by Marie-Therese Belisle Nweke
Saturday, August 12, 2023
This guy has smart handlers! Even his signature appearance in suits represents a foil and a signaling in contrast to the Latinx guayabera, popularized by Price, and now the uniform of Belize’s politicians and its elite. I listened to his thoughtful and recent counter in our House of Reps regarding the massive loans being taken out by the current government, which he predicted will definitely not empower impoverished Belizeans, and will merely enter the pockets of government agents and “friends”.
It is a pity that his party, the UDP, is now in tatters, thanks to his father’s arrogance, conceit, hypocrisy, prebendal policies, ignorance and ineptitude. Belize is in urgent need of either a progressive and total configuration of the UDP, or the regeneration of the PUP, which the deputy prime minister, being a Black minority politician, would be unable to achieve from inside even if he was so inclined. Belize, therefore, needs a third force which must fully eliminate the current political forces of stagnation, corruption, a lack of vision, deceit, an overwhelming ignorance of national, regional and international realities, and subservience to foreign and opportunistic patronage. This third force must be led solely by patriotic, principled, enlightened, cosmopolitan, and independent-minded Belizeans, with a REVOLUTIONARY vision. They will need to massively re-educate and re-tool the Belizean people, who I believe are currently in a very bad place. Other than this, we are doomed!
As I see it, the errors of the current dispensation are just too many. The deliberate inaction on the 11th Amendment was for many thoughtful Belizeans, both within and outside Belize, the last straw! The next sleepwalking act will be the declaration of the Republic of Belize, which in the fullness of time will be definitely annexed to Guatemala. The Blacks living in this new Guatemalan province will be relegated to second class status, with a few token ones rewarded and strutted out with a couple of public positions to create the mirage of inclusivity.
All this, undoubtedly, will eventually force me in the near future to apply for Nigerian citizenship, since the only passport I have is Belize’s. For me, this will be most traumatic, as I have never envisaged needing any other identity for myself except that of Belizean. Or worse, taking up residence in Britain in my old age in order to acquire British citizenship. This would be relegating me to “prison”, as unlike my children and my U.S.-based relatives, I shall never come to terms with living in a predominantly white society. But then, this is merely just ONE ordinary Belizean, whose life can be negatively upturned by shortsighted and ignorant politicians back home, despite living two thirds of her life outside Belize.