Belize’s Prime Minister of 10 years was arrested and served corruption charges by the newly elected government in 2008. Said Musa was Belize’s third Prime Minister since it’s independence in 1961. The People’s United Party (PUP) of which Musa is a member was the first and only party in Belize and has been out of power only three times since the country’s inception (for them it’s like a dream within a dream). Thirty-five of the country’s fifty years have seen the PUP reign supreme with twenty-five of those years under the rule of one man, George Cadle Price, lovingly referred to as “Father of the Nation” by PUP members. In his book Why Parties? John Aldrich makes some sound arguments for the purposes and roles of parties in the political system. He even outlines what is called the Responsible Party Thesis which lists the four duties of a good party and follows by suggesting where the thesis falls short with the first one being that it assumes only two-party rule is good. The obvious alternative would be to have multiple parties. But, as in the case of Belize, what if there’s only one party? What if a party's dream of political rule just keeps moving to a deeper level (a hotel with some blonde chick at the bar resembling Paris Hilton and a navi avatar), and then a deeper level (Mt. Everest without the oxygen tanks and a conveniently located confine with guards that couldn’t hit Michael Moore with a sawed-off shotgun using bird shot). Until one day it goes too far and limbo seems as inevitable as a Katy Perry on the radio. This seems to have been the fate of the PUP. Almost immediately after the UDP (United Democratic Party) gained control of the government, the new Prime Minister Dean Barrow brought Said Musa to justice, or at least the court where his charges were read: stealing $10 million from a $20 million grant from Venezuela. Despite Musa being freed from the charges the UDP promises to appeal. Thanks to the rise of a competitive two-party system the Nyquil-induced dream state of Belize maybe ending. The question is will the top fall for Said Musa?
The title was good and made me want to read it. I had no idea about Belize and its political party as well as the problems it is having with its leaders.
ReplyDeleteThis was well thought out and very informative. I enjoyed learning bits and pieces that I previously didn't know without having to go research. A couple of suggestions for the future, your second sentence can be a little confusing but could easily be fixed up with a grammatical correction. Also, you don't need to repeat "said" every time you mention Musa. In most formal writing the last name of the person you are talking about is adequate after the first full introduction. Well done!
ReplyDelete-BB
I would have liked to know a little more background about Belize to better understand the problems it is experiencing. Other than that, I found this very informative and I would like to learn more about Musa and Belize.
ReplyDeleteYour article was very well-written. You articulated everything I needed to know about the situation in Belize while still keeping it interesting. As for Said Musa, I don't know how an appellate court in Belize would handle his case, but if he does end up in jail he should have plenty of time to make himself a totem, just to be sure he's not lost in Prime Minister Barrow's dream.
ReplyDeleteThe first thing that I always try to ascertain with blogs like these, are if they have facts in order and there seems to be very little factual information in this article other than a quick overview of political history of Belize, something I would have liked to see more of before heading into the section mentioning the "Responsible Party Thesis", which then isnt mentioned to any greater detail. Very unclear thesis, inconcise and vague as to what the point the author of this article has it the impression I have after having read and re-read it.
ReplyDelete