And we close tonight’s newscast with Zenaida Moya, the woman who has made the biggest news this week, and for that matter, last week, and the week before. True enough, in the last two months or so, Zenaida Moya has dominated the news. In fact, since July 31st when 7NEWS declared the campaign season open with interviews from both camps, Zenaida Moya’s name has been mentioned in the news 41 times, and in what must be a record, she was interviewed 17 times during that period. We could calculate the minutes, but you get the idea, Mayor Moya has been in the news a whole lot and certainly more than anyone else!
And if you’re wondering, during the same period, her opponent Anthony Michael was mentioned in the news 20 times, and was interviewed 5 times. And that’s because in terms of political theatre, Moya is one of the most compelling sometimes confounding public figures we’ve ever encountered. And so we end the news tonight, with a few moments of Zen, culled from the last two months of often remarkable soundbytes.
[July 31st, 2008]
Zenaida Moya,
“So I welcome a challenge. I welcome a challenge, it will just make
me stronger, solidify.”
[August 21st, 2008]
Mark King,
“I might go down as a fallen soldier but I do it with joy, I do it with laughter, I do it for my country and I do it for my party any ay, any time.”
[August 21st, 2008]
Zenaida Moya,
“It’s from Mark King. This is somebody who noh too right. For me to respond to these allegations, I mean Jules you really have me laughing.”
[September 25th, 2008]
Manuel Esquivel,
“We simply cannot afford to have decisions and policies being made solely by the Mayor.”
[September 25th, 2008]
Zenaida Moya,
“Mr. Price, George Price did the same thing for Francis Fonseca and it did not work so but I understand that he probably felt he had to do it.”
[August 21st, 2008]
Mark King,
“The council did not approve the security for the Mayor’s house
and this is the house that she does not live.”
[August 21st, 2008]
Zenaida Moya,
“You know what, Zenaida doesn’t need no security.”
[August 27th, 2008]
Englebert Perrera, City Administrator
“I didn’t even want to go to work this morning. I was threatened to do my job.”
[August 27th, 2008]
Zenaida Moya,
“Officers should do their jobs and if we find out otherwise then that will be dealt with.”
[July 31st, 2008]
Anthony Michael,
“My other councillors that are with me are hard workers.”
[July 31st, 2008]
Zenaida Moya,
“I have issues with them, plain and simple. I have issues if I feel that you are lazy.”
[October 2nd, 2008]
Anthony Michael,
“The salary and the additional income that was given to the Mayor by the Mayor is wrong.”
[September 30th, 2008]
Zenaida Moya,
“Zenaida you don’t need this, you don’t need this. But you know what, because I am already in it and because I am already the first female Mayor of Belize City, I cannot go down."
And she didn’t, as is now history, Zenaida Moya won the largest political convention in memory by a margin of more than a thousand votes.
