Abandoned attempt to privatize motor vehicle inspections in Belize.

I had the good fortune to spend a few hours with Clinton Uh Luna at the library the other day. I find his articles in the Amandala  thought provoking and interesting and requested a meeting. When I saw him he was wearing a blue and red color combination and naturally I made a humorous political comment, he responded by saying he was a member of the PUDP, a fictitious amalgam of the two parties in Belize. Well partly, but more the political statement of a 67 year old self appointed activist “radical”.

To say he was not happy with the political state of affairs of his country would be an understatement. He related a shameful story of gross impropriety on the part of a UDP minister and rampant corruption at all levels and departments, not to mention misappropriation of funds. And just when I thought that this was only a PUP pastime. You see I heard through the grapevine that the previous leadership specialized in monetary mismanagement. Rumor has it the Swiss donated $10,000 to build a bridge over the New River on the way to Progressso/Copper Bank. That never happened as the funds were allocated elsewhere. Over the years I have been here I looked forward to the days when the totalitarian PUP run by Said Musa would be removed from power and responsible government would take its place. Not so simple.

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The Hon. minister of education Patrick Faber flew off the handle in the Belize House of Representatives this week and actually attacked prominent journalist and U.D.P supporter Evan X Hyde for publishing an article on the Belize educational system in the Amandala newspaper.

Mr. Faber wailed on in strident indignation for almost an hour on this theme.

Slack on facts and nilly willy on details but the gentleman proclaimed all charges to be “not true”.

The article below courtesy of the Amandala well illustrates the current state of the Belize education system:

About a year or two ago, there was a little excitement on the education landscape in Belize. It appeared that the UDP Minister of Education was challenging some of the power which the Christian churches have accumulated in the Belizean system of church/state education. Former UDP Leader and Fort George area representative, Dean Lindo, was aghast, and expressed his consternation on the UDP radio station.   He believed, and rightly so, that Hon. Patrick Faber was endangering the UDP’s chances of re-election by his challenges, albeit minor, to church rule in education.

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There is an old Kriol proverb which the now Minister of Works was famous for quoting leading up to his election to office; “Don’t pay mind to the noise in the market, just check your change.”  Lately, there has been a lot of noise in the market. We are in the middle of what Glenn Tillett has referred to as “the silly season.” More popularly known as convention time, it is when both Belize political parties put in place standard bearers to contest the next general elections.

In most cases, standard bearers are chosen via contested conventions where party faithful go to a poll and elect one of any number of interested candidates. In some instances, these standard bearers are predetermined and are simply endorsed. On the face of it, it would appear that the former way would be the more democratic but it is not as simple and as cut and dried as all that. The game of politics is played at a very high level and many factors come into play. [Read more...]