THE ROAD TO PERDITION

If you drop a frog in a pot of boiling water, it will of course frantically try to clamber out. But if you place it gently in a pot of tepid water and turn the heat on low, it will float there quite placidly. As the water gradually heats up, the frog will sink into a tranquil stupor, exactly like one of us in a hot bath, and before long, with a smile on its face, it will unresistingly allow itself to be boiled to death.  The Story of B Daniel Quinn

It is an anecdote that has achieved the status of urban legend, but in fact, scientific research done in the 19th Century proved that as long as the heating is gradual enough, the premise is true. The frog will submit to being boiled.

What relevance, you ask, does this have to me?? What relevance to the Jewel? The boiling frog anecdote is a parable which teaches that people should become aware of gradual change lest they suffer consequences which may seem remote, but are ultimately harmful. It is a good way to illustrate a slippery-slope argument. Our Jewel is on that slippery slope.

In the past few months, our government did the following,

Changed our constitution, not once, but twice to reduce civil liberties; Reduced the security of tenure of judges of the Court of Appeal from lifetime tenure to  until advised by the Governor-General, to a one-year appointment; Promoted offshore drilling and oil exploration in protected areas; Taken away land from Belizeans and failed to pay for expropriated property; Nationalized a private utility company, and refused to pay compensation to the owners, or to reduce telephone bills; Called it "collateral damage" to fire government workers because of political affiliation; Raised GST by 25% Reneged on a promise to lower the tax imposed on gas and diesel; Passed legislation law to require any person disputing the imposition of any tax, rate duty or charge levied by government to pay in full before being allowed to appeal; and Paid one private law firm taxpayer dollars in excess of six figures to do legal

work.

In the past few weeks, the current regime has,

Announced the discovery of a ring of "rogue cops" whose existence they have failed to substantiate; Denied a dengue epidemic and silenced health professionals in the face of mounting public evidence; Initiated a cabinet reshuffle as a distraction, hired more ministers and bought more expensive rides; Put out misleading crime statistics in an attempt to cover up the ballooning murder rate; Condoned the release of confidential banking information of private citizens in the pursuit of a vendetta; Denied Chief Justice Conteh the opportunity to conclude cases; Issued a policy statement against the Maya; Denied a high-ranking police officer the benefit of economic assistance or paid leave to study law while granting both those benefits to another, more junior officer; and Refused to consult with the Bar Association on future judicial appointments

In the past few days, our constitutional overlords have been;

Instituting a law to spy on its own citizens; Promoting the use of workers contributions to buy the telecom that was seized a year ago; Stripping Belizeans of the presumption of  innocence in relation to gun crimes; Penalizing the Youth of  the Jewel for "anti-social tendencies"; Labeling Belizeans as being "traitors" and "unpatriotic" for giving aid and comfort to enemies while benefitting from those very "enemies; and Turning a blind eye to high level involvement in human smuggling by allowing the PGIA to be used three times for suspicious flights and phantom entries.

This litany of incremental wrongs could easily be expanded by any Belizean. When putting all this together a clear picture of intentional undermining of our democracy emerges. Rights are being stripped away bit by bitter bit. Citizens are increasingly criminalized and made powerless. Public monies are more and more at the service of political manipulation. Public officers are being simultaneously blamed and silenced.  Government services and permits are withheld unless you play ball. The stench of corruption, complicity and fear hangs like a pall in the Jewel's air.

It is all deliberate. It is all to an end. It is to emasculate your rights while you sleep. It is to consolidate power. It is to perpetuate a rule. And that rule is not founded on the rule of law. It is tyranny.

It is all being done in plain sight while bread and circuses distract you. Let no one tell you that you have nothing to fear if you are a supporter. If you are not a criminal. If you will only close your eyes and agree to agree. Applying increasing heat to water will inevitably lead to a boiling point. Your frog will be cooked.

As Voltaire, the Age of Reason French philosopher famously observed, "Tyrants have always some slight shade of virtue; they support the laws before destroying them"

No Tyrants here linger. Despots must flee.

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Source: The Belize Times