Prime Minister Dean Barrow chose as the theme for his Independence Day speech the theme for this year’s national celebrations: “Industrious Minds, Intelligent Hands, Together for Belize.” He paid tribute to the prevalence among our people of industrious minds and intelligent hands and considered the point of view that doubts our togetherness. That doubt, he unhesitatingly declared, was to be seen as misleading because the things that divide us are relatively small while there are big things that unite us.
His point was well made that in any growing, developing, multicultural democracy there are inevitable stresses and strains. But on the whole, as he said, ours is a society of progress, where setbacks are temporary and achievements are permanent. The substance to this assertion, the Prime Minister said, was in the irrefutable evidence of our country’s achievements in the four pillars of nation building. These pillars were a sound economy, the physical transformation that produces a country wide infrastructure that is both attractive and effective, social renovation to enable the remaking of our democracy into an egalitarian one, and the maintenance of patriotism and pride which are the tool and material of our sovereignty.
The speech, which is reproduced in this issue, makes easy reading and deserves to be read more than once. It is also available on the internet at www.guardian.bz. It can serve as a very accessible reminder of the welcome news of how well our country is doing. Belizeans and friends abroad should be especially pleased to have a straightforward and credible answer to the standard question, how are things in Belize?
A notable feature of the speech is its tone and language and the avoidance of the familiar party slant. If we may aspire to emulate the PM’s wit, it must have taken considerable resistance to forgo self-congratulation and the belligerence of the political rostrum but he did it and we commend him for this success. No doubt it was made easier for the PM to restrain himself because he could let the good news speak for itself without the need for hype and the language of the campaign.
The speech brings home to us, as we reflect on our independence and where we have reached, that Belize as a country is in a good place. As a people we can say that without smugness or pride. The reminders of how much different life could be are the stuff of news we watch and hear every day: ebola; chikungaya; Hamas and Israel; the Islamic State; other religious and ethnic wars; Ukraine and Russia; etc. Humility is helped by the recognition that there are many factors that have contributed, along with our efforts as a people, to our present good condition including divine providence as well as simple luck or good fortune.We also must be thankful for objective conditions including things like the weather, the markets, the international economy, etc. It may also be that we should give thanks for good government and good leadership.
