Faber for U.D.P. Leadership, Next Prime Minister

Patrick Faber

Political pundits view Hugo Patt’s promotion to the Ministry of Natural Resources as an attempt to neutralize any power play by frontrunners Patrick Faber and John Saldivar in the run up to the May 2019 leadership convention for the United Democratic Party. Faber who has gone up the ranks of the U.D.P. has made no secret of his ambition to lead the party. And after the William Danny Mason debacle, John Saldivar’s stock appears to have risen once again following the municipal wins in the western corridor.  Both have been adversaries but, today Faber sounded conciliatory, saying that democracy will prevail to determine the next leader of the U.D.P. and prime minister.

Patrick Faber, Deputy Prime Minister

“I suppose it is only speculation, but what I can assure people is that while it is that the leadership of the party is at stake and potentially the leadership of the country at stake as well, there are obvious things that will come in a race like that. I want to allay the fears of all that the contest—whether it be between Minister Saldivar and I or if there are other entrances as some people are speculating will be the case (I have no such evidence)—whoever is in this race, we will not destroy our party. We believe firmly in the democratic principles of our party and that is why we believe in having these conventions, if people are aspiring. But that will not affect the unity of our party. And in fact we have met, Minister Saldivar and I, on numerous occasions to say to each other that that is not our goal. You know that we have been longstanding friends, the molders in this party and there can be no convention that can bring us that kind of division.”