White Velvet Gloves

The anecdote as relayed in old wisdom is that you cannot cook a frog using boiling water. The parabolic metaphor teaches that the unhappy critter will unfailingly remove itself from the pot, but if it is placed in cold water that is slowly heated, it will not perceive the danger and will be cooked to death.

Elsa Paz, Elsa Paz, Elsa Paz.  Last Wednesday night when I heard her Ladyship the UDP mayor of San Pedro tongue lash the government, I almost dropped the unbuttered piece of bread back that I had clenched over my steaming cup of Milo. Did you hear what I heard? The mayor basically said to Barrow and her own government to go “chuck off on a peg”. Normally, parliamentary responsibility would bridle the moral and political conscience of elected leaders who share the same kalloh bed sheets. But in this case I was told that the rule of parliamentary responsibility should not compromise politicos outside the House of Assembly.

Well as I snapped back in my retort to that much appreciated but confusing cliff note of political education, parliamentary responsibility and Barrow dictatorship are two different things. Barrow’s arrogance and self awarded divinity does not stomach independent thought very well and never, and I mean never, tolerates dissent.

Now, when the Mayor of San Pedro stands up and publicly flips the bird at Dean Barrow’s insistence on offshore oil drilling, it causes the public to twitch impulsively the same way we did at the suicide rant of Mark King or the school girl naivety of the exiled…ammm…ammm…what is his name again? Oh yeah, Marcel Cardona.

Elsa gial, you gawn off, but you haad ayz: Mugarrow said clearly and conclusively “… I do not agree with any suggestion that we simply cut and run, that we say that there can never be offshore oil exploration in this country. ..You don’t stop flying because there is a risk that the plane will crash.” (Not one of his better analogies there). He even got condescending when he said – dummies: “You don’t run off half-cocked, and because of what is admittedly a disaster in the States, foreclose on all your options,”

There he goes again with that kind of language; this is the second time Barrow is included in a cock, bull and balls story with a female mayor. But Elsa, she haad ayz, and upstaat, in full kimbo she sucked her teeth and repeated: ““First of all, I would like to say that myself and my council, we are totally against the oil drilling especially like right now we are seeing the problem with Mexico with the spill of oil there…I believe that government should have some kind of consideration before doing any decisions of this type.”

Elsa must have been smelling her political arm or she is taking advice from Dollah because she “paient up inna” Barrow face,  and tell ah cold “ I have always said that [they]don’t have respect for local authorities like myself with my council because we are not informed of what is happening in our island.” This uman no hide and talk.

Well Elsa she give dey wah tongue lashing about the same thing the PUP has been saying on behalf of the Belizean people for the past two years: ” bass unnu no di consult wid we and lone di go ova we head. We no deh wid dat nor unnu” in long form she said “I believe as local authorities we should be informed and there should be public consultation or at least consult with the local authorities to see if we agree with the project before they go ahead and do any approvals…and in a case like this for this approval of oil drilling and any environmental concern there is a lot of times that this private sectors or investors go all the way Belmopan to get these approvals.”

The uman fine out bout all a di drilling from Marleni at six thirty even though she is the only elected female politician for the UDP – memba Z get hib out. But her assault was not only on Mugarrow, she also “step pan” the whole boys club. She fling sohn big raak afta Gapi and Manny: “Well I believe that government should work more closely to us to have a better communication. There are a lot of times that I have been in Belmopan especially with Minister of Natural Resources which is one of the biggest ministries and one of the ministries that has to do a lot with the island when it comes to forestry and all kind of environmental issues that are happening on the island.”

Barrow no shame? The highest ranking UDP elected female politician publicly scolded him when she said” I believe that government should come together with us and try to work together with us…” Barrow’s treatment of women in the UDP and in leadership is a well known and well documented one, so the retaliatory hair pulling of Paz is no surprise.

What is interesting is that this oil scandal is as much a stain on Barrow’s new clothes as the ambassadorship of Shyne, the deportee or Zenaida’s naked confession as to his anatomy. Remember, Barrow seems to be financially benefiting from these oil companies. This man facey, yah? Remember he gawn pan national television and said basically that much – again sake a Julez he.  Barrow had the face of brass to admit that this law partner was the secretary for Princess Petroleum Limited who has one of these rainbow colored concessions.

Then Jules gave him truth serum in one of his “short story questions” reminding him that he is still a beneficial partner in Barrow & Williams and if something benefits Barrow & Williams it would benefit Barrow. Yap, Barrow no fraid fi yuh, he responded annoyed and confused even that it should be otherwise: “Any professional work that Barrow & Williams does will benefit me. Indeed I continue to quite publicly and openly draw a share of the profits.”

Yap! You heard it from the horse’s mouth. So if Barrow is so invested in the oil drilling disaster to be unleashed on us and we know politically, he normally bax down uman weh try breathe up inna he face, then how Elsa could dare come out against the UDP and Barrow? Remember what happen to poa Zenaida?

Well, for the most part Elsa she is the antithesis of Zenaida, she is not flashy, not emotional and surely plain spoken. In fact, most people say that she holds herself out as a blandly inane politician. But the reason she will become no Zenaida is because of the socio-political reality of San Pedro and the economic power that municipality wields in the UDP.

Elsa understands that the political power that San Pedro extorts in front of the UDP and the rest of Belize is directly attributable to its earning potential under tourism. That faction of red financiers gets their money from dressing up in the tourism disguise. The only other local financiers or political dons are the northenos of the UDP. Money runs politics that is why Gapi is DPM when he is a political retard who cannot chew and talk politics at the same time. Elsa she knows this fact and she knows that if that tourism economy is interrupted the social and political power of Belize Rural South will be demoted to a very expensive but barefoot version of Punta Gorda.

Come on, Donavan could see that no tourist will come to Belize to swim under those big leaking iron towers of oil stations or pools of tar. Barrow does not have to worry, he pays no attention to his land locked constituency in Queen Square and he can pay Boots to clean up the soot on his beach front property in Buttonwood Bay if Kim protests too much. But for Elsa’s political survival, drilling is public enemy number one edging out nappy haired Belize City men by a narrow margin.

Elsa is finally speaking the same language the PUP and the people of Belize have been shouting, even if she is lip-syncing for the gods of political expedience and survival.  San Pedranos are against Barrow and have already jumped out of his pot, croaking in protest of being the main course of Barrow’s gluttonous and oily insensitivity.

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