We also asked Patt if he supported his leader, Shyne Barrow's timeline for leaving the leadership and his re-stated position own Tracy Panton's membership in the UDP:
Jules Vasquez
"Has your former leader, Shyne Barrow, reached out to you? He indicated in an interview yesterday that he will resign after a national convention is held and a new rightful leader takes over. Has he communicated to you, and are you in support of the timeline? It sounds like he still wants to go to court. He still says Tracy and others were kicked out of the UDP."
Hugo Patt, UDP First Deputy
"The division was so obvious. I mean, the wounds are still open. And so you will have people who feel for one and for others. But I will stand by what my people are telling me. We need to unite. And whatever it takes for Hugo Patt to do to unite, I have to make sure that we commit to that."
ELECTIONS IN THE CITY
All eyes were on the UDP's city strongholds - Albert, Collet, Mesopotamia, and Queen Square. The red candidates for the first two faced off against formidable PUP candidates, while the latter two saw UDP versus UDP.
And while the opposition ended up holding in to most of their strongholds, Collet's Patrick Faber was voted out after five terms and 22 years. His young opponent, Devin Daly was being backed by Anthony Mahler - and Faber encouraged voters to "Tek Mahler Money, Vote Fi Faber."
Daly's team responded with a dugu style funeral for Faber, complete with a coffin that ultimately didn't withstand the ceremony. But though Faber said he'd been resurrected, this wasn't a Lazarus story, but more like a modern day David and Goliath, with newcomer Daly throwing the stone that clinched the win.
After the announcement, he could hardly be heard through the wild cheering of his team, who he says were instrumental in this win:
Devin Daly, Area Rep., Collet
"Hard work, hard work and the love for the people of Collet. We love the people of Collet."
"I watched my campaigners all day, go out and bring out the people. And all that this means is that the people of Collet were tired. They've been tired."
"Next move? Right away we have to get to work. But before that, we will enjoy it with our team."
Faber then took to Facebook to concede the loss and congratulate his opponent. But while he lost this battle, his faction may have won the war since his colleague in Mesopotamia successfully unseated the incumbent and party leader.
It was perhaps the most carefully watched constituency, and throughout the day, both candidates projected an air of confidence. But from before the polls opened at 7, there were rumors flying that Shyne Barrow would be too before the polls even closed.
Reporter:
"Are you able to respond to reports that you may be leaving the country sometime throughout today?"
Shyne Barrow, Former Area Rep., Mesopotamia
"Rubbish, foolishness."
Courtney Menzies:
"They say 2:00, you have a flight booked 2:00."
Shyne Barrow, Former Area Rep., Mesopotamia
"Just come back and see me at 2:00."
"Who's so obsessed with me?"
Courtney Menzies:
"You're a big man, sir."
Shyne Barrow, Former Area Rep., Mesopotamia
I'm just saying. It's flattering. When Isani asked me earlier, I wanted to rough him up but now that I think about it it's quite flattering."
And indeed, Barrow was there until the ballots were counted and it was clear he'd no longer be the Leader of the Opposition. And though he took the loss with some level of grace, he's still not going gentle into that good night.
Shyne Barrow, Former Area Rep., Mesopotamia
"I was confident, that was the interactions I was having with the people but they made a decision to go in another direction and I respect that."
Courtney Menzies:
"What happens now with your party?"
Shyne Barrow, Former Area Rep., Mesopotamia
"I certainly will resign effective once we have a national convention to elect a new leader. Obviously you can't be leader of the UDP if you're not a member of the House. And I would not want to be an appointed as a senator or anything to hold onto the leadership. I think the people have spoken here in Mesopotamia and that is the start of everything and so I wouldn't want to maneuver to hold onto leadership unless colleagues felt otherwise so maybe I'm getting a bit ahead of myself but as I speak to you, I will tender my resignation effective once we have a national convention to elect a new leader."
But in the eyes of at least 3 of 5 of the elected UDP reps, Tracy Panton is the interim leader of the party. Barrow's opponent, Lee Mark Chang, made it clear that he had one goal in mind.
Lee Mark Chang, Area Rep., Mesopotamia
"One thing I do promise, I promise that whatever I promised, I will work to fulfill. Like I said, I sell food, I don't sell dreams, and I will continue with that."
Courtney Menzies:
"You achieved your goal of, I don't want to say the word that you all said, the cancer word, but you managed to unseat Shyne Barrow so what does it look like next for the UDP?"
Lee Mark Chang, Area Rep., Mesopotamia
"I know Tracy won, I'm not sure of the other colleagues, I'm very sad about my other colleague, Patrick who is a very close friend of mine, I cannot confirm what is the final result yet."
Reporter:
"He lost, sir."
Lee Mark Chang, Area Rep., Mesopotamia
"Aye, I'm very sad to hear that. But I hope that myself, Tracy, Patrick, Godwin, and all of us who had won, including Patrick also because he's a very vital part of the UDP, that we could work together, we could rebuild this party, and we could have a viable opposition moving forward."
But though Barrow isn't letting go of the reins so easily, he does not have the support of his standard bearers. During the elections, his candidate in Lake I, Samuel Cutkelvin, made some biting remarks about the lack of resources provided to them.
Samuel Cutkelvin, UDP Standard Bearer, Lake I
"Yes he gave me like $1,500 and $3,000 to do what in a big massive division like this? I was surprised when I asked him for a budget, he asked me to send him a budget. I told him $20,000, he said to send him a budget so I sent him a budget for 3 weeks, added up to $64,000, I got it from a professional CPA. I told him if he can't do that, give me half. Give me quarter, let me have something to work with for Lake I division. But apparently not even that he wanted to do."
The lack of funding affected many of the other UDP candidates as well, including Shane Williams in Queen Square. He ran under Barrow's slate while Godwin Haylock was on Team Tracy. And with the chips already stacked against him, Williams also had to contend with dirty political tricks after a social media page started a rumor that he had thrown the race. And his opponent ran with the narrative. Godwin Haylock, Area Rep., Queen Square
"Me and Shane, we had a brief meeting, and he said, you know, it's one UDP and we should have one candidate. He was very clear that he was running under Shyne Barrow's leadership and there was nothing given to him as a machinery and he realized he would do more harm than good and he said he would never want to see this division go to PUP because in his heart, in his mind, he's a true UDP. And he began telling everyone, UDP all the way."
"Seeing him say Godwin for Queen Square, it was special, it made me feel we're united at least in Queen Square and it gives a signal to this country, to this nation, that the UDP can unite."
Shane Williams, Lost in Queen Square
"I don't know where that nonsense came from. We're being civil, we're all friends, we all want better for the area and of course my objective is, if someone is to win, I hope it's UDP candidate. That's why one objective. I don't know where it came from that I decided to support him, I'm still out here trying to get everyone that I can to come out here because I honestly believe that I'm the best candidate for Queen Square. I still maintain that none of them live here and none of them care about our community like we care. So every single voter that comes out, I'm trying to get to them. I don't have the machinery that they have, that is true. I don't have the resources that they have, that is true. But I would never stand down from a fight. I'm not one of those candidates that gets headaches and fainting spells and things like that."
But in the end, Haylock took home the seat, one of three on Panton's slate. And with her win in Albert, Panton is looking at becoming the first female Leader of the Opposition. She maintains that all the money and resources being pushed into her opponent's camp couldn't compete with the love she has for her division.
Tracy Panton, Area Rep., Albert
"They know how much I love them and I can tell you tonight, I feel the love right back. [cheers.]"
"I want to say, this is a pivotal moment for Belize. It is a pivotal moment for the rebuilding of the United Democratic Party. [cheers]. And it is a pivotal moment for women in political leadership in Belize."
"The kind of money that was being spent in this constituency and I am telling you that was the experience in Collet and that was the experience of many other constituencies in the city. It was the intention of the government to have a complete sweep of the country, all 31 seats and the Belizean people said no."
And backed by Chang, who joined her after her win, as well as Haylock, she says that it begins a new direction for their party.
But with two uncontested wins under the PUP's belt, as well as the blowouts in Lake I, Freetown, and Caribbean Shores, it's yet to see if the UDP can put up a formidable fight.
