To answer the question fairly you have to go back to 1998.  It is easy, today, to dwell on what went wrong and what wasn’t done.  But think back to 1998. 

We’ve … been introducing dozens of reform measures since 1998.

You get weekly Cabinet briefings.  There’s an active Ombudsman probing, finding, fixing wrongs.  The Referendum Act enabled Belmopan residents to designate Belmopan a city.  You directly elect your mayors countrywide.  The Village Council Act gave villagers more power over their affairs, like land distribution. 

These things did not exist before.  We introduced them.

Trade unions are stronger today than they have been for a long time.  We passed the Trade Union Recognition Bill.  We ratified a series of important ILO Conventions. We increased the minimum wage.

The Senate fearlessly investigated abuses at Social Security Board.  We could have blocked it.  But we didn’t.  We encouraged it.

Just think back.  When they were in power, the only investigations were against us.  Today we pay for high priced Commissions of Inquiry into our own government agencies.  Their Government just use to sweep wrongdoings under the carpet. 

In 1998 people believed politicians controlled judges.  Today, judges regularly discipline politicians.  They are now independent, better paid and fearless. 

How quickly we take things for granted. 

Before we took office, cruise tourism was a trickle.  Now it is a vibrant industry.  That didn’t happen by itself.  We courted it.  We embraced it. We made it happen. 

During our first term we made the private sector the engine of growth. We reduced the operating cost of banks to make credit more available and affordable.   Abolished tax on savings.  Stimulated small and medium enterprises through the Small Farmers and Business Bank.

Through our massive housing program we not only provided houses to thousands of first time home owners, we created thousands of jobs and got money circulating through the economy to stimulate investment and growth.

All these things made the private sector take off.  That is why it is humming along today.  In 1998, businessmen will recall, the economy was stagnant.

We invested heavily in marketing Belize as a tourism destination abroad.  Overnight arrivals jumped from 150,000 arrivals to 250,000 due to our efforts. 

Today tourism is Belize’s single biggest foreign currency earner and employs one in every four persons.   It is poised to be the leading growth industry. 

Even as we placed greater emphasis on tourism, we encourage diversification into commodities like papayas, hot pepper and aquaculture.  We introduced BAHA to bring our exports up to international export standards. 

And we encouraged the development of the oil industry. We said if there is oil in Belize we would find it. We have found it. We have put in place a petroleum fund.  That is the people’s fund from our share of oil revenue.

The sugar and banana industries have closed down in many of our sister Caribbean countries.  But not in Belize. We skillfully negotiated abroad and we forced reforms domestically through legislation.  We are proud that these industries, though still threatened, remain competitive.   

We have passed special legislation giving massive benefits to the sugar industry and the aquaculture industry to ensure that they remain competitive into the future.

The citrus industry is strategically diversifying into value-added.  We have helped this process through the Partial Scope Trade Agreement with Guatemala.

This did not happen by chance.  Our deliberate actions produced these results.

With the rule of law entrenched, businesses flourishing and our democracy deepened through political reform measures, we turned our attention to our mandate.  To make the lives of Belizean families better.

You can choose to focus on the routine shortcomings of the health system.  Or, you can open your eyes and see that NHI is giving thousands of Belizean families unprecedented access to quality, primary and specialized health care.

Then tell me that you don’t believe that health care in Belize has improved over the past nine years.  The proof is there.  Look at it for yourselves.

One of the greatest joys any family anywhere can experience is the joy of owning your own home.   

Through the massive housing boom we sparked off, at least 10,000 families experienced that joy. 

We have ushered in a cultural renaissance.  Museums, a music school, an art center, houses of culture and the promotion of the fine arts are producing multi-talented children.  We see it every year at the Children’s Festival of the Arts. 

Which other government can show the extensive network of roads, bridges and infrastructural development that we can?

Then ask yourself: Do you want these things to continue?

Do you want to deepen our democracy through an elected Senate and a Caribbean Court of Justice?

It will only happen when you have a competent government.  A government that thinks, plans and makes tough decisions. 

Our country has great potential.  We can unlock that potential and make Belize the envy of the region.  But first we have to believe that we can. 

We have to Believe in Belize.