In the first quarter of last year, the government was seriously tested by sustained protest, unrest and a riot. So when the time for the state of the nation address came around in September of 2005, it found the country's chief executive, Prime Minister Said Musa cautious and battle-weary, and his speech more defensive than decisive.
Well, for today's State of the Nation, even though his party suffered a withering, historic defeat at the polls in March - and the country has declared a selective default on its debts, the Prime Minister seemed to put those behind him or alternately - he ignored them - because he was determined to give a speech worthy of the spirit of the 25th anniversary of the country's independence. It might not be good "real-politik", but it gave the PM room to biff freely on philosophical, even ecclesiastical themes.
Here are a few excerpts of today's address delivered to an outdoor sitting of the National Assembly on the stairs of the administration building.
Rt. Hon. Said Musa, Prime Minister
"The nation of Belize at the commemoration of its 25th anniversary of independence is alive, rich in its diversity, successfully confronting the challenge of how to build national unity.
We have come a long way. Our mind imbues the democratic process. Our heart still beats with social justice - our soul cherishes the treasure of the spirit.
We are confronted by serious, socio-economic challenges - persistent poverty in the midst of growing prosperity. Freedom from want for those of us living at the margins of society is still our greatest challenge. With growing materialism and the obsession with instant gratification, there is a hunger of the spirit - hunger for meaning in our lives.
The lasting solution to all our social problems must in the end come from within - each individual sense of responsibility, each family structure, each neighborhood sense of concern, each community sense of togetherness.
To a crisis of spirit, we need an answer of the spirit. To find the answer we need only to look within ourselves. When we listen to "better angels of our nature' we find that they celebrate the simple things, the basic things - such as goodness, decency, love, kindness.
We have endured a long night of the Belizean spirit in more recent times. But as our eyes catch the dimness of the first rays of dawn, let us not curse the remaining dark. Let us gather the light. The destiny of Belize offers not the cup of despair but the chalice of opportunity. So let us seize it, not in fear, but in gladness."
The full text of the Prime Minister's speech can be found by clicking here: State of the Nation Address.
