Dear Editor,

According to Niccolò Machavelli, a 16th century political philosopher (scientist), “the primary object of a politician or any member of the ruling elite, is always the same — to cement, to augment and to increase their power”.

It is not that politicians don’t do good, but they take action mainly to gain power. All the sociological and historical evidence support my hypothesis. Politicians address poverty not to necessarily decrease or increase it, but to get power and privilege.

Unless someone is naïve, they won’t enter politics to end poverty, because politics is defined as how power and resources are distributed in a society and people who enter politics crave power. In no country in the world are the poor a priority.

The Scandinavian countries have the best mix of the ruling elite and the ruled, but even in those countries, power and privilege dominate. It is just better regulated.

My position is that the very constitution and laws of every country are designed to create a ruling elite. It just how much the ruled are willing to tolerate.

I believe the Constitution and laws of Belize are biased to those with resources. The mere fact that a person can’t afford a high-powered lawyer means he or she cannot gain the maximum advantage of any society that has the rule of law, and the situation for the poor is worse in a corrupted society.

The Constitution of Belize is British-engineered, with local leaders negotiating some small accommodations. That was the best that could have been done, but now, a new Constitution designed to protect and empower the least in the society needs to be created and implemented.

If serious systemic change is not made, all that will happen is a change of ruling parties with little substantive difference.

Yours truly,
Brian Ellis Plummer