Minister: Redistricting Exercise Needs Census for Accuracy

Henry Charles Usher

As we’ve reported, the Belize Peace Movement wants the Elections and Boundaries Commission to conduct a proper job of re-districting the thirty-one constituencies across Belize. The movement went to the court and asked it to issue a consent order forcing the Elections and Boundaries to come up with a re-divisioning proposal. But when the media spoke with the Minister of the Public Service, Henry Charles Usher on Wednesday, he shared his view that a key part of getting the numbers right will have to be the population census.

Henry Charles Usher, Minister of Public Service

“It’s important to understand that they were operating on insufficient information.  Critical, Section 90 of the Constitution says very clearly that they are to look at the total population, the population throughout the country. The only way to do that effectively is to look at the census. The census has not come out yet. So I think it was important that they received the census information rather than utilizing a census done in 2010 and just looking at population growth, a projected or assumed population growth. 2010, but actually look at the census because it not only tells you the total population, but also shows you population trends. Where are people going into the, uh, rural areas into the urban areas, which areas, the types of buildings, the types of construction that are going on in those different areas. We see a trend in the city and Belmont, San Pedro, where you’re not seeing single dwelling homes anymore. You’re seeing apartment buildings being built. So whereas you might have had one family registered in a, in an address. No, you might be having 5, 6, 7 families registered in that same address because it’s an apartment building. But that information is critical, um, for any task force and for the commission to carry out a proper boundaries exercise. Also areas of that particular, those particular sections in the constitution, 89, there’s some confusion there. 89 was amended back in, uh, I believe 2000 and, um, Probably when the last redistricting was done to say that there will be 31 constituencies further on in Section 19 says there may be between 28 and 31. I mean, there’s a conflict. There’s misunderstanding there. Those sections need to be looked at. Those sections need to be properly analyzed. There has to be clear instructions given to the Election and Boundaries Commission for them to carry out their work.”