For the past decade, the standing conventional wisdom has been that Orange Walk Town and district are safe for the PUP. The party has controlled all four-district divisions for 8 years and the town council for 9 years. But the opposition is confident that in 2008 it can unseat that decade of dominance.
The party makes that boast because it has received an infusion of energy from the new blood of recently elected Orange Walk North standard bearer Gaspar Vega, a businessman of some standing. With Vega's financial and organizational resources, the UDP is confident. But Deputy Prime Minister john Briceno, the ranking general in the north has a lot to defend. They're trying to claim his home court, and the never defeated veteran of many battles has been campaigning aggressively for the last two months. All this sets the stage for what some pundits will be a close race in what is certainly looking to be a battleground. Alfonso Noble visited Sugar City on Friday and found the political temperament bitter.
Alfonso Noble Reporting,
For 9 years the People's United Party has controlled the Orange Walk Town council. According to the Orange Walk Central area representative and northern caucus boss Johnny Briceno, that is not something that should be taken for granted. He says that Orange Walk has been traditionally a UDP town.
Hon. Johnny Briceno, Orange Walk Central
"If you look at the history of Orange Walk town, the opposition has been quite strong in here. In 1993 I was the only one that was elected and since 1994 only three of us won the town council elections. It is only since 1997 when we have transformed the party, we brought two people into the party, that we have been winning by huge margins; since 1997, 2000, 2003."
Still, now that there is PUP control of the town it will be difficult to unseat them. And the PUP's mayoral candidate Netty Johnson says that Briceno is a reason for that.
Netty Johnson, PUP
"Of course Johnny Briceno is a big figure, people love him all over this town. Everywhere he goes he is well received. He takes time to talk to the people, he takes time to listen to their concerns, and he gives them possible solutions and people believe in him so for us, yes, it's a plus to campaign with Johnny."
Still the United Democratic Party is looking for a victory. The strength that Briceno exercises in Orange Walk Central is no deterrent and they claim that the campaign is going extremely well.
Ravel Gonzalez, UDP
"I feel very positive with results that we should win on Election Day. The way the people have received us is very positive, they are very receptive to the way we are campaigning, a clean campaign, we are sticking to the issues. A campaign is based on the issues, both locally and nationally. Locally the present PUP town council has failed in the maintenance of streets, in the cleaning of drainage, in the collection of garbage. They have failed in installing youth programs, the upkeep of parks, and also as part of our campaign we are talking about the national issues, about all the corruption, bloated contracts, and all the duties of government to secure the future for the people of Belize."
And because of the national issues, the UDP believes its campaign is going well. In fact they say that will be the downfall of the PUP this time around. For Johnson however it is a different story.
Ravel Gonzalez,
"The people, some of them are very appalled at the situation in Belize, some of them do not know what is happening and we bring that information to them and when we discuss, objectively, what is happening in Belize they realize how critical and how serious their vote will be on March 1st."
But as much as the UDP is confident of a win on Wednesday so too are the PUP.
Netty Johnson,
"Our campaign is going very strong. People are supporting us, they are giving us some very good vibes, understanding us, and asking us to keep moving forward. Yes we have some of that that we try to explain to the people that this is a municipal election and we have showed them as well that the People's United Party, the town council under the PUP, has delivered in the nine years that they have been up in town hall. And so they are understanding that and so we are explaining to them our manifestos in the past and what we have done and they understand that we have been delivering so we tell them as well that at this point there is still time to discuss the other issues, when that comes up as well."
Hon. Johnny Briceno,
"The national issues always play a important role in every election. In our case yes there have been some concerns in Orange Walk Town but at the end of the day people understand that this is a local matter, it is a decision we have to make on how is the right team, who are the right people, who is better qualified to be mayor of this town, who would be the better group of people as councilors to continue to manage this town."
The battle in Orange Walk is heightened by a well populated media landscape where the UDP has friendly cable, radio and newspaper outlets while Briceno's Centaur Communications owns and operates broadcast, cable and radio outlets.
