Democracy and Disillusion: Corruption, Democracy, and the Economic Crisis in Belize

**Democracy and Disillusion: Corruption, Democracy, and the Economic Crisis in Belize** On Combating Issues in Central America | A look into how disillusioned Belizean civilians are increasingly dissatisfied with current government policy and corruption, and how they can fix it. By Jiadong Gu The Belize Chiquibul National Park was once a place of serenity. But recently, specks of brown and white appeared in the forest, herds of Guatemalan cattle grazing on the pristine land. Locals lament against the intrusion; from conservationists to farmers, they’ve made themselves very clear, but hundreds of miles away in Belmopan, the government has yet to give a single answer. Ever since its independence from the United Kingdom in September 1981, the small coastal state, sandwiched between Guatemala and Mexico, has consistently ranked among one of the most democratic and politically active in the region, a flourishing parliamentary democracy. And as democracy and prosperity have begun their continuous backslide within Central America, it’s necessary to analyze this issue and see how addressing this erosion of democracy requires a multi-pronged approach concerning proper budget management, and anti-corruption campaigns from the Belizean government. The World Bank classifies Belize as a developing nation, with a population of 400,000 and a GDP per capita of $6,049.[^1] In surveys conducted across the region, just shy of two-thirds of adults think that the national economic situation has worsened.[^2] However, Belize is just emerging from a shaky economic downturn. This is largely due to a pandemic-era reduction in tourism[^3] that dealt a massive blow to the nation’s economy. Although gradual recovery is expected to expand the industry by 4% with the loosening of control,[^4] Prime Minister John Brincero expressed his concerns over the erosion of domestic purchasing power and an increasing cost of living.[^5] Despite IMF projections that Belize is on a path to ongoing prosperity (including full employment, lower inflation, and public debt) the Parliament of Belize is right to believe that Belizeans have seen increased housing and living costs, seeing a 3.4% increase in prices for common goods and home ownership.[^6] However, in the long run it is imperative that Belize seeks to reinvigorate its tourism industry, as it still accounts for a significant portion of its economy.[^7] Many Belizeans are employed in the resort industry, and rely on the influx of foreign funds to provide for over 21,000 jobs.[^8] This can be tackled through multiple recommended approaches, which it can take either through increased advertisement in foreign countries or subsidies towards local tourist sites and resorts, thereby reviving a significant portion of their economy. Not doing so will lead to severe consequences. The growing fear is that economic instability could cause destabilization of political systems instead. Within the region, only 40% of individuals truly believe that democracy is working, dropping from a high of 57% in the early 2010s.[^9] Opposition Leader of the United Democratic Party, Moses Shyne Barrow, criticized the ongoing economic disruption and pinned it on the Briceno administration, but proposed that “*\[Briceno\] is out of touch with the parliamentarians and members of cabinet in the north…*”, before stating that: “*we need to make sure that we can bring everyone to the table and have a reasonable agreement.*” [^10] The Belizean people are believing more and more that the current administration is not doing enough. It's clear that no other factor than dissent from economic instability is the most important driving factor in the unraveling of the Belizaen tapestry, and the Belizean government must work to remedy this.[^11] Amidst criticism from both sides, the Belizean government must reconcile with its flaws, and work to implement monetary restrictions that help slow down the rate of inflation of 6.3%[^12], high above the South American average. This will be achieved either by raising the reserve requirement for the National Bank of Belize, or by reducing government spending. Implementing economic reforms helps to target the root of Belizean dissent, and will allow the Belizean government to home in on one issue instead of trying to target dissent, unemployment, and inflation all at once, which will stretch its limited bureaucratic resources thin. But deep-rooted issues regarding corruption need to be addressed as well. Starting in 2022, when the main opposition party (the Unified Democracy Party, or UDP) announced they would go ahead with a protest against the rising cost of living, fuel prices, and corruption, they were denied by the police department, which claimed the permit was rejected because they could not guarantee security.10 The UDP called it an “autocratic, authoritarian move by the government.”10 This suspicion was warranted, given that the majority party (the People’s United Party, or PUP) has held considerable sway over the police force as the party in power. The same protest had been denied multiple times in the same month.10 As the PUP’s actions increasingly encroach of the very essence of democracy itself, opposition parties like the UDP have to rally their resources to either pass further resolutions to prevent rampant abuse of government power, or call for a resolution of no confidence in the Belizean House of Representatives. But the PUP has been continuously using its authority to deny opposition candidates a chance of rallying voters to their side, with an increasingly corrupt police force that continues to lose transparency. The World Justice Project’s interviews in Belize revealed that this is not an isolated trend.11 48% of respondents within Belize believed that most or all police officers engage in corrupt behavior, with little political will to address the problem. What Belize needs is a nationwide anti-corruption effort dedicated to removing influence from government agencies. Great examples of legislation such as the Prevention of Corruption Act have been passed since 2007,12 but little investigation has been taken into Parliament or the cabinet itself, leading to deteriorating conditions. Change can be made, both within the system of governance and the police force. In fact, the National Perspective in Belize corroborates that to fix systemic issues that plague all levels of government departments in Belize, they need a complete redesign of the police department, one that prioritizes transparency.[^13] As the flagrant overreaches in power of the Belizean government have become more apparent, other parties and authorities have called for, and should continue to call for reimplementation of anti-corruption legislation such as the United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC), such as the Belize Progressive Party, which advocates for the idea that it allows enforcement of corruption, attaching penalties to legislation, the declaration of assets, and influence peddling, among a number of significant reforms that have been ignored by the PUP order.[^14] This will prove to be a step in the right direction for Belize, as the joint efforts of both local and international communities could prove to push the PUP into a more accepting position where changes to the bureaucracy can be made. Although it faces challenges, both economic and political, Belize is still a democracy, giving it a platform where local authorities can, and should act. Belize has the capacity to address the glaring economic issues that continue to generate political dissent, and crack down on corruption, whether it be through opposition parties or civilian efforts through investigations and campaigns. Perhaps in due time, the plains of Chiquibul will once again be pristine. [^1]: [World Bank, 2022](https://www.worldbank.org/en/country/belize/overview#:~:text=In%202022%2C%20Belize%20had%20a,per%20capita%20GDP%20of%20%246049.) [^2]: [The Conversation, 2024](https://theconversation.com/in-the-face-of-severe-challenges-democracy-is-under-stress-but-still-supported-across-latin-america-and-the-caribbean-222959) [^3]: [Belize Chamber of Commerce, 2019](https://www.belize.org/trade-investment-zone/trade-in-services/#:~:text=Tourism%20is%20the%20%231%20Foreign,41.3%25%20of%20GDP%20in%202017.) [^4]: [Preliminary Overview of the Economies of Latin America and the Caribbean, 2022](https://repositorio.cepal.org/server/api/core/bitstreams/087986ca-f888-486e-b2b2-0164119d11e5/content) [^5]: [Loop Caribbean News, 2024](https://caribbean.loopnews.com/content/belize-pm-concerned-erosion-domestic-purchasing-power) [^6]: [Love FM Belize, 2024](https://lovefm.com/cost-of-living-rises-belize-sees-3-4-increase-in-prices/) [^7]: [The Economist, 2021](https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2021/11/13/belize-shows-the-growing-potential-of-debt-for-nature-swaps) [^8]: [Belize Chamber of Commerce, 2017](https://www.belize.org/trade-investment-zone/trade-in-services/#:~:text=The%20industry%20directly%20contributed%20to,\(59%2C000%20jobs\)%20in%202017.) [^9]: [Vanderbilt, 2023](https://www.vanderbilt.edu/lapop/ab2023/AB2023-Pulse-of-Democracy-final-20231205.pdf) [^10]: [Love FM Belize, 2024](https://lovefm.com/opposition-leader-barrow-blames-government-for-sugar-industry-turmoil/) [^11]: [World Bank, 2024](https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/press-release/2024/02/29/-new-world-bank-study-identifies-reforms-to-improve-public-spending-in-belize#:~:text=The%20report%20shows%20that%20for,and%20optimize%20spending%20related%20to) [^12]: [Belize Law Revision Act, 2011](http://www.oas.org/juridico/PDFs/mesicic5_blz_resp_annex6.pdf) [^13]: [National Perspective Belize, 2023](https://www.nationalperspectivebz.com/crime/2023-02-01/corruption-growing-cancer-belize-police-department) [^14]: [Breaking Belize News, 2021](https://www.breakingbelizenews.com/2021/12/10/time-to-implement-uncac-and-end-corruption-in-belize-says-belize-progressive-party/)