Turning now to political news - it's been almost a week since the UDP Nomination Committee Chairlady wrote to the UDP's Area Representative in Collett, Patrick Faber to say that his application as Standard Bearer has been rejected.
That's because - according to the letter - he kept on being publicly critical the party and its officials in Facebook posts - and did so against the specific directive of the National Party Council.
And 6 days later, Faber has not replied to the Nomination Committee chairlady - nor has he made publicly known what he plans to do next.
Today, via Zoom, we asked the party chairman Mike Peyrefitte who said that it's very easy for Faber to restore his status as a party member in good standing:
Michael Peyrefitte, Chairman, UDP
"If you look at the letter carefully, the letter is clearly stating or basically asking the Hon. Patrick Faber - I mean do you want to be a apart of the UDP? I mean, until you demonstrate that you unequivocally want to be a part of the UDP - how can you run for an organization that you keep bashing and creating internal turmoil with. So, I don't think that it's the end of the world."
Reporter
"So then you feel that the party can continue without Faber?"
Michael Peyrefitte, Chairman, UDP
"I think that the party can continue without any one particular individual, because the party is more important that any one individual or group of individual and we would like to have Patrick Faber be a part of the UDP. We would for him to respect the decisions of the NPC, but he would also have to want that. He would also want to be a part of the UDP."
Jules Vasquez
"There comes a point where differences are simply irreconcilable. Are we at that point?"
Michael Peyrefitte, Chairman, UDP
"I don't think so. We have had in the history of the UDP, as you know. I don't know if you remember this, but the UDP at one time in the early 90s split into 2 different political parties completely and then joined in time for the 1993 elections. There is no loss of hope. It is my genuine hope and expectation that we will get over this and we will move past this. It is my hope and expectation that the Hon. Patrick Faber would request a meeting with the nominations committee, would request a meeting with the party leader or anybody else and say listen, we've gotten to the point where our actions are hurting the party. I would respect the decision at the NPC, I will honour the request and the wishes of the party and I will re-submit my application to be the standard bearer again for the Collet division. We want him to represent the party. We want him to run for Collet for the UDP, but he also has to want to run for Collet for the UDP as well."
But if the UDP Leadership really wants him to represent the party - then why did they even make a senior member, former leader and current area rep have to re-apply to be a standard bearer?
His colleague Tracey Teagar Panton has said that it is procedurally misguided. We asked the Chairman about that today:
Jules Vasquez
"But I thought that there was an understanding that current elected members should have an endorsement convention rather than face a challenge."
Michael Peyrefitte, Chairman, UDP
"But never the less, the party always reserve the right to say who the party wants to represent it and run for it and the nominations committee had said, listen, indicate whether or not you want to run and those people who are sitting representatives will not be challenge at a convention. It doesn't necessarily mean that you automatically have the inherit right to run for the party. You have to want to be a part of this party and to be frank, certain people don't indicate that they don't want to be a part of this party."
Reporter
"He's not complying and I don't know that he will."
Michael Peyrefitte, Chairman, UDP
"That's for the nominations committee to determine finally if they want. It's not a matter of being expelled. Not because you are a sitting member of the house means automatically you get to represent the party the next general elections. It doesn't work that way. You have to demonstrate that you are still capable of representing the party in the future. The nominations committee has said at this time, what timeline they give, I don't know."
Reporter
"We've seen Lee Mark Chang say well if Faber, if Alberto are out - I can't remember the other person he mentioned, but I'm out too. Do you expect that this is going to create an even bigger rift within the party from which it cannot survived?"
Michael Peyrefitte, Chairman, UDP
"Well, I've heard one particular artist say that sometimes total destruction is the only solution. I am saying, if you are saying that if a person is out of an organization, because they refused to respect the decisions of that organization, a person disrespects the decisions of an organization and disrespects that organization, that person is no longer part of that organization. That person is out and if you say if he's out, then I am out, well then be out."
And, on Friday we told you about the case of Marcel Cardona - the former UDP Area Rep for Orang Walk East - who Patrick Faber - then acting as Chairman - informed that he has "constructively resigned" from the party. This was while he was a sitting rep - and the UDP basically quit him.
Of course Cardona was a fist term representative - but a very troublesome one for the UDP. The press asked Peyrefitte about the parallels:
Reporter
"This case is very different from what happened with Hon. Marcel Cardona at the time, it's not a Marcel Cardona you're dealing with. You're dealing with someone who has won his division for 5 consecutive times. Is that someone you want to push out of the party?"
Michael Peyrefitte, Chairman, UDP
"Well, you could win your seat a million times in a row, you're still not bigger than the organization you want to represent. It doesn't matter who it is within the UDP. No one person can ever and would never be bigger than the UDP. People talk about pushing out the Hon. Patrick Faber, but nobody is asking this question or putting this thought in place: if he were to stop what he is doing or if he had stop what he's doing. if he had respected the decision of the NPC, we wouldn't be having this conversation."
We have asked Faber for a comment, but have gotten no reply.
