Sunday 1 September 2013

Rememberance of George Cadle Price

In January 15, 1919 George Cadle Price was born in Belize City, in what was then British Honduras, to William and Irene (née Escalante) Price. He studied at St. Johns College, Belize. The Right Honourable George Cadle Price, P.C., was the first Prime Minister of Belize and is considered to have been one of the principal architects of the country's independence. Today he is referred to by many as "the Father of the Nation". Mr. Price, served as a Member of the Legislative Council from 1954-1961, The Legislative Assembly from 1961 to 1964, The House of Representatives from 1964-1984, First Minister from 1961 to 1964, Premier from 1964 to 1981 and Prime Minister of Belize from 1981 to 1984, and 1989 to 1993. He was awarded the status of National Hero by the Government of Belize, the Jose Marti Award – Cuba’s Highest Award by President Fidel Castro, and the Order of the Caribbean Community. His lifestyle, humble and unpretentious, led him to become the first Premier of Belize in 1981 under the People’s United Party, which he founded. In September 2000, Price became the first person to receive Belize's highest honour, the Order of National Hero, for the prominent role he played in leading his country to independence. He has received similar honours in other Caribbean and Central American countries. In 1982, he was made a member of the Imperial Privy Council. Due to his struggle for independence and many other achievements Honorable George Price soon became the Father of the Nation.


In 1940, have never been definitively settled from the point of view of Guatemala.
The dispute originated with the Treaty of Tordesillas of 1494 which divided the so-called New World between Spain and Portugal. However, England and other European countries refused to recognise the legitimacy of a treaty to which they were not parties. By the Treaty of Godolphin of 1670, Spain confirmed England was to hold all territories in the Western Hemisphere that it had already settled, but England did not occupy Belize when it signed the Treaty.

Eventually, in 1821, Guatemala became independent of Spain, and, in 1862, Belize became a British colony. By the Anglo-Guatemalan Treaty of 1859, Guatemala agreed to recognise Belize and Great Britain promised to build a road from Guatemala to a nearby Belizean city.

However, in 1940, Guatemala claimed that the 1859 treaty was void because the British failed to comply with economic assistance provisions. But a ruling by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) required that Guatemala honour the boundaries in the 1859 treaty, even if the UK never builds the road.Guatemala was obviously still unhappy with the ICJ ruling on September 21, 1981 when Belize became an independent nation, as Guatemala City refused to recognise Belize's independence until 1991, at which time diplomatic relations were established.

But in that same year, Guatemala renewed its claim on Belize, basing its position on heritance of Spain's rights. In June 2008, the Belizean prime minister, Mr Dean Barrow, proposed referenda for the citizens of Belize and Guatemala, asking whether they support referring the issue to the ICJ.

Then, in September 19, 2011 Rt. Hon. George Cadle Price, who passed away at 6:30 2 days before Independence. Made him a Remeberance time forBElize.