And while Cherisse Halsall was out west, Daniel Ortiz was in the south. He reported on Dangriga and Stann Creek West where he was impressed by the cantor and clarity of the voters; here's his story:
Democracy in the Stann Creek District was fascinating to sample yesterday. Some electors showed up to the polls early, and certainly, the COVID-19 pandemic motivated them to get the process over with as quickly as possible.
We encountered folks with mixed feelings about what message they wanted to send to the politicians who were asking for their political support at the ballot.
Hope Creek Voter - Dangriga Constituency "You don't have to; it's your choice honestly, but for me, I think it's a good thing because it allows you to know what is going on, and you have a say. So, if anything good happens, then you can say, oh well, they did this for us. It is for us, the Belizeans."
Reporter "[Do] you think we'll stay - you'll have a UDP 4-peat or a change in Government? Just off the top of your head, just a quick guess."
Hope Creek Voter "To be honest, I cannot say because of the 2 people running here for Hope Creek, it's a very tight race."
Sittee River Voter - Stann Creek West Division "It was a last-minute decision that I have made, which I wasn't certain earlier this morning. It's not my first time voting, and people in this area, Stann Creek District know me very well, which party I represent all the while, and for that reason, it was a decision kinda tough for me to make within the day."
Reporter "Is it that you've maybe gotten fed up with the way politics in Belize is practiced?"
Sittee River Voter "Probably, yes, politics is a nasty game, so for that reason, you think twice before you take a step, however, we - like it nor not, we have somebody who represents us."
Reporter "Are the people of this particular village the type to stay home for elections? Or do they go out to make a point?"
Silk Grass Voter - Stann Creek West Division "They go out to make a point, I believe, but what happens is that they don't fight over it. So, that's one of the reasons I like this village? For those of the residents of your community who might decide that you know what, my vote will not change anything, or they may have gotten, maybe voter fatigue."
Silk Grass Voter "One-one full the basket, and that's what makes the difference. So, you only have one vote, and one time every what, 5 years, to make a choice in government."
In Dangriga, the voter turn-out was much higher than election officials were expecting, no doubt an example of Belizean resilience, despite the many hardships that the year 2020 has brought.
Ruthilia Gabriel - Returning Officer, Dangriga "Our 6 o'clock count for the Dangriga division is 4,212 of the 5,482 registered electors. That's 76.8% of the total registered electors for the Dangriga Division, as of September 11th. I think like everybody, every Belizean would expect a low voter turn-out because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but I was a bit surprised and encouraged that the people came out to vote. I think it's a reasonable percentage."
But, while that was certainly good news, once again, there were undercurrents of supposed vote-buying in these elections. We found no evidence to support this public secret that some Belizeans are now demanding some sort of financial compensation for their vote, but one Dangriga voter was frank about what supposedly goes on when no one is looking.
Anthony Petillo - Voter, Dangriga "I don't wanna say - but this is facts. Many residents in Dangriga, sometime they come out late in the evening. That is to say - this is what I get to understand that they want a little ‘something' for their votes, and hence the reason why, because, in the evening, it's crunch time. So, when you look at the voter turn-out, then the candidate, well, he is monitoring that. That is to say, if he thinks that he is behind, then he will try to boost up the other voters to side with him."
Reporter "Okay, so you're suggesting vote-buying."
Anthony Petillo "I will not answer that one. I'll take the fifth."
Turning now to the politicians who ran in Dangriga, and the conversations we had with them, the Incumbent was confident that he would get that Griga love.
Frank "Papa" Mena - UDP Standard-Bearer, Dangriga "I'm content with what I have done for my people. I have - I was explaining to some roots men who came to the office earlier, that, when you're trying to demand something for your vote, it's not a proper thing to be doing because I am here with you. You live in this neighbourhood, and sometimes, my queen has to go out to the pantry and pull out something because your children are hungry. We have our pledge list, we have our contact for these people, and we're going to get them. A lot of our people are saying, Papa, I'm done - they send me a text, ‘I went. I already went and did it. That is gratifying."
Reporter "Even though you're a young parliamentarian, your party has been in government for 3 terms now, and conventional wisdom suggests that the momentum might have already been building against you guys, and it may swing to the other side."
Frank "Papa" Mena "My people are grateful, you know. Papa put in work home, and the PUP came with a thing about what did Papa do? And, that's because they are ‘Blind-Eye James'. And even he can see what I do. My people know that I reach out to them. I live here. I grew up here, and I will die here. So, I'm always here for my people. So, if my people will decide that they will throw all that out for a total stranger who doesn't even live here, then, that's the message that my people send, but I am confident that my people will give me that love and respect."
His PUP opponent, Dr. Zab., says that the people of Dangriga has been sending him a different message.
Dr. Louis Zabaneh - PUP Standard Bearer, Dangriga "That's the only way that we will find out what the people are really going through when you sit with them, and you listen to them. You try to engage the Youth. The youth are far shyer when it comes to politics. So, you really have to sit down, reason with them, listen to them, try to understand what they are going through. And what we hear is that Dangriga, unfortunately, has been neglected over the decades."
The Belize People's Front candidate, John Suazo, knew that he was the underdog who dared to challenge the more well-established political parties. For Suazo, this was a principled statement to stand up against PUDP politics as usual.
John Suazo - BPF Standard Bearer, Dangriga "Electoral politics in Belize is about big money, and that deals with control and power. For the third parties, it's an uphill battle. However, we must not be dismissive because we may not be able to get the majority, but if we can get 2, 3, or 4 different people, then we could say - in colloquial terms - we stab them in the eyes."
When all when the counting of votes got well-underway, however, it was immediately clear that Dangriga selected
He assured us that his constituents need not worry that he will punish the UDP's, or that he will embarrass them in the future with accusations of misbehaviour or corruption in public office.
Dr. Louis Zabaneh - New Area Rep., Dangriga "I have visited them in their homes, and I've told them that if I get this opportunity, we move on here. As the area rep., it means for everybody. I represent the entire constituency, and we're all gonna work going forward as one family. It's as simple as that."
Reporter "We won't have to come to question you about decisions that are inappropriate a few years from now. Are you making that commitment?"
Dr. Louis Zabaneh "I'm here to be the best that I can. I cannot say that I am a perfect person. None of us are, but once we come here, and we know what we have to do, we know the high standards that we must meet, then we go forward and we do that."
In Stann Creek West, Dr. Zab's colleague, Rodwell Ferguson, was waiting for the counting of votes to conclude, which would finalize his 4th win in this division. And at 1:30 a.m. this morning, he told us that he respects the weight of public trust and confidence that has been bestowed on him once again.
Rodwell Ferguson - Returning Area Rep., Stann Creek West "I will humble, no matter how I become in life because I am a grassroots, and I respect the people I represent. And I will do my utmost best to make sure that I satisfy them. I will try to be as clean as possible because the objective is to make sure I improve the lives of the people in my constituency."
