1st published in the Independent Reformer:
What about justice? As the saying goes don’t let your rights become wrong. In an unfair world that we live in justice is not always served every time. Every now and then a case comes up that shows the level of justice we have in the land. For example, Christine Perriot’s case. Imagine as a union leader she cannot get her rights executed. Then the question is, who else will? A case like that becomes an insult to our society, especially to those that know our laws and the working people. There is a saying, only free people can set people free. I think what it means, when we don’t know how to get it we should go someone who knows. Or when a police man does not listened to our case, don’t be silent, or when your tax money is wasted and the countries future is sold, don’t be quiet.
Every justice system needs a judge. Every judge has many books of historical cases to guide him. On the other hand he goes by what the leader of the country and people want. He goes by the information you give him.
And if corruption takes control over a society, it will always start from the top. Once it has penetrated to the majority of the body of people, they cannot change unless the leadership is thrown out. This is easy to explain. A corrupt leader cannot afford for his leaders to be corrupt also. The problem is he cannot stop them. Eventually they become like him, and the society comes to a dead end, and gets stuck. That is when the dance ends and music stops.
A judge is Cayo years ago said something unforgettable. He said there is a written law on paper, but along with that there is what we call a spirit of the law. We definitely need both to have justice working for us.
This leads us to another word: education and information. Lately we had an article in the news paper: “Good laws on paper will not protect us from a bad government.” That is so true, it could not have been said better in short terms. If being smart, educated, and vocal only could do it, we would be in far better shape a long time ago.
The spirit of the law is not as evident as the law on paper. We have many written laws that many of us don’t even know about. They are not regarded or enforced. But if we disregard the spirit of the law, there is more of an immediate reaction. Our Prime Minister found that out lately. He did some things against our law and constitution for years. Then one day he touched the spirit of Belizean people, by saying, law or no law, you have to pay what I signed for. He quickly found out that he should never have done that. Over 90% of the people were against him, like over night. That is the unwritten law in action, if people speak up and use their intelligence and if they are informed.
I read in article where Smokey Joe wrote in the Amandala, in these short sentences he said very much, I wonder if someone in Belize would interpret this writing at length, here it is:
“I am not talking to you tongue stretchers who get allowance to talk about others, because if you cannot see it yet, your days are numbered. Check the world, brother man. The power of God ismoving. The Ice Age is now turning into a heat wave. As I have said, money and material things here have taken the place of God. This is turning our so-called poverty stricken youths into thieves …”
Thinking about justice and what comes along with it:
1. The Belizean people at this time don’t know if anyone is listening to them. Of all the disappointments under a coward leadership.
2. The Belizean people don’t feel like there is compassion for them. In all the pressure that has come upon them, because of hardships in daily life, because of corruption.
3. The Belizean people don’t understand love anymore, because of the lost of trust in all the betrayal and lawlessness they have witnessed.
Thousands of people have lost their jobs, contractors have lost their contracts, trusted arrangements been broken, people have lost their savings, their land, their houses, their family with no hopes to ever get it back. Most of them do not speak up. Many went to got without any results. Many are waiting on the courts for years. Some have suffered wrong judgments.
Belizeans are very disappointed at different leaders of the day. Why? We went with all the best promises and plans. Then we get disappointed without explanation. That hurts. That is a very insulting let down. A good example: just read Tom Greenwood’s letter of May 20, 07 in the Amandala. He was brave enough to vent his anger and his experience and thoughts. What about the thousands that don’t. There are many of those similar stories from the UDP time of 93, and the PUP 98 and now the 2003 administrations.
Let us look at today’s situation is a history form.
When we woke up years down the road after we were made to believe Belize is going strong and we were all feeding at the same time, our assets and properties were sold, even those that make us constant cash money, and while the music played, we were told it is alright to borrow as much money as possible from other countries and not to worry if we do not see any auditing done for 13 years of our cash flow, and we were made to believe it is alright to raise our commodity 100%, that is a must too, rise up to a high level and also to pay more than double into Social Security for our safety and the poor and the sick people, and our fuel prices to up 100% for better roads but this all happened while we had jobs and contracts, and money was flowing and we seem to run our economy fairly strong.
Then we hear what some of us feared. The words that tingle in our ears. First we hear that things are tough. Then we hear that we need to borrow more, then we hear the word, we are broke! We say but wait, UDP let us come to starve, then PUP came and said UDP have us owe almost 500,000, which is far too much. Let us handle it. Today we owe four times as much, plus sold our assets, plus taxes raised, plus getting dozens of grants from other countries, plus a big tourist tax income, now we must hear these ear tingling words, we are broke. Then we hear we cannot even pay the interest and as a result not only that all contracts stopped, some never got their money they already worked so hard for, and went broke as well, and in a short time, like six months every business in the country cut down 50%.
Today we hear something worse yet. This one not only tingle our ears and sink our heart. We were made aware that our PM signs millions of our tax money over to private institutions and we found out that he is use to this and has been doing it. Anytime he wants to without going to the house for approval. And many millions have gone through the crakes already while so many are broke and looking for a remedy for our economy. Then we hear a word worse yet, you must pay and don’t ask questions. Don’t ask for estimates or records.
The NRP wants what everybody wants, that is justice, some common sense, education along with information. Belize needs another chance to free themselves from bondage, hunger, and crime.
NRP not only knows that we are in trouble, but where we need an answer, and where to find it, and to get out.
Belize the jewel. A story was told in a radio program lately where an African farmer had a big farm. He got interested in the jewel business. He wanted to find diamonds. He sold everything and traveled all over the land searching and finding nothing. And finally he drowned in a river, a poor, broke, discouraged man. The man that bought the farm found an ugly looking stone in the river. He set it on the shelf until someone told him, that’s a diamond. You will see it after you shine it up. He found out he had the diamond mine under his feet. It became the biggest diamond mine in all of Africa.
The question is what will we do with our jewel. Leave it on the ground, put it on a shelf or shine it up, or go around the world to find stuff that glitters, that someone shined already, or will we trade our mine with one stone that already glitters.
The NRP does not believe in selling your tools to buy food. Or sell your land to buy a luxury vehicle, but let the produce of the land pay for it.
A local magazine said it so right, we don’t inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children. At this time we see that the older people are worried about our future. The workers are tired of high cost living. The youths are waiting for things to develop. The children are hungry they want their nutrition, but the main thing is, will we see justice done in this country, which is called the jewel.
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