The Editor Amandala
Sir,

I refer to Nick Pollard’s letter in the Amandala of September 30, 2012.

Nick Pollard is correct in saying that the Amandala did publish a paper on political parties in Belize written by me. Actually the Amandala extracted the paper from the Belizean Studies publication “Readings in Belizean History” published by St. John’s College and the Institute of Social and Cultural Research, which is a condensed version of a comprehensive book which I intend to publish, entitled “A History of Political Parties in Belize.”

Allow me to make two comments on Nick’s letter, and the Declaration he so thoughtfully published next to his letter lends some support. Firstly, I cannot agree that I took the statement, “that Nicholas Pollard conducted a campaign of slander against leaders of the P.U.P.” out of context when that is almost verbatim in the Declaration that was scheduled to be read by William Lloyd Coffin on September 27, 1956 at the Riverside Hall in Belize City.

I will concede, however, that in the condensed version of the book, reference was only made to the Declaration; while my comprehensive text actually details the clauses in the Declaration.

Secondly, and again because Nick only had access to the condensed version, although I failed to inform readers of “a bitter feud” among P.U.P. leaders in July 1956 over missing General Workers Union monies, I did infer this by stating in my comprehensive text: “On July 6 the General Workers Union suspended its General Secretary, Nicholas Pollard, for financial irregularities.”

In a footnote I further stated: “This dispute amongst the leaders of the Union had resulted in Pollard forming a break-away union registered as the Christian Democratic Union.”

I have every respect and admiration for Nick as a political historian, and welcome his comments and I thank him for sharing his thoughts. Let me close by saying, though, that my being listed in the acknowledgements of Godfrey Smith’s biography of George Price aside, and further comments about the author’s treatment of the subject, is for Mr. Smith to take up if he deems it fitting.

Lawrence Vernon