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Spain and Britain ruined Belize’s future — Part Two (Conclusion)

LettersSpain and Britain ruined Belize’s future -- Part Two (Conclusion)

Dear Editor,
After Peter Wallace (the buccaneer), we saw the signing of the Treaty of Versailles in 1793 by Spain, Britain and other European countries, which left the Bay Islands, including Belize, to extract mahogany and NOT engage in agriculture.

In 1859, Britain and Guatemala signed the boundary treaty of 1859, giving Britain from the Rio Hondo to Sarstoon River.

The inhabitants (Mestizo, Maya, Garifuna, East Indians, & Creoles) together formed a population that numbered 10,900 and in 1946, the population was 54,000.

Now in 2020, the population is near 375,000 – far below the populations of the neighbouring republics. This was caused by the exodus of Belizeans (especially the Creoles), who went to the USA.

It took Britain 90 years to normalize the country as a British colony (extracting mahogany, other secondary woods and chicle). The British Governor, Sir John Hunter, along with the Financial Secretary and Conservator of Forests and British assistants, stood as the Executive Council.

Nominated members formed the Legislative Council. As the years went by, these were elected – (1943) Robert Turton, Sam Vernon, Gabourel, Balderamos, Melhado, et al. Members of LegCo divided up the land – Cayo District went to Turton; Gabourel took the Belize District; Melhado, the Corozal District; and Sam Vernon (a sub-contractor for Turton), the Toledo District. The mahogany went to England. The chicle went to the USA. Farming for export was prohibited.

It took nearly 90 years after that for a political party (the PUP), in 1950, to establish itself. And it took 10 years for the PUP to establish roads, secondary schools, water and electricity.

It took the PUP another 5 years to get self-government. Guatemala, because of Article 7 in the 1859 boundary treaty, committed Britain to help with the dirt road from Guatemala City to the coast (the Supplementary Treaty in 1863), and to assist with L50,000 for the road; but Britain never gave Guatemala the money. Guatemala then put in her Constitution in 1945 that the 1859 boundary treaty was null and void.

It took Belize another 16 years to get Independence for Belize, in 1981, along with recognition of the country’s independent status from the United Nations. In 1973, we restored the name Belize to the whole country.

I was in the Constitution & Foreign Affairs Committee of the House of Representatives when we passed the S.I. The name of the country that was imprinted on passports and official documents was changed from British Honduras to Belize.

The Prime Minister, George Price, in the morning show at Radio Belize, spoke about a mixed economy. In Punta Gorda at a public meeting, the question was asked: “Why a Garifuna cannot be a District Commissioner? And why is it that we have to wait until we recruit persons from Barbados 6 feet tall to be a policeman? “

The following month, Minister CLB Rogers recruited Maya men (some about five feet in height) to be policemen. Two months after, the Chief Clerk for Punta Gorda, Nolbert Avila, a Garifuna from Punta Gorda, was appointed a District Commissioner.

When I was in the House between 1960 and 1974, the PUP caucus had a wrangling. Some wanted a casino and tourism (pressure group), and some, headed by Price and CLB Rogers, Sandy Hunter, and V.H. Courtenay, called tourism “Tray-Carriers”.

Others, headed by Minister L. Sylvestre and Minister Freddy Hunter, were part of the casino and tourism group.

After Price, the subsequent prime ministers — Esquivel, Musa and Barrow —selected tourism. Tourism is good, but we should not neglect agro-industries, farming and, fishing. The whole of British Honduras in 1972 engaged in these activities to sustain their families.

In 1972, I accompanied Minister F. Hunter to Honduras to lobby with the United Fruit Company for banana suckers to improve the banana farms around Cow Pen (in Toledo).

We succeeded, and now, a large village, Bella Vista, with mostly Hondurans, is working the bananas for Fyffes, for export.

The northern districts managed to export sugar for Tate & Lyle (they built a sugar refinery in Orange Walk at Tower Hill in 1965).

Stann Creek district is known for oranges and grapefruit, but the rest of the districts are lacking in industries. In regards to Toledo, when I was the area rep for Toledo North, as a member of the Marketing Board, I lobbied for the rice mill (which was located in Belize City) to be re-located to Toledo, where the rice, in abundance, was given to the whole country.

But after Hurricane Hattie in 1961, Price did his utmost to build Belmopan, transferring the seat of Government to it.

Young men and women from the other districts were attracted to Belmopan to hold office jobs (since Belize City youths were not attracted to Belmopan).

We are still lacking industries in Toledo, Stann Creek and Cayo. In Toledo, the Maya used shifting-cultivation, which their ancestors were accustomed to do; the Garifuna used to do fishing, and planting , but many youths — Maya and Garifuna — now resort (imitating Belize City youths) to drugs!

If Great Britain and Spain had not signed the 1783 Treaty PROHIBITING workers who were extracting mahogany and chicle from having plantations, this would not happen. The republics around us, they do planting for their populations (even agro-industries), and they export what they plant — EVEN FLOWERS!

Alejandro Vernon, JP

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