by Evan X Hyde
Wilfred “Sedi” Elrington is a multimillionaire Afro-Belizean attorney-at-law. He was a Supreme Court judge during the UDP government of 1993-1998, during which he was also a senator and sat in the Dr. Manuel Esquivel Cabinet. Mr. Elrington was a three- time Cabinet minister (Foreign Minister) during the three terms in office (2008-2020) of UDP Prime Minister Dean Barrow. Mr. Elrington, as Foreign Minister, signed the so-called COMPROMIS of 2008 which committed the land and sea of Belize to International Court of Justice (ICJ) arbitration.
Mr. Elrington has been writing a weekly column in THE REPORTER. In the Sunday, August 7, 2022 issue of that newspaper, he titled his column: “Solving the Afro Belizean Crisis.” In that column, he refers to all the evils which have plagued Belize’s Afro- Belizean population since slavery and colonialism, followed by “four continuous decades of discrimination, neglect, poverty, abuse and injustice.” One assumes that Mr. Elrington is referring to the post-independence years in Belize when he makes reference to “four continuous decades …”
Amazingly enough, two weeks later, in the Sunday, August 21, 2022 issue of THE REPORTER, under the heading, “Build the Port Quickly,” the same Mr. Elrington wrote the following paragraphs about Lord Michael Ashcroft. Mr. Elrington’s opinions are contrary to those of the vast majority of Belizean citizens. I am stunned.
“The Ashcroft group has a good business track record in our country. It was Mr. Ashcroft who introduced the offshore financial industry into our country and the Ship’s Registry. The Ashcroft group has also been very bullish in investing in our tourism, agriculture and banking sectors as well. And, their reputation for being shrewd, financially well-heeled investors is widely known nationally and internationally.
“They have displayed an affinity for our country which belies any suggestion that they are merely interested in exploiting us. They have been supportive of our nation’s efforts in education, culture, health and sports over the years they have been investing in our country. They are among the very few investors who have shown neither hesitation nor reluctance to invest in our country.”
Do you believe Sedi?