10th Anniversary of the Death of George Cadle Price
It has been ten years since the passing of Belize’s first Prime Minister, the Right Honorable George Cadle Price. A wreath-laying ceremony is held annually in his honor at his gravesite at the Lord Ridge Cemetery. That ceremony was held on Sunday with adherence to COVID-19 protocols. News Five’s Paul Lopez was there.
Paul Lopez, Reporting
The arrival of Her Excellency, Froyla T’zalam, the Governor-General of Belize, marked the official start of the wreath-laying ceremony observing the tenth anniversary of the death of the Father of the Nation, the Right Honorable George Cadle Price. The ceremony was held on Sunday inside the Lord Ridge Cemetery in Belize City.
Bernard Wagner
Bernard Wagner, Belize City Mayor
“George Price was an iconic political leader, a legendary and a humble man, and institution in and of himself. The father of our nation and a philosophy, eternally relevant to the people of Belize and beyond, today marks one entire decade since his earthly departure, and so offer us an opportunity to reflect on his teaching and his virtuous vision for our enchanting nation.”
Cordel Hyde
Cordel Hyde, Deputy Prime Minister
“Before there was a Pope Francis, there was a George Price, the humblest of leaders the world has ever seen. They don’t make them like that anymore. That is not day he was a perfect man. He was a flawed man, as with all men. It is said that there is some good in the worst of us and some evil in the best of us. But, he was perfectly imperfect.”
One by one, dignitaries and government officials arrived at the location. Guided by covid-19 protocols, the ceremony paid tribute to the life and legacy of the political and national icon. Speaking on the family’s behalf wasPrice’s nephew, Clement Usher.
Clement Usher
Clement Usher, Nephew of George Price
“It was during the stay at the Price family home that Uncle George summoned his sister Janet to find a piece of blue cloth and sew a white circle unto it so that they could see what it would look like. They were the nationalist gathered at George Price’s house, seated at that historical round table, following the devaluation of the British Honduras dollar. Little did George Price realize that he was instructing his sister Jane, to sow the first flag of the peaceful constructive Belizean revolution, the flag that would eventually bear the coat of arms and the two strips of red as signs of unity, that eventually became the flag of independence, the flag of Belize.”
George Price was a man of deep religious convictions. In a recent visit to his former Belmopan home, his nephew Henry Charles Usher, Area Representative for Fort George, found Price’s bible bookmarked to Psalms 112.
Henry Charles Usher
Henry Charles Usher, Area Representative, Fort George
“Praise ye the Lord. Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord that delighteth greatly in his commandments. His seed shall be mighty upon earth: the generation of the upright shall be blessed. Wealth and riches shall be in his house: and his righteousness endureth forever. Unto the upright there ariseth light in the darkness: he is gracious and full of compassion, and righteous. A good man showeth favour, and lendeth: he will guide his affairs with discretion. Surely he shall not be moved forever: the righteous shall be in everlasting remembrance. He shall not be afraid of evil tidings: his heart is fixed, trusting in the Lord. His heart is established, he shall not be afraid, until he see his desire upon his enemies. He hath dispersed, he hath given to the poor; his righteousness endureth forever; his horn shall be exalted with honour. The wicked shall see it, and be grieved; he shall gnash with his teeth, and melt away: the desire of the wicked shall perish.”
Described as a humble, soft-spoken man, Price led the nation from crown colony to self-governance to Independence. It is fitting that on the fortieth anniversary of the nation’s independence, in the face of a global pandemic and vaccine debates, he is remembered for his ideas on social justice and national unity.
Cordel Hyde
“We cannot continue to be this deeply divided as a people and go at each other’s throat when we disagree. Every disagreement must not evolve into a vicious take down, or acts of bitterness and hatred, or worse, violence. We are all Belizeans, all ah we dah one. We must acknowledge that there are deep disagreements among us, and there will always be, it has always been. But we must lower the volume and talk to each other. We cannot mandate each other to act. We must seek to persuade each other of the goodness of our cause. That is the democratic way.”
That is the George Price way. Reporting for News Five, I am Paul Lopez.
