Each of Belize's major mass parties has its own political culture. And a big part of the UDP's one is that they like to quarrel - preferably in public. We see and report on it regularly, especially in the post 2020 years when the party is in the political doldrums.
The party just celebrated its 50th anniversary and to commemorate it the Chairman and the Second Deputy Leaders appeared on Sunup on 7 this morning. Chairman Peyrefitte said the UDP - which is a coalition party of the NIP, the PDM and the Liberal Party was born in conflict. He said party elders often tell him that their present difficulties are nothing:
Michael Peyrefitte, UDP Chairman
"They would tell us jokingly that the quarrel they are having now, man that is no kind of quarrel man. When we were in the beginning to form this UDP thing, we used to quarrel, we used to fight and war So what we are going through is just a little squabble man, it's nothing, but what our foundation is we are United as always, but we're a democratic party and people have their voices within the party That's how it came about, several parties joining together to make the UDP. So you had different styles, different philosophies, different approaches."
And in a rare show of unity Party Chairman Peyrefitte, Member for Albert Tracy Panton and the East Regional Leader joined leader Shyne Barrow today at the gravesite of National Hero Philip Goldson, on the 22nd Anniversary of his passing October 3rd, 2001.
