The Sunup hosts also asked Taegar-Panton about her sympathetic stance on Patrick Faber. This morning she said that the nation needed to give the party leader, quote: "A moment to compose himself." following the personal and political scandal that he's endured in the last fortnight.
But we had to ask her whether her softer stance on Faber's troubles was in the interest of gaining the support of his remaining allies. Here's how she answered that one.
Host:
"What's going to be your plan from now until March meeting with different bodies as to your current post which is now an aspiring party leader. Given the fact that Hon. Patrick Faber is resigning, are you seeking some sort of alliance with him to boost your candidacy for this post?"
Tracy Taegar Panton, Aspirant, UDP leader
"I am going to see an alliance with all my colleagues, all 31 of them, not just Patrick Faber. I know that my colleague from Mesop is running and so, I don't expect to get his support in a leadership race, but it is my intention to reach out to all of them. You know I've always been very supportive of my colleague from Mesop, I clapped for him when he does good things, I've always supported him and it is my intention to win. I think that the time for us is now, for women for this kind of leadership that I think I bring to the table and so, you have to do what you have to do to win. I am positively sure that its a steep hill. Let just look at the reality, how many women do we have in the national assembly, we have 4 in the house of representatives, we have a few more in the senate. We have a very patriarchal society and so I think that women represent what, 52% of the population. Its time for us hold up the world and it's time for us to be part of making decisions that affect the policies of this country and the development and growth of Belize, so I'm ready for the job and I look forward to leading not only the UDP to its full strength, but also the country of Belize."
