Mon. Aug. 29, 2022
The power of “big money” is never more evident than around election time. As one famous American quote puts it: the three most important things in an election are “money, money and money.” And there is no denying that the “war chests” of major Belizean political parties are such that so far the third parties have not been able to compete, despite their strong rhetoric and sincere dedication. But there are times when the momentum of disenchantment with the party in government has been so strong that it appears that no amount of money can stop “the force of an idea whose time has come.” When the Belizean people have made up their minds, a party can bring all the money it wants, and as it is said in the streets, the people will “tek dehn money and vote dem out;” the tide will be swung by those who “vote their conscience.”
There is no denying that there are some, from both major political parties, who will “do their party duty” once the compensation is considered adequate, but there is a block of voters, and it is suspected that among them are certain members of both major parties, who will swing Belizean elections one way or the other, and election “bribes” be damned. Those are the really deep- thinking and sincere Belizeans, to whom country matters more than party, and the long-term benefit for Belize outweighs any quick token or party treat, whose children’s future weighs more heavily on their minds than the smiling face of the vote-seeking area representative. And it is these same rock-solid patriots who will need to flex their political muscles in the current battle against corporate giants who are determined to have their way with projects that may forever tarnish and cripple the Jewel in their single-minded quest to plunder and exploit our precious natural resources. While environmental voices may enlighten, it is the conviction of the people that must pressure our elected politicians to do the right thing.
The problem with some of our Belize politicians, and it is a problem that is common to both major parties, is that there seems to have developed a trend of thought, a philosophy, really, that almost makes it a sacred mantra, where politicians will boldly sing the high praises of “foreign direct investment,” FDI’s, as if it is some Holy Grail that will come to save the Belizean people. The people are crying for “jobs, jobs, jobs,” and our political leaders will naturally endeavor to satisfy them, often resulting in undue haste to “sign off” on any new major “foreign direct investment” proposal that comes their way. With the lure of mega-millions of dollars and hundreds, even thousands of jobs that some investors will dangle before eager eyes, there have been project proposals that were embarrassing for some politicians, when they were found to be a threat to our nation’s welfare by thinking, patriotic Belizeans. The most glaring example of such a proposed “foreign direct investment” project, that would have, like they always say, pumped millions of foreign exchange into our economy, was the glamorous Puerto Azul Exclusive Resorts & Hotel proposed development, an investment said to cost “billions,” that was big international news back in 2014.
And, oh, of course the developers sang high praises for Belize and our wonderful reef and cayes, and they pledged most emphatically to ensure no harm would come to our environment. In a gala affair at the 67th Annual Cannes Film Festival, the developers hosted The Puerto Azul Experience Night, where they described their project as a “dream luxury experience that will be built in the clear and beautiful waters of Lighthouse Reef, Belize.” They really laid it on, and if you listen to the claims of the propaganda professionals, it is easy to become swayed by all the good things they have to say. Talking about jobs? They declared that the project would “accommodate 1,000 guests and 2,000 employees.” And more, there would also be “residential suites, apartments and overwater bungalows, bank & business center, police station, coast guard, fire brigade, telecommunications center, golf courses, shopping areas, amusement park, super yacht marine, diving school, hyperbaric chamber, botanical garden, hospitals, vocational school and sewage and waste management to name a few.”
Thankfully, not all our then UDP government representatives were completely swooning from the blandishments of the Puerto Azul salesmen. While two government ministers were being hosted at the “ultra-posh Puerto Azul Exclusive Resorts party,” one other minister did caution them that our Cabinet had only “approved permission for Puerto Azul to conduct an environmental study to confirm if the project is sustainable.” No EIA had yet been approved.
And that is where the Belizean people, with enlightenment and leadership from our environmentalists, soon came to the nation’s rescue. With a groundswell of support from ordinary Belizeans, especially in San Pedro, government was forced to put a massive “brakes” on the whole scandalous affair. It was a classic case of, like the old Belizean proverb says, “pick[ing] sense from nonsense.”
A November 21, 2014 release at europe.oceana.org perhaps summed it up best, saying in part: “…Foreign developers are planning a massive luxury resort on the atoll, which is part of the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System — the largest barrier reef in the western hemisphere and a thriving marine ecosystem. Called Puerto Azul, the proposed project would decimate important marine habitat and compromise the integrity of Belize’s eco-based tourism industry…
“Opposition to Puerto Azul is widespread among Belizeans. While they support tourism — the backbone of the country’s economy — they do not support building a resort that will irreversibly destroy the Mesoamerican reef, the very place that tourists come to experience. If such a project is to go forward, it must be built elsewhere, at a site that does not threaten the health of protected ocean life and World Heritage sites…”
Now, under a PUP government, Belizeans are currently facing a looming crisis of choices, between, on the one hand, the glitter of two grandiose proposed projects, Waterloo and Vulcan, and certain eager politicians trumpeting the glory of foreign direct investments, and jobs, jobs, jobs; and on the other hand, the cautious warning of our environmental scientists who are not easily swayed by the lure of quick and easy money, but by the long-term health and sustainability of the natural wonders that God’s goodness gave to us to provide continuing wealth and sustenance for generations of Belizeans to come.
Some decisions are more easily made than others. And where some seemingly sincere and generous politicians are generally head-over-heels in support of any billionaire’s mega-project because of “jobs, jobs, jobs,” it will be tempting for some supporters to jump on the bandwagon to “all these millions” and say, “please take us there.” But there is also an old saying that “once bitten; twice shy.” And if ever a nation and people have been “once bitten,” and bitten again and again and again, it is we the Belizean people. It is okay to be invited to a banquet, Belizeans, but what good is it if no place has been set for your children to eat? We’re messing with deep waters and very big predatory fishes.
We do not have all the answers; but the people’s will, however it becomes realized, is more powerful than any developer’s motive or any politician’s scheme. In matters of the earth and the sea and nature’s “wealth untold” that God has given to this nation, we tend to perceive more sincerity, consistency and honesty in the advice of our scientists, those not on the developer’s or government’s payroll, than in some of our politicians.
This is indeed a time to keep an open mind, Belizeans. “Sleep wid yo own eye,” listen to your own heart, “pick sense from nonsense,” and decide whether you will say “yea” or “nay,” and let your voice be heard, not just for today, but for the children of tomorrow.
“Only the people can save the people!”
(Some information for the above article was taken from sanpedrosun.com and ambergriscaye.com)