NPC Votes to Reinstate Expelled Members Except for Faber

Just when you thought the political drama within the United Democratic Party had simmered down, think again. One month after a National Party Council meeting descended into chaos, the U.D.P. gave it another shot this past Saturday. This time, things were quieter outside the party’s headquarters, but inside? A different kind of storm was brewing. Chairman Michael Peyrefitte, who recently returned to the helm after stepping down post-election, was determined to bring unity to a fractured party. But the meeting took a sharp turn when Opposition Senator Patrick Faber showed up uninvited. What followed was a standoff, a refusal by police to intervene, and a vote that ended up… on WhatsApp. News Five’s Paul Lopez has the full story on this latest chapter in the U.D.P.’s ongoing saga.

 

Paul Lopez, Reporting

Inside the UDP headquarters, chaos once again took center stage. Chairman Michael Peyrefitte, freshly reinstated and hoping to steer the party toward unity, found himself presiding over yet another political showdown. The tension hit a boiling point when Lead Opposition Senator Patrick Faber made an uninvited entrance, behind familiar faces, including Area Rep Miguel Guerra, Deputy Chair Alberto August, and former candidates like Jose Espat and Omar Figueroa. And it didn’t stop there. August was soon seen calling on police to remove Faber, while another controversial figure, Brian ‘Yellow Man’ Audinett, also showed up.

 

Brian “Yellow Man” Audinett, Member, U.D.P.

“Mister Faber is a part of the NPC. Mister Faber has absolutely nowhere to go.”

 

And then this happened, an exchange of expletives between Audinett and Almendarez that got close to becoming physical.

 

Paul Lopez

“You think you deserve to be a part of this meeting?”

 

David Almendarez, Former U.D.P. Candidate, Belize Rural Central

“I dah wah Belizean, I deserve to be anywhere I stand. I dah wah lion, sih lion, Belizean. No comments.”

Inside the meeting room a resolution was put on the floor for voting: reinstate all expelled members of the U.D.P., except for Patrick Faber. And with that Chairman Michael Peyrefitte suspended the meeting and the vote was moved to Whatsapp.

 

Michael Peyrefitte, Chairman, U.D.P.

“The resolution is that everybody who was expelled from the party and not in good standing with the party, except for Patrick Faber, we are putting that these people be invited back into the party and we proceed with our conventions and national convention on October fifth. But the resolution right now, given his behavior and given his disrespect today, we are voting and putting to the floor of the NPC to not have him return to the UDP and I was the first one to vote to not bring him back to the UDP.”

And we challenged Peyrefitte about the validity of a Whatsapp voting process on such a weighty decision. Here is how he responded.

 

Michael Peyrefitte

“We have done Cabinet meeting by Whatsapp. It is a matter of a resolution for a decision. It is that simple.”

 

By five o’clock, the results were in and the message was loud and clear. The National Party Council voted unanimously to welcome back all previously expelled members… all except one: Patrick Faber. The only person who didn’t cast a vote was former Cayo Central candidate Mark O’Brien, who chose to sit this one out. So, what does Faber think about being the lone man left out? We caught up with him right after the meeting to hear his take on the day’s events.

 

Patrick Faber, Former Area Representative, Collet

“Mister Peyrefitte could say what he want. I have been here longer than he. I have worked for this party from fourteen years old. Dah nuh for me, deh nuh the have no convention in Collett. That is not one of the divisions in any danger for a convention to be held. But we must do what is right. You show me, they could say what they want to say, that is fine. Ultimately I know my value, not only for this party but as an individual as well, so it does not matter what they say.”

 

Faber then asserted that Almendarez physically pushed him while inside the building.

 

Patrick Faber

“He was pushing me through the door until saner minds intervened. So, expect that I am going straight to the Queen Street Police station to make a complaint.”

 

As the crowd trickled out of the UDP headquarters, the mood was far from celebratory. Several members didn’t hold back, expressing frustration over yet another in-person NPC meeting that ended in disappointment.

 

Ralston Frazer, Former U.D.P. Candidate, Belmopan

“I am very disappointed, but I do know that when you have genuine legitimate cause to carry one then you stand and carry on and sometimes in leadership you have to stand and carry on alone.”

Jose UC Espat, Former U.D.P. Candidate, Albert

“To be honest, I myself am getting tired of this. It seems that one person destroyed this whole meeting, Patrick Faber. If we cant get we act together this party wont go anywhere and to be honest I the get tired of this.”

 

Macario Augustine, Former U.D.P. Candidate, Stann Creek West

“It is one party and it is so disappointing of what is happening up there at the moment, but my main focus is uniting the party and moving forward.”

 

So, is this the final chapter for Patrick Faber in the UDP? Or is there still a twist in the tale? And the bigger question—can the United Democratic Party ever truly come together under one roof? Reporting for News 5, I am Paul Lopez.