party. Our governments are of those few. PR will allow for many dominant representatives in the House. It is a very real story, that of too many cooks spoiling the broth.
Still, wouldn’t it be absolutely exciting to see the names of radicals/revolutionaries/free, brave people like Clinton Uh Luna, Godwin Hulse, Wil Maheia, Mose Hyde, Cristina Coc, Paul Morgan, Antoinette Moore, Hubert Enriquez, Bobby Lopez, Anthony Chanona (I think that last one is a member of the pudup, but he gets points because he stood his ground against the blue one that lost its way), to name a few, appear on the ballot in 2013…and ALL of them have a more than average chance of gaining a seat in the House of 31? I bet that would make all of us excited about the prospects for Belize…for sure.
Unfortunately, Mr. Rogers (and the VIP), after trumpeting PR in 2003, still has not, cannot explain to us HOW that system would work on the ground. But, be one hundred percent certain that when he and his friends throw their hats into the ring in 2013, PR will be among their manifesto proposals. And we’ll be as lost then as we are now about how it will be translated on the ground if we vote for it.
In the last election we saw an absolutely spent PUP try to catch a wind draft with a thing called the elected senate. The rejection was complete. Heck, even the founders of the pie in the sky elected senate (led by Mr. Hipolito Bautista) don’t waste our time anymore with that dud. As to the hope of an enlightened senate (which we voted for), in the oppressive heat no one wants to talk about the absolute betrayal of the UDP on that manifesto promise. Tempers could rise and things could very heati.
Maybe Mr. Rogers and his friends can’t find the time to back up the PR baby, and could use a boost. Hn, it is useless to think about the 3 wise men. Somewhere those three sages got hooked on a dream called a Governor-General-with-teeth and saw their positive forces derailed. Tell us, Wise 3, in our lifetimes has our beloved Queen E ever come down from her throne to talk sense to #10 Downing Street? Nyet! Yet our GG, who takes his cue from Queen E, should brok egg.
The proponents of PR, if they want Belize to take them seriously, must get serious about PR. I say, Mr. Rogers and those others piping PR six months before elections don’t cut it. They have to lay the pipes from now.
The youths pay dearly for FFB
In the USA and the UK there is not ONE sports commentator who withholds his/her opinions on matters dealing with the administration of the games. In Belize there are people who take pictures, report on scores, but say nada about how our games are administered. They are obligated to have an OPINION, and to express it. In Belize the only medium that reports on sports and has an active position on the administration of the games is the Amandala.
I have heard the argument told by apologists of the FFB that prior to the crooks at the FFB, there were other crooks (that’s what they call their opponents) about. The FFB apologists say that those crooks used bribery to maintain their positions in the administration of the games. They have said that changing the FFB crooks would end up as straight monki fu black daag trade.
On the matter of bad trade the apologists of the FFB may be right, maybe, but they err when they compare the skullduggery of the present regime to what might have transpired in the past. It is possible that the old status quo bribed their way to win/maintain power. Under the laws of the land you have to prove bribery. The present FFB illegally ousted the legitimate leader of the Belmopan district, and handpicked a replacement for him. All the papers (the hair of the horse) are there to prove that the FFB flagrantly violated the law.
It is being bandied about that our political leaders think that football players have to deal with the proven lawbreakers themselves, have to take the “law” into their own hands. It is very disappointing to hear that men who are leading us are of that opinion. It is a really sad position. They are asking for violence. Yes, whoever in the Ministry of Sports is calling on players to take back their game is calling for violence.
When the FFB leaders violated Belmopan District (and two others), outright robbed the footballers of their rights, it became a matter for the Government of Belize to resolve.
Some big men are playing at Pontius Pilate while our youth perish. They will not be able to wash out the damned spot. Who is not for the youth is against the youth. There is a real cost to this FFB and it is written in wasted young blood and squandered young dreams.
What a charade
The good news coming out of the Ministry of Transport is that they have made some improvements in public transportation. The buses are very old, but there are more buses on the road for our citizens. It is to be hoped that the service will be satisfactory for the Agriculture and Trade Show this weekend.
There is some not so good news. The Ministry of Transport is enforcing a no-standee policy. This policy applies ONLY to buses parked at the terminal. Yap, after a bus passes the gate they don’t give a damn. I am calling the circus for what it is, Braa.
The little story that follows is routine bus operation, happens every day. The other night there were standees, about 20, on the bus at the terminal. The man in charge at the gate closed it, stopped the bus. The bus conductor then asked all standees to stoop in the aisle, or squeeze an edge on a seat. The man in charge at the gate peeped in the bus, saw no one standing, and opened the gate. Ha.
This discussion is not about the no-standee rule. This discussion is about the charade, the obvious lie. How do you discipline a nation when your leaders set up a barefaced lie, Braa? That night a couple proud standees on the bus didn’t comply at first request with the order to bend down. But, when you want to get home…
To increase the disgrace of the evening, there was a police officer on the bus. Does anyone give a damn about compromising an officer? The final shame was that there were foreigners on the bus. What a story they have to tell when they get home, about ridiculous we. If this wasn’t so sad it would be funny.
Another beef from this side has to do with the rush to get on the bus in the evening hours. The Ministry of Transport is so out of ideas that they don’t even try to slow down the stampede. Sad.
Lastly, I am tired of arguing with conductors. I don’t like quarreling too much but when I think that all my fellow villagers must have to face down conductors who are trying to rob them, I have to put in my two cents. Every time there is a new conductor on the bus he brings his wisdom and tries to charge $5 for the trip to my village (Bze City to Camalote). They argue that the cost from my village to BMP is $1, and the cost from BMP to Bze City is $4, hence the $5 charge. I explain to them over and over that when I want to go to BMP I pay $1, but when I want to go to Bze City, going to BMP adds miles that I don’t want to travel, and is an inconvenience which often takes 20 or 25 minutes out of my time. These bus operators want to go to Belmopan. Why should the passenger who doesn’t want to go to Belmopan subsidize their trip?
Chalillo fret
The first thing on my mind when Belize shook early Thursday morning was Chalillo. My intended feature this week was inspired by the story “Chalillo Is Still a Lie”, presented by the Gonzalezes last week. But the Ministry of Sports was sticking in my craw. Next week for my: more on Chalillo.
Lost my flash drive
I have searched everywhere for my flash drive and haven’t found it, so I have declared it lost as of last week. It is a black Kingston (?) loaded with articles that appear in this column and a few other stories that are important to me. If you found it would you please call Colin Hyde at 822-3477. Thanks very much.
By the way, I have one hundred percent faith in the public servants who run things in Belize on election day. That bit is just in case any of them took my piece on the voting business (last week) seriously. And yes, my vote was Brother Hubert and the VIP all the way, just as I wrote in a serious piece sometime ago.