By: Omar Silva – Editor/Publisher

National Perspective Belize – Digital 2026

www.nationalperspectivebz.com

Belize City: Wednesday 11th February 2026

Editorial

In the past week, Belizeans have witnessed something that speaks louder than any press release or public explanation.

While businesses across the country struggle under rising import costs, shrinking margins, and the relentless pressure of taxes, duties, rent, and utilities, reports emerged that the Belize City Council approved salary increases for councillors—a move that many believe will soon be echoed by other municipalities.

At the same time, businesses and residents are being asked to accept higher trade license fees, higher garbage fees, and higher municipal charges.

That contrast tells a story.

And it is not a flattering one.

The Reality Belizeans Are Living

Small and medium-sized businesses today are not thriving.

They are surviving.

Every product on a shelf has already been taxed, shipped, cleared, and marked up before it even reaches the customer.

Every month, a business owner must pay:

• Rent or lease payments
• Electricity and water
• Staff wages
• Business Tax and other national obligations
• Import duties and transportation costs

And now, increasingly, higher municipal fees.

Yet when the books of these municipalities are discussed, the first visible adjustments are too often not investments in drains, streets, or sanitation—but adjustments in allowances and salaries.

Belizeans are not blind.

They see where priorities are placed.

The Signal This Sends

Leadership is not measured by what leaders say.

It is measured by what they choose to do first.

When a council finds room to increase its own compensation while businesses are closing, families are cutting back, and citizens are asking where their tax dollars are going, the message is unmistakable:

The system is taking care of itself before it takes care of the people.

No speech can soften that perception.

No explanation can erase it.

Because perception, once formed, becomes reality in the public mind.

A Pattern That Keeps Repeating

This is not just about one council or one decision.

Across Belize, a pattern has developed:

1. Administrative weaknesses are discovered late.
2. Sudden reassessments and fee increases are imposed.
3. Businesses are told to “adjust” or “restructure.”
4. Citizens are promised improvements that rarely materialize at the scale expected.

And through it all, the cost of governance continues to rise.

But the quality of local government does not rise with it.

That is the imbalance Belizeans feel every day.

Public Office Is Not a Reward System

Municipal leadership was never meant to be a path to comfort.

It was meant to be a responsibility—often a difficult and thankless one.

Councillors are elected to solve problems, not to insulate themselves from them.

When economic conditions are harsh, true leadership tightens its own belt first.

That is the standard in every serious democracy.

Anything less feels like detachment from reality.

What Belizeans Are Really Asking

The people are not asking for perfection.

They are asking for fairness.

They are asking for:

• Streets that last more than one rainy season
• Drains that prevent flooding instead of reacting to it
• Garbage collection that is efficient and predictable
• Transparent accounting of how municipal money is spent

And above all, they are asking for leadership that shares their sacrifices—not leadership that shields itself from them.

The Danger of Ignoring Public Sentiment

History shows that when governments at any level appear disconnected from the economic suffering of the people, public frustration does not disappear.

It grows quietly.

And then suddenly, it speaks loudly.

Municipal councils should take this moment not as criticism to be dismissed, but as a warning to be heeded.

Because once public trust is lost, it is far harder to rebuild than any street or drain.

A Final Word

Belizeans understand hardship.

They endure it with patience and dignity.

But patience should never be mistaken for silence, and dignity should never be mistaken for acceptance.

If municipalities truly wish to lead, they must demonstrate it—not in words, but in priorities.

Because the people are watching.

And they know the difference between leadership that serves the public…

and leadership that serves itself.