And while the Prime Minister refused to accept the theory that the loss was a referendum on his leadership, the Leader of the Opposition, Dean Barrow today told us that it has to be. The win is a first for Barrow as well, who, since taking over the UDP in 1998, has never won a majority in any major election. And though it's his first, he says the victory is not his to claim.
Hon. Dean Barrow, UDP Leader
"It is not so much a victory for the UDP as it is a victory for democracy and a victory for Belize."
Jules Vasquez,
How would you answer the criticism that in fact the UDP could only have won in a situation where the present administration continues to endure a diversity of morbid symptoms of an administration in freefall and in fact you are only the recipients of all the PUP administration's misdeeds?
Hon. Dean Barrow,
"Well there is an element of truth to that. I think however it is s truth that obtains all over the place. More often than not, if perhaps not on ever occasion, elections are won by opposition parties, they are lost by ruling parties. So it doesn't take away anything from the victory if the equation is described in that fashion."
Jules Vasquez,
What do you think was the decisive issue in the swing voter's mind?
Hon. Dean Barrow,
"The corruption of his administration is a huge issue in this country. For the sake of the well-being of Belizeans, I certainly would have liked the PM to accept this and to assure us that it is a problem he will fix. If he doesn't accept it is problem then clearly he has no intention of fixing the problem since in his own mind the problem doesn't exist.
Clearly we want the general elections to be called as early as possible and we think that circumstances may well force the PM's hand. We know for sure that this budget has to be a bad news budget. You exposed a couple of weeks ago the absolutely grim scenario with regards to debt servicing; $280 million, $190 million of which we cannot find. We have to find it and while there might be some external help, the bulk of it will have to come from Belizeans in the form of more taxes. There is therefore going to be a tremendous spike in the level of dissatisfaction with the government in the context of this economic squeeze. I don't want to make any predictions but it would seem to me that there is every possibility of a coming together of the sorts of civil society forces that we saw last year. If that happens and the pressure is sustained again, I don't see how on earth the government wouldn't do the proper thing and call fresh general elections."
