VZCZCXRO5196
RR RUEHGR
DE RUEHBE #0096/01 0431910
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 121910Z FEB 07
FM AMEMBASSY BELMOPAN
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0240
INFO RUEHGT/AMEMBASSY GUATEMALA 0010
RUEHZA/WHA CENTRAL AMERICAN COLLECTIVE
RUCNCOM/EC CARICOM COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BELMOPAN 000096 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR IIP/G/WHA (BARONE), IIP/G/CP (ADAMS), WHA/CEN (MACK) 
 
GUATEMALA FOR USAID 
 
E.O. 12958:  N/A 
TAGS: OIIP EAID PGOV KPAO BH
SUBJECT:  BELIZE:  IIP SPEAKER KELLNER JUMPSTARTS EMBASSY'S GOOD 
GOVERNANCE PROGRAM 
 
REF:  06 Belmopan 71 
 
¶1.  See action request in para 7. 
 
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Summary 
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¶2.  During his two-day (January 24-25) visit to Belize, IIP Speaker 
Ken Kellner met with university students, civic leaders, and 
government officials to share his experiences as Senior Counsel for 
the House of Representatives Committee on Standards of Official 
Conduct.  Kellner's insights were well-received - particularly by 
the students, watchdog organizations and business leaders.  Poloff 
attempted to schedule meetings for Kellner with Government of Belize 
(GoB) elected officials, such as Speaker of the House Elizabeth 
Zabaneh.  Unfortunately, most were unavailable.  In spite of this, 
Post believes that its goal for this speaker program (to encourage 
discussion and empower individuals to take action to promote ethical 
behavior in government officials) was a successful first step in 
developing a good governance program in Belize.  End summary. 
 
--------------------------------------------- --- 
The Ethics Committee:  Explaining the U.S. Model 
--------------------------------------------- --- 
 
¶3.  Whether meeting with students, civil society, or the business 
community, Kellner delivered the same theme:  members of the U.S. 
Congress must at all times behave in a manner that reflects 
creditably upon the House.  Time and again Kellner stressed that 
under the House Code of Conduct, congressmen must do more than 
simply not misbehave; they have an obligation to ensure that their 
public and private actions are viewed positively by their fellow 
congressmen and the voting public. 
 
¶4.  Kellner also noted that the House Committee on Standards of 
Official Conduct - more commonly known as the Ethics Committee - is 
the only non-partisan committee in the House of Representatives and 
that a vote by the majority of Committee members is required before 
any action can be taken.  This is an important distinction since the 
political system in Belize, like the U.S., consists basically of two 
major political parties.  In such an environment it is easy for 
ethics investigations to be politicized.  In the U.S., a committee 
comprised of an equal number of Republicans and Democrats diminishes 
the perception of partisanship. 
 
¶5.  Finally, Kellner highlighted the dual role of the Ethics 
Committee.  It serves not only as an investigatory and disciplinary 
body, but also as a source for education, training, and advice. 
Kellner added that Committee members and staffers use a variety of 
channels to share information with members of Congress.  The 
Committee provides information on its website, publishes rules and 
guidelines, issues advisory memoranda, and prominently displays its 
telephone number on every publication.  Further, the Committee's 
proceedings remain confidential until all investigations are 
complete, thereby allowing the Committee to conduct its work without 
undue influence and protecting those under investigation from 
incorrect assumptions based on limited information. 
 
------------------------------ 
Civil Society Needs Assistance 
------------------------------ 
 
¶6.  In meetings with the chairman of the Integrity Commission and 
the members of the Association of Concerned Belizeans (ACB), two 
issues were abundantly clear.  First, there is no shortage of 
Belizean citizens willing to volunteer their time and energy to 
improve their country and their government.  The members of the 
Integrity Commission - a government entity tasked with reviewing the 
asset disclosures and net worth statements of and investigating 
complaints against public officials - are private citizens who 
volunteered to serve.  The members of ACB are also private citizens 
who formed their organization in response to a number of financial 
scandals and questionable practices of public officials.  Second, 
each group stressed the need for USG support in the form of 
technical assistance and financial aid.  As noted above, the members 
of these watchdog groups are private citizens with full-time jobs; 
they receive no monetary compensation for their contributions to 
these organizations.  The Integrity Commission does not even have an 
office; Kellner met Chairman Christopher Coye in his office at 
Belize Bank - his full-time job.  Neither organization has a staff 
to assist with research, respond to complaints, manage an office, or 
maintain a website. 
 
¶7.  Action Request:  Post realizes that in many countries USAID 
missions have democracy and governance programs that offer the type 
 
BELMOPAN 00000096  002 OF 002 
 
 
of financial and technical assistance requested by the Integrity 
Commission and the Association of Concerned Belizeans.  Since there 
is no USAID office in Belize, and current programming for Belize 
(which is managed from the USAID office in Guatemala) is focused 
exclusively on HIV/AIDS prevention, Post requests assistance in 
finding resources for the Integrity Commission and ACB.  Are there 
programs/offices within the Department that can help or grant 
programs to which these watchdog groups can apply? 
 
--------------------------------------------- 
Students Pledge to Keep Government "Under the Microscope" 
--------------------------------------------- 
 
¶8.  The highlight of the two-day program was Kellner's meeting with 
University of Belize student government leaders and a forum with 
interested students.  The auditorium, which seats 220, was standing 
room only.  Also present were the mayor, members of city councils, 
members of the diplomatic corps and private citizens.  Kellner again 
stressed the value that codes of conduct add to governing 
effectively.  The students had obviously done their homework and 
asked intelligent and detailed questions about the Ethics 
Committee's investigative process.  Several students commented that 
they wished GoB representatives (who had been invited to the forum) 
had attended the event. 
 
¶9.  At the reception that followed the forum, more students 
approached Kellner seeking advice as to how to encourage their 
elected officials to adopt similar rules.  Since Kellner was not 
familiar with the details of the Belize political system, he only 
offered general advice and emphasized the important role that civic 
groups play in government oversight.  At the end of the day's 
events, Kellner and emboffs concluded that Belizean students care 
deeply about the future of their country and want to affect positive 
change in the country's political system. 
 
------------------------------------------- 
Media Coverage: A Vital Part of the Program 
------------------------------------------- 
 
¶10.  When this program was initially proposed to Kellner and to the 
Department, Post viewed it as an opportunity to get Belizeans 
talking about ethics and good governance.  Since Kellner traveled 
only to Belize City and Belmopan, Post relied on the media to spread 
the message further.  On January 24, Kellner was interviewed for 
over an hour by the hosts of the Love FM morning call-in show.  Love 
FM is the only radio station in Belize that broadcasts nationally. 
The following day, he was interviewed by a journalist from the 
Independent Reformer, a new weekly newspaper that attracts 
traditional and online readers.  Finally, Kellner appeared on "On 
Target," an hour-long television program that broadcasts in 
Belmopan.  His appearance as guest speaker at the Belize City Rotary 
Club was also well publicized and attended by some 60 people.  His 
taped presentation at the UB Forum has been replayed daily for two 
weeks on Channel 10 in Belmopan.  Post believes these media 
appearances, along with Kellner's interaction with civic groups, 
business leaders, and students will generate more discussion among 
Belizeans on this important issue. 
 
-------------------------- 
Conclusions and Next Steps 
-------------------------- 
 
¶11.  In Post's view, this two-day IIP Speaker program was successful 
on many levels.  As noted above, Kellner's activities started a 
conversation that we hope will continue and ultimately develop into 
action and positive change.  In addition, by working with the 
University of Belize - which acted as a co-sponsor for the program - 
Post strengthened a valuable relationship in Belmopan.  University 
officials were pleased to work with Post and went to great lengths 
to ensure the success of the program.  We hope that this will be the 
beginning of a long and mutually beneficial relationship. Finally, 
this program raises the profile of Post's democracy and governance 
program.  Going forward, Post hopes to use public diplomacy tools 
such as Democracy Dialogues, web chats, and the Strategic Speakers 
Initiative for future programming. 
 
¶12.  Post would like to thank the International Information Programs 
office for their assistance in ensuring the success of this program 
and the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct for allowing Ken 
Kellner to participate. 
 
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