Musa says Belizeans must learn Spanish

When he wasn’t honoring the nation’s newborns Prime Minister Musa managed to
find time to state his views to the Belizean people. In his eighteen minute
Millennium Address the P.M. touched on a variety of issues, both foreign
and domestic. He pledged to increasingly involve the NGO community in
government’s work and promised to include civil society representatives
as part of Belize’s delegations to upcoming international summits. Another
major thrust for the New Year will be an effort to expand the teaching
of Spanish as a second language.

Said Musa, Prime Minister

“We are a diverse people rooted principally in African, Maya, Asian as well as European cultures. Yet our one official language is English. This has served us well and will continue to do so, since English is recognized today as the international language of commerce and technology. But think of the greater opportunities for all of us if we were also versed and fluent in Spanish, another language with worldwide and especially regional importance. When we consider that island Jamaica has done more than we have to teach Spanish in the schools, or that large areas of the United States of America are significantly Spanish speaking, we begin to realize the folly of our false sensitivities.”

The Millennium Address was aired in full on radio and television stations nationwide over the holiday weekend.