Tonight, the UDP is more divided than ever - and, in fact, it may be the most divided we have ever seen a mass party in Belize. Earlier today - in what may be a first - Party Leader Shyne Barrow made a complaint at the Queen Street police station saying that his own Second Deputy Leader Beverly Williams has made threats on his life.
Heavy stuff!
That and much more went down at a tumultuous National Party Council meeting on Saturday afternoon. Jules Vasquez was at the Party's Headquarters to witness a day that made history for all the wrong reasons:
UDP Second Deputy Beverly Williams arrived to the sound of drums.
But those drums didn't beat for Leader Shyne Barrow - it was the woman who wants to challenge him for leader Tracy Teagar Panton.
Even though, Shyne Barrow's street general from Mesopotamia Allan Kelly was raising an unholy ruckus, Teagar Panton arrived in an almost preternatural calm
And so even though the sign on the headquarters said "1 Party, 1 Leader, 1 Mission"
It was clear that her supporters were here to upend that:
Jules Vasquez
"Will You all leave here today with 1 Party, 1 Leader, 1 Mission - Shyne Barrow?"
Patrick Faber, UDP Member
"Let the meeting happen and then we will see what happens."
Even though the pro Shyne shouting would not stop - Tracy Taegar Panton, flanked by John Saldivar and Patrick Faber went up to the conference room
Edmond Castro, UDP Member
"We with her."
And this was only previews of what was to come inside the meeting hall - where the Chairman quickly suspended the meeting after a shouting match between the Second Deputy and the Leader as well as a shoving match.
We saw standard bearers leaving but it would be another 15 minutes before the Deputy Chairman came downstairs:
Alberto August, Deputy Chairman
"We sought to conduct an NPC, a scheduled NPC this evening, and, ahm it did not work out, I will not sit here and talk the party's internal business to anyone."
Jules Vasquez
"But is it true it didn't work out because fight broke out?"
Alberto August, Deputy Chairman
"No fight noh broke out there, that it totally out of order, no fight noh bruk out."
"We sought to have a meeting, but the chairman of the party believed we could not conduct a meeting because it was not under the proper circumstances but we are going to have a next meeting, mein!"
Shyne Barrow, UDP Leader
"There was a lot of toxicity and, disorderly conduct. And the party chairman felt that it was better for us to suspend the meeting."
"The NPC is not a band of disorderly misfits that just operate in an orbit of chaos."
Jules Vasquez
"But how will you get people to act in a civil manner that you can conduct a meeting?"
Alberto August, Deputy Chairman
"Well, well, I think today was a learning experience."
Reporter
"Describe for us the tensions between the factions upstairs though."
Alberto August, Deputy Chairman
"We are a UDP family, my friend, and in every family there are a little tensions here and there. So this is nothing strange."
Jules Vasquez
"Sir, people came here head hunting your party leader. They came here to eject him and support Tracy."
Alberto August, Deputy Chairman
"Jules, Jules, Jules, Jules. Why are you going down that road, my friend?"
Jules Vasquez
"Because that is what we saw sir."
Alberto August, Deputy Chairman
"I told you that I will not discuss the party's internal issue with the media."
Reporter
"So what is the lesson learned, what is the lesson learned?"
Alberto August, Deputy Chairman
"When we come back, we are going to conduct ourselves in a better manner and we re going to have a meeting."
While the Deputy Chairman was lamenting - they were having a party upstairs. With Shyne's alies and supporters gone, Tracy Taegar Panton, Patrick Faber, John Saldivar and Beverly Williams took the head table.
Even though the power had been turned off by Barrow's supporters, they prepared to hold forth with no lights and no AC, but the drums created their own electricity for a party at headquarters
Even as the leader was forced to endure the humiliation of slinking off while being jeered from the verandah his own headquarters
Let's just say they weren't about to pick up the many leftover signs that no one seemed to be interested in.
They were celebrating his departure in the airless room, but after some minutes it was called to order
Tracy Taegar Panton, UDP Area Rep
"The chairman exited the room and we decided we would not leave. This is our house. This is our party."
Taegar Panton explained that that meeting broke down because they tried to table a motion about Phillip Willoughby's removal as standard bearer.
Tracy Taegar Panton, UDP Area Rep
"This afternoon, when our meeting started a motion was put on the floor for the matter that we petition to be discussed first. And the chairman of the party decided that would not happen. And the members of the National Party Council decided that the chairman would not dictate what happens."
And while that petition was for Willoughby, there's another bigger one coming to trigger a national convention:
Tracy Taegar Panton, UDP Area Rep
"I want you to know that I have in hand, a petition for a national convention to be called. This petition has 264 signatures from 18 constituencies, including three constituencies on the north side. On the south side, sorry, that has elected representatives. You cannot deny 264 delegates of this party."
Panton later told us it was 232 signatures from 16 constituencies - those and the events of Saturday she says are enough to send a clear message of no confidence:
Tracy Taegar Panton, UDP Area Rep
"And so the party leader, I understand, has exited the building and cut off lights. He has cut off the line, he has cut off the breaker because the heat would obviously get the best of us in his view. But I think if it is clear that we are resolute in in our decision to move this party forward, and certainly not under the leadership of the Honorable Shyne Moses Barrow."
"It is clear to anybody in this room and anybody who was in this room, that the party leader has lost the control of the party, and there is no confidence in his leadership."
"The leadership of the party, needs a fresh mandate before we go into the 2025 election, and the only way we can have a fresh mandate is if we call a national convention and have the delegates of this party make a determination who will lead us forward."
Shyne Barrow, UDP Leader
"The fact is that any attempt to unseat me or to move,me however you describe it, is an exercise in futility."
"Because the National Convention of the United Democratic Party, which is the highest body of this party, on August 13th, 2023, unanimously voted not only to re-elect myself and other leaders, but they put forward a motion that explicitly prohibited any change in leadership until after the next general elections. So by all of us voting for that motion, we thereby suspended any provision in the Constitution that would disturb the motion."
Reporter
"Is it to say that it is irreversible by the majority though?"
Shyne Barrow, UDP Leader
"Irreversible! How can you reverse the national convention when the reason the National Convention made that decision is to protect against the type of disruption and disturbance that you see happening."
But these stalwarts of the party believe that with their unified support it can be reversed.
Tracy Taegar Panton, UDP Area Rep
"So no matter what decision was made prior, we have the right to change our minds and there is a process to change our minds. And part of that process is to collect the signatures of the delegates who wish for that to happen. And we have that petition in hand. We will form since the meeting. with the, the, the, the current leadership of the party left the building we are certainly going to, table this petition formally on Monday. for a national convention."
They will have to do their best and more because Barrow made it clear he is not stepping aside even after this power play:
Shyne Barrow, UDP Leader
"Absolutely not. I mean, this is not the way democracy works. I was elected by the majority. I still enjoy the majority and I will continue until the next general elections."
And, even after all that talk, it didn't end there. Leader Shyne Barrow alleges that those who stayed behind at the headquarters with Panton disrespected his office by tossing a tamale across the desk onto his chair.
