And now for part two of our interview with Deputy Mayor Allan Pollard. The discussion about his rejected candidacy has been making news. And that's because Pollard is a poll champion; he topped the city council polls twice: in 2021 and 2024.
But, the PUP national executive doesn't see the 29 year old as worthy of challenging a sitting area rep and minister of state, Gilroy Usher - who is 68.
And this is not the first time Pollard has been made to step aside for an older candidate. He also wanted to challenge Bernard Wagner to offer himself as mayor in this year's municipal elections - but, again, he was made to step-aside. We asked him about what's behind this pattern:
Jules Vasquez
"Why is it that you that so many hurdles or your bring suppressed at every turn, is it because of who you are, is it because of you're from Port Loyola, because you da wa young black man from Belize City."
"What really is driving that you're constantly being told no, wait your turn!"
Allan Pollard, Port Loyola Candidacy Denied
"You know I've been asking that question every day of my life you know every, every day especially after those tragic events, I can't seem to figure it out. I've been trained by this party, I've sat in so many work shops so many history classes and what we are, what we supposed to represent, and who we represent, and I think I embody that."
"So I can't see now after doing all those things still not checking the boxes to me is something that I question everyday."
Jules Vasquez
"How do you respond to the criticism that ok, when you were persuaded to not pursue the mayoral convention, you participated in the corruption of the entire process by saying "ok, when there's the convention for candidates, I who probably would have topped the polls anyway I nuh Gwen in a d convention fih candidates, I will get an exemption special exemption in exchange." v "But when you did that they involved you in their corruption swell, and say ok well you dah pawt ah the same mob so you can't seh nothing."
Allan Pollard, Port Loyola Candidacy Denied
"Only you sir is talented enough to make such an argument. But I think am that's not here or their I never asked for that."
Jules Vasquez
"But you took it!"
Allan Pollard, Port Loyola Candidacy Denied
"I was given a letter stating this is how thing will be, and I even still participated in the election not only for me, for my other candidate that won at the time, you know for me I was never scared of conventions I told them I wanted to go to a convention."
"But they said out right that you are not you are going to endorse, I never asked for that. Yu've seen it and even when they say I was given a deal for the Deputy Mayorship I still had to do an election for that as well. So that argument is null and void."
"I'm never afraid of any conventions, never afraid to back down from any election and that has been my track record."
Jules Vasquez
"How will a promising young candidate be condemned to the UDP's greatest stronghold since 1984? Who does that?"
Allan Pollard, Port Loyola Candidacy Denied
"There was no strategy at all, there was no political strategy there. If we were serious about making sure that we are stronger on Southside Belize City and making sure that we are strong in the city we would make those necessary adjustments and I think that's where we dropped the ball I think that's the monumental mistake that I mentioned earlier and I think that we have to do some serious introspection as a party if we want to continue to be that formidable mass party the we say that we are. You know, I'm always a PUP. I stand here as a PUP, you know, so my support of course goes with the PUP but of course we have to, when we are in these times, when we believe that we are making these mistakes, we have to be able to, you know, be able to relay that, you know, responsibly and hope that the people on the other end listen you know."
