All last week, the old and new guards of the PUP jostled for control of the party’s executive, its assets and its future. On Sunday amidst denunciation by the old, the new guard moved ahead with its special convention to elect a new executive – thus forcefully ejecting the last one – which was populated with those loyal to the Musa/Fonseca power tandem. That caused some principal figures to boycott yesterday’s event, but that hardly had any effect on the proceedings where - true to the code of renewal – it was no guayabera required. 7NEWS was in the front row.
Jules Vasquez Reporting,
The People’s Stadium was full to overflowing with a good – if not overwhelming crowd but the numbers that mattered most were how many of the 31 candidates would show up. We counted 23.
Jules Vasquez,
You were seen as an instrumental supporter of Francis Fonseca two weeks ago. Two weeks later you’re here supporting John Briceno, what’s your story?
Rodwell Ferguson, Candidate – Stann Creek West
“I want you to understand me quite clearly. I am a member of the PUP. We went into a convention and one candidate as victorious over another and so I am supporting the leadership of the PUP. That is my position.”
Jules Vasquez,
Your former leader Said Musa and the leader who preceded him, Leader Emeritus George Price will not be here today. How does that make you feel?
Rodwell Ferguson,
“Well I don’t want to comment on that. I am telling you what is my position, I am here supporting my party leader.”
Jules Vasquez,
The old guard had told me that you would stick with them but you are here in support of John Briceno. Why is that?
Anthony Sylvestre, Candidate – Queen’s Square
“Well first of all I would like to clarify that a lot has been made about this old guard-new guard but for me at least as a PUP and a young candidate it is important for us as a party to consolidate in particular because of, in my view, what this new government has been doing in terms of firing people and having regards to last week some of these proposals that the Prime Minister wishes to push through.”
Jules Vasquez,
You say there is only one PUP but there is an element of the PUP, a powerful element that’s not recognizing this convention and is not going to be here. How do you reconcile that to your supporters and within your own mind as a candidate for the PUP?
Anthony Sylvestre,
“Well for my part, I believe all of these things will be resolved in time.”
Jules Vasquez,
How do you feel that George Price and Said Musa aren’t here today?
Anthony Sylvestre,
“Well I spoke to the former party leader and I understand the position and he explained to me why he won’t be here.”
Jules Vasquez,
Isn’t it a bit odd to have a PUP convention without George Price and Said Musa?
Cordel Hyde, PUP Deputy Leader
“It’s a bit odd for us to not have George Price I imagine, I mean he was the party leader for a long long time; he’s been around from the beginning. It’s a pity but I don’t think all is lost. I think the new leader has the challenge of trying to unite all the factions and all the different divisions within the party. That is his unique job and I think he has started to try to do that. He has not been able to get them here today but he’ll work on it.”
Jules Vasquez,
You will be, we are told, on the slate as a deputy leader but there are two other deputy leaders, Vildo Marin and Godfrey Smith, who are claiming that your ascension will be unconstitutional and they will remain deputy party leaders after today. What do you think of that?
Cordel Hyde,
“Well I’ve always maintained that the PUP is much more than the leadership of the party. it is the thousands of people who support this party, who volunteer, who campaign, who fundraise, who cry when we lose, who are happy when we win, who are ashamed when we make them ashamed and those are the people who are here today and those are the people who form the national convention of this party and those are the people who will decide who will be their leaders and who will be on the slate for this new executive.”
Jules Vasquez,
But similarly in 2007 those people selected Godfrey Smith and Vildo Marin as deputy party leaders.
Cordel Hyde,
“Yes but we have a new leader and history will tell you that way back in 1996 when Said Musa was elected the party leader, he got the opportunity within two weeks to set up his own executive and he included no members from the faction that went up against him.”
Oscar Rosado, Candidate - Port Loyola
“I think we are at a point now where we have a new leader Johnny Briceno, the person I supported and Port Loyola is fully behind him 100%.”
Jules Vasquez,
Okay what do you think of the claim by others in the party that this is unconstitutional and this convention shouldn’t be happening?
Oscar Rosado,
“I think what goes around comes around. When they were there they did what they wanted and now we have a new leader. We have delegates, the majority of delegates asked for this change. We want a new executive. The people are asking for that and until we listen to the people, and that’s what Johnny is doing, we will move forward like that. We can’t just have a few people in the party dictating and positioning people where they want.”
Rolando Zetina, Candidate – Port Loyola
“The election of the leader has come and gone and I think it is time for us to unite and move on. We have an election coming on in about ten and a half months so I think we should, at the end of today, be united and move forward.”
Jules Vasquez,
How do you feel to see that Said Musa is not here to hand over ceremonially at least to John Briceno and the Leader Emeritus is not here?
Rolando Zetina,
“Well I think they had that prerogative to be here or not. I would have liked for them to be here, it would give a semblance of more unity if they were here but I guess they have their own reasons why they are not here.”
And it’s to that almost universal approbation that Briceno came in to the stadium - welcomed like a returning hero – saving a hearty embrace
for his new deputy leader, Mark Espat. And while there was plenty backslapping and goodwill to go around, there was no overlooking the fact that George Price and Said Musa weren’t there. Former Price colleagues Harry Courtenay and Joe Briceno were in attendance and the closest thing to Musa was Henry Usher who played his role as Secretary General and gave it up to the new party leader.
Henry Usher, PUP Secretary General
“The speakers before me said that Orange Walk is the home of the party leader and that is true but it is also the home of some of the greatest, the loudest, the most dedicated supporters of the PUP.”
And while Usher led the cheer for Briceno, Ervin Rancharan from the boycotting Florencio Marin’s division read the day’s most important resolution.
Ervin Rancharan,
“Whereas the leader has been advised that the party’s assets, namely the Belize Times, the Independence Hall, and Positive Vibes are now owned privately, and now therefore be it resolved that this special national convention of the PUP held in Orange Walk on this Sunday April 13th 2008, calls on those who own these valuable party assets to immediately return them to the party and urges that the newly elected national executive of the PUP takes all the steps necessary to secure the return of these party assets.”
And from there, Briceno’s camp gave another nod to the old guard – asking Hector Silva of the ODS to bless the nomination of a new executive slate from the floor.
Hector Silva,
“As we have so done in the past, I ask for your support that today we elect by slate the new executive of the PUP. Deputy party leader Dan Silva, deputy party leader Hon. Mark Espat, deputy party leader Hon. Cordel Hyde, our party chairman Carolyn Trench-Sandiford.”
And Chairman Trench-Sandiford addressed the mission of the new executive.
Carolyn Trench-Sandiford, PUP Chairman
“Today as I stand before your there is uncertainty as to what the PUP is and who it actually represents; small man or big money, self interest or collective interest. Even I as many of you have struggled with this, saddened as one crisis after another unfolded. There is a clear absence of a vision, unlike the early years.”
And for this executive the man to re-orient the party is John Briceno.
[Trench-Sandiford introducing John Briceno.]
Johnny Briceno, PUP Leader
“First we must heal the wounds of division and declension within our party and unite for we are neither classic or nor light – we are one PUP. My friends we get it, you mean business and we know that you want change. I
promise you that as long as I am the leader of the PUP we will have change ladies and gentlemen.”
But that change has to no be so great as to alienate hard corps supporters.
Jules Vasquez,
But the Leader Emeritus, the man in whose image the party was fashioned did not hand over to you, did not give you the symbolic nod.
Johnny Briceno,
“The Leader Emeritus as I understand has been ill. He has been in bed, he has been unable to speak, and so I will be meeting with him probably shortly as soon as he is feeling better and I can sit down and speak with him.”
Stewart Krohn, News 5
“What is your message to those who stayed home?”
Johnny Briceno,
“My message is simple: the party is big enough for everyone. Everybody has a role to play in this party and they are welcomed whenever they are ready to come back and work in unity.”
Jules Vasquez,
Who is the national campaign manager, is it you or Ralph Fonseca?
Eamon Courtenay, National Campaign Manager
“You’re speaking to the National Campaign Manager duly elected by the Special Convention of the PUP. What the Belize people don’t know was that when the National Party Council last met in Independence Hall the then party leader Said Musa got up and said that he was stepping down and that Ralph Fonseca was stepping down.
Those of us who was there were witness that the Leader Emeritus George
Price got up and called for a round of applause for Mr. Fonseca for his time of service as National Campaign Manager. I was stunned therefore to hear any idea about him still being the National Campaign Manager. That is just rumor and mischief. He has been thanked, he has stepped down, and we have a new National Campaign Manager elected who is ready to carry forward the fight of the PUP.”
Jules Vasquez,
Well then who is Deputy Leader? I have spoken with Godfrey Smith and he has told me in no uncertain terms that his term runs until 2009 and that is when he will serve until.
Eamon Courtenay,
“Yes I understand that but some of us are suffering from some sort of delusions and that’s fine.”
Jules Vasquez,
Are you prepared to stand down a legal challenge which may come in court?
Eamon Courtenay,
“Tell Mr. Smith be my guest.”
Jules Vasquez,
Mr. Silva you are a polarizing figure in the PUP. There are a lot of people in what’s called the old guard who don’t like you, who don’t like Dan Silva and what he represents because you turned your back on Said Musa’s leadership when you resigned in, I want to say, 2002.
Dan Silva, PUP Deputy Leader
“Well I speak the truth, I am here to represent the small man. My constituency was a farming area and so I represent little people and so people that sometimes do dishonest things don’t like Dan Silva. So if you are dishonest person, UDP or PUP, you will not like Dan Silva. If you are a grassroots man you will like me.”
Jules Vasquez,
Will you try and make peace with these people? I know you and Yasser Musa had a shouting match, I know you and Mike Espat had a shouting match some weeks ago. Will you try and make peace with those in the old guard who feel displeased by your presence?
Dan Silva,
“Yes I will reach out to everybody, I can’t hold malice.”
Eamon Courtenay,
“I am appealing to all of these guys, the fight is over. Let us come together. The party leader has been and spoken to every single member of the executive except for those who are vulgar and rude to him and disrespectful and who do not merit a conversation and he has reached out to them and appealed to them to come forward. He has been sincere and I am sure that his appeal remains live.”
But a large part of that peacemaking will involve negotiations over what should be the party’s assets.
John Briceno,
“What we will be doing is meeting with the people that supposedly own these assets and to discuss a way how they could pass it back to the party.”
Jules Vasquez,
Are you all prepared to pay?
John Briceno,
“Well we have to find a way how to get it back.”
Eamon Courtenay,
“It’s very important for the party to have those assets. It is important because we have a lot of work ahead. We have very little resources, in fact non. We don’t have the resources now to use to buy those assets so we need them to be given back to the party free. The same way how donor money was raised to get those assets, that’s what we need now.”
Jules Vasquez,
The Belize Times is not for sale.
Eamon Courtenay,
“Well everything is for sale. That is posturing for today’s event, that posturing is over. We now have a new executive and I am sure we going to find a way to work through it. I don’t believe that there is any person in this country, no single individual who really believes that he or she owns the Belize Times. That belongs to the people of the PUP.”
And Briceno says that party will now change its culture.
John Briceno,
“We have to move away from that culture of money politics, that there are sufficient PUP supporters that are prepared to make small donations to assist us to move this party forward.”
But whether old guard or new, the truth is that the issue for the PUP is not money as much as it is electability and coming back from the worst defeat in the party’s history.
The 9 candidates who did not attend are: Francis Fonseca, Florencio Marin Jr., Vildo Marin, Godfrey Smith, Ralph Fonseca, Said Musa, Otto Coleman, Mario Castellanos and Marcial Mes. And minus that 9, what was the crowd count? Well, we’d put it at close to 2,000 – which, all things considered, is respectable for a party which suffered its worst defeat ever 9 weeks earlier.
Other key spots on the Briceno executive are held by new Communications Director Narda Garcia who replaces Yasser Musa but keeps his deputy Bill Lindo, and treasurer Andre Perez.
So now that the new executive is installed, what’s next for the old guard? Well, 23 of 31 candidates attended and endorsed yesterday’s convention and in the PUP, the convention is supreme. And with that, the best indication we could get was that the old guardians have had their last stand – and will not challenge any further. Or at least, that’s where it stands tonight, but as always in politics and power playing, situations are changeable. But regardless of what they do, on Wednesday, Briceno’s new executive is scheduled to have its first meeting at Independence Hall where they will discuss matters, including we are told the future of the Secretary General, Henry Usher.
