PRE- REVOLUTIONARY BELIZE SLIDE TOWARD DEMOCRACY.

CAUDILLO, BELIZE PRIME MINISTER DEAN BARROW IS PASSING LAWS TO REINFORCE HIS DICTATORSHIP

In the last sitting of the house, the PM introduced a new bill that will amend the constitution saying that no one can ever challenge amendments to the constitution or the constitution in a court of law.

What kind of nonsense is that?

That is the kind of law dictators pass.

The rule of law is supposedly the foundation of our democracy. If you don't like something, including a law or proposed law, you go to court to contest it. Not all laws passed by the government pass the sniff test. Governments are always trying to find way to circumvent their responsibility to the people. That is why Judicial Review exists, to challenge unjust and dictatorial laws.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judicial_review

"Judicial review is the doctrine under which legislative and executive actions are subject to review, and possible invalidation, by the judiciary. Specific courts with judicial review power must annul the acts of the state when it finds them incompatible with a higher authority, such as the terms of a written constitution. Judicial review is an example of the functioning of separation of powers in a modern governmental system (where the judiciary is one of three branches of government). "

So now, with his supermajority, the PM can pass any old law to enshrine himself as the ultimate dictator and no one can challenge that?

Every time you think it can't get any worse in Belize, it does! What an este!

Belizeans, rise up and protect what's left of our democracy. It is under SERIOUS attack by the sitting PM.
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HOW THE BELIZE POLITICAL SYSTEM WORKS!

Belize is an elected dictatorship. The GANG leader, or Mafioso Don is the leader of a political party. In Belize, there are TWO parties at present. The mafioso Don who is the gang leader ( political party ) automatically takes the title of Prime Minister, ( in Spanish we call him a CAUDILLO ) if his party wins the election by majority elected representatives. The GANG LEADER, or now DICTATOR of the government takes on the charade of a British Parliamentary model, except in many countries, particularly in Belize, the mockery of titles and government executive branches are simply that, a MOCKERY AND CHARADE. The intent is to stop the outside world, who are naive about dictatorships, elected or not, believe there exists a democracy. Words and organizations like SENATE, PARLIAMENT, JUDICIAL BRANCH are used. These are actually SHAM organizations, meant to pull the wool over the outside world eyes, and give the outside world legitimate excuse not to interfere in the BELIZE dictatorship.
The dictatorship itself, is a criminal group of opportunists GANG and is ruled with an iron fist by the GANG LEADER and gang members are given salaries and perks, dependent on how well they OBEY and are obedient to the GANG LEADER. Called in this system, a Prime Minister. He in turn gives them titles making them Cabinet Members, with ministerial portfolios to run certain government departments. These lower members of the GANG are allowed to run scams, embezzlements and other criminal deeds, to sipnon off tax revenues coming to the treasury. If they do so, in a manner which is sophisticated enough, to not let the fleeced, tax paying victims of the population of Belize raise any dissension, then they get more and more perks and rewards within this gang membership system. This is the way the mafioso Don, called a Prime Minister controls those in his gang under him. Otherwise he removes them from their lucrative opportunities and positions. In order to keep their positions in the GANG, tney have to swear allegience to the gang leader and any infraction is dealt with severely. They also must as best as possible let the function of government run as best as possible and temper their stealing and crooked deals, to the point that any illegal activities are disguised as best as possible. In case of an uproar by the population of voters over some miscreant, the GANG members, must combine and protect their members against any opposition from the population of taxpaying voters.
The whole crooked system is actually, the domain and rule of ONE MAN, the CAUDILLO, or Prime Minister in our parlance. Other than fictitious SHAM names of seperate executive branches, there is actually in Belize anyway, no other governing method than whatever mafioso DON is in charge of the gang running the government. All else is showmanship, pseudynoms and a charade. If you have read books describing the mafioso 5 gangs of New York City, you can understand the Belize governing model. Here in Belize the Mafioso are the government. Play acting at running a real government.
The population have been clamoring for a change to a real government for the past forty years, without success and it will not happen until there is a revolution. A violent revolution! So history around the world teaches us.
Probably the best alternative is the REPUBLIC model of government. In which a CONGRESS is substituted for our parliament and Senators for the SENATE are popularly elected persons. The Prime Minister can exist as a mafioso Don and gang leader of those seats he holds in the Congress, but really the current system needs to be replaced with the PROPORTIONAL REPRESENTATION SYSTEM for Congress. In which ANY political party gaining enough votes and a seat in CONGRESS, can trade their votes for a consensus reaching system. Not a dictatorial system, like we have right now. The other change, would be a President model, in which a popularly elected President, can VETO the legislation proposed by CONGRESS and the PRIME MINISTER.
Belizeans right now are more savvy about our political shortcomings and whether or not they can FORCE either of the two existing political parties to change the Constitutional setup peacefully to a REPUBLIC remains to be seen. The UDP have ONE YEAR to do so. After which public opinion will turn against them, for the next election. The Opposition party, the PUP can also win the next election if they promise to change the system within their first year in office. Neither solution history teaches is probably going to happen and the country will drift slowly at first, but faster and more violently to a revolution, with both politicians and civilians becoming dead or maimed, victims to the GREED shown by dictators, however named, and the GREED represented by the normal human frailties of a GANG of opportunists, and criminals in action. All of this throughout human history is a normal state of affairs. What is abnormal is genuine democratic government. Most people are non-violent and want to be left alone as much as possible to live well. Unfortunately, a non-violent change in the way our Constitution is written and how we are governed, historically does not happen. The alternative is a violent overthrow of the status quo and that simmering pot in Belize continues to simmer, bubble and boil under the quiet surface of our current system and dictator.