Henry Young’s suggestions on how to strengthen Belize’s democracy

BELIZE CITY, Mon. Mar. 24, 2025

Here is a list of what needs to be done to strengthen Belize’s democracy.

Issues the new government needs to address:

1. Redistricting of electoral constituencies. 

2. Elevate villages with larger populations to towns. An example of a village that should be given that elevated status is Ladyville/Lords Bank.

3. Increase the fees for participating in general elections from the meagre $200, which attracts “wannabe” candidates to get into the limelight for 2 months, creating a headache for the Elections and Boundaries Department and causing a delay in the results.

4. The Elections and Boundaries Department must be more vigilant in checking to ensure that people live in the areas where they are registered to vote. You cannot have multitudes of people living in one building. Some serious penalties have to be enforced for offenders.

5. Give public servants the option to retire at 62 or 65 instead of the mandatory age of 55. You are really at the peak of contributing to this nation at the age of 55.

6. Shift back to the Permanent Secretary system. This system encourages civil servants to work their way to the top, where they build honesty, discipline and family values. In the present CEO system, most of the appointees know their time is limited to 5 years, and this could cause a good person to develop bad ideas.