Said Musa

I was elected by the good people of Fort George for another five-year term, and I certainly intend to continue serving them in this, my seventh term as a member of the House of Representatives.

We need to diversify the economy. We need to get away from sugar.

The Barrow Administration, with its misguided philosophy of big government wanting to own or control every facet of economic activity in Belize, has depressed and squeezed out the private sector. The inevitable result is mass firing of workers, foreclosures, and downsizing.

When the people gave them the mandate to govern in 2008, these UDP leaders had one thing in mind: They run things. They forgot all their lofty promises to the people. They set out to crush the PUP and to erase all the accomplishments of the PUP years in government.

Too often, customary practices and discrimination on the basis of gender, ethnicity, race, religion, social status, or class are the root sources of pervasive inequality in many countries.

We in the small developing countries are beginning to understand that our own citizens share a common fate requiring the active role of government to ensure that every citizen has a chance and means to participate productively within the society and to curb society's dangerous encroachment on the physical environment.

Without productivity gains, any growth in GDP is exactly offset by population growth, and the average income stays the same.

The instinct to improve oneself materially is necessary for growth. It is at the fountain of the enterprising spirit which drives private enterprise.

For me, it was an amazing experience. I saw where my father came from. I was given a royal welcome in El Bireh - they even slaughtered a sheep in my honor.

Chairman Arafat has invited me several times to visit him in Ramallah and to see El Bireh again.

Unfortunately, in my home, we didn't speak Arabic; it was a mixed culture. My mother played a dominant role in our educational upbringing, and we grew up as part and parcel of Belize's culture.

Since taking office in 2008, the Barrow Administration failed to stimulate the necessary economic growth. Instead they have, over the more than four years, continued on a path of borrow and spend,accumulating huge additional debts.

The 'Belize Times' will be back. I can't at this juncture say exactly when it will be back in printed form. As you know, it is presently published online. But this historic newspaper will one day, hopefully soon, rise again.

Belize pledges it continued support to the aspirations of the 23 million people of Taiwan to be full participants in all organs and agencies of the international community.

None can be more negative in its impact than the limitation on human resource capacity.

Independence did not mean chauvinism and narrow nationalism.

We have much work ahead, to stand still.

Let us work toward greater cooperation with all Caribbean Countries, whether we speak English, Dutch, French or Spanish, whether we are independent or not, and whether we be island or continental territories.

There is growing inequality. The families of the all-powerful Ministers are getting richer. The poor and hard-working Belizeans are getting poorer.

The British troops are not an occupation force. They are here with the consent of the people.

We don't think it is fair for these environmental groups to be beating up Belize over this little dam when their own countries have so many of them. Now they are trying to tell us we can't have one.

The PUP came into office in 1998 when the public debt of Belize was over $600 million and the economy was at a standstill. When we left office in 2008, ten years later, the debt was higher, but a lot was accomplished: the economy was transformed and the social and physical infrastructure of the country significantly upgraded.

Nobody voted for me on account of my origins. People voted for me because of what I am and what I stand for.

Despite all the hoopla - despite all the umpa - after 5 years of UDP mismanagement, corruption, and incompetence, we have sunk deeper into debt of $2.4 billion: some $200 million deeper in debt.

Our Government is committed to pursuing policies and programs which facilitate a further lowering of the interest rates in order to fuel investment and growth. We call on the commercial banks to partner with us in this effort.