Group of Three propose detailed set of political reforms
The reform of our system of government is a topic that has periodically grabbed the attention of citizens and on several occasions has prompted the nation’s political directorate to make some positive changes. Today three sincere and serious gentlemen made public their detailed recommendations for—to use their words—“fixing the system”. Calling themselves the Group of Three, Godwin Hulse, Kevin Herrera and Henry Gordon, made their presentation this afternoon which called for a major overhaul of the legislative and executive branches, resulting in increased separation of powers along with greater checks and balances. Relying on the principles of “Accountability, Transparency and People’s Participation”, the proposed reforms seek an end to what Hulse called “one party government.”
Godwin Hulse, Member, Group of Three
“We have a system of government, not withstanding all the structures that is nothing more than a political party in power, pure and simple. And when you really understand the constitution, you understand that principle and you see therein lies the rub. Because when we go to vote on election day and we vote that representative, he or she who wins and goes to Belmopan and forms the House of Representatives are not twenty-nine, and soon to be thirty-one, individuals who are discussing back and forth and fighting for the benefit of their constituency and doing all of this and therefore the Cabinet is on its toes because it doesn’t know if it is going to get its way. No, no, no, you have representatives who are representatives of the political party, whose first loyalty is to the political party, who takes instructions from the political party, and who does what the political party wants. The political party is, with due respect to anybody in a political party, it’s nothing more than an organisation, unfortunately one that is also not recognised in law. But nevertheless, it doesn’t pay taxes, but it’s an organisation, it’s a membership organisation with one common goal: to capture the resources of the country, to manage it in a so-called magnanimous concept of the greater good of the people. But it has a private goal of perpetrating itself and no party will deny that.”
The problem with the Group of Three’s proposals lies less with their substance than with their timing. With the nation engaged in the final throes of a bitter election campaign, getting the public’s attention on a highly detailed subject is like trying to teach a math class while the recess bell is ringing. The real hope, it was stated, is to convince the P.U.P. and U.D.P. to make a commitment to enact the reforms within six months of the election. But with the voting public focussed more on handouts than reform, the three wise men may have a tough sell ahead of them.
