As of August 11, 2026, Belize has spent eight months without a formally appointed, substantive Ombudsman — a gap that former Ombudsman Cynthia Pitts is sounding the alarm over, urging every Belizean to recognize the significance of the vacancy. The position has sat empty after the government declined to renew the contract of the last officeholder, retired Major Gilbert Swaso, who completed just one full term in the role. In a recent public commentary, Pitts argued that the non-renewal of Swaso’s contract likely stems not from poor performance, but from the fact that he fulfilled the core mandate of the Ombudsman’s office: upholding unflinching independence, even when his oversight actions put the ruling government in an awkward position.
Pitts brings direct, personal experience to this assessment, as her own tenure as Ombudsman also ended after a single term when her contract was not renewed. She says she warned Swaso of the risks of the role from the very start of his appointment, when he invited her for an introductory meeting. “I told him he would need to be strong and resolute to maintain independence,” Pitts recalled, noting that she initially questioned whether he could set aside his prior political background to carry out the office’s independent duties.
Those doubts, she says, were quickly put to rest. One of Swaso’s early landmark acts was organizing a formal conference to review the government’s handling of the State of Emergency (SOE), a high-stakes oversight effort that resulted in a set of critical recommendations sharply out of step with the government’s existing approach. While Pitts confirmed that the recommendations were not immediately released to the public, and their fate after the conference remains unclear, the effort alone won her full respect. “That action told me he had a clear conscience and was committed to doing what was right, even when it went against the government he had previously been affiliated with,” Pitts said. “I never expected him to take that stand, and that is why I commend his integrity.”
Pitts’ experience mirrors Swaso’s: both independent-minded Ombudsmen saw their tenures cut short by non-renewal after carrying out oversight that challenged ruling government actions. “When you do this job well and stay true to its mandate, you never end up as the government’s favorite poster child,” she noted. The ongoing eight-month vacancy has underscored longstanding concerns about the vulnerability of the Ombudsman’s office to political retaliation for independent oversight. In an upcoming Wednesday newscast, reporters will examine draft legislative proposals aimed at shoring up the office’s autonomy, adding new protections to prevent political retaliation against Ombudsmen who carry out their duties without partisan bias.
*Note: This article is adapted from a full televised evening news broadcast transcript, with original Kriol-language speech rendered using a standardized spelling system.*