BELIZE: IIP SPEAKER KELLNER JUMPSTARTS EMBASSY'S GOOD

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BELMOPAN 000096 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPT FOR IIP/G/WHA (BARONE),IIP/G/CP (ADAMS),WHA/CEN (MACK) GUATEMALA FOR USAID E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: OIIP EAID PGOV KPAO BH SUBJECT: BELIZE: IIP SPEAKER KELLNER JUMPSTARTS EMBASSY'S GOOD GOVERNANCE PROGRAM REF: 06 Belmopan 71 ¶1. See action request in para 7. -------------- Summary -------------- ¶2. During his two-day (January 24-25) visit to Belize, IIP Speaker Ken Kellner met with university students, civic leaders, and government officials to share his experiences as Senior Counsel for the House of Representatives Committee on Standards of Official Conduct. Kellner's insights were well-received - particularly by the students, watchdog organizations and business leaders. Poloff attempted to schedule meetings for Kellner with Government of Belize (GoB) elected officials, such as Speaker of the House Elizabeth Zabaneh. Unfortunately, most were unavailable. In spite of this, Post believes that its goal for this speaker program (to encourage discussion and empower individuals to take action to promote ethical behavior in government officials) was a successful first step in developing a good governance program in Belize. End summary. -------------- --- The Ethics Committee: Explaining the U.S. Model -------------- --- ¶3. Whether meeting with students, civil society, or the business community, Kellner delivered the same theme: members of the U.S. Congress must at all times behave in a manner that reflects creditably upon the House. Time and again Kellner stressed that under the House Code of Conduct, congressmen must do more than simply not misbehave; they have an obligation to ensure that their public and private actions are viewed positively by their fellow congressmen and the voting public. ¶4. Kellner also noted that the House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct - more commonly known as the Ethics Committee - is the only non-partisan committee in the House of Representatives and that a vote by the majority of Committee members is required before any action can be taken. This is an important distinction since the political system in Belize, like the U.S., consists basically of two major political parties. In such an environment it is easy for ethics investigations to be politicized. In the U.S., a committee comprised of an equal number of Republicans and Democrats diminishes the perception of partisanship. ¶5. Finally, Kellner highlighted the dual role of the Ethics Committee. It serves not only as an investigatory and disciplinary body, but also as a source for education, training, and advice. Kellner added that Committee members and staffers use a variety of channels to share information with members of Congress. The Committee provides information on its website, publishes rules and guidelines, issues advisory memoranda, and prominently displays its telephone number on every publication. Further, the Committee's proceedings remain confidential until all investigations are complete, thereby allowing the Committee to conduct its work without undue influence and protecting those under investigation from incorrect assumptions based on limited information. -------------- Civil Society Needs Assistance -------------- ¶6. In meetings with the chairman of the Integrity Commission and the members of the Association of Concerned Belizeans (ACB),two issues were abundantly clear. First, there is no shortage of Belizean citizens willing to volunteer their time and energy to improve their country and their government. The members of the Integrity Commission - a government entity tasked with reviewing the asset disclosures and net worth statements of and investigating complaints against public officials - are private citizens who volunteered to serve. The members of ACB are also private citizens who formed their organization in response to a number of financial scandals and questionable practices of public officials. Second, each group stressed the need for USG support in the form of technical assistance and financial aid. As noted above, the members of these watchdog groups are private citizens with full-time jobs; they receive no monetary compensation for their contributions to these organizations. The Integrity Commission does not even have an office; Kellner met Chairman Christopher Coye in his office at Belize Bank - his full-time job. Neither organization has a staff to assist with research, respond to complaints, manage an office, or maintain a website. ¶7. Action Request: Post realizes that in many countries USAID missions have democracy and governance programs that offer the type BELMOPAN 00000096 002 OF 002 of financial and technical assistance requested by the Integrity Commission and the Association of Concerned Belizeans. Since there is no USAID office in Belize, and current programming for Belize (which is managed from the USAID office in Guatemala) is focused exclusively on HIV/AIDS prevention, Post requests assistance in finding resources for the Integrity Commission and ACB. Are there programs/offices within the Department that can help or grant programs to which these watchdog groups can apply? -------------- Students Pledge to Keep Government "Under the Microscope" -------------- ¶8. The highlight of the two-day program was Kellner's meeting with University of Belize student government leaders and a forum with interested students. The auditorium, which seats 220, was standing room only. Also present were the mayor, members of city councils, members of the diplomatic corps and private citizens. Kellner again stressed the value that codes of conduct add to governing effectively. The students had obviously done their homework and asked intelligent and detailed questions about the Ethics Committee's investigative process. Several students commented that they wished GoB representatives (who had been invited to the forum) had attended the event. ¶9. At the reception that followed the forum, more students approached Kellner seeking advice as to how to encourage their elected officials to adopt similar rules. Since Kellner was not familiar with the details of the Belize political system, he only offered general advice and emphasized the important role that civic groups play in government oversight. At the end of the day's events, Kellner and emboffs concluded that Belizean students care deeply about the future of their country and want to affect positive change in the country's political system. -------------- Media Coverage: A Vital Part of the Program -------------- ¶10. When this program was initially proposed to Kellner and to the Department, Post viewed it as an opportunity to get Belizeans talking about ethics and good governance. Since Kellner traveled only to Belize City and Belmopan, Post relied on the media to spread the message further. On January 24, Kellner was interviewed for over an hour by the hosts of the Love FM morning call-in show. Love FM is the only radio station in Belize that broadcasts nationally. The following day, he was interviewed by a journalist from the Independent Reformer, a new weekly newspaper that attracts traditional and online readers. Finally, Kellner appeared on "On Target," an hour-long television program that broadcasts in Belmopan. His appearance as guest speaker at the Belize City Rotary Club was also well publicized and attended by some 60 people. His taped presentation at the UB Forum has been replayed daily for two weeks on Channel 10 in Belmopan. Post believes these media appearances, along with Kellner's interaction with civic groups, business leaders, and students will generate more discussion among Belizeans on this important issue. -------------- Conclusions and Next Steps -------------- ¶11. In Post's view, this two-day IIP Speaker program was successful on many levels. As noted above, Kellner's activities started a conversation that we hope will continue and ultimately develop into action and positive change. In addition, by working with the University of Belize - which acted as a co-sponsor for the program - Post strengthened a valuable relationship in Belmopan. University officials were pleased to work with Post and went to great lengths to ensure the success of the program. We hope that this will be the beginning of a long and mutually beneficial relationship. Finally, this program raises the profile of Post's democracy and governance program. Going forward, Post hopes to use public diplomacy tools such as Democracy Dialogues, web chats, and the Strategic Speakers Initiative for future programming. ¶12. Post would like to thank the International Information Programs office for their assistance in ensuring the success of this program and the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct for allowing Ken Kellner to participate. DIETER