TAKE BACK THE UDP!
Calling all supporters of the United Democratic Party and Defenders of Democracy. A lunatic, ex-convict and dictator has taken control of the UDP, expelling long-time loyalists of the Party; revoking membership of all supporters and requiring them to reapply; unconstitutionally removing respected leaders from the executive, and installing disgraced, defeated candidates as regional leaders. Now he is telling the most-winning, longest serving parliamentarian in the UDP he can no longer run for the Party. He has gone too far. It is time to take back our Party from the control of this lunatic, ex-convict and dictator. Arise ye faithful supporters of the United Democratic Party and defenders of Democracy. The time to save our Party and our Country is now!
OUR PARTY IS NOT FOR SALE - OUR COUNTRY IS NOT FOR SALE
On Independence Day, this current UDP Leader, much like his PUP counterpart, will spew rhetoric and regurgitate platitudes about patriotism. But it is all meaningless when his actions in the House and on the ground are demonstrably revealing about who he truly is, nothing but a sellout to proven enemies of Belize, chief among them the unholy ‘lord’ from Chichester.
Exhibit A is his unreserved endorsement of the Ashcroft Waterloo Port Project, which thousands of Belizeans rightly oppose because it threatens to destroy our precious Barrier Reef. Exhibit B is his unequivocal approval of the Briceno Government’s payout of 76 Million to an Ashcroft company when the country can least afford it.
We derive no pleasure from stating it, but this current UDP Leader is nothing but a grandstander and political weakling. What the UDP needs again at its helm are men (and women) of mettle, like Sir Manuel Esquivel who never entertained nor appeased the ‘puppet-master’ with his predatory business behavior.
Our Party is NOT for Sale. Our Country is NOT for Sale. Happy Independence, Belize!
SAD DAY FOR DEMOCRACY -SAD DAY FOR BELIZE
A notice issued by the Unholy Trinity (Shyne/Saldivar/Peyrefitte) is now indicating that in order to be considered members of the UDP and be allowed to vote in the upcoming constituency conventions, UDP supporters will now have to apply to the Unholy Trinity, and they (the Unholy Trinity) will decide whether you will be accepted as a member of the Party. This, in effect, amounts to the virtual expulsion of all members and supporters from the Party. Welcome to the club. The Party, which so many of us dedicated most of our lives to build, is now owned by Shyne/Saldivar/Peyrefitte. It's a sad day for the UDP, a sad Day for Democracy, and a sad day for Belize. UDP
OUR PARTY AND COUNTRY ARE NOT FOR SALE
Thousands of Belizeans are strongly against the Ashcroft Waterloo Cruise Port Project which experts say would destroy our valuable Barrier Reef. But Shyne is fighting for the Ashcroft Waterloo Project.
While hardworking Belizean nurses had to walk off the job and take to the streets to secure monies they already worked for, Shyne fully supports this Government’s decision to pay an Ashcroft company more than 76 million Belize Dollars in settlement. Why is this UDP Leader so strongly supporting moves benefitting Ashcroft? Does it have something to do with who is financing him? As true UDP’s and patriotic Belizeans, we demand to know.
THE VOTERS SPOKE - WE MUST LISTEN
Dean Barrow as Prime Minister removed Saldivar from Cabinet for taking money from now convicted criminals and lying about it. Peyrefitte as Attorney General fully supported Saldivar’s removal. Even Shyne had called on Saldivar to step down and move on. But now Saldivar defiantly proclaims he was never accused of corruption. And Shyne as Party Leader has just anointed Saldivar as Regional Leader for the West. How can the UDP expect to return to office in 2025 if our leadership refuses to heed the emphatic message the Belizean voters sent us in 2020? The voters spoke - we must listen!
DESTOYING THE UDP - ENDANGERING BELIZE - STAND UP AGAINST SHYNE!
Shyne insists on running a dictatorship, systematically violating the UDP constitution and trying to silence those who speak out against him. Honorable Tracy Panton, an upstanding and inspiring parliamentarian who came within two votes of becoming Party Leader, is unconstitutionally removed from the Central Executive Council and replaced with a junior politician of questionable ethics and integrity.
Former UDP Leader Honorable Patrick Faber rightly condemns the move as idiotic. So now, the unholy trinity running the UDP have removed Honorable Patrick Faber, the former leader, from the Party’s executive in order to silence him. From undemocratic to downright unbelievable.
It is time for the UDP membership to stand up against the dictatorship of Shyne and his unholy Trinity, who are destroying our Party, weakening our democracy and endangering our country.
GOD HELP THE UDP - GOD SAVE BELIZE
In times of trouble, Belizeans traditionally turn to the UDP for rescue. But the UDP is presently unfit for the mission. The current Party Leader wanted the title simply to revive and promote his foreign hip-hop enterprise. He simply does not care about our beloved UDP. The Chairman is all talk and no action, doing absolutely nothing to organize the constituencies, restore the Party’s image, or improve its viability. So, the disgraced, defeated Belmopan candidate has literally taken control of the Party, unconstitutionally installing himself and his other defeated colleagues as Regional Leaders. With this arrangement, the UDP will never recover from the cancer of corruption that invaded our Party and caused its devastating defeat in 2020. God help the UDP! God save Belize!
“DO AS I SAY BUT NOT AS I DO” - UDP CHAIRMAN
When the former UDP Belmopan candidate was put out of Cabinet for lying about receiving monies from now convicted criminals, Michael Peyrefitte, as Attorney General, fully understood why. But when written requests were made to him, as UDP Chairman, to bring the defeated Belmopan candidate before the Ethics and Integrity Committee on the same matter and more, Peyrefitte pretended NOT to have received or understood those requests. Now, Peyrefitte is giving the national authorities a lecture about promptly and thoroughly investigating criminal cases. Fair enough, but for Peyrefitte, is this a case of “do as I say, but not as I do”?
NO UNIFICATION WITHOUT RESPECT FOR THE CONSTITUTION
Despite strong objection within the UDP, and a petition of protest signed by a clear majority of party officials and delegates throughout the Cayo district, an unconstitutional convention in Belmopan was rammed through on Sunday July 17, 2022, which purported to install the defeated Belmopan Candidate as Regional Leader for the Western Zone.
Rather than heeding the strong objection and petition to stop the unconstitutional convention, the Party Leader defiantly attended the scanty event, and endorsed the improper installation. In fact, they are doubling down, as a similar event is being planned for July 24, 2022 to also unconstitutionally install the defeated Stann Creek West Candidate as Regional Leader for the Southern Zone.
The UDP needs unity, but there cannot and WILL not be any true unification unless and until the UDP Constitution is respected and complied with.
INREGRITY AND PUBLIC IMAGE MATTER
It’s a shame indeed that this government is bringing back a disgraced former diplomat to chair an important institution like the Public Services Commission. It also underscores why the UDP, as the government in waiting, must clean up its public image and choose persons of the highest integrity to represent our Party.
But, while our current Leader rightly condemns this government for resurrecting and appointing a disgraced diplomat and former PUP candidate for Belmopan, he himself has just presided over the unconstitutional anointment of a disgraced former Minister and defeated UDP candidate, also for Belmopan, as our Party’s Regional Leader for the Western Zone.
How can our Party present itself as the best alternative to a corrupt PUP Administration, when our own Leader, rather than cleaning up the UDP’s public image, is rewarding and elevating those most responsible for that awful image which caused our devastating defeat in the last general elections?
IT WILL ONLY MAKE THINGS WORSE - SALDIVAR AND SHYNE
Despite major objection and protest within the Party, the defeated UDP candidate for Belmopan, who was twice removed from Cabinet by former Prime Minister Dean Barrow for lying and accepting money from persons who are now convicted criminals, is pushing an unconstitutional convention to impose himself upon the Western Zone as Regional Leader.
It is unconstitutional because neither he nor the other defeated UDP candidates in the last general elections are duly elected caretakers in their constituencies and are therefore NOT empowered to choose regional leaders; and because the Party’s constitution expressly states that regional leaders are to be elected after a National Convention, which will not happen until next year, 2023.
But the Party Leader and Chairman seem unable or unwilling to stop him. Is this the way to forge unity within the UDP? Or is the current Leader prepared to ignore the UDP constitution and keep the Party divided in order to reward those who supported him in the Special Leadership Convention?
In the words of the current party leader himself, "In fact, it will make things worse."
SHYNE BARROW IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE INSTABILITY IN THE UDP
Former UDP Leader Dean Barrow lamented the instability in our Party. When asked who is most responsible for that instability, the older Barrow declined to call any particular name. But Jules Vasquez, presumably an unattached and objective observer, was NOT afraid to tell Shyne Barrow, the current leader, that he is the one most responsible for the instability in the UDP. That is the undeniable truth about the UDP and Shyne Barrow, which he himself will have to admit.
DISRESPECTING JUSTICE MICHELLE ARANA AND BELIZE
The UDP Government installed her as the first female Acting Chief Justice of Belize. This PUP Briceno Administration has the opportunity to confirm that appointment. But instead, they are pushing Justice Arana aside to bring in a foreign Chief Justice. We condemn this government’s disrespect for our women, our local professionals and Belize. A message from the UDP Coalition for Unity and Reform.
A MATTER FOR THE ETHICS AND INTEGRITY COMMITTEE
SHYNE HAS A PROBLEM WITH DICTATORSHIPS?
Shyne claims he has a problem with dictatorships. But that’s exactly what he is attempting to impose on our Party, a dictatorship. Two days after becoming leader, he removed from the Central Executive those he regarded as loyalists of Honorable Patrick Faber. Then he told those who have a problem with his dictatorial style to leave and form their own Party, or be expelled from the UDP. Now, his latest act of dictatorship is to remove from the Central Executive Honorable Tracy Panton who came within 2 votes of defeating him in the Special Leadership Convention. So, when Shyne declares he has a problem with “dictatorship”, there’s a reason why he chokes on the very word.
PROPOSED REGIONAL LEADER CONVENTION UNCONSTITUTIONAL
DICTATORSHIP STRIKES AGAIN - TRACY PANTON REMOVED FROM UDP EXECUTIVE
One of the most competent and outspoken political leaders in the UDP and the Country, Honorable Tracy Panton, has been removed from our Party’s Central Executive, Shadow Cabinet and Standard Bearers’ Caucus. Honorable Tracy Panton has been serving on the Central Executive as Regional Leader for the Central Zone. But, in declaring her position vacant (against the letter and spirit of the UDP Constitution), the current Party Leader told her in writing: “You were only in the Central Executive as a courtesy invitation…of the Party Leader as a goodwill gesture…” To put it simply and succinctly, Dictatorship strikes again!
SHYNE CONFIRMS INTENTION TO REMOVE TRACY PANTON FROM CENTRAL EXCEUTIVE - SALDIVAR FIGHTING TO BE REGIONAL LEADER
Shyne Barrow has confirmed our suspicion that he wants to remove Honorable Tracy Panton from the Central Executive by declaring vacant her position as Regional Leader for the Central Zone. The current UDP Leader communicated his intention to Honorable Panton in writing earlier today.
Meanwhile, despite re-intensified debate over ethics and integrity, the former UDP Belmopan Candidate is pushing to become Regional Leader for the Western Zone, also raising suspicions that Shyne Barrow is seeking to clear the way for him as a reward for helping to install him as Party Leader in the recent Special Convention.
But choosing new regional leaders at this time does not comply with the UDP Constitution which says this should be done shortly after a National Convention, the next such convention due in 2023.
Also of note is that caretakers have NOT yet been elected (interim caretakers are temporarily holding over), and it is those caretakers who should choose their respective regional leaders.
We call on the Party Chairman to ensure that the constitution is respected and adhered to.
SHYNE BREAKS UDP TRADITION OF UNITY
From its genesis, the UDP has had its share of internal differences, diversity and divergence. But its leaders always demonstrated the ability and willingness to forge and foster unity for the greater good of the Party and Country. The very birth of the UDP in 1973 was the result of a historic merger of various parties and political movements. Unfortunately, our current Leader, aided by the Chairman, is preaching and promoting an agenda of division. This is simply NOT the UDP way; and we urge him and others encouraging and assisting him to take heed and return to the Party’s tradition of leaders promoting unity rather than division. Long Live the UDP. Long Live Belize.
SHYNE SAYS LEAVE OR BE EXPELLED FROM THE PARTY
