Wednesday, May 22, 2024
I was watching snippets of the hearing between David Gegg and a very skeptical Senate led by Senator Chanona. It was contentious, which is good, but it also made me look at our government in a different light. In Belize, like in many other Latin and African and in some Asian countries, government is a business, in my opinion. As long as that is the way government is run, then it is the people who suffer, are denied access to their agendas, their welfare, their expectations, and to the fulfillment of their needs.
Franklin Roosevelt and Lyndon Johnson are good examples of government for the people, and by the people. Social Security, the Civil Rights Act, Medicare, the EPA (that was Nixon), the Peace Corps (that was Kennedy), Healthcare Reform (that was Obama), are evidence that they were working for the people, not for themselves. Germany and Great Britain and the Scandinavian countries all cater to the needs of their citizens; socialism in some form, but nevertheless, it is for the people. Free medical benefits, free education, a decent wage for those at the bottom. People still fall through the cracks, but the intent is there. In Burkina Faso, a young and energetic hero, President Sankaro, tried to get rid of the corruption in government, tried to make his people’s lives better, and paid for that effort with his life! He cared about the welfare of his country and its citizens.
There are too many people in government, elected officials, who are not in office for the betterment of their people, but for their own self-enrichment. That is neither new nor surprising; but why do we as a people allow this graft, this fleecing of our resources, this undermining of good governance, to continue? Mr. Gegg was asked, who it was that requested the payoff for proceeding with his venture. He denied paying off anyone, but that was what Senator Chanona asked. That she asked the question, in itself is revelatory!
One runs for office, we are led to believe, to serve his/her country, to leave “we the people” better off than when they assumed power. Since we became independent in 1981, we have seen unscrupulous politicians run and win and engage in corruption and disregard and disrespect for their constituents; both parties are guilty of this crime, against a trusting society. Some are coy, and some have been brazenly obvious in their greed and their unquenchable arrogance for more, and still more. In Belize, this has been, and continues to be a PUDP issue. Both parties have been guilty of negligence regarding the concerns and welfare of their constituents.
We should expect more from our elected representatives. We should not let them get away with false promises. We should not allow them to continue catering to the wishes of the powerful, while neglecting those most in need of assistance! Government should be taking care of our energy needs, our medical infrastructure, our environmental protection and safety, our borders, proper educational opportunities, not denying us of our history!
We entrust our future to those we elect to lead us, red or blue. We expect them to come through for us, and to leave office the same way they came in, not with unexplained wealth and power that they flaunt in our faces, without any sense of shame.
To serve is a civic duty, for love of country, for patriotism. It is not a business, your own fiefdom; it is supposed to be an honor and a privilege. Treat it as such! What I’m saying here is what most people believe. I’m just reminding you that the power is always with the people, until it’s not!
Glen