And while Shyne Barrow may have to defend his relationship with Vybz Kartel, Tracy Teagar Panton has to defend John Saldivar. He's one of her main supporters - as he once was for Shyne Barrow.
But there are those who argue that because he has lost three times - he should not even be a standard bearer. The sunup hosts put that question toPanton today:
Tracy Taegar-Panton, Albert Area Rep.
"If we don't respect our own constitution, how can the Belizean people trust us to respect the supreme law of the land?"
Host
"We know that the constitution says that no person who has lost three times can still contest another election."
"And the alliance for democracy includes persons like John Saldivar, for instance, that has lost three times, and he's still an integral part of this alliance for democracy. So how do you move around saying, we have to hone the constitution of the United Democratic Party, but then there's like this?"
Tracy Taegar-Panton, Albert Area Rep.
"I think that's a fair question. When a decision was made, and a decision was made by the members of the National Party Council, we all knew that John had lost three elections, if you will, but the NPC thought in its collective wisdom."
"And I say that intentionally, that John would be given an opportunity to sit at a convention, which he did. The constitution allows the NPC to make these decisions collectively, not unilaterally. So the NPC voted, and the consensus was that John would be allowed to sit at a convention, and he sat at the convention."
"He was contested by two other members of the party, and he won decisively, but it was a collective decision. What is happening now in the party is arbitrary and totalitarian unilateral approach, which cannot be countenance."
"You know, I think it was Jules. Yes, it was Jules who made the comment that we're running an organization of this magnitude by chat. Decisions, positions are put in the chat group, which is not allowed for in the constitution, and you're given an hour to vote, and if you happen not to have seen that post and not have been able to comment on it, you're counted as voting in favor of."
"That is not how a democracy works. A good leader will sit and listen to the opinions of others, even if they have a dissenting view."
For clarity the UDP constitution says that a candidate who has been defeated three times, needs a resolution from the National Party Council to run again.
