Posted: Sunday, May 11, 2025. 4:33 pm CST.
By Horace Palacio: It’s an ugly truth, but it’s time we say it out loud: poverty in Belize is not an accident. It’s a business model.
For decades, the economic and political systems have been quietly designed to benefit the few at the top—at the expense of the masses at the bottom. And while politicians deliver speeches about “development” and “inclusive growth,” the reality on the ground tells a different story: the poorer you are, the easier you are to exploit. The less you know, the more you’ll accept.
When people are struggling to afford rent, buy groceries, or send their children to school, they don’t have the time, energy, or resources to challenge the system. You can’t protest when you’re working two jobs and still coming up short. You can’t demand accountability when your main concern is just surviving the week. And that’s exactly how those in power like it.
Keeping people poor gives the ruling class total control. It reduces dissent. It creates dependency. And most importantly—it ensures a constant supply of cheap labor, easily manipulated voters, and a docile citizenry that won’t fight back.
Belize’s education system, for all its intentions, often fails to teach financial literacy, civic education, or critical thinking. Why? Because informed citizens are harder to control. People who understand how money works won’t fall into debt traps. People who understand the Constitution will question political abuse. People who know their rights will demand better.
But when people are kept in the dark, they’re easier to keep in line. Easier to convince. Easier to silence.
You’d think banks would want Belizeans to thrive. Think again. Financial institutions in this country are structured to benefit from your lack of money and knowledge.
- Overdraft fees and penalty charges are designed to drain the already struggling.
- Credit card rates and loan terms are deliberately complex and predatory.
- Mortgage requirements are unrealistic for the average working Belizean.
And while the poor get denied for small business loans or home financing, the elite get access to multi-million-dollar lines of credit with little collateral and even less scrutiny. The banks don’t mind this imbalance—they thrive on it. A poor, indebted population means steady profit margins and minimal risk.
We need to stop pretending the system is broken. It’s working exactly as it was built to: funneling resources upward, silencing resistance, and maintaining a status quo that benefits a select few.
The same politicians who give speeches about “empowering the people” are the ones who benefit when the people are powerless.
And until we demand better—demand transparency, real education, wage reform, and financial fairness—this cycle of systemic poverty and ignorance will continue.
The views expressed in this article are those of the author, Horace Palacio, and do not necessarily reflect the views or editorial stance of Breaking Belize News.
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The post Why it’s profitable to keep people ignorant and poor in Belize appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.
It’s an ugly truth, but it’s time we say it out loud: poverty in Belize is not an accident. It’s a business model.
The post Why it’s profitable to keep people ignorant and poor in Belize appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.
