Probably the greatest political upset in Belize’s modern political history was in 1984 when a young Derek Aikman beat the then Prime Minister and PUP leader George Price. It was a back to back victory for Aikman when he won Freetown again in 1993. Shortly after, Aikman was forced into bankruptcy and out of the House of Representatives. That paved the way for the PUP's Jorge Espat who won in a by-election in 1994. He repeated that victory in 1998 - and the division remained blue when Francis Fonseca won - in 2003 against UDP's Chairman Doug Singh.
And that brings us to 2008 where Fonseca - now the PUP's Chairman and high profile minister in the Musa administration is facing a tough challenge from a fairly new but loud kid on the block - the UDP's Michael Peyrefitte. With its history of upsets - anything can happen in Freetown. We tried to find out who is ahead.
Keith Swift Reporting,
This defaced People United Party’s sign, a specially made cake for Freetown voters, and this gigantic - larger than life United Democratic Party flag - which has been hoisted atop a crane in Belama phase 2 - are manifestations of the intense battle on the ground in Freetown between Francis Fonseca for the PUP and Michael Peyrefitte for the UDP.
Michael Peyrefitte, UDP Candidate for Freetown
“What the people of Freetown will get is a real live individual – not some stiff, fake person who will smile for the camera at the particular angle. I am here to tell you I will represent you and I am willing to hear what it is you need and I will do everything in my power to deliver what it is you need. I am in a division where the people are just sick and tired of anything that’s named Fonseca.”
The Fonseca in Freetown is - Francis Fonseca - the PUP incumbent who is seeking a second term in a division that has stayed blue in three successive elections.
Francis Fonseca, PUP Candidate for Freetown
“We’ve been working with the people of Freetown over the last five years. I was honored on march 5th of 2003 and from then I recognized that if I was to be successful - in the next election I would have to able to work to go back to the people of Freetown.”
And his record is what Fonseca says he has been taking to voters in Freetown.
Francis Fonseca,
“We’ve worked on education, we’ve worked on healthcare, we’ve worked on improving the security of the community - both here in area one and area two. We’ve worked on trying to improve the infrastructure in the area. We’ve worked on land development, housing development, and many many issues.”
Michael Peyrefitte
“When you talk about King’s Park or Belama there is streets and drains followed very closely by security, by lack of activities. There is absolutely no parks or playgrounds in the King’s Park area, there are no educational facilities in the Belama section for the Freetown division.
Its about the people from the division realizing that who has been representing them for the pass five to ten years is not what they want and they want better representation. They want a representative that they can reach out to. They want a representative that they can talk- and I have been in their homes and I have been talking to people and people are saying they want a person like you that we can reach out to and touch.”
But politics isn’t just local – at least not in Freetown. Peyrefitte says Francis Fonseca’s complicity in the misadventures of the PUP government will be the nail in his coffin.
Mike Peyrefitte,
“He cannot be outspoken, he cannot even talk because then all he has to do is follow whatever Said Musa tells him to do. Signing $33 million documents that nobody know about in Cabinet and he doesn’t even realizes it is in U.S. dollars when it should be in Belize dollars and printing books with Belize as a part of Mexico – I guess those were the better things he was doing over there.”
Jules Vasquez,
He says the PUP brand is not as good as the UDP brand.
Francis Fonseca
“Well that is his great hope. He can’t beat Francis Fonseca so he is trying to hope that some swing will bring him into office.”
And the PUPs are confident Peyrefitte won’t get into office because they say he is violent and arrogant.
Mike Peyrefitte,
“I am not arrogant. Why am I arrogant? Because I speak out? Because I am aggressive, because I’m not afraid of anybody? What is so interesting is he calls me arrogant but yes he has the face of brass to tell the people of Belize, ‘I am going with the UHS agreement - if the people of Freetown don’t like it, they can vote me out.’ But then you what – they will vote him out on February 7th because that is the height of arrogance and that is the difference between me and him.”
The difference between Mike Peyrefitte and Francis Fonseca – with the flock of supporters Fonseca brought on Wednesday – and the crowd Peyrefitte brought out on Saturday- including 5 city councilors - it’s too close to call in Freetown.
The Freetown constituency stretches from areas in King's Park and up the Northern Highway to the Haulover Bridge. There are 3,687 voters in Freetown. It is the fifth largest division in the city in terms of registered voters.
