Goodday everyone,
Let me get to the point directly, VIOLENCE...Here in Orange Walk we are afraid to go to the city since all we hear about is that the zinc fences are becoming virtual 'gratahs." Bullets flying everywhere. Everyone that is killed was shot for 'no reason' at all. These murdered youths truly could NOT have been shot for any good reason but the killers DO have some reason. Most of the time we will never know what these reasons are. All we see is the often sensationalized incidents and scenes of the next of kin crying in desperation and helplessness.
The other day, a person from Orange Walk was driving a bus all the way by Benque and he became part of what was justice...too real justice...at the hand of our citizens. It takes courage and some skill. If you fail and are not swift with an action like that you can end up killed. In this instance a robber was mauled to death. This is still a horrible episode for those that witnessed this act. It is still a human being being killed albeit for a "good" reason at the time. The bandit that was mauled to death was not killed for holding up the bus. He received the wrath of Belizeans fed up with criminals especially those who manage to get off on a technicality. Belizeans on another occasion might have held the person after a beating maybe and taken him to a police station. No so this time. Unfortunate for him.
Violence managed to infiltrate the ending of a village council election in a village in Northern Orange Walk. Senseless if you ask me. Belizean elections are supposed to be more and more a show of our civility... not the loss of it. The leaders of both parties should condemn actions like this by their followers. I would say... if you are unruly please do not follow me. Don't argue that you were defending yourself after you were an instigator.
Our village councils will be our most recent referendum on Belmopan. The Belizean government of the day feels that they have to govern from a position of monsterhood. They feel the need to empty out every drop of ire built over the last decade. As they are detoxifying themselves the citizenry are hurting and suffering. The immature blaming of the past government for the ills of today helps no one. It reminds me of us growing up as children and crying to our moms "Ma, I kick she because she mi tease me and pinch meee!" LOL(had to use this here)
Our village councils should follow the letter of the law and forget about parties for a while. Vote for the best people in your little village. You are too small to be divided. If you are divided for the elections, hurry accept whomsoever wins and rally behind that set of people. Your villages will never prosper if only some people are working for the village. It has to be all villagers.
Our villages will be the first step. A repeat of what happened in 1997-98 will ensue. The UDP government will call elections to the very last day. And they will go down as the latest version of their party's one-hit wonders. Too bad for Belize. We need a worthy adversary for the PUP... not one full of distaste. I will never like governments that have too many seats in the house and ALL the town councils and city councils. That formula in our little Belize is unhealthy.
We want someday to place our jewel on a beacon for the world to admire.
