The task of drafting a new Belize Constitution for our growing nation is a very important one, a sacred one, a challenging one. The late “Father of the Nation” once remarked in a poem that, “Building is a task for giants.” Indeed it is, but a sleeping giant resides inside the soul of every Belizean; and the call to build our own, new Constitution is a “loud” and a “clear” call whose time has almost come. There is an urgency, as it cannot come too soon, being much needed to fill the gaps and right the shortcomings left us by our former colonial masters, who were condescendingly kind enough to burden us with a template full of potential but insufficient to see the full realization of that Independence they declared they were giving to us. 

   The time is near for us as a people to no longer be satisfied with what was given to us, but to be strong and resilient in our quest to get for ourselves what we know is needed to make good on our anthem’s cry to “let despots flee.” No longer must we allow our nation to be bound and restrained from enjoying the true meaning of unfettered freedom and liberation from any restrictive force inside or outside our borders that even implies our subservience, or wields control over our destiny. No avenue of blood was shed in seeing our political Independence Day back in 1981, but there have been rivers of tears since then in the struggle to realize the true meaning of liberation and self-determination as a people, still burdened with the insecurity of our national borders, and generations of unenlightened youth, lacking in the essential foundation of self-knowledge and historical grounding in civic pride and community awareness, but armed only with the weapons of individual attempts at swimming in a sea of social self-destruction.

   How can it be right, under our laws and Constitution, for the people’s precious assets to be robbed through sleight-of-hand of tricky politicians, and no one ever goes to jail; but we the people must give up our hard-earned tax dollars to pay all the costs. Even when already-owned land is “given away” to cronies by crooked politicians for a pittance, under this Constitution we the people must end up compensating the crony owner with millions of our tax dollars. And then they tell us about “legal guilt” and “moral guilt”!? But we the people still have to pay, according to our court, which is guided by our Constitution. Something must be terribly wrong with this Constitution that we have. Whatever it is, we have to fix it. But we have been crying these tears and singing this same song from election to election, from party to party; and it seems we are getting nowhere. Something fundamental must be wrong, and so we have to go to the source, the supreme template and rule that is supposed to guide all our actions, and provide the wisdom of Solomon on this earth to see true justice prevail for the benefit of all our people, not just for the rich who can manipulate the legal system.   

   This “house” is too rotten to its core to begin to repair and rebuild using the same deformed, destabilized and compromised structure. A new Constitution, starting from scratch, is what we need; one unfettered by any restrictions, limitations or exploitative legal loopholes embedded in this one by the hand of “perfidious Albion.” Even now, as we contemplate the great work before us in fashioning the essence of our new Constitution, we feel and see the monarchical hand of money-power being exerted upon our national leadership and government structures which are defined and empowered through the language of our current Constitution. And it is our courts, driven and restricted by the written words of our Constitution, which may become the vehicle dictating the direction of our nation in matters which the Belizean people may not approve, but regarding which they have no recourse within the limits of this Constitution. If it is the “peaceful, constructive, Belizean revolution” that we hold dear in our quest for true and fulfilling nationhood, then violent revolution and “civil disorder” are to be avoided, and thus the vital necessity for the Constitution to provide that defense capability of a nation against the new-age aggression of money-power against the power of the people.

   And in embarking on this journey, there can be no handcuffing of ourselves from employing all the best talent that our people have to offer, for we are about drafting new rules, albeit on foundational principles, principles born of our people’s collective soul, wisdom and sense of righteousness and goodness, and only the people, by their clamoring voices of dissent in the first instance, and sweeping mass condemnation as the discussion devolves, can rightly deny any proposed son or daughter of Belize from serving on the Constitutional Commission. This is no “plum” to be greedily sought after by any political crony, but a sacred chalice of work, filled only with love and sacrifice, to be humbly and graciously accepted by any citizen found worthy to be called to serve. No written aspect of the old Constitution should become a barrier to our selection of team members on the Constitutional Commission, or we tie our own hands, and blind our own vision of the New Belize. 

   It is said that “in the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king.” But if we aspire to be a people of “love, justice and dignity,” there should be no fear about or restriction from including representation in the circle of framers to comprise the Constitutional Commission, the widest range of voices from among the Belizean nation – of every age, race, color, creed, sex, ethnicity, religion, politics, educational or occupational background, etc., including our diaspora; bar no one, except those still confined behind walls for crimes committed. Of course, in the early going of this mammoth task, there will be strident voices that may seem to sow discord, but where there are not receptive listeners, loud voices soon fade away. When “free ting di gi weh”, crowds quickly flock to the scene to see what they can receive; there is never a scarcity of self-interest-seekers. But when it is realized that only work and sacrifice is involved, it is the true believers and patriots who will persevere and see the task to completion. Remove the barriers and let all groups of concerned Belizeans be represented at the start of this task of building our new Constitution, so that no essential piece of input or flavor of the people’s essence be once again lost in this sacred document.   

   In this endeavor, let us not fall into the old colonial trap of division, red or blue or whatever political color. Regardless of how we all vote – and the evidence is clear that a sizable portion of our voting population has swung from one side to the other in different elections – this effort to draft a new Constitution is above and beyond party politics; this is all about nation-building and laying a strong foundation for all our future. Judge not, that you may not be judged. There are no stones to be thrown. And no one person wields unseemly power in this journey of sacrifice, so it is fruitless to dwell on family connections and relationships. As Smokey Joe used to say, in Belize, “all a wi da faamly.” A real tried and true, honest statesman and patriot is all we need to lead this effort. What is important is how we get along, exchange ideas and opinions with respect, and demonstrate our concern and love for our Belizean people; by how we join our efforts to stay grounded while seeking the expertise of professionals where necessary in the process; and by safeguarding the right of all literate Belizeans to read, understand and embrace as their own national treasure the finished product when it is finally approved and blessed by the Belizean people.