The Peoples United Party (PUP) are talking about big additions to Belize in the coming years: a new cruise port, a new hotel, a new conference center. With a population of only 260,000 these certainly are big, and expensive, additions. The problem is, these things were also being talked about 10 years ago after the PUP had already been in power for 4 years. So why hasn’t Belize seen them yet? The buildings may not be there but the debt for them most certainly is. In 2007 the PUP defaulted on its $3 billion dollar debt (up from $500 million in ’98 when they took power) to its foreign debt services. Oppositionists believe the bulk of their investments went to PUP cronies whose businesses later failed leaving projects unfinished and the government with the debt. Now the PUP wants to build a Convention Center that the brother of an ex PUP leader just happens to be heavily invested in after his previous government funded ventures failed. In his book Why Parties James Aldrich discusses the many reasons why political parties are thought to exist; is it for the voter’s benefit, for the government system to work smoothly, for the sake of gaining real power. In the end Aldrich argues that political parties are purely for the benefit of the candidates themselves. Thinking about if there were no political parties every candidate would have to spell out his stance on every issue for voters to know how he thought and how he would govern. Candidates would have to raise their own funds and get their own exposure with no help from the resources of a party. It also eases mobilizing voters as they will be wiling to vote for a candidate whose positions they can assume by party logo. But is the lack of familiarity with lawmakers and the ease of candidate campaigning and reelection which comes from parties really good governing. The failed ventures and lack of responsibility demonstrated by the PUP would suggest otherwise.
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