Deputy Prime Minister Johnny Briceno? he's the senior minister in the group of cabinet rebels we call "the G7", and now he's taken a senior political hit. Today's Amandala reported that Briceno was deposed as leader of the party's northern caucus at a meeting on Monday night. Briceno and his G7 ally Servulo Baeza did not attend the meeting, where the 6 other representatives and political officers form the north, voted to oust Briceno as leader of the northern caucus and install his intra district rival, Dave Burgos.
Briceno has formally led the caucus in the two years since the PUP started recognizing those groups in its constitution. But more visibly, he has been seen as the de facto leader of the north ever since he supported the prime minister in his successful bid for leadership against former northern boss Florencio Marin. for that Briceno was rewarded as deputy party leader. Now this sudden, though not completely unexpected move, alienates Briceno significantly and shows his power base as eroded.
What's behind it? Well you don't need to look much further than the statement made by those same northern caucus rivals when Briceno resigned on august 17th. That statement read:"we stand firm and prepared to take any actions that may be warranted by the prime minister...(to) preserve the unity of the people's united party." We assume this action is in line with that? and it is a calculation by the Musa camp to humiliate, undermine, neutralize and punish Briceno for challenging the prime minister. It's also a strategic move by Musa to consolidate support in the north where the PUP control 7 of 8 seats. And while there is purpose in the plan, it should also be noted that by alienating Briceno, Musa loyalists have "iced" the man who is thought to have delivered those four seats in orange walk? wresting them away form the UDP in 1993. Briceno also owns the largest cable and television network in the north.
As for the elevation of the usually low key Dave Burgos…well we couldn't reach him for comment, but observers believe that his ascension is tied to the fact that at the height of the G7 stalemate he bravely took to the airwaves, going live on Love FM and this newscast to publicly state that he had refused the overtures of the G7 because he thought their strategy was self serving politics orchestrated by G7 ministers Eamon Courtenay and Mark Espat. And while he was large in that moment, in terms of political juice? Burgos isn't quite the political heavyweight which make this no small humiliation for Briceno – as rarely does a deputy party leader and deputy prime minister suffer a public come?uppance of this sort? and it's left to be seen how the embattled deputy will react when he returns to the country.