Who will be Belize City’s next Mayor? Officially, the battle is between the UDP and the PUP but unofficially, the real war is within the UDP. That’s where, as we first reported last night, both incumbent Mayor Zenaida Moya and her deputy Anthony Michael will offer themselves to a convention for the top spot at City Hall.
It is political, but it is also personal: there’s no love lost between these two rivals, and more than that, the contest for allies in the council and within the city’s ten constituencies could cause serious divisions within the party. But such is the nature of politics – and no one studies the art of political war-making more keenly than Zenaida Moya. Her rather large public image was forged in the fires of defiance: whether she was fighting the then Musa administration as a union leader in 2005; up to when she was countermanding Senior Superintendent Chester Williams at the site of that famous political sign.
And now, she’s got another battle on her hands. And not surprisingly, Mayor Moya told us today, the hotter the battle, the sweeter the victory.
Zenaida Moya, Mayor of Belize City
“One thing has always been very very important in all of those challenges though, I’ve always sided with the people. My track record shows I’ve always sided with the people, and with the grace of God and the support of the people I’ve always been able to prevail. So I welcome a challenge, I welcome a challenge. It will just make me stronger, solidified.
I have been, I feel I have been doing a good job and it shows by even the support that has been communicated to me by the different area representatives and their communities, in terms of the support they have. Seven strong support in terms of areas, seven areas have indicated strong support of myself. The other two have indicated that they will remain neutral which is fine by me because there is different persons on the committees that have indicated it is Zenaida. So if there is one particular area who feels they would want to challenge me then that’s how it is. But overall I feel that the majority of those in the party support me. They’ve indicated their support and we will see their support coming.”
Jules Vasquez,
Those are not the numbers that I have heard. I have not spoken to every area representative or standard bearers but those are not the numbers I have heard. Second, would you say that within those numbers the leader of the UDP supports you, Dean Barrow?
Zenaida Moya,
“Well I had spoken with the leader, I think it was about a month and a half ago I think, I don’t have the exact date. I went and I met with him personally and there were some issues we had spoken of. There was a lot of I would say, yerri-so that he had heard and those were straightened out. It was shown that there were a lot of lies that were being said about me and after that, I went in with a shaking of hands and I came out with a hug.”
Jules Vasquez,
Would you concede that there is a split in loyalties within the council?
Zenaida Moya,
“Yes I would concede that.”
Jules Vasquez,
Would you say that you have the support of the majority of the elected councilors?
Zenaida Moya,
“Yes I feel I have the support of the majority of the elected councilors. There are some of them who I’ve indicated to the others that I have issues with them. Plain and simple, I have issues. I have issue if I feel that you’re lazy and I don’t see anything happening in the portfolios you are given responsibility and I will call you on that. I will make sure you I call you on that. So I have issues with some particular ones and I’ve indicated to them that I have issues because the burden will fall on myself because I’m the sitting Mayor. They are not doing their part, they’re collecting their stipend whatever but I’m here having to back that. No man, no no no. And even in the case of them I would say wanting to become managers, that is why we have managers –that is why we have directors to do the job, not to be intimidating these individuals. Not to be intimidating staff.
It is simply a matter of what is right and wrong, what people are being paid to do. And when there are issues like that, I am somebody very vocal. That’s what you have to understand. I won’t take bullshit. So one if you’re not working I can’t deal with that. I will not deal with that. Now I see certain persons, we’re nearing election time shortly, we’re nearing convention time and I see certain persons all of a sudden cozying up for the camera. You look at the track record and what have they been doing. What have they been doing all the time? You understand, that is the question you need to ask.
I know my record can speak for itself: consistency, consistency, consistency – even in terms of the different projects that have gotten done. When I make calls, when I lobby certain persons to ensure that we get a assistance to pay for this project, to assist in some particular street, some sporting programs, assist with a park. I have to do that job. I may not get the glory but I have to sit right here and make those calls and ensure that that happens."
Jules Vasquez,
Will you have your own slate going into the convention and how many of the existing councilors will be on that slate or have indicated they want to be on that slate?
Zenaida Moya,
“In terms of saying, ‘I will have this slate,’ I mean come on- if so many persons come on board, let us say you have twenty persons that are very good candidates that want to put themselves up and they want to walk with me or they want to be on the slate and there is only room for ten then what happens? I want to work with good persons though, I want to walk with persons that I feel that are strong and that won’t be running for egos. This isn’t for ego. This is a job. This isn’t about making money, trying to see how you can try and strike some deal. It is about working for the people and whoever I walk with, I will have to feel very satisfied that those individuals won’t be in it just for the prestige or the opportunities, the financial opportunities. I will have to ensure that I really look at those particular persons.”
Jules Vasquez,
Are you saying that there are those in your council now who are in it for deals, for the opportunities?
Zenaida Moya,
“I won’t speak on that matter for right now Jules.”
Jules Vasquez,
Boots Martinez has made it clear that he is supporting Anthony Michael. At conventions, large crowds determine who wins.
Zenaida Moya,
“First of all Boots was very helpful in that last election. I’ll give him that. I had ten areas, one area rep. did not support me, I won’t say the area. Boots was able to bring out 400 voters to support me. I was able to get 4,000 voters.
At the end of the day again my track record speaks for itself. The people will decide who they vote. If a particular rep. feels upset with me because I didn’t support one of their financiers with a particular contract then that’s it. I had to do what was right for the people. To just sign off on a ten year contract in perpetuity; ten year contract that will never end, ten years and another ten years and another ten years when the council felt strongly that that particular contractor was not doing his job.
I did what I felt was the right thing to do. If that particular area rep. feels that I should have just signed on to a ten year contract and not at least put up some level of challenge on behalf of the people of Belize City then that’s his opinion and if he doesn’t want to support me because of that, the people will decide. The people will decide in his area.”
Jules Vasquez,
You’re saying the difference between you and Boots Martinez isn’t really about management or about how you run the council or about how electable you are, the issue really is about an internal friction because he wanted something a certain way but you felt that it was in the people’s interest to take it another way?
Zenaida Moya,
“Correct, correct. That is the absolute truth. That’s it, that’s the issue. That is the crux of the matter. That is the issue and I could understand persons wanting to support their financiers, I understand that, and I understand politicians will have financiers, but to ask somebody like myself who persons know why I came into the party, I came in here first of all to ensure that those things ended - and in this case the People’s United Party did not win because that’s what they were doing. That is who they serve and when I came in and I had my own thoughts that I would ensure it is for the people.
Whatever I do, it is in the best interest of the people and I will continue to do it. And if I get flack for it from a particular individual then that’s it. The rest of the people will decide and I think they will at the end of the day appreciate that this Zenaida Moya, it doesn’t matter who it is. The only person that can come down and dictate to Zenaida Moya is God.
The UDP will win the municipal election next year March again as long as Zenaida Moya, with the support of the people, comes out the victor and that is the reality of it Jules. That is the absolute realty of it. We will have a UDP victory next year around. The people will ensure it.”
And while Moya told us in that interview that she has the support of a majority of her councilors, seems she’s in for a surprise.
