Belize is going to the ICJ to settle its territorial dispute with Guatemala. Voters spoke resoundingly yesterday in a historic first stand-alone national referendum: 55.3% said yes to the ICJ, and 44.7% said no. A decisive outcome, and a strong turnout: 65% of the registered voters - or, 96,417 voters cast their ballot. Percentage-wise, that's more than twice the 26% that voted in Guatemala's referendum 13 months ago.
So, tonight, Belizean voters can be proud that they exercised their right, and relieved to know that this subject of such prolonged national anxiety is now finally behind all of us.
Of course, what's in front of us now is far bigger, because saying yes to the ICJ is one thing, but getting there, and getting a clean win for Belize with all its territory intact is the most important undertaking in this nation's history.
Prime Minister Dean Barrow set the agenda for that at a press briefing this afternoon at the Civic Centre. He said it starts with reconciliation between the "yes" and "no" camps:...
Rt. Hon. Dean Barrow, Prime Minister
"We, at all cost need to pick up the pieces, need to get over the hurt feelings, need to infect put behind us the divisions that did surfaced and realize that in going forward we need to do so as one united Belize. What I particularly want to do is to extend an olive branch, perhaps that's not the best way to frame it, extend the hand of friendship, make this national unity outreach which perforce must include the effort to involve the People's United Party in the way forward. It is Belize that is now to go to the ICJ. It is not the UDP. It is not the PUP. It is Belize. It is critical as we go to the ICJ, we've explain that it is a fairly long, perhaps a little bit slightly complicated process. We need to be on our P's and Q's and be sure from day 1 that we make no mistakes, that the various lawyers that we have already retained, the various legal chambers that are now in the service of the government of Belize. Make no mistake we will have to appoint an agent at the Hague to coordinate everything to make certain that papers are filed when they are supposed to be filed and steps taken when they are supposed to be taken and all along the way I think it will be critical if government and opposition can come together so that there is always complete transparency about what is happening so that together we can make sure that there are absolutely no slip-ups in terms of the preparation and ultimately presentation on Belize's case."
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