There were strong rumors running in political circles today saying that the old guard of the PUP would file an injunction against Party Leader John Briceno’s Sunday convention. And we do know that it had been seriously discussed and even worked at, but when the registrar’s office closed at 4:30 today, no filing had been made.
So then, the stage is set for a triumphalist throwdown at the People’s Stadium on Sunday. Briceno’s slate for a new executive will be nominated from the floor. That will reportedly include deputy leaders Mark Espat, Cordel Hyde and Dan Silva from Cayo. Others who will be on the slate are Eamon Courtenay, Amalai Mai and Narda Garcia. By all expectations, the slate will be installed without Opposition at the stadium.
But there will be opposition from the old guard, which still controls the party headquarters. A release yesterday indicates that national campaign manager Ralph Fonseca, Deputy Leader Godfrey Smith and Communications Director Yasser Musa intend to ignore the ascension of a new executive and hold unto to their posts. They have even planned a meeting for next week Wednesday.
All that raises, again, the possibility that there could be, if only for a little while, two PUPs - and like Coca Cola, one will be classic, and one will be lite. Left to be seen which one voters will choose.
