And while Elrington may want to try to legally finesse the matter - like we said, in politics, perception is reality - and today public opinion came tumbling down on Faber all at once.
Most credibly, The National Trade Union Congress of Belize sent out a statement saying, it has, quote, "zero tolerance for violence against women and zero tolerance for men who engage in such wicked, criminal and shameful acts. The Leader of Opposition has repeatedly been called out for being involved in such acts of violence against women…The NTUCB takes this opportunity to strongly implore upon Government stakeholders to make provisions in the Belize Constitution and in the Standing Orders of the House of Representatives and Senate to make domestic violence a disqualifying criteria to become a member of parliament." End quote.
The Special Envoy For the Development of Families and Children, Rossana Briceno also issued a statement saying, quote, "The…domestic altercation involving the Leader of the Opposition must be strongly condemned by all. My office supports the call for his resignation. This recent incident resulted in a warrant for his arrest and with the complainant withdrawing the charges, which unfortunately is a very common occurrence in the cycle of abuse."
Not to be outdone, the Minister of Human Development, Families and Indigenous Peoples' Affairs went for a political slam dunk on Faber's head:
Hon. Dolores Balderamos Garcia, Minister of Human Development
"The government of Belize and our special envoy join the ministry in once more condemning in the strongest terms the intimate partner violence perpetrated against a series of women by him. It is disheartening that yet another complainant has found herself in a position of not wishing to pursue the charges that are based on her report. Too many victims find themselves in this position. Domestic violence is not a private matter, it is a serious public health and social issue. Domestic violence is a crime. It is equally unacceptable for victims to be told or to feel that violence in the home is a private matter that should be handled privately. This is part and parcel of the cycle of abuse. With leadership comes the responsibility for setting the example. It therefore goes without saying that we must hold our leaders to a high standard of behaviour and accountability. This latest incident of despicable abuse is made even more appalling, because it was perpetrated by no less than a member of parliament who is also opposition leader Patrick Faber."
And while that one could have been expected, what we didn't expect was the one-two punch delivered by the UDP National Organization of Women and the UDP Chairman. The UDP NOW group as they are known sent out a statement saying, quote, "The recent event surrounding our Party Leader and his Fiancé is of grave concern to the Membership of UDP NOW. It has once again brought to the forefront the troubling issue of gender- based violence which is an epidemic in our Belizean society. The Party Leader and his Fiance have publicly and jointly requested that they be given the privacy and space to work through their issues as a family. UDP NOW believes that they should be given such a consideration as anyone in a similar situation would be afforded within a private domain." End quote.
So, that said pretty much nothing substantial, but then the release goes unto say, quote, "UDP NOW calls on the Executive Committee of the Party to immediately commence the process to select a new leader. We take this opportunity to record our unwavering support for the Hon. Tracy Panton as the next Leader of the United Democratic Party and Leader of the Opposition."
And that's the first jostling move to get in a new leader. Shortly after, the UDP Chairman issued a statement saying, quote, "The United Democratic Party makes it abundantly clear that a statement released today by UDP NOW is not an official statement on behalf of the UDP. Every organ of the UDP serves the entire UDP, and the UDP considers it inappropriate for an arm of the party to demonstrate a particular preference for any individual to hold any official position in the UDP.
The United Democratic Party would have wished for UDP NOW to focus on the alleged abuse of Dr. Arnold and come to her defense as that is a part of their official mandate, which is to champion the rights of all women in our society." End quote.
This is only the precursor of what are sure to be days of inter party jostling to come. In the time being Hugo Patt is the interim leader.
