By Dylan Vernon, TIME COME #24, 2 October 2025.

For this offering of TIME COME, I share the letter I wrote to the Constitution and Foreign Affairs Committee of the House of Representatives on 29 September 2025 with my views on the Belize Constitution (Thirteenth Amendment) Bill, 2025. It is in effect, Part 2 of my post of 28 July 2025 titled 13th Hour for the 13th Amendment?  

Most keen observers predict that the13th Amendment Bill will be enacted despite the strong and reasoned objections of key stakeholders in our society. If so, it will confirm that this government will not only continue the ‘mano dura’ approach to addressing citizen insecurity, but is expanding it. This would be dangerous constitutional backsliding. Witness the hard handed actions of elements of the state in actions such as the recent Budna case. The underlying message to the security forces, that would be reinforced by the 13th amendment, is that crossing the ‘human rights line’ to address criminal elements can be OK. As in the Budna case, rouge elements may become even more emboldened to engage in actions that violate the constitutional rights of citizens.

I implore our government to move back from this slippery slope and to wheel and come again with a longterm all-of-society plan.… Read the rest...

By Dylan Vernon, TIME COME #24, 25 August 2025.

Since October 2023, when this current ugly phase of the war against Palestine began, I started to flesh out a chronology of Belize’s relations with Palestine and Israel. Of course, this by necessity, requires mention of the role of Guatemala in all this. Keeping with the principle of open information access, I share the chronology in this TIME COME without added commentary. It includes links to documents and news stories some may find useful. Do inform me if you think something is wrong or missing. 

The Chronology: Towards Self-Determination

Early 1900s – 1950s: A small number of refugees and immigrants from Lebanon and Palestine settle in Belize, usually coming via another country in the Americas.

1947 – 1948:  Guatemala plays a key role in persuading several Latin American countries to support the now infamous United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) Resolution 181 that recommended the partition of Palestine into independent Arab and Jewish states. It is among the first states to recognize Israel in 1948.

1975 – 1980: The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) provides critical support for Belize’s internationalization campaign for self-determination and independence with territorial integrity.

1977: US President Jimmy Carter banned arms sales to Guatemala during its genocidal civil war. … Read the rest...

By Dylan Vernon, TIME COME #23, 28 July 2025,

The current national debate on the Belize Constitution (Thirteenth Amendment) Bill  reminded me of a TIME COME piece from a year ago.  I argued then that: “Over the past two decades we have seen the increased use of periods of public emergency outside of civil protests and natural or health disasters. More recently, these are invariably directed at quelling gang-related criminal activity in particular high risk geographical areas. This increasingly frequent ‘duro mano’ resort to periods of public emergency by governments of both major parties is a public admission of our collective failure over time to effectively address the worsening situation of criminal activity since independence. This failure of leadership and of policy is systemic.” It is but one of the ‘truths’ that has to be accepted if we are to rationally assess the Thirteenth Amendment) Bill.

On Truths

The constitutional tool of declaring short-term public emergencies is not, in itself, bad or good. All states have this tool. Each state decides how to trigger this power, how it is to be limited, how implementation happens, how human rights are protected, and importantly, how it fits into a bigger project of addressing ‘the’ problem.… Read the rest...

By Dylan Vernon, TIME COME #22, 6 June 2025.

There was no fanfare, no public ceremony, no crowd on 16^th May 2025 when the ‘final’ report of the People’s Constitution Commission (PCC) was ‘presented’ to Prime Minister Briceño. This inconspicuous end was starkly different from the soaring and hope-filled rhetoric that greeted the large officious audience at the PCC launch in front of the National Assembly building two and a half years ago. After over 900 days and millions of the people’s money expended, there is growing evidence that a botched constitutional review process has resulted in a half-baked report so gravely flawed that it faces the prospect of an early burial. It appears that the PCC’s mandate was seriously bungled, and we are still very far away from a people’s constitution. What happened? How did we get here? Is there anything to salvage?

Low Expectations Justified

My deep disappointment in both the PCC journey and its product, makes it difficult to summon the usual mental energy to pen this TIME COME. Yet some readers have been asking for ‘my take’ and this is the purpose of my blog. In this first (or last) post on matters related to the now-disbanded PCC, I will focus on process issues and recent stakeholder reactions.… Read the rest...

Note: After a short hiatus, TIME COME is back with regular posts. In this coming period, TIME COME will keep some focus on political reform matters, including dissecting the messy tenure, closure and report of the People’s Constitution Commission (PCC). Indications are that the report will not be worth the expenditure of too many braincells nor the waste of ink. What’s next? TIME COME will also be giving more attention to a broader set of national policy issues and seek more guest pieces. The latter is the case for this offering of TIME COME as Dr. Harold Young pens a new piece. Welcome back subscribers and readers!  (your host, Dylan Vernon)

By Harold A. Young, Guest Post#3, May 19, 2025. (See his bio at end).

If the general election of 2020 is characterised as a swing election led by a “Blu’ tsunami, then 2025 is the “Red” meltdown washed by a “Blu” high tide. This is not my forum for detailed analysis but here are a few thoughts.

I published the sections below prior to the election in 2020. Generally, and unfortunately, nothing has changed. The People’s United Party (PUP) won 26 seats to United Democratic Party’s (UDP) 5 in 2020.… Read the rest...