He's been Deputy Party Leader of the PUP for 10 years but is Johnny Briceno getting ready to take charge of the PUP? Well, there are a few qualified and ranking pup's who could step up to take the job, but Briceno is next in line, and he is declaring himself ready. How do we know this? Well last night, he appeared on the evening newscast of his family-owned TV station in Orange Walk, CTV 3.
When asked by interviewer and employee Michael Rudon if he has considered his options, in the event that, "the current leadership decides to step down." Briceno answered, "certainly its something that you believe that the day will come when you will have to step up to the plate...I think that I now have the experience and that whenever that time comes, I will be ready to take over the leadership of the party..." Sounds to us like a man on a mission, and when we spoke with him today, we asked John Briceno is he ready to challenge for the leadership of the PUP, and in the event of a loss in the upcoming general elections, how long would he wait for the current party leader to step down?
Jules Vasquez,
At what point does the leadership of the PUP and of the government of Belize, by Said Musa, with so many mistakes having been made, at one point that does leadership come into question, that perhaps at this time with the battering he has taken in public and continues to take, that perhaps his leadership at a certain point becomes unviable? Are you of the view that it will at a certain point become unviable and the Prime Minister should or might choose to step down?
Hon. Johnny Briceno, PUP Deputy Leader
"Well I think everybody would accept that only the Prime Minister, at the end of the day, he as the leader of the government, whenever we have issues like this in any country, at the end of the day the Prime Minister or the President would have to accept some sort of responsibility for his government.
The Prime Minister has not shied away from that and he has paid a heavy price because of that and he admits that. As to whether his leadership is viable or not, I think it is too early to talk about that at this moment. He continues to have the support of the party and of his Cabinet Ministers and that is why until that time I think it is too early to be speculating about that."
Jules Vasquez,
However certainly, were the Prime Minister or the party leader to choose at some point in the future to step down, certainly as the deputy for ten years at this point, the deputy party leader, you would be next in line?
Hon. Johnny Briceno,
"Well I don't understand about next in line but certainly being the deputy leader for the past ten years I think I have been given a wonderful opportunity by the Prime Minister, the party leader, to be his deputy, both as deputy leader and as Deputy Prime Minister. I believe that over the past ten years, 8 years as deputy Prime Minister, that I have learnt a lot and I will always be grateful to him for that opportunity. Should he decide to step down, do I think that I am ready? I am think that I am. I think that I have the experience. Will I do it? I guess we will have to look at the options that are available at that time."
Jules Vasquez,
If it ever arises are you prepared to challenge the Prime Minister or the party leader, are you prepared to challenge the party leader for leadership if it so happened that let's just say that the PUP would lose the election and he remains interested in being party leader, and the loss is squarely on his shoulders as the then prime minister and party leader, would you be prepared to challenge him?
Hon. Johnny Briceno,
"Well certainly at this moment why do believe that it is difficult for us to win elections, I still have confidence in the party and this government that if we continue to do the right thing, as we have been doing, we have been reducing the debt, we've been holding tight to our spending in government, yet we continue to provide social services to our people, education, and the list can go on.
I still do believe that the people still believe in this government, still believe in the PUP. After 2008 should we have a loss, what will happen then would be anybody's guest at that time and I think it is going to be too early to speculate. But like in politics you never close any doors, you never say never and I think time will be the judge of that."
Jules Vasquez,
But if the party fails at the polls, would it not have been essentially a failure of the leadership of the party to lead in a competent way and at that point should not the leader then, as Mr. Esquivel did, just immediately walk away, were we to reach that point?
Hon. Johnny Briceno,
"Again the party leader at that time would have to weigh his options. The leadership within the party, the different members of the party, all of them would have to weigh their options and decide whether they'll continue under Said Musa or will they will be looking around for a new leader. But only time will tell."
Click here for Johnny's interview with CTV3 in Orange Walk.
We might note that in over 5 decades of political pluralism in Belize, no mass party has been led by a politician who is not from Belize City. Though he's the senior deputy, Briceno shares the party deputy leader post with Vildo Marin and Godfrey Smith. Marin just emerged from a bitterly contested divisional convention with a less than convincing victory, mobilizing only 15% of the vote in his favor.
