Saturday, January 25, 2025 - Belize has taken a “significant step” toward removing iotas of colonialism by replacing the image of the late Queen Elizabeth on its dollar bills with those of national heroes.
Unveiling
the new design of the bank notes late on Thursday, January 23, the governor of
Belize’s central bank, Kareem Michael, said that along with improved security
and anti-counterfeit features, the “new family of notes also allows us to
recognize and celebrate our heritage and the rich history of Belize”.
The new
notes will go into circulation in June. Instead of the queen’s image, the new
100-, 20- and five-dollar bills will feature George Cadle Price, who was the
first prime minister of the country and is considered the father of
independence from British rule.
Fifty-,
ten and two-dollar bills will bear the likeness of Philip Goldson, a founding
member of the country’s major political parties, the People’s United Party and
the United Democratic Party, who is celebrated as a champion of national pride.
Belize’s
prime minister, Johnny Briceño, said the new images “exemplify our national
heroes who symbolize our resistance”.
Speaking
to local media he said: “I know some people will say, ‘We don’t have the queen
[on the note].’ Well, the queen has died, and that has nothing to do with the
Belize dollar.
“While the
primary reason for this change was to incorporate technological advancements
into new notes for increased security features and durability, it is one more
way for us to remember the sacrifices of those who came before us. Each time we
look at the faces of our national heroes on our new currency, we are seeing
history, we are seeing leadership, we are seeing the great work that led us to
where we are today,” Briceño said
For citizens campaigning for Belize to remove King Charles as head of state, the removal of the British monarch from the country’s money is an important milestone in the journey towards becoming a republic.
The
Belizean political scientist Dr Dylan Vernon, a former ambassador to the
European Union and former chair of the country’s political reform commission,
said the removal of the queen’s image was long delayed, describing it as “a
small but significant symbolic step in the unfinished business of
decolonisation”.
He said:
“I have long argued that symbolic changes – such as renaming streets, putting
national heroes on currency and replacing the king with a Belizean head of
state – are needed but in no way enough. Constitutional and political reforms
are essential for more meaningful decolonisation – for example, separation of
legislative and executive powers, and reforming the electoral system to include
proportional representation.
“The
hopeful angle is that when the new currency notes have no impact on their
lives, other than increasing national pride, fewer Belizeans will fear the more
substantive move of replacing the British monarch with a Belizean head of state
as part of wider constitutional decolonisation and reform.”
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