The politics of disaster:
I am not Belizean but I have many years experience as a grass roots political activist in the US, and I have watched Belizean political campaigns from afar and I know a campaign issue when I see one.
In any country that has a democratic political system (and Belize is one of them), there are certain kinds of issues that get citizens riled up and there are issues that don't. This is one that does and will.
This customs duty moratorium issue is the kind of thing that can easily backfire on the current party in power and result in change in government. It's the kind of thing that affects ordinary citizens and the kind of thing that voters remember. Whoever acts first and fast will be the hero and the other guys will be the goat.
If I were an opposition politician, I would be squawking bloody murder about those relief supplies sitting in customs, and I will bet you that it is only a matter of days before that is precisely what they do. The PUP has limited time to act or the other guys will do it.
I predict that should it come to be, the TV footage of Patty Arceo marching into the customs office demanding the release of the supplies and joining the Prime Minister for a reading of a duty moratorium declaration will be worth its weight in political gold some day.
(And vice versa...)
Of course I could be wrong (as Dennis Miller says)...but I don't think I am.
AmbergrisCaye.com 
