Belize celebrates 30 years of independence but major challenges still lie ahead

By Wellington C. Ramos



This September 21, 2011, will make 30 years since Belize became independent from Great Britain but Belize still has major challenges ahead that it is grappling with, such as crime, gangs, political victimization, drugs, poverty, unequal distribution of wealth, lots, land, nationalism, dual citizenship rights and the Guatemalan dispute.

All these issues continue to plague Belize and make it difficult for our country to develop rapidly.  Belizeans are not as nationalistic as the Jamaicans are to their country.  One of the reasons for this is because Guatemala is still claiming Belize and some Belizeans think that this claim will remain an everlasting dispute until we give Guatemala some land.

Another reason is that there are many Belizeans who are trying to obtain a lot or piece of land and haven’t gotten any, despite all the efforts they have made to obtain them.  Yet, they are witnessing foreigners coming into their country taking, squatting and purchasing lands to live and do farming.  People identify themselves with land and when they have it, they will be more than willing to put their lives on the line for it.

Our government should now begin the process to make sure that every natural born Belizean be given a piece of land so that he can live with his or her family and grow food to support them.  This will also increase Belizean nationalism because they will have something tangible to attach themselves to.

I left Belize to come and live in the United States thirty-three years ago.  When I first arrived in New York City, there was a group called the “Freedom Committee” that was being chaired by Mr Compton Fairweather.  This group held weekly Sunday meetings at the basement of a Methodist Church on Ocean Avenue in Brooklyn.  Alongside of him were his officers: Muriel Laing, Walford Young, Derrick Staine , Leotin Staine-Lewis, Mary Stuart-Flowers, Mr Trapp and several others.  The room was packed with mostly elderly people.

These officers would give speeches about their lives when they were living in Belize and how beautiful Belize is.  The main purpose of this group was to make sure that Belize remains a free country with all its territory intact.  At the end of the meeting, I would go around and engage in discussions with some of the people in the audience and, to my surprise, many of these people were not prepared to go home and some of them had no intentions of returning to Belize and live.

In addition to this organization, there was a “Telephone Belize News” where Belizeans could call every Tuesday at midnight to get updated news, entertainment events and death announcements.  Belizeans from all over the country looked forward to this day to make their telephone calls.  After years of service to the community, Mr Fairweather retired and went home to Belize to live.  The association and the Belize News no longer exist and Belizeans are still talking about the news but have not done anything to replace or upgrade it.

Prior to the independence of Belize, the two main political parties in Belize held different positions.  The United Democratic Party wanted independence with a defenbe guarantee from Great Britain.  The People’s United Party wanted independence with or without the guarantee and felt that, with world opinion on their side, Belize will survive.

The prime minister of Great Britain at the time, Margaret Thatcher, wanted to get rid of most of Britain’s overseas territories.  She felt that the countries created a huge financial burden to the British government and its people.

The Belize prime minister at the time, the Honorable George Cadle Price, was told by the British that Britain will leave their troops in Belize for an indefinite period of time.  A couple years after, the British government started to withdraw their forces out of Belize and the Guatemalans started to reclaim Belize up to this day.

Today, Belizeans are living with this constant threat from Guatemalans, who cross the border at will and come into Belizean territory and occupy lands to establish new villages.  In addition, they trespass on Belizean soil to steal Mayan artifacts and other valuables from the country.  The Guatemalan military does nothing to stop their citizens from crossing the border to come into Belize.

The Belize and Guatemalan governments signed an agreement in the year 2008, to make efforts to send their border dispute to the International Court of Justice.  In this agreement, both countries pledged to conduct a referendum in their respective countries to ratify the agreement.  If any of these two countries fail to ratify it, then the whole process will be stalled.

The Guatemalan congress just recently ratified it, after the Belize government did so months ago.  It will be up to these two governments to now bring this agreement to their people for a referendum vote.  Both countries will be having elections soon and whether these governments would like to bring this controversial issue to a vote by their people is still left to be seen.

In the meantime, Belizeans will be jumping and parading all over the country this year but when the jumping up and parades are finished, Belize will still be in the same position it was in before it celebrated this year’s independence.

Belizean nationalism can only come through implementing an ongoing nationalism program to educate our children and people.  First, they must be proud to be Belizeans and have reasons to state why being a Belizean is a lot better than being anything else.

For me, I am proud to be a Belizean because this is the country of my birth.  The American government can always take away the citizenship they gave to me but the Belize government cannot.  In fact, I dare any Belizean to try and take away my citizenship rights and privileges.

Belizeans living in the Diaspora should start thinking positive about Belize especially with what they are experiencing living in America today.  If they do not want to have anything to do with Belize, it might be a decision they will regret later on in their lives.

I have placed my life on the line for Belize when I served in the Belize Police Force and have served in the American armed forces to prepare myself to defend my country if it is invaded by Guatemala or any other country on earth.  While victory against the enemy might seem impossible, I would not be able to carry on with my life if I stood there and did nothing to be invaded by another country.

A true citizen is one who is willing to pick up arms and shed his or her blood in defence of his country.  If we can get more Belizeans to think like this, our country would find a way to solve this dilemma.

This year we heard from three of our country’s prime ministers and they touched on the poverty in Belize but failed to mention that the African Belizeans, Garifuna and Creoles make up the majority of the poor and those who are leaving Belize to come to the United States.

When the Garifuna people were engaged in farming and fishing back in the old days, their poverty rate was low.  Giving the citizens land to grow their own food will eliminate poverty in Belize and this is the time to implement such a desperately needed program for our idle black youths in Belize’s cities and towns.

September 17, 2011

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Serious problems developing in Belize

By Wellington C. Ramos



Seine Bight village is located in Stann Creek District, which is one of the southern districts where the Garifuna people have resided since they first landed in Belize. This village was founded by a group of Garifuna people, who migrated from the country of Honduras in the mid-1800s because of their involvement in the Revolutionary War for Honduras independence, when many of them were slaughtered.

The village was named after the net that the Garifuna people make to catch fish and the geographical location where it exists.

The Garifuna people are people that are mixed with African and Carib Indian from the island of Saint Vincent, who fought against the Spanish, French and British that were trying to take away their territory from them. On March 11, 1797, the British succeeded in conquering the Garifuna people and they were assembled and imprisoned on the island of Baliceaux before being deported to Roatán, Honduras, where they arrived on April 12, 1797.

South of Seine Bight village is Placencia village, a peninsula that is populated by people who are mostly of European ancestry. This village was founded by a group of British Puritans, who migrated from Nova Scotia in Canada to Belize in the 1600s when the British took Belize from Spain and started to bring their citizens to occupy the territory. This settlement died out during the Central American war for independence in the 1820s.

The Spaniards that travelled the southern coast of Belize gave Placencia its name. During that time Placencia was called Placentia, with the point being called Punta Placentia or Pleasant Point. The people of Placencia survived mainly by fishing up to the 19th century but since the 20th century, this village has been attracting a large number of tourists to its shores because of the beautiful beaches and the cayes that are adjacent to it.

Commercial activity has also stepped up and the population is growing fast with white foreigners. The demand for land is becoming a problem for Placencia residents because most of the land is in the area where Seine Bight is, which is closer to the Southern Highway.

These are two villages with different cultures and they want to live independently of each other but the Garifuna people are beginning to suspect that, since the people of Placencia are better off economically than they are, the Belize government will decide to side with the people from Placencia.

Historically, the people from Placencia have always supported the United Democratic Party, while the people from Seine Bight favoured the People’s United Party. The younger generation of Seinebightians is not loyal to the People’s United Party like their ancestors so the United Democratic Party should move cautiously with their expansion plan.

The People’s United Party has governed Belize more than the United Democratic Party and may have favoured Seine Bight over Placencia to get political support.

In 1962, shortly after hurricane Hattie, Prime Minister George Price had asked the Garifuna people to leave Dangriga Town, Seine Beight and Hopkins villages to live elsewhere. The two villages that were created for the Garifuna people were Georgetown, which was named after him, and Silk Grass. Some Garifuna families moved from Seine Bight to Georgetown but none from Dangriga Town or Hopkins.

Garifuna people felt that George Price was planning to move them to sell the land to rich investors and this would have had a severe impact on their culture because they are attached to the sea. Also, Silk Grass at the time was infested with sandflies, so that when we were children growing up in Dangriga Town we would refer to it as Sandfly village.

Recently, it was brought to my attention by a Belizean American woman serving in the American Armed Services, that she purchased a property in the village of Seine Bight. To her surprise, when she received her title to this property, the document had on the conveyance Northern Placencia. How can there be a Northern Placencia in the village of Seine Bight? I can more understand that in the description of the property the location could read north of Placencia which is completely different from what the document contains.

I was told that there is a proposal to change the name of Seine Bight to a new name. If the government of Belize or a group of people are planning to change the name of Seine Bight to another name, I would strongly advise them to bring that proposal to the Garifuna people from Seine Bight to decide. Such a proposal should be agreed upon at a town hall meeting and a referendum by the people of Seine Bight and then passage through the Belize House of Representatives and the Senate.

Any attempt by the government of Belize or any group to try and change the name of Seine Bight without going through this process will lead to retaliation from the Garifuna community in Belize and worldwide. I am not convinced that this government under Prime Minister Barrow will engage itself in such a foolish political exercise.

I am now calling on the Garifuna people from Seine Bight to take this issue seriously and start to ask some questions. Also, to request from the government that the boundaries of Seine Bight and Placencia villages be clearly defined. If the government of Belize is planning to exercise its right to eminent domain on the citizens of these two villages, that it be exercised fairly through consultations with the residents of both villages.

Seine Bight residents might be forced to sell their lands due to their economic conditions but they better make sure that they obtain the real value for their properties.

While Placencia is attracting tourists and Seine Bight has the Garifuna culture to display, both villages can benefit from this relationship. The Garifuna people in Seine Bight must now organize themselves to sell their culture while their neighbours in Placencia sell their beaches and cayes.

With the airport coming in that area soon, the value of the properties will likely increase, so it would not be wise to rush and sell your properties now.

July 18, 2011

caribbeannewsnow

Bahamian Politics Blog

While reparation is good for Garifunas, we must do it as Garinagu people collectively

By Wellington C. Ramos


As a Garifuna person from Dangriga Town, Belize, who is a descendant of the people who lived in the country of Saint Vincent under the leadership of our great King Joseph Chatoyer, I applaud this bold move that the prime minister of Saint Vincent, Ralph Gonsalves is about to embark on, with some recommendations.

First, the prime minister of Saint Vincent must have his House of Representative pass legislation that any person who is a Garifuna will be eligible for citizenship status in the country of Saint Vincent, no matter where in the world he or she resides.

Secondly, the government of Saint Vincent should sponsor a bill to allow their citizens to engage in a cultural awareness program so that they can learn all the aspects of the Garifuna culture that they were not allowed to practice during British colonial rule and even up to today.

Thirdly, the government of Saint Vincent should formulate a cultural exchange program with all the countries where the Garifuna people are currently residing, such as Honduras, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Belize, the United States of America and any other country in the world where it has been confirmed that a legitimate number of Garifuna people are residing. In studying the history of the deportation from the island of Saint Vincent, there is a strong possibility that some of our people were left off at other islands and countries on their forced journey to Roatan, Honduras.

Fourthly, that the prime minister of Saint Vincent and his government should utilize the office of the attorney general on behalf of all the Garinagu people in Saint Vincent and the Diaspora until a just settlement is rendered by the International Court of Justice on behalf of all the Garifuna people.

Prior to the British takeover of the island of Saint Vincent, most historical evidence suggests that the Garinagu people lived as autonomous communities with their separate chiefs, as a confederacy under the leadership of King Joseph Chatoyer. Even up to today, this is a trait that can still be seen as a pattern of behavior among them, despite the fact that they come from the same race.

A good example is in Dangriga Town where there are Loubana and Whyhima people from the north and south side of the same town. As the town is expanding there will be more communities added to this list. I have spoken to other Garifuna people in the country of Belize and in the towns and villages where they reside, similar patterns of behavior were observed by them.

The Garifuna people have the tendency to resist any decision that is not made through consultation and consensus. This is one of the main reasons why many leaders of our current Garifuna associations are having problems getting the Garifuna people to join their associations or supporting their causes. Until the current leaders of these Garifuna associations return to the masses and seek consultation, nothing much will be accomplished by these associations and our people will continue to live in poverty, be manipulated and our culture will be at risk.

I now call on every Garifuna person to take over all these current associations that are not doing anything constructive to promote our overall welfare and preserve this culture. If we fail to act, then when we start to experience our culture declining and our people losing their autonomy then we will have nobody to blame but ourselves. It is for these reasons, why I am recommending that, while the idea of reparation is good, we must approach it by consulting all the other Garifuna people and that the decisions are made through consensus rather than by a few individuals.

The atrocities that the British committed against our people cannot be settled with any monetary award, because the long term effects of those atrocities are still affecting our people up to this day. When the Garifuna people were dropped off on the island of Roatan in Honduras, they were slaughtered in Honduras, causing them to leave to Nicaragua, Guatemala and Belize.

Even up to this day, the repressive governments of Honduras continue to commit serious violations of human rights against our people as was recently done to Miriam Miranda of Triumfo De La Cruz, when she was shot by Honduran troops for demonstrating against government injustices.

In Livingston, Guatemala, there have been several incidents where the government has encroached upon their lands and sold them to foreigners without their consent. In Nicaragua, the Garifuna culture is becoming extinct because in the past they were not allowed to practice their culture openly.

In Belize, when the Garifuna people first landed in Belize, they were told that they could only live in the southern part of the country in the Toledo and Stann Creek Districts. If they were seen anywhere else in the country they would be arrested for violating their curfews. Today, due to the mass migration of Maya Indians from Guatemala, El Salvador and the other neighboring countries, they are forcefully occupying lands at will and some of the lands that they are occupying were designated as Carib Reserves in the Toledo and Stann Creek Districts.

I believe that if we approach reparation without taking these recommendations into consideration, we will fail to build a united front and the British will take full advantage to divide our people and try to seek settlements with some factions of our people. Some of our Garifuna people in our midst today do not have our Garifuna culture at heart but are only using the Garifuna culture to promote their own self interest and their personal political agendas.

These people can be indentified easily because they will never use their personal resources for the preservation of the Garifuna culture. Only funds received through their engagements as representatives in Garifuna associations.

We as a people should demand that these people be removed from the current offices they hold and to discontinue any further activities on behalf of our culture. We must not be afraid to remove them because this culture does not belong to them and their families but to all the Garinagu people. Some of them have even described themselves as experts on the Garifuna culture without any academic credentials to support their false claims.

The time for foolishness to end is now, before we seek reparation for the atrocities committed against our people and the financial rewards we might gain from this settlement vanish like melting ice.

April 20, 2011

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Bahamas Blog International

Growth of prominent Garifuna village in Belize will be doomed

By Wellington C Ramos:


One of the most prosperous and thriving Garifuna villages in the country of Belize is Hopkins. According to Garifuna history, this village was created after a severe hurricane destroyed a previous village in the Commerce Bight pier area of Dangriga town.

The residents of this village used to be mostly Garifuna people from the Nunez, Castillo, Martinez, Arana and Lewis families. There are other families in the village who have integrated into these families over the years. This village is geographically situated in the south of Dangriga town, north of Sittee River, east the Caribbean Sea and west the village of Silkgrass.

The people in this village used to survive by fishing and farming and many of them are members of the Belize Police Force, the Belize Defence Force, teaching and other branches of the civil service. Today, several people from the village of Hopkins are in the business of tourism because the place is famous for its beautiful beaches.

Due to the beautiful beaches that Hopkins possesses, rich Belizeans and foreign nationals have been buying up lands in the village and surrounding areas to open up tourist resorts. Many residents of Hopkins have and are migrating to the United States to join their family members, pursue higher education or to improve their economic situation. While this is occurring, there is a significant drop in the population growth among the Garifuna people and an increase in the population of the newcomers.

A majority of the government land is being sold by the government and private landowners for residential and commercial purposes. When some members of the village experience economic hardship, they lean to sell their properties to foreigners for a huge amount of money.

In urban planning it is always wise for the government not to sell lands in the immediate vicinity of a village, town or city so that the land could be available for the expansion of the community. If the government makes the mistake and sells those lands, when the need for expansion arrives it will be forced to exercise its right to eminent domain to acquire additional lands for expansion. This could result in lengthy court litigation and exorbitant cost for the lands needed.

The village of Hopkins seems to be at a point where it can only expand west towards the village of Silkgrass or north towards Dangriga town along the coast to remain on the beach front properties. The Garifuna people from the time they were living in their native homeland of Saint Vincent and other islands in the Caribbean were always accustomed to living by the beaches. Getting them to move westward to Silkgrass, even if it was possible will be difficult because most of them will resist such idea or recommendation.

To the north of Hopkins is Commerce Bight Lagoon and then Commerce Bight Pier, which is in the jurisdiction of Dangriga Town municipality. This will be moving backwards instead of forward because they will be returning back to the same place where some of their ancestors lived many years ago before they moved to the village of Hopkins.

For the people of Hopkins to have a future in their current village, the village council should devise a long term future development plan with their area representative now. This plan should include the discontinuation of selling vacant government lands in the immediate vicinity of Hopkins village and the purchasing of available private lands by the government to be included in the Hopkins Village Expansion Reserves.

The prices of these lands, once they become private, will be too expensive for the government to purchase. The private landowners will price their lands at a cost to earn profit or to make it impossible for the government to afford, with the intent to block the expansion of Hopkins Village.

People who are rich and have money, most of them tend to be more comfortable in isolation and seclusion. They will oppose having people from a different ethnicity with marginal or no income living within their community. Since the mass migration of foreign nationals to our shores, many Belizeans are experiencing discrimination by some of these foreign nationals for trying to visit or gain access through their private properties.

As Belize continues to attract more of these people to our country, the situation will only worsen instead of getting better. It is not fair and just for native citizens of Belize to be discriminated against by the very newcomers they have welcomed into their country.

This is now the right time for the Ministry of Natural Resources to consider establishing a National Parks System to preserve and maintain all of their reserve lands. It might also be a good idea to re-activate the Lands, Agriculture, Public Works and Forestry Departments. These departments will be able to generate additional revenues for the government and provide jobs for those Belizeans who are unemployed.

I visited the village of Hopkins, Silkgrass and Sittee River recently and I am not satisfied with some of the disturbing things that I observed. Most of the things I was hearing about Hopkins I thought were lies and fabrication. After the visit, I have concurred that there exists a legitimate concern, which the Hopkinsonians and the government of Belize should address now before it is too late.

The purpose of good governments is to look after the welfare of the people who voted for them to serve on their behalf. I have already stated the problems, now it is the task of the people of Hopkins Village to advocate on behalf of themselves to make sure that this problem be resolved as soon as possible. I intend to monitor the reaction and the progress that is being made by the government of Belize towards the resolution of this problem.

May 15, 2010

caribbeannetnews

Bahamas Blog International