Posted: Tuesday, September 30, 2025. 8:26 am CST.
The views expressed in this article are those of the writer and not necessarily those of Breaking Belize News.
By Philip Castillo: Corruption , or at least the talk of corruption, has been in the news in Belize recently. In the State of the Nation and Independence Day speeches by the Prime Minister and responses by the Opposition Leader, the subject was broached. Both of the main political parties have media organs that almost on a daily basis accuse each other of corruption. And in everyday street talk, party loyalists routinely cite valid and sometimes exaggerated instances of corrupt activities committed by their opponents. With both parties accusing each other of corruption, it’s easy to surmise that both are corrupt. But what exactly is corruption?
The global watchdog, Transparency International, defines corruption as the abuse of entrusted power for private gain.
The reality though, is that proving corruption is difficult and challenging, so what can be measured is the perception of corruption.
In this regard, a perception question could be phrased as follows: Since political independence in 1981, which Government of Belize do you perceive to have been the most corrupt/least corrupt?
# Years in Office Party Prime Minister
1 1981 – 1984 PUP George Price
2 1984 – 1989 UDP Manuel Esquivel
3 1989 – 1993 PUP George Price
4 1993 – 1998 UDP/NABR Manuel Esquivel
5 1998 – 2003 PUP Said Musa
6 2003 – 2008 PUP Said Musa
7 2008 – 2012 UDP Dean Barrow
8 2012 – 2015 UDP Dean Barrow
9 2015 – 2020 UDP Dean Barrow
10 2020 – 2025 PUP John Briceno
11 2025 – Present PUP John Briceno
Many polls ago , I found out that Grigalizeans don’t really care much about corruption. My poll from Dangriga found that voters were substantially interested in personal, as opposed to, national benefits from elected officials. Hence land, scholarships, financial assistance topped their lists of wants. They mostly think that both parties are corrupt, so for them the issue is not who is most corrupt, but who can dole out the most benefits from their largesse. https://www.thereporter.bz/politics
https://www.thereporter.bz/post/what-matters-in-the-south
Due solely to resource constraints, my polls are limited to Dangriga, and from there I try to gauge the national mood. I was therefore most pleasantly not surprised to find out that a substantially better funded national poll in Belize by teams of international experts validated all of my findings in Dangriga at the countrywide level.
Located at Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, its LAPOP Lab prides itself as a center for excellence in international survey research. It does polls of the entire Central American and Caribbean regions and its work is funded by the USAID and supported by many national experts and institutions in multiple countries. In its 2023 PULSE OF DEMOCRACY IN BELIZE Report, two survey questions were asked that directly focus on the perception of corruption in Belize.
Taking into account your own experience or what you have heard, corruption among public officials is:
(1) Very common (2) Common (3) Uncommon (4) Very uncommon
Response: Marginally over three in four respondents (78%) think corruption is pervasive among public officials. The pollsters note that this rate has remained relatively stable since 2008.
Thinking of the politicians of Belize… how many of them do you believe are involved in corruption?
(1) None (2)Less than half of them (3) Half of them (4) More than half of them (5) All
Response: 64% of respondents think that More than half or ALL politicians are corrupt.
Source: Rodríguez, Mariana, and Valerie Schweizer-Robinson (Eds). 2024. LAPOP’s AmericasBarometer takes the Pulse of Democracy in Belize 2023. Nashville, TN: LAPOP.
According to the Report, “The data also show that this waning confidence in democracy is linked to perceptions of widespread corruption…… While a large majority of Belizeans believe corruption among public officials is widespread, many Belizeans feel that they lack the freedom to express political views without fear. At the same time, tolerance for undemocratic actions like executive and judicial coups is rising, reflecting growing frustrations with the political system….However, this increasing tolerance does not seem to directly reflect a rejection of democracy itself; rather, it suggests dissatisfaction with how democracy is functioning in practice, particularly in the face of corruption and governance challenges.”
So then , what can a serious minded Government of Belize do to reduce corruption? At a minimum, here are some indicators.
(1) Pass Campaign Finance Legislation: At a time, when competitive elections in Belize have now extended to the village council level, and there is visible evidence of huge and wanton expenditure during the undefined election period, Belize has no campaign finance laws. The Preliminary Report by the Organization of American States Electoral Observation Mission on the 2025 General Elections stated as follows:
“There are currently no regulations governing election campaign financing in Belize. There are no limits on campaign financing, no regulations prohibiting illicit, anonymous, or foreign donations, no reporting requirements or submission timelines, and no oversight mechanisms for verifying and investigating campaign disclosures and expenses.”
At a minimum campaign finance legislation can inform who is bankrolling the politicians and how much they are providing.
(2) Empower oversight agencies, notably the Integrity Commission: Belize does have an Integrity Commission to which elected officials are to make financial submissions and disclosures. That is hardly ever done and penalties are ignored. That our oversight agencies are neutered undermines accountability and negates good governance.
(3) Meaningful Redistricting: Belize’s 31 electoral constituencies are woefully malapportioned with the smallest having around 2,400 voters and the largest having in excess of 10,800 voters. https://elections.gov.bz/…/TOTAL-ELECTORS-AS-AT-AUGUST…. Much has been penned about this, and among its most corrosive effect on democratic elections, is that given our first past the post voting system, voters from one “safe” constituency can easily be transferred to another constituency to boost the party’s electoral chances in this other constituency. That such transfers have occurred – one instance of which is now being litigated – is often evidenced by the fact of inordinate numbers of voters “living” at one address. Meaningful redistricting will minimize and possibly even eliminate this issue. Of equal importance is to cease legal harassment against citizens who shed light and seek judicial redress to halt this activity.
(4) Prosecute public officers for corruption – While the focus on corruption often centers on elected officials, ministers are nothing more than elected (though some are appointed ) heads of various ministries, the actual day to day work is done by public officers who are aware of and facilitate and could be complicit in government corruption. How many of these public officers are prosecuted? I would argue that prosecution of public officers could be another indicator of a government against corruption.
(5) Resume providing Transparency International with data required to rank Belize on its Corruption Perception Index. Several years ago, Belize stopped providing Transparency International with data. No one seems to know why. To attract investors, Belize seems to be increasingly relying on investment summits, where the country’s attractions are highlighted. However, possibly of equal or even more significance, serious investors may be attracted by transparency, good governance and the rule of law. Being ranked on a global index and making notable progress on its ranking could be the catalysts to generate the development financing required to unleash the country’s dormant potentials.
Forget glib talk or glitzy manifestos … we will know when any Government of Belize is serious about reducing corruption when the Indicators above are being undertaken. The political leader that champions this cause will merit his — or maybe her —- place in history and ought to be the third National Hero.
Advertise with the mоѕt vіѕіtеd nеwѕ ѕіtе іn Belize ~ We offer fully customizable and flexible digital marketing packages. Your content is delivered instantly to thousands of users in Belize and abroad! Contact us at mаrkеtіng@brеаkіngbеlіzеnеwѕ.соm or call us at 501-612-0315.
© 2025, BreakingBelizeNews.com. Content is copyrighted and requires written permission for reprinting in online or print media. Theft of content without permission/payment is punishable by law.
Comments
The post Mirror, Mirror on the Wall, Who’s NOT the fairest of them all? appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.
Posted: Tuesday, September 30, 2025. 8:26 am CST. The views expressed in this article are those of the writer and not necessarily those of Breaking Belize
The post Mirror, Mirror on the Wall, Who’s NOT the fairest of them all? appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.