As a general rule, whatever is good for the politicians is bad for the people. One of the best things for politicians is to have the people polarized so that they think that everything blue is evil and everything red is wholesome, if they support the United Democratic Party and the converse is true, if they support the People’s United Party.
This polarization is tearing the nation apart. It is unproductive and sometimes even destructive. Moreover, it is a waste of energy, especially when the losing party in a general election starts its campaign against the victors from the day after election and, continues it for five long years. Polarization is turning the natural animosity of rivals into poisonous hatred. This state of affairs can only do great harm to the sense of oneness which makes a nation united and strong.
Of course, the politicians would like to have numbers on their side so that they can win elections and become the government then, they can crush the opposition and reign like kings. This would be good for the politicians and bad for the people.
In a healthy political environment, it would not be a matter of life and death which party becomes the government, because the leaderships of both parties would be nationalistic and put the interests of the people first.
I dislike polarization because when you are polarized, you can’t think straight. It would be better for us if the political parties and their blind supporters were very small and the body of independent thinking citizens were very large. Then, we would judge the performance of governments fairly and wisely, and we would be better governed.
For my part, I would like the Opposition to refrain from campaigning for the first two years of a government’s term and allow it to concentrate on governing well, providing that their term of office was four years. The Opposition would continue to perform their proper function, which is to monitor, criticize and correct. This would reduce the effects of past polarization and start us on the road to becoming the great nation we were destined to be.
I can understand when, in the beginning, there was a movement of liberation, and the people were divided between those who wanted change and those who preferred the status quo of being British subjects to the unknown which a mass movement portended. There are always those who are afraid of change from the certain to “the other that we know not of.” For the vast majority of the people of British Honduras, the idea of managing our own affairs had great appeal. It could not properly be called polarization when a people were moved to decide that they were better able to govern themselves than any foreign power, however great.
There was a time in our history when Belize could easily have become a one- party state, so overwhelming was the popularity of the People’s United Party. That it did not, was due, to a large extent, to the personal efforts of the Honorable Philip Goldson. For this, I think that the nation owes him a great debt of gratitude. If the Right Honorable George Price is the Father of the Nation then, the Honorable Philip Goldson is the Father of our Democracy.
Despite the polarization with which we have been beset since Independence, we have been blessed by having free and fair elections for twenty-six years. Governments have been replaced and new governments come to power without the violence that characterizes elections in the region but, the stakes are getting higher and there are ominous signs on the horizon. The voices of demagogues inciting others to violence are being raised even before the date of general elections has been announced.
In a climate when firearms in the hands of lawless elements seem to abound, there is grave danger that unscrupulous individuals with personal agendas may resort to violence to secure their ends.
I write this article with hope that our nationalists and patriots who are in positions of authority and power will be moved to take action to prevent our politically committed citizens from allowing polarization to descend into turmoil.
We seem to be powerless to deal with the enemy without but, we certainly should be able to disarm the enemy within. If we can’t, then we don’t deserve to be a nation.