ONE OF BELIZE'S THIRD POLITICAL PARTIES FIRST TO LAUNCH

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SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR WHA/CEN (MACK)

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL SOCI BH
SUBJECT: ONE OF BELIZE'S THIRD POLITICAL PARTIES FIRST TO LAUNCH
GENERAL ELECTION CAMPAIGN



1. Summary: On January 17, the Vision Inspired by the People (VIP)
political party officially launched its 2008 general elections
campaign. Party Chairman Paul Morgan laid out five areas that would
form the basis of the party's political manifesto: National Unity,
Culture of Productivity, Family Life environment, Social Justice,
and Fair Representation in Government Affairs. End Summary.

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Background
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2. Alternative, third political movements are not something new in
Belize. In fact, between 1968 and 1971 there were the People's
Action Committee (PAC),a political action group, and the United
Black Association for Development (UBAD),a black power movement.
Of the two, only UBAD ever contested local elections but was
unsuccessful. Since then, there have been several others, the
majority of which are now dissolved. The We the People Reform
Movement, the National Reform Party (NRP),and the National Alliance
for Belizean Rights (NABR) remain; the NABR is the only third party
that has a long history of fielding candidates in local elections.


3. In 2005, the Vision Inspired by the People party was established
and fielded candidates in only one municipality in the 2006
municipal elections. To the surprise of many, the VIP did extremely
well for its rookie season, garnering 19.5 percent of the total
votes cast. It is because of this strong showing, and voters'
continued dissatisfaction with the two major political parties, that
the VIP has decided to throw its hat in the ring for 2008 so early,
launching its 2008 general election campaign at a press conference
in Belize City on January 17. In his presentation, Party Chairman
Paul Morgan outlined five central areas that form the basis of the
party's political platform for the 2008 general elections.

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The Five Core Areas
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4. National Unity: The VIP states that it would promote national
unity so that Belize's territorial integrity and the right of
Belizeans to self determination are not compromised.


5. A Culture of Productivity: The VIP notes that it would develop
a human capital strategy that would capitalize on the productive
capacity of Belizeans living abroad so that Belize becomes more
innovative and productive.


6. Family Life: The VIP states that in formulating the country's
development policies, the party would ensure that Belizeans have the
right to food, safety, healthcare, housing, and education. The
party would also enact programs that would ensure that no child in
Belize falls victim to parental misfortune, delinquency or abuse.


7. Social Justice: The VIP notes that it would ensure that
Belizeans have equal rights and treatment in accessing national
services and resources, and more importantly, that the poor of
society be given priority in the distribution of the nation's
wealth. In short, the VIP proposes to get rid of political
victimization and patronage and implement election campaign finance
reforms.


8. Fair Representation: The VIP states that it believes that
elected officials must be accountable to the electorate or they lose
their mandate. To achieve this goal, the VIP states that the
current "first past the post" election system must be replaced by
proportional representation and that Belizeans must be given the
opportunity to vote directly on local and national issues by way of
referendum and be able to recall elected leaders who have lost the
public trust. The VIP also proposes to amend the Constitution to
(1) give Belize an elected mixed member-proportional representation
Senate with half the members elected at mid-term, (2) allow the
Prime Minister to choose his Cabinet from the public at large, and
(3) limit the size of the Cabinet to a maximum of nine ministers and
place a consecutive two-term limit on the office of the Prime
Minister. It also proposes to enforce UN and OAS anti-corruption
conventions.


9. Comments: The results of the most recent polls reveal that 23
percent of Belizean voters are fed up with the two major political
parties, and would consider an alternative, third party. The
decision of the VIP to launch its 2008 general elections campaign
this early is an indication that the party hopes to capitalize on
voter disaffection with the main parties.


10. What the VIP ought to consider, though, is the sure-to-come
scenario where more than one "third" party contests the 2008 general
election, resulting in vote-splitting. Unless the third parties
unite to oppose the two major parties, they will have little chance

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of winning the upcoming and tightly contested general election. At
this point, our sense is that the prospects for third party unity
are not strong, though Post understands that the National Reform
Party (NRP) and the We the People Reform Movement have met to
explore a consolidation. There is precedent for such alignments.
The opposition United Democratic Party was formed as a result of the
consolidation of the Liberal Party, the National Independent Party,
and the Peoples' Democratic Movement. End comments.

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