When Jesus Christ comes back to earth, is this how he will describe our political parties?
But, hear this, the closing article of the Preamble of the Belize Constitution: The People of Belize “desire that their society shall reflect and enjoy the above-mentioned principles, beliefs and need and that their Constitution should therefore enshrine and make provisions for ensuring the achievements of the same in Belize.”

Why is it, then, that our nation seems to be the very opposite of what the Preamble has offered to us? If you frame each principle proposed in it, the answer to each could be, or, would be, a resounding “YES!”

For example: do you believe Almighty God is supreme? YES! Do you believe our fundamental rights and freedoms are God-given? YES! Do you believe in the position of the family? YES! Do you believe in the dignity of every human being? YES!

What, then, is our problem?
If I were really smart, I would zero in on the answer to you and not labor to write articles. But, we must, all of us, who love and cherish our native land, our BELOVED BELIZE, make effort to express our best, heartfelt ideas to contribute to a better nation.

The chairpersons of our major political parties should routinely carry out this practice. The moment a young, aggressive, eager youth seems interested in promoting the agenda of the party, have a heart- to-heart talk with him, or her, and ask: WHY ARE YOU SO INTERESTED IN OUR POLITICS?

Of course, the chairperson should be a man or woman of keen discernment who can look you straight, laser-like, in the eye, to know the heartfelt truth.

At this stage of our growth as a nation, as a national society, we must have reached the maturity of reading the cut of their sail to recognize HUSTLERS. Chairman, tell him or her: go into business; politics is for SERVING.

Our political parties, humanly speaking, are the most powerful forces in Belize. Is it not oh so true, that the influences of church, schools, neighbourhoods, homes etc. pale in comparison with the RED and BLUE initiatives? Therefore, common sense tells us that as day follows night we have to improve these awesome institutions, or we will be washed away by a deluge of immorality, corruption and decay.

Politics must be for SERVICE, not for enrichment.
The MEDIA must make a deliberate, heartfelt decision to cease all pandering but speak the facts and the truth. No more propaganda or half-truths — just the facts! They must learn to keep their interpretations and ideas confined to editorial comments — and not pass them out as news. NO MORE FAKE NEWS!

Changing into a dynamic, democratic society is no child’s play. It is work that only a disciplined people can accomplish.

Until the last trumpet blows, human beings will continue to be plagued by weaknesses that can be overcome only by a determined look and prayer to the Supreme Being in whom we believe and trust to guide us through the muck and sludge of daily practical living and of history.

In our national life, we must reject and resist the temptation to accept a little bribe here and there that compromises our constitutional goals. How pathetic we looked earlier this year when we sold our virtue and our bodies for fifty dollars ($50) apiece.

The Black Baymen voted to stay and fight because their machetes and axes helped to preserve their dignity and manhood among the giant mahogany trees of the wild bush of Belize. Isn’t the heritage of their spirit worth preserving?

I keep on reminding my friends that our Almighty God has intervened many times in history to save his people. Don’t you believe that He parted the Red Sea to save His Jewish people? Haven’t you heard of the Battle of Lepanto? On 10th September, 1798, Almighty God inflicted a terrible stomach ailment on a superior Spanish force bent on conquering the English Settlement in the Bay of Honduras. Because they had to lower their trousers every minute, they could not fight. What would any sensible person do in those circumstances? Leave, of course! Thus, the Baymen won the battle.

Consider the alignment and conjunction of international forces in 1981 that supported Independence for Belize. The Cold War and the Non-Aligned Movement of many nations, Castro in Cuba, Torrijos in Panama, Trudeau in Canada, Carter and Reagan in the White House!!!

I fervently believe that the Risen Jesus Christ is the Lord of History. This means that He is the Lord of our history too.

Let us fix our wills to the sticking point and be determined to advance our nation to the maturity that Almighty God has intended for us from all eternity!

Perhaps the public purse should contribute a subvention, a substantial sum but equal, for both major parties to employ their chairman and a small staff to manage their affairs. The judicious, lawful use of this money must be annually reported to Parliament, as is required for the use of all other subventions.

And why should we not require by law that business enterprises disclose their donations to political parties? Would this not help us to control the under-the-table personal payments that tend to undermine the national interest with bloated contracts?

Must we not attempt to launder politics by making public disclosure of the retirement benefits of our politicians? Perhaps most men would be honest, if we would point the way to survival in honesty. After Election 2020 some could find themselves among the unemployed. If they are responsible for feeding other mouths, what may panic not drive them to do? The answer: pensions for retired politicians.

Doctors, lawyers, accountants, teachers cannot legally practise their professions without a qualifying certificate. Why is it that only politicians do not have to produce a certificate? Do we deny the charisma of a born leader, if the chairman of a political party certifies to us that the candidate offering himself is honest and hard-working? It may be that the party’s endorsement is a certification. Could the chairman’s signature not become a guarantee that the candidate fully understands the principles of our Belize Constitution?

One of the obvious conclusions of our political analysis should be that the CHAIRPERSONS of our two major parties must be the most outstanding citizens, full of wisdom, heroic patriotism, humble… and the most dedicated servants of the people.