Firstly, I am getting tired of hearing about ?confidence building? projects. Whose confidence is being built? Surely not that of Belizeans. Millions of dollars have been spent on projects in Guatemala, but there is no word of what is being done for Belizeans, to balance that funding. The British, the OAS and other agencies have carried out several activities in the border towns, but to what benefit? There is no problem between the people of Benque and those of Melchor ? in fact, many are blood kin. The populace cross back and forth daily to work and go to school. That?s not where the problem lies! The money could be better spent on building schools and placing qualified teachers whose knowledge of English is good. That would then leave more space in the Benque schools for students whose parents cannot afford them. Education is the only way to cut down on the delinquency and violence, which is becoming more and more prevalent, even out there.

One wonders what is the point of calling public Commissions, when the best efforts of the members seem to be thwarted, and the results ignored. Why on earth should Lord Michael Ashcroft be allowed to borrow $20,000,000.00 of the people?s money? The man is a multimillionaire, or more. The people whose money he is taking are lucky to make $200.00 a week, many not even that much, but all must pay into Social Security. I was under the impression, mistakenly it seems, that until the Commission finished its enquiry, that no such loans were to be given out. It makes a mockery of the purpose of the whole Commission.

Similarly, the ?theft? of passports from the Immigration Office casts an evil eye on the country once again. How long is it since the last humungous scandal arose? Not long enough! How could this happen without collusion somewhere down the line? Is it really possible that 90% of the staff is corrupt? I strongly doubt it! Most are ordinary people just trying to do their job, for a little salary. It has always been the policy to move staff around on a regular basis, but to move so many women to the Western border is asking for trouble – to them, not from them. It can be a rough spot, particularly at night when the Belizean border is open but, officially, the Guatemalan one is closed. What has happened to the investigation into the previous scandal? Did the 3 people named carry out all the selling and signing by themselves? After all this time, 2 ?big fish? have not even come to trial. It seems that so many things get stalled in the courts, or somewhere along the line, with a purpose ? the people will forget all about it and the problem will quietly go away.

There is a definite tendency for Belizeans to let things slide. They complain about something for a while, and then give up. From my point of view, the whole independence and patriotism of the country are under attack, because the citizens are not willing to put themselves on the line. They wake up one morning to find their electricity bill has doubled, although their usage remains the same. For those who used to be in the ?social? category, this is disastrous. Their salary, if they have one, certainly did not go up, yet they are expected to pay all the increased utility costs, not to mention gas (if they can afford a car) and butane to cook. A few individuals call in to the radio, or write letters, but in the main, silence is kept.

We are in the midst of what should be the period of the greatest patriotic season for this country. Where are the flags? Where are the decorations? ? ?No money is there?. If patriotism continues the downward slide (and it is happening with the aid of party politics) then Guatemala won?t need any help in taking over Belize. Already many people don?t know the words to the national anthem. So you don?t think they are any longer appropriate? Why not write a new one then and convince the authorities to change it? Do something constructive rather than complain or ignore. And the patriotic songs? Even the older people are forgetting the tunes. Whether you agree about the ?Battle? of St. George?s Caye, or not, this is your history. Every little bit of history that is lost, or worse, replaced with a foreign substitute, is detrimental to the country. If the citizens of a country are not patriotic, anyone can come and take them over ? the land, the citizens, all their resources. Stand to attention or fall to pieces!

(Signed) Pat Asling