Dear Editor,

“The PUP thief……… fu give we” were the words an elder gentleman directed to me while discussing politics when I was but a young lad of about 18, about to start casting my vote, and he was trying to convince me that the party was doing good and I thought they were “too thief”.

This was before Belize attained Independence.

Nowadays, almost five decades plus later, methinks both leading parties’ followers claim the same, “them thief fu give we”, leading our country into a spiraling debt like the proverbial “up S—t Creek without a paddle”.

Everybody loves free things, but the truth is that “there is no such thing as a free lunch”. Somehow, somewhere, somebody has to pay for it and the Belizean electorate is now aware that we all have to pay “fu whe them thief”.

Also, them no only thief fu give we, but also fu full dem own pocket.

I once heard the Father of the Nation chide his followers, “If you want to make money, go into business; if you want to serve your people, join politics.”

But they didn’t all listen. The broke ones get rich, and the rich ones get richer. The very few who do not steal are considered fools.

I would like to propose that we vote for our prime minister like we vote for our mayors. I have seen a couple PMs get weakened in their resolve to stop this corrupt practice because of the fact that if their party members fall, they fall.

So they protect the bad ones in order to protect themselves. Sad thing that when they apply rules and policies to try to stop corruption, they turn the screws on us and the position of “minister” is still sacrosanct.

If the PM’s post is secure, they won’t have to cover anyone and Belize wins. We really need someone who can stand up and say, “The buck stops here”.

Maybe an independent candidate with no political party can pull it off.

We also need to demand those checking and balancing committees and institutions to ensure transparency and accountability. No one should be above the law.

“Abierto el cajon, hasta el mas honesto es ladron.” — “With the safe open, even the most honest will steal”.
Think about it, Belize.

Regards,
Romel Cuello