They were appointed in March of 2003, and now the UDP says it wants to rotate its three Senators. But the supporters of Orange Walk East Area Representative and Senator Marcel Cardona say they ain't going out like that. In a nasty letter purported to have been written to the Leader of the Opposition, supporters of Cardona say that their leader is being pushed aside and disfavored to make way for Gaspar Vega and Rosendo Urbina, the party's standard bearers for Orange Walk North and Central, respectively. The letter says that if he is moved, Cardona might consider switching allegiances to the PUP. When we spoke to leader Dean Barrow this week he said he had not seen that letter, but had spoken with emissaries from Orange Walk East, but still, Cardona will lose his Senate seat.
Hon. Dean Barrow, UDP Leader
"In fairness to Senator Cardona I need to make clear that I have absolutely no evidence that he is either the author or the encourager of this letter that I have seen. I need to put that very squarely on the table and I believe in fact that he would not participate in something like that. The UDP intends to rotate all current Senators, the three current Senators, that we have.
This is something that I have signaled from the very start when they were appointed. I told them and I told the party, and so there was a consensus, that at about the midway point or shortly thereafter, I would expect to replace all three of them as a way of giving other people a chance and showing that the Party has the human resources, has the muscle and the firepower, to replace the old with the new and to show a new fit. So yes Senator Cardona will be changed but so will Senators Roches and Tillet."
Jules Vasquez,
Will the new Deputy Leader of the Party Mr. Vega be the Senator?
Hon. Dean Barrow,
"No standard bearers, none of the standard bearers, none of the current standard bearers of the party will be made a Senator."
The UDP is expected to announce its new Senate appointments by the end of the month.
