And in other celebration news, yesterday the government and people of Belize remembered National Hero George Price in an Official Wreath Laying Ceremony.
The 11th Anniversary of the Passing of the Father of the Nation was broadcast live on various media outlets, and we bring you a few excerpts of that ceremony:
Henry Charles Usher, Minister of Public Service
"Each year we gather here at the tomb of Mr. Price to pay tribute and give thanks to God for the life of uncle George, the reluctant hero, extraordinary leader, discipline teacher and phenomenal Belizeans whose only wish as inscribe on his grave was to be known as a good Belizean and one who went through his life in a pilgrimage and left the world a better place than he found it."
Ralph Fonseca, Former PUP Minister
"As kids, we went to sleep and woke up hearing Premier Price and our dad working on the phone, discussing agrarian land reform, the budget, building Hattieville, and then Belmopan, and planning the Independence and development of Belize. At formal ceremonies, my mother, Gertrude Fonseca was always there with these two public servants as they carried out their roles, as Rt. Hon. Price would say with a sense of occasion."
"For all intends and purposes he placed my dad as my mentor, actually, the transition was almost seamless, as I first directly interacted with the Father of the Nation on returning from Canada only days after my dad's fatal accident. He convinced me to returned to Belize to join the journey for development. His focus, drive and assurances proclaiming with confidence that Belize had the most potential catch-up growth in the region, drafted me and others before me like PM Said Musa to dedicate our lives to his development goals for Belize."
John Briceno, Prime Minister
"Today, what was started by Mr. Price is far from over. It is not over because he believed in a revolution that lives on in each generation of Belizeans, the peaceful, constructive, Belizean revolution can only be fulfilled when we truly become a nation of free people whose heart beats with social justice."
