And is Musa's Cabinet colleague, Henry Charles Usher, leaning towards the removal of the monarchy? In an interview with the Washington Post published today, he is quoted saying, "… I think it's important that we can't be having a head of state that's living thousands of miles away and is not in tune with what's happening locally… The rallying cry in the Caribbean is that the people are sovereign." End quote.
While it sounds like he is in favor of a local head of state, he told us today that while he has his own personal views, at the end of the day it is the people's decision, and that they will be the ones who have the final say. But he also added that it's not just between remaining under the monarchy or becoming a republic - there is a hybrid option as well.
Henry Charles Usher, Minister of Constitutional and Political Reform
"Let's go back to our planBelize manifesto, in that manifesto we spoke about deepening democracy, we spoke about continuing and completing the de-colonization exercise, where we received independence 41 years ago but really we are not truly independent until we can stand on our own, and that's what we campaigned on, that was a key pillar of our election platform so I think it is important to understand that this is a process that started some time ago. Last year, at the Independence address, the prime minister made mention of a constitutional reform commission, you know that commission has been established, it's called the People's Constitution Commission, and that commission will be given a broad mandate to look at our system of government, to look at whether Belize should remain under the monarchy, whether Belize should move towards a republican system, or whether Belize should stay within the Westminster model because we are used to, we are comfortable with the Westminster model. When I gave that interview to the Washington Post, that's exactly what I was saying. At the end of the day, this process is a consultative process, the people of Belize will make that decision but it is something that they have to understand that the people are sovereign and I truly believe that, when we talk about sovereignty, sovereignty must reside in the people, the people of Belize and that's what we want to achieve."
Courtney Menzies:
"But in your personal opinion, do you feel that we should make that decision and go in the way of Barbados and become a republic?"
Henry Charles Usher, Minister of Constitutional and Political Reform
"I have my personal opinion but I would prefer to wait until what the people say, I think it's important to understand that the people of Belize will have that final say."
Courtney Menzies:
"Based on your observations though, do you think that's a move that the Caribbean is moving towards?"
Henry Charles Usher, Minister of Constitutional and Political Reform
"Absolutely, I had the privilege of going to Barbados when they changed over to a president and in speaking to my Caricom colleagues, it's all over the Caribbean, they're talking about deepening their democracy, they're talking about moving away from this idea that we have to have a sovereign so far away, we want to bring the sovereign home. They're talking about maybe a hybrid model between Westminster and a republican system because as I've said, we are used to Westminster, Westminster has led to stability within our country, we don't have turmoil upheavals that we've seen in other republics so it's important to understand that there are benefits of Westminster but they're also disadvantages of being under this model, but it's important in the end that the people have the final say."
And we also asked Usher how he felt about the love and reverence that Belizeans show towards the queen after all the work his uncle, George Price, put into establishing and building an independent Belize - taking control from under the Queen's colonial thumb. Here's what he said:
Courtney Menzies:
"Your uncle fought for the Independence of this country, how does it make you feel when people compare him as the father of the nation and the queen as the mother of the nation?"
Henry Charles Usher, Minister of Constitutional and Political Reform
"Well, I haven't heard that terms used before but I have to say I have no problem with individuals feeling that we should stay under the monarchy, that is fine, that is their personal belief but I want to hear what everybody has to say and I think that's what this process is going to achieve, it's going to give everyone an opportunity to have their views be heard, to have their opinions be heard, so that we can make the best decision for the people of Belize. We're at 41 years old, we're still very young, but if we want to see a better 50 than we were at 40, it's about making sure the people have a say in that going forward. It's all about moving away as well from representative democracy to a participatory democracy, how do we get people to participate more in our electoral system other than every five years, going to the ballot, but they want to have more of a say, they want the government to be more accountable to them and that's what we have to do."
Courtney Menzies:
"A lot of people seem to think though that Belize can't really stand on its own without the monarchy, what do you think about this?"
Henry Charles Usher, Minister of Constitutional and Political Reform
"Well, we've been standing on our own, I mean we haven't really relied on the UK for much other than we have an agreement in terms of military training and so on, and certainly we rely on them as a good partner in making sure that Belize plays a role or has a say in different organizations that we may not be a part of as a nation through the UK but we can stand on our own and that's part of what independence is all about, we have to make decisions that are best for us, that are best for the country and I think that's what this is all about."
And like Minister Musa, Minister Usher agreed that the decision needs to be put to a referendum.
