A.C.B. launches campaign against vote buying

With municipal elections just under a month away, the Association of Concerned Belizeans has launched a campaign called “No sell yuh vote, vote yuh mind.” Today A.C.B. members Steve Duncan and Karim Berges told News Five that while they can’t stop politicians from giving or voters from taking, the important thing is to make your choice based on issues, not dollars.

Steve Duncan, Association of Concerned Belizeans
?Whether a government gets out there and fixes roads and helps you to live in comfortable conditions and environments, I think that?s what we elect them to do. I do not see that as special favour and I do not need to feel obligated to a government or a minister of government, or anybody for that matter, because you have done what you were elected to do. So I should still be free to vote how I want.?

Karim Berges, Association of Concerned Belizeans
?There is one thing that we acknowledge and are mindful of: the country has a forty-four percent of our population living in poverty. That?s a lot of people. And those people are living?if they are working, they are living on a hundred dollars or less on a weekly salary. So those people are obviously going to be in need and if the politicians come around, how can we tell them naturally, ?don?t take it??

?But at the end of the day, you don?t owe them your vote; you are not obligated to vote because of that. You still can vote your mind because there is no way of them knowing how you voted.?

The Association of Concerned Belizeans has asked both the P.U.P. and the U.D.P. to consider adopting their “No sell yuh vote, vote yuh mind” policy. According to Berges, the U.D.P. Secretariat has asked them for a copy of their press release and says they will review the issue.