GOB – Shut-up and Deliver the Basics

The Purpose of Government

People by nature do not like to be told what to do. In fact there are even more people who despise being coerced into acting a certain way! However there are thousands of Belizeans who obey the laws of our country, whether it is driving on the right-hand side of the road or paying their taxes on time. Why do you think that the masses obey the laws of the country?

Government can be defined as the legitimate use of force – including imprisonment, fines and even executions – to control human behavior in a sovereign nation. The only way governments can govern is if the people relinquish some of their rights and freedoms into the hands of the lawmakers. Throughout history, there seem to be three primary functions of government: maintaining law and order, providing public goods and services, and promoting equality.

The reality is that this UDP government is struggling to provide these basics requirements to the Belizean people. If one were to use these three basic responsibilities to define the success or failure of this UDP Government, the report card would show F’s for all. Crime and violence are out of control with no end in sight, our infrastructure and all social systems are in ruins, and when the Prime Ministers and a few members of his Cabinet can publicly say that it is time for UDPs to eat, it is clear that there is no fairness or equality in Belize. This article will expound on each of these three key responsibilities.

Maintaining Order

Maintaining order is the oldest function of government. People entrust their government with the power to protect their lives and property. For the seventeenth-century philosopher Thomas Hobbes, preserving life is the most important function of a government. In his classic philosophical treaties, Leviathan (1651), Hobbes described life without government as life in a “state of nature.” Without rules, or the respect of law, people would live like animals, stealing and killing for benefit. In Hobbes’ classic phrase, life in a state of nature would be “solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short.”

We at this newspaper are of the opinion that crime and violence have become one of the leading issues in our country today. The Belizean people are so scared that this past Sunday when there was a loud bang from the Space Shuttle, most Belizeans believed that another grenade had been detonated. If you ask any Belizean if they believe that the government is doing a decent job fighting crime, the answer would be a resounding no! Carlos Perdomo and his advisors have not even come close to finding any serious solutions for the country’s crime problems. Two years are enough Mr. Prime Minister; Honorable Perdomo has got to go.

Providing Public Goods and Services

After a government has gotten a handle on law and order, they can pursue other objectives on behalf of the people. By using their powers, they can tax us to generate revenues that should be utilized on public goods and services – such as education, health, sanitation, and infrastructure.  For example, in ancient Rome, the government constructed aqueducts to channel fresh water from the mountains to the city.

Take a look around Belize today and it is very evident that our country’s infrastructure is in a deplorable state. And it is not only the country’s infrastructure that is falling apart, take a look at our education, health, and other social systems and you will find them on the brink of collapse. Our government is just not getting the job done!

Promoting Equality

The promotion of equality has not always been a major objective of governments in the developed as well as the developing world. For some reason, governments across the world have been unable to bridge the gap between those that have and those that do not have; women still find it difficult to advance in the workplace even though the maybe qualified; and political victimization is common place in Belize today.

The unfair treatment of his wife was what Mr. Charles Good fought for until he passed away. There are also many Belizeans, like Mr. Good who would want to fight the government to get back their land, scholarship or contract. In fact, there are many Belizeans who have no option but to use the court system to try to get justice. As was mentioned before, it is incomprehensible to hear a Prime Minister state that it is time for his people to eat. What the Prime Minister meant is that those people who are considered to be PUPs will punish for the next five years. As far as we understand it, a government is supposed to be for the people, by the people and of the people! Racism due to one political colour is just as bad as racism based on the colour of one’s skin. Mr. Prime Minister, it is about time you start representing all Belizeans.

Two years have gone under this UDP government and to be honest the time has felt much longer. Every single aspect of life has taken a few steps backwards and all the Prime Minister has to say that it will get worse. Mr. Prime Minister, the Belizean people gave you and your dodo birds the opportunity to govern, so it is about time you begin to get the people’s work done.  Stop the bitching and get some damn work done!

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