The PUP calls it guided democracy and it was in full effect this weekend as the ruling party decided on the appointment of new executive posts without leaving any blood or seriously bad feelings on the convention floor. The scene was the party's national convention and the party leadership felt it was important to show that after a troublesome January and February, it could still muster a massive showing of popular support and the face of a party unified. We followed convention activities all weekend and found that the party achieved both objectives, even if it did leave a few questions unanswered.
[Supporter Shouting: 'To the River, Adelante!'}
To the river, that's where thousands of party supporters headed on Sunday in San Ignacio as they flooded the streets. There were jumping marching bands and that famous blue and white flag. Their march followed the Party's National Convention, which had the Novelo's Convention Center in San Ignacio overflowing
with supporters. At the convention, the party passed resolutions, one of them notably against BWSL and all representatives spoke. That is all except Cordel Hyde and Mark Espat who did not attend the party's most important celebration.
The speeches were emphatic, dramatic and politically correct urging reform. But just how reform minded could this all be when all the thousands who gathered here, including the party 650 official delegates, had no say whatsoever. They were here simply as a part of the show, the greatest political show in Belize. The convention's only purpose was to ratify the decision made the day before by the 161 delegates of the National Executive who gathered at Party headquarters on Queen Street at 10:00 am.
By noontime the voting was underway inside while Corozal North standard Bearer Valdemar Castillo and deputy hopeful Mike Espat gathered outside for lunch.
By 1:30 pm counting was finished and Espat and his advisor/manager Remijio Montejo walked out looking glum. Close behind was Albert's Mark Espat who had
criticized the process as being undemocratic. After him followed Caribbean Shores' Jose Coye, another hopeful for the deputy post who was unsuccessful. Lake Independence's Cordel Hyde had also criticized the process. And while the new Deputy Chairman of Public Relations Bill Lindo looked none too happy to see our camera, the Prime Minister seemed confident; he had just managed to push through constitutional changes in his party which would accommodate three deputies. With Max Samuels stepping down, John Briceno would remain a deputy, joined by two other deputies of equal rank, Godfrey Smith and Vildo Marin. It's a political troika that sought to accommodate all involved while neutralizing the power of all involved, all who could challenge the Prime Minister. That's one interpretation, but the Prime Minister deflected it after we hunted and harried him down for an interview.
Jules Vasquez,
Mr. Prime Minister can you speak to us about the convention?
Said Musa, PUP Leader
"What you want to know about the convention?"
Jules Vasquez,
I want to know if 3 deputies is an indication of weak leadership.
Said Musa,
"No it shows that the political work has increased and as you know most
countries in the Caribbean they have 4 deputies, Barbados and Jamaica, so it's nothing unusual. I think with the increased work in government and the party work that has to be done it's a good move to have three deputies."
Jules Vasquez,
Will John Briceno remain Deputy Prime Minister?
Said Musa,
"Yes."
Jules Vasquez,
He will not be replaced by Godfrey Smith who bested him in the voting?
Said Musa,
"No he's the Deputy Prime Minister."
And while Briceno is safe, he is so only under the good graces of the Prime Minister and Godfrey Smith. That's because Briceno came in second in the balloting for deputy. He got 99 votes, while Smith got 112, and Marin got 98. It puts the Deputy of the past 12 years in a tight spot.
Jules Vasquez,
Do you feel that as senior Deputy Prime Minister for 7 years and Deputy Party Leader for 11 years you should have been outdone by a relative new comer like Godfrey Smith?
Johnny Briceno, PUP Deputy Leader
"Well I think its not a matter of being outdone, it's a more matter of
if you look there were two candidates from the north; we had Honorable Vildo Marin and myself as two prospective candidates. Vildo had a running mate, Mike Espat, so what happened is that the north was split. My support is strong all over the country; it is certainly strong in Belize City and in the west and in the south. What happened to us is because we were not united in the north, certainly that gave Godfrey Smith an opportunity but good for him. I think he worked very hard."
Jules Vasquez,
With the three of you in charge, it dilutes your power and you are not a threat because you did not place first in the deputy voting at the party level.
Johnny Briceno,
"Jules I think you've known me for many years, it's never been about power for me. I think that I am here to serve in any which way that the Prime Minister and the Party and the government believe that I can serve."
Jules Vasquez,
Do you consider it unfair that they have three deputies; they put a constitutional amendment at the last minute and in fact diluted the power of the deputy by making it so that there would be 3 deputies instead of 2? Do you think that was unfair to you who had been working for months campaigning for the post?
Vildo Marin, PUP Deputy Leader
"No it was not unfair Jules. I believe that the work ahead of us is a lot
of work and the more people that we can get to serve in the party and to serve in leadership positions I think the better it is; there is a lot of work ahead of us."
While the convention may have been more accommodation than unification, the show was worthy of the PUP machine, and when this sea of blue flooded the banks
of the river for the after-convention concert, the PUP, though sundered by the events of the last 6 months, wanted to show that it is still a party - even if this one had no dollar beer. And the party, at least in its public pronouncement, remains confident.
Vildo Marin,
"I believe it shows that the People's United Party is united, it is strong, it is vibrant, and certainly I am sure that we had well over 10,000 people here today and it is message which we are sending to the UDP that come next elections we are going to win town council, we are going to win all village councils elections, and we will move on forward to win the next general elections in 2008."
Our estimate of the crowd put it at close to 7,000 supporters. As expected, the party puts that figure above 10,000. At final count, the Deputy leadership battle between 6 candidates went thusly: Godfrey Smith 112 votes, John Briceno 99 votes, and Vildo Marin 98 votes. Those three are now party deputies. Coming in fourth was Mike Espat with 57 votes, Joe Coye with 47 votes and Sylvia Flores with 35. As an accommodation/consolation, Flores was appointed Party Treasurer. The contests for the posts of Chairman Public Relations and Deputy National Campaign Manager were also compromised away, with Yasser Musa appointed Chairman of Public Relations and Bill Lindo made his Deputy. And Eamon Courtenay will remain as deputy national campaign manager as the man who might have displaced him, Florencio Marin Jr. will now also be a deputy. At the convention, the party also passed a resolution threatening to nationalize BWSL. Later on the Deputy Prime Minister will explain that to us.
