Failed NPC Meeting Marks Another Blow for UDP

The United Democratic Party’s attempt at a fresh start this weekend turned into yet another public unraveling. What was supposed to be a pivotal National Party Council meeting never even got off the ground. Instead, chaos erupted right outside the U.D.P. headquarters. Tensions flared as long-time party supporter Alfonso Noble was allegedly blocked from entering by Jose Luis Uk Espat, just one of many signs that the party remains deeply divided. While some, like Uk Espat, say they came in the name of unity, others are calling the entire event illegitimate and lawless. With key figures like Opposition Leader Tracy Taegar-Panton and former Vice Chairman Roosevelt Blades speaking out, the U.D.P.’s internal conflict is once again playing out in full public view. So, what’s really going on inside the U.D.P.? News Director Isani Cayetano takes a closer look at the fallout from Saturday’s failed NPC meeting.

 

Isani Cayetano, Reporting

The United Democratic Party is still struggling to find its footing, four months after a crushing defeat at the national polls, the cracks within the opposition are only getting deeper. It’s been eight months since the Alliance for Democracy held a so-called unity convention in Belize City, an event the High Court later ruled had no binding effect on the UDP. And now, this past Saturday’s failed National Party Council meeting is just the latest sign that the party remains in disarray. With no clear path forward and internal divisions growing louder, the UDP’s downward spiral shows no signs of slowing.

 

Roosevelt Blades, Former Vice Chairman, U.D.P.

“Dis di hurt me, dis di hurt me. Ih di hurt the thirty-five years I serve dis party, fi sih what dis man di allow fi happen to our party.  It is so not right. Shyne resigned, if ih wahn sihdown een de as past leader, he can. But ih can’t sit in there as a leader, that da common sense.”

 

That was Roosevelt Blades, former vice chairman of the United Democratic Party, and he wasn’t mincing words. His comments were aimed squarely at Shyne Barrow, the man who lost his seat in the House of Representatives back in March, stepped down as party leader… and then made a surprising comeback just weeks later. It’s a political rollercoaster that’s left many wondering: what’s really going on inside the NPC?

 

Tracy Taegar-Panton, Leader of the Opposition

“It is illegitimate. The persons who are invited to the NPC are not bonafide members of the NPC and are not authorized to make decisions on behalf of the NPC, simple. You can’t call it anything else, that’s what it is. You can’t handpick people and say to them, are you coming to the [NPC]? This happened to a colleague of mine out west. He was called and [asked], “Are you coming to the NPC tomorrow?” He says, “In what capacity?” They said, “As chairman of your constituency. But he said, “Well, I’m not the chairman. We have a chairman.” And he gave the chairman’s name. He said, “I just made you the chairman. So you are invited.” What the come on.”

 

Saturday’s meeting was meant to mark a new beginning for the United Democratic Party, a chance to regroup, refocus, and hit the reset button. At least, that’s what former party chairman Alberto August had in mind. But instead of a reset, what unfolded was more like a political nosedive.

 

Alberto August, Vice Chairman, United Democratic Party

“You see, you see the lawlessness of this? This is not the UDP. This is not the UDP.”

 

Isani Cayetano

“Some people would argue that you’ve essentially hijacked this entire event today, notwithstanding the fact that the deputy party leader says he was not invited, nor was the Leader of the Opposition.”

 

Alberto August

“The [deputy] party leader is invited. This is not a government matter. The Leader of the Opposition addresses government issues. She is the Leader of the Opposition in the House of Representatives. This is a UDP meeting. There is a difference between the Leader of the Opposition and the leader of the UDP. This is not a government meeting. This is a meeting of the United Democratic Party.”

 

The National Party Council gathering didn’t materialize—and instead, chaos broke out right on the steps of the UDP headquarters. In a dramatic moment, Jose Luis Uk Espat allegedly tried to block long-time party supporter Alfonso Noble from entering the building, sparking confusion and confrontation.

 

Alfonso Noble, Secretary, Lake-I Constituency

“I am a member of the NPC, I need to go up there. If Uk goes up there, he is going to be making decisions which will affect me, which will ultimately affect me and he cannot make a decision for me. He has no standing in this party. He da just dreg up, come up kinda way deh weh part his position is not even legal. He went through no convention, he has no committee. I don’t know who these people are who are coming up there. I need to go up there. These people that are coming up there will not make any decision for me.”

 

For Uk Espat, Saturday was a chance to bring the United Democratic Party back together. But instead of healing, the day unraveled into confusion and confrontation, with tensions boiling over right at the party’s doorstep.

 

Jose Luis Uk Espat, Member, United Democratic Party

“I’ve always been one to mitigate for unity, for love, for respect, for peace. I noh cohn ya cohn fight, I noh cohn ya cohn nothing. I cohn ya for a meeting that I was invited to by the leader of the UDP, Mr. Shyne Barrow, I attend the meeting to see how best we can move the entire party forward. That’s my objective here today, nothing else.”

 

Isani Cayetano for News Five.