VZCZCXYZ0008
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHBE #0057 0322136
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 012136Z FEB 08
FM AMEMBASSY BELMOPAN
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 1053
INFO RUCNCOM/EC CARICOM COLLECTIVE
RUEHZA/WHA CENTRAL AMERICA COLLECTIVE
RUEHOT/AMEMBASSY OTTAWA 0003

UNCLAS BELMOPAN 000057 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
SIPDIS 
 
FOR WHA/CEN - R. BEAL 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV BH
SUBJECT:  BELIZE:  SENATE REFERENDUM ADDS CONFUSION TO CAMPAIGN 
 
REF:  BELMOPAN 08 
 
¶1.  (SBU) SUMMARY:  In addition to the national election on February 
7, Belizeans will be asked to vote on whether they favor an elected 
Senate to replace the current appointed body.  The government added 
the referendum to the general election ballot with no warning, in 
effect allowing only the 30-day election campaign period for the 
public to consider a significant constitutional change.  While the 
concept of an elected Senate certainly has some merit, the way the 
referendum was handled smacks of political opportunism and perhaps 
desperation.  END SUMMARY. 
 
¶2.  (U) The government's plan to hold a referendum on creating an 
elected Senate at the same time as the February 7 national election 
has added an element of confusion to the race.  Many Belizeans 
advocate reform of the current system of appointing the largely 
ceremonial Senate and support giving the body more independence from 
the House.  People seem confused, however, by the concept of a 
referendum, which is rare in Belize, as well as by the timing of 
this particular referendum.  Among those who have given some thought 
to the issue, many feel that the short 30-day campaign period is 
hardly enough time to debate a significant constitutional reform. 
Others see this simply as a "red herring" put forth by the ruling 
PUP to divert attention from their governance record.  The 
referendum is a simple "yes" or "no" vote on the narrow question 
with no details.  Particulars of what the "elected" Senate would be 
and do would be finalized later. 
 
¶3.  (U) Proponents of the change include former People's United 
Party (PUP) Senator and former Foreign Minister Eamon Courtenay as 
well as Godwin Hulse, who currently represents the business 
community in the Senate.  Both are well-respected voices and they 
argue that the current system has no way to enforce government 
accountability.  House committees such as Public Accounts meet 
rarely and have no power to compel the government to produce 
documents or send anyone to testify.  As a result the committees, 
although chaired by opposition members, are toothless when it comes 
to oversight.  Courtenay and Hulse -- while they differ on the 
specifics of how an elected Senate would be structured -- argue that 
the system as it exists is broken and that only an elected Senate 
could stand up to the government and provide adequate oversight. 
 
 
¶4.  (U) The opposition United Democratic Party (UDP)'s response to 
the referendum has essentially been to label it a political trick 
and urge UDP voters to boycott the Senate vote.  The UDP's platform 
calls for reform of the Senate to change its composition so that 
opposition and civil society appointments would constitute a 
majority.  Although the UDP has not explicitly ruled out an elected 
Senate, its opposition to a PUP proposal seems to be as much a 
knee-jerk reaction as anything else.  The PUP, meanwhile, is running 
political ads linking itself to the elected Senate:  "If you want an 
elected Senate, vote PUP." 
 
¶5.  (U) Response across Belizean society to Senate reform has been 
mixed.  At a recent forum at the University of Belize the young and 
mostly anti-PUP crowd seemed to come away from the discussion at 
least willing to give the idea of electing the Senate fair 
consideration.  The President of the Chamber of Commerce told us 
that his membership is split evenly on the issue.  He personally 
opposes it, he told us, because another elected body would mean even 
more politicians coming to the business community with their hands 
out for campaign contributions.  (NOTE:  Belize has no campaign 
finance laws.  END NOTE.) 
 
¶6.  (SBU) COMMENT:  There are pros and cons to grafting an elected, 
if not equal, Senate onto the existing Westminster model in Belize. 
Other countries with similar models have debated the issue for 
decades; some Caribbean nations have sought to beef up the 
Parliamentary committee system as a check on executive power.  In 
all cases the public has needed time to consider reforms.   For the 
government here to throw the issue without advance warning into a 
hotly-contested national election campaign and ask for a "yes or no" 
response in 30 days smacks of short-term political opportunism -- 
perhaps even desperation -- rather than sober second thought.  END 
COMMENT. 
 
DIETER