Before the break we told you about the retirement ceremony for Said Musa. His son, Henry Charles Usher, is in the process of succeeding him as the PUP's standard-bearer in the Fort George Division, and apart from the UDP's candidate, another challenger has emerged for that electoral seat.
That new aspirant is Wil Maheia, the independent politician and border activist from Toledo. Last week, he declared that he would be offering himself as the candidate for the Belize Progressive Party in that division.
Shortly afterward, the organization, known as the Belize Peace Movement, officially wrote to him and forcefully asked that he either abandon his candidacy or remove himself as a claimant in their redistricting lawsuit against the Elections and Boundaries Commission.
As we told you, the Peace Movement is insisting that redistricting of 31 electoral divisions has to occur before the next elections, because the huge disparity in the different sizes is undemocratic. Several of the members are insisting that if Maheia follows through with his candidacy in Fort George, he can hurt the Peace Movement's case.
This evening, via a teleconference interview, we asked Maheia about their complaint, and here's how he answered that:
Wil Maheia - Political Aspirant, Fort George
"We have consulted our attorneys. I have never heard that from my attorney myself. In fact, even in public, Kareem Musa, who is a well-known attorney, has commented that he doesn't see how I as a claimant can influence the outcome of the lawsuit. So, I don't think - I think they're making a big deal out of nothing because we have spoken to several attorneys who said, hey, that should not influence the outcome of the lawsuit."
Reporter
"We aren't attorneys or anything like that, but they do seem to make a reasonable point that how can you complain of something that you think is improper, or not correct when you are about to engage in the same activity that you disagree on?"
Wil Maheia
"Again, I go back to the advice of my attorney that this will not be something - the outcome of the case will not be impacted by this. And then, also, I understand some, you know. It's not the entire executive that had signed off on this because if you check the BPM executive, you will see that several members did not agree with them. So, you wouldn't know that the BPM has elements within it because the BPM is made up of PUP, UDP, BPP, and VIP. So, they have an agenda. So, they want to make something out of this, but it's not even a consensus they have. A few of them have gotten together, written a statement, and put it out as a press release."
"We're using this as a way to highlight. I go into Fort George and I win, you're showing the electoral system. It's basically flawed."
Also, in their statement from today, the Belize Peace Movement also took issue with the fact that we've been referring to them as a sister organization of the Belize Progressive Party. Back when the movement was first introduced publicly, it was at a press conference being held by the Belize Progressive Party. It was described as a sort of civil arm of the BPP, which focuses on the party's more nationalistic ideals and agendas.
Back then, Bobby Lopez, the current chairman of the Peace Movement, was also the treasurer of the Belize Progressive Party. Maheia, who is a claimant in the redistricting lawsuit and a member of the Peace Movement, is the Deputy political leader of the BPP. Several, of the early members of the Peace Movement, were also personalities of the Belize Progressive Party.
But, the BPM is putting distance between themselves at the Progressive Party. In fact, they say that they have no direct ties to any political party.
In today's press release, they say, quote, "The BPM wishes to clarify that it is NOT a sister organization of the Belize Progressive Party (BPP) nor does it coordinate its activities with the BPP or any other political party for that matter."
Today, we asked Wil Maheia about that clear line that is now drawn in the sand, and here's how that conversation went:
Reporter
"We have been referring to the Belize Peace Movement as a sister organization of the Belize Progressive Party. The chairman, Mr. Roberto Lopez, is saying that is completely wrong."
"Wasn't the BPM introduced to the public in its early stages as a sort of arm of the BPP?"
Wil Maheia
"Exactly. So, you know, over time, things have changed. We have been joined by other non-BPP members, which is the bigger picture of that. But, they cannot deny that BPP was one of the founding members of the Belize Peace Movement. I think that is very accurate for you to describe that. At the same time, we have members from UDP. We have members from VIP, and from PUP who are members of that. And hence, this is where the controversy comes in because when you look at the people who have signed off and agreed on the release - as I said, it's not the entire executive - and it's elements who are outright PUP's that's in there, and VIP."
The press release from the Belize Peace Movement ends by saying, quote, "The BPM's primary focus at this time is the successful conclusion of its redistricting case which seeks to correct the unconstitutional imbalances in our electoral divisions... The BPM will be unceasing in its efforts to correct this sustained and egregious breach of our constitution." End quote.
