Editorial:

By: Omar Silva

Editor: National Perspective Bz DIGITAL 2024

www.nationalperspectivebz.com

Belize City: Thursday 3rd October 2024

As the People’s United Party (PUP) nears its fourth year in power, one thing has become abundantly clear: this is a government operating in the shadows, ignoring public consultation and transparency. The compulsory acquisition of land on Stake Bank Island is just the latest in a series of questionable decisions that reveal a troubling pattern—one where the government seems more concerned with advancing private interests than safeguarding Belize’s future.

The PUP, which rode into office on the backs of a disillusioned electorate in November 2020, has grown arrogant in its governance, acting with little regard for the very people who entrusted them with power. Their landslide victory—winning 26 out of 31 seats in Parliament—seems to have fostered a dangerous sense of invincibility, where public consultation is now viewed as a mere inconvenience, and transparency as an afterthought. This is a far cry from the party that once promised accountability and openness when it was in opposition.

Stake Bank: A Symptom of a Larger Problem

The Stake Bank acquisition is emblematic of the PUP’s broader failure to govern in the public interest. The government’s decision to compulsorily acquire 23.4 acres of land on Stake Bank Island, under the guise of economic development, reeks of backroom deals and hidden agendas. We are told this acquisition is in the public interest, aimed at reviving cruise tourism and protecting $270 million in investments. But the details tell a different story.

This land, which is supposedly being acquired for a public purpose, will end up in the hands of a foreign, debt-ridden Honduran company, OPSA. The government has offered no clear explanation as to why Belizeans should accept this deal, or how it serves the long-term interests of the country. Where is the public consultation? Where are the safeguards to protect Belize’s financial state if this deal goes wrong?

The truth is, the government has been operating in a near-total information vacuum. The Prime Minister’s assurances that this acquisition is for the greater good are not backed by hard facts. Belizeans deserve to know more than vague justifications; they deserve concrete details that guarantee this project will not jeopardize our nation’s economic future. Instead, we are left with silence, and a government that refuses to engage with its people.

A Self-Manufactured Mandate

The PUP is governing as if their electoral victory in 2020 gave them carte blanche to make decisions without consultation, without accountability, and without transparency. But winning 26 seats to the United Democratic Party's (UDP) five does not equate to a mandate to govern with unchecked power. The PUP has taken their majority and turned it into a license to act unilaterally—hidden under the guise of a "self-manifested mandate."

This attitude is particularly striking when contrasted with the PUP’s behavior when they were in opposition. Back then, they were the champions of transparency, the critics of backroom deals, and the defenders of the public’s right to know. Today, they have become exactly what they once opposed—an administration more concerned with consolidating power and advancing projects with little public scrutiny.

As we approach the 2025 general elections, Belizeans must reflect on this shift in leadership. We were promised a government of the people, for the people. What we have received instead is a government that brushes aside public input and acts with impunity.

Silencing the People Amidst Opposition Turmoil

Part of the PUP’s unchecked power comes from the disarray within the opposition UDP. With the UDP embroiled in its own infighting, the PUP has seized the opportunity to govern without the necessary checks and balances. The PUP’s strategy appears to be clear: push through contentious decisions while the opposition is too weak and distracted to mount a meaningful challenge.

But a government’s legitimacy does not come solely from having an opposition to contest it. It comes from its relationship with the people. And this is where the PUP has failed. Whether it’s the Stake Bank deal or any of the other major projects claiming to drive economic development, the government’s lack of engagement with its citizens is a breach of trust that cannot be ignored.

Where Is the Public in Public Governance?

The people of Belize must ask themselves: where is our voice in these decisions? When the government acquires land for massive projects like Stake Bank, when they promise to safeguard the economy, where is the consultation? Where are the guarantees that these projects will not sink us deeper into financial uncertainty?

The PUP’s refusal to engage in public consultation on critical economic projects is not just a sign of arrogance—it is a betrayal of the very principles they once stood for. This government is acting with reckless abandon, driven by its electoral success and the weakness of its opposition. But the people of Belize are not powerless. We must hold this government accountable before it’s too late.

The Need for Reflection as 2025 Approaches

As we inch closer to the next general election, Belizeans must reflect on the direction this government is taking us. The PUP has repeatedly made decisions that affect our economy, our land, and our future, all while keeping the public in the dark. We cannot afford to allow this government to continue making unilateral decisions that could have lasting consequences for our financial health and sovereignty.

The PUP may have won the 2020 election decisively, but that victory does not give them the right to govern without accountability. Belizeans deserve a government that respects the public, that values transparency, and that genuinely seeks to protect the future of this country—not one that uses its mandate to push through deals shrouded in secrecy and hidden from public scrutiny.

The time to demand better is now. Before the 2025 election, Belizeans must remind the government that their power comes from the people—and that without the people’s trust, they are nothing more than leaders in title, not in service.