The Official Independence Day Ceremony and the Political Debates

Francis Fonseca

As we said, the official ceremony to observe the forty-second anniversary of Belize’s independence will be held tomorrow morning at Independence Plaza. The Prime Minister’s speech at the annual event is essentially a state of the nation address. On the other hand, the Leader of the Opposition’s speech is known to be enveloped with criticism and denunciation of the ruling party. Many have now come to view the event as a platform for political wrangling before invited guests. And, Minister Fonseca says it is hopeless to believe this will change anytime soon.

Francis Fonseca, Minister of Culture

“Unfortunately, I think it is the latter. It is probably hopeless to hope otherwise. We would hope that the central message coming from both leaders and political leaders tomorrow will be positive and optimistic. Obviously, we know that the leader of the country, the prime minister is the leader of the ship so he will talk about the accomplishments of his government and the positive steps that have been taking place. And, the leader of the opposition will be critical of what he believes is going wrong in the country. So, we have to accept that some of that is a part of it. My hope is that the central theme, that at the end of those messages, the central theme coming out is that we have to work together as a people and nation to overcome whatever challenges we have.”

The official ceremony is set to start at nine-twenty tomorrow.