Since January 20, the country has witnessed record number of protests, marches, demonstrations, strikes, ferment, torment and unrest. And tonight, while the agitation has subsided for the time being, no one can claim that there will be long term stability. And while the possibilities rise, it seems, to numberless floors in space for those of us on the ground, history is writing itself right before our eyes. In fact, we'll venture that the troubles of 2005 will fill a few chapters in histories that are yet to be told. But tonight we have a bit of a history lesson ourselves call it a comparative history. This week, we went into our tape archives to view the protests of late 1995. In October and November government had confirmed that it would retrench and the Public Service and Belize National Teachers' Union were pitched into a battle to save their jobs. That set the stage for two mostly non-political protests on Belmopan on October 30 and November 11, 2005. Tonight, we look back at those events and how they compare to recent events.
Jules VasquezReporting,
On October 30, 1995, hundreds of teachers closed school and marched on the capital - they were angry about proposals for retrenchment and a wage freeze. With signs in their hands and that song on their lips, they pressed past our camera and
took their march past the National Assembly Building up those famous stairs and right up to the Administration Building where leaders would go inside to discuss retrenchment and a wage freeze.
George Frazer,
[October 1995] "This is hard time. We have already half of our salary, the raise that was due, not given, they freezed our increment, and now this cut, and we are not prepared for that."
John Pinelo,
[October 1995] "Right after election we have what we call dictatorship right here. They want to just tell us to do this and do that and they never do anything to show the people they are really serious about what they want to do."
And with that full head of steam then Union President Pinelo led the meeting inside the building while his supporters waited outside holding tight even through the rain.
They sung their famous song even then not being moved, and hoisted their signs all against the Esquivel Administration. And one man who would make his fame 10 years later with a rant in front of the Prime Minister's home, was then just warming up his vocal chords.
Teacher's Singing: 'We shall overcome today.'
But it did not happen on that "today," government did not bend in that meeting and 11 days later on November there would be another march on Belmopan, this one with representation from the Public Service Union particularly the Customs and Immigration Departments. The man at the frontline was the inimitable, now deceased, firebrand Reginald Sankey and his cry was.
Reginald Sankey,
[November 1995] "No retrenchment! No pay cuts! Who dah the problem? Esquivel! PSU all the way! BNTU all the way!"
Those few hundred public servants and teachers did force a confrontation with police at the foot of Independence Hill. They marched right up to the police blockade forcing a standoff.
Protestors in the face of police officers singing: 'We shall not be moved'
That standoff continued for some time and turned into more than just the exchange of cold stares, as Sankey and teachers leader John Pinelo made a big noise.
Reginald Sankey,
[November 1995] "Uno dah noh the problem. This is a police state. Belize isn't free again. This is a police state. Belize is no longer free. We have no dispute with the BDF nor the police. We are saying that Manuel is the problem."
John Pinelo,
[November 1995] "Don't protect those people. This is nonsense."
And while police on the line did not respond to the provocation, Sankey would take it even further, urging the crowd to push past the police and unto Independence Hill.
Reginald Sankey,
[November 1995] "Let us make one big rush. PSU all the way! One big rush."
But they never made that rush and the police held the line forcing the protestors to continue their march as the police protected the National Assembly where UDP supporters gathered for a small verbal skirmish, tension which was quickly dissipated by future Commissioner Carmen Zetina.
On the Hill, then Prime Minister Esquivel refused to talk to reporter Jim Macfadzean and he was brusquely shoved away by the PM's bodyguards.
With no answers from the Hill, the unionists would eventually rush the Administration Building, forcing the Dragon Unit to scramble to protect it. But it was not a very unruly crowd, and the Dragon's did contain them, even as they held their tear gas guns on the ready. Urging a younger but still levelheaded George Frazer to call for peace.
George Frazer,
[November 1995] "In any democratic country, and under our constitution, our people have the right to demonstrate and do their thing with the law and we hope that there will be no acts of provocation on either side to create a situation which could get out of hand."
And on this Friday in November of 1995, things did not get out of hand, those who needed to show defiance did so in moderation, and those who needed to show restraint, did the same. But in the eyes of the event's master of ceremonies who would two years later seek office for the PUP, it was past the mark.
Reginald Sankey,
[November 1995] "Belize is no longer a free state. Belize is no longer a free democratic state. Belize has become a police state by Esquivel and Barrow and the crony Ministers that they have behind them."
Sure the rhetoric sounds somewhat the same then as the one that we hear now, and the signs seem to say much of the same, but something has changed. Because how do we get from this
to this.
Yes, something has changed, maybe not so much the words, but the sense that people, different people, are angrier, the police maybe less restrained, the situation maybe more tense. So, between 1995 and 2005the tone of protest and resistance has changed and now we've gone so far so fast, it seems little can be done to ever change it back.
Of course, all the agitation of 1995 didn't do much to persuade government. In December, the Esquivel administration followed the recommendation of the IMF and fired 700 public servants.
