55 years ago George Price, Leigh Richardson, Phillip Goldson, John Smith and others sat around a table at the Price family home on Pickstock Street in Belize City and decided to form the PUP. It's been a long and storied history for "big blue" in the five decades since and some critics say that the party is in a downswing, its leadership beleaguered and its spirit belittled by that diversity of morbid symptoms that accompany an administrative collapse. But, the doubters can "halla that" where they wish and as loudly as they like, because at 55 the PUP's political machine still has the pluck, power and pace of a champion thoroughbred. And today it was in stretch form as the party celebrated the big five-five at the Image Factory. It's a big day but the man who led for 38 years told a gathering of supporters that he almost forgot.
Rt. Hon. George Price, PUP Leader Emeritus
"What is today? The 29th, I almost forgot what was today, the feast of St. Michael's, the Archangel. It is also the birthday of the People's United Party." [Applause.]
Rt. Hon. Said Musa, PUP Leader
"When so many people feel that governments can be removed, well not so many, some people. That governments can be removed just by calling for their resignation or talking about forcing them out of office, well Belize has never had that experience and we will never have that experience under the People's United Party."
