P.U.P. celebrates its 62nd Anniversary
It has been a month of celebrations to mark the anniversary of Independence and over on Queen Street, the People’s United Party is also gearing up to celebrate its sixty-second birthday. It’s a huge moment because last September, the P.U.P. also suffered a major loss with the death of George Price, under whose leadership nationhood was attained. This morning, primary and high school students were on hand for a history lesson on Price. News Five’s Delahnie Bain reports.
Delahnie Bain, Reporting
Primary and high schools students were treated to a special history lesson today at an Open House hosted by the People’s United Party at Independence Hall. The event is a part of the month of celebrations and highlights the legacy of the late George Price.
Myrtle Palacio
Myrtle Palacio, Secretary General, People’s United Party
“It’s a part of our September Celebrations and we’re pushing education for our young, the future of Belize and also looking at the legacy of the Right Honorable George Cadle Price. As you know, he passed away one year ago September nineteenth. We also had other activities countrywide along with other organizations, National Service Day and today continues that celebration of the legacy of George Price and we’re having mainly primary schools at the higher levels, standards five and six, and some high schools at the lower level. What we have done is to put out an exhibit of the political history of Belize and also some videos, some slides of the political history of Belize. You cannot talk about the political history of Belize without mentioning the legacy of George Price, the first political party, the party under the suffrage movement that won the first election in 1954 and you can’t talk about independence that we just celebrated thirty-one years, without thinking of the legacy of George Price.”
Nine schools attended today’s event and the P.U.P. Secretary General, Myrtle Palacio, says it’s important for them to know the country’s history.
George Price
Myrtle Palacio
“It’s also good to move our young people from the internet to look at the printed word; we have to do more and more of that. This is information that is available and we decided to compile it and put it in one place. This is a first effort and we’re also asking the teachers to critique it so we can improve on this for another time, maybe next year or even earlier because the response has been great that there is really a need to know more about our history, to know more about our leaders; whether it’s Mr. Price, Mr. Goldson, whether it’s political or other leaders in the country, we have to write our own history and read our own history.”
The Open House will be followed by a public lecture on Wednesday evening by Attorney Godfrey Smith, who wrote the book George Price; A Life Revealed.
Myrtle Palacio
“Tomorrow is for older students, where we have Mr. Godfrey Smith speaking of the legacy of George Price tomorrow evening at six-thirty as a public education forum. It’s an opportunity for our young people, our university and our high school at the upper level and also for the general public to come in and know and hear about our leader George Cadle Price from Mr. Smith himself. So I am encouraging all to be here at six-thirty tomorrow evening and be a part of this.”
Activities will continue through to September twenty-ninth, when the P.U.P. celebrates its sixty-second birthday. Delahnie Bain for News Five.
On Independence Day, the prime minister announced that the Western Highway is being renamed the George Price Highway while the Northern Highway is now the Phillip Goldson Highway.
