2 months ago, we told you about a National Security and Defence Strategy which the Government's security technocrats have been working on updating. They're trying to meet the evolving security needs of the country, while deploying the state's resources in the most effective and efficient manner.
Today, those discussions resumed, and this time, the Government invited civilian organizations to participate, hoping to draw on their in-the-field experience. That allowed for border activist Wil Maheia to join in the discussions, and it did make for a contrast, since he is one of the government's biggest critics on all the ways that the country's Defence forces neglect the border areas.
He and other participants granted an interview explaining what happened in today's workshop:
Felix Enriquez, CEO - Ministry of Defence
"In as much as how we who are putting the strategy together have a very good idea of what the problems are, where security is concerned. The problems of security is a lot more complex that what it used to be and so the ministry of defence and ministry of home affairs must be able to articulate the concerns of the other interest groups. These interest groups, the business bureau, the other political parties, they are familiar with some realities as well that we may have not considered."
George Lovell - CEO, Ministry of Home Affairs
"Those that you see here today are the ones that were unable to engage with the planners at the May consultation process and because we intend for this to be not just a whole of government, but a whole of society process. We decided that it was absolutely important to have them here today so that we can hear from them."
Wil Maheia
"At the end of the day we are all Belizeans and it doesn't matter which side of the isle we sit on, we need to participate because it's one country and one Belize. I believe that consultation with the people that's being more affected, is necessary. People, fishermen who fishing in the so called disputed areas or farmers who are farming along the borderline - I believe that consulting them would also be a good thing because they are on the ground and they get attack first hand."
Kay Menzies, Former President - BCCI
"I am very encouraged to know that there is a work in progress of developing a strategy that encompasses both the security and the defence needs of the nation, but also taking security beyond what everybody thinks of of law enforcement and so on and taking it to a holistic perspective of basic food security, the security of the individual, the right to have an education, rule of law. These are issues that are critical, not just the survival, but the development of the country and it's nice to see a strategy that's pulling it all in and pulling it together."
Wil Maheia
"I would like to see that it is not just a document that sit on a shelf, but a document that is followed. It's like any strategic plan and I think that the last one was almost 8 years ago. There need to be constant review of these plans to ensure that what's in these plan are getting implemented."
The plan is that by December 15, there should be a first draft of the National Defence and Security Strategy.
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