“Elections ’98”: Corozal Bay
It’s an area of the country whose four seats are at present solidly blue. Tonight in our continuing series of “Elections ’98,” Patrick Jones looks at the candidates in the constituency of Corozal Bay to see if the tide may be changing.
Vildo Marin, P.U.P., Corozal Bay
“The issues that I am campaigning on right now Patrick, is jobs. My people have been hurt throughout this five years in government. Nothing much has happened in my division in terms of economic development. This is something that we want and we will work hard to provide those jobs, not necessarily from government. They won’t be government jobs per se, but it will be private sector driven.”
Willard Levy, U.D.P., Corozal Bay
“Well one of our main issues that we are trying to get across with the people of Corozal is the need for employment – the improvement of our economic situation here in Corozal. So our intention is to try to improve the lifestyle of the Belizeans, the Corozaleños on a whole, because of the need of jobs. That is my target – trying to create some sort of employment, if elected in office.”
Q: “If elected, what will Vildo Marin the representative do, not only for Corozal Bay, but for the rest of the nation? What can the people expect?”
Vildo Marin
“Well that will depend on my Prime Minister, Patrick. I cannot speak for him. I don’t know for a fact what he has in store for me, if he has a ministry lined up for me. As an area representative, the people can expect exactly what I told them today, what is ingrained in my local manifesto.”
Willard Levy
“If elected as a representative for Corozal and also on the national level, I’ll be working along with the Prime Minister Manuel Esquivel and his Cabinet in trying to improve the economic conditions of this country.”
Q: “You’re going up against a politician who has won the last two general elections. What is the one thing you think it is that will put Willard Levy one step ahead of Vildo Marin in Corozal Bay?”
Willard Levy
“That is very simple. I have worked for Corozal Town as a mayor for three years and within those three years I have achieved a number of projects, a number of improvements in Corozal Town and that is only on a local level. So my advantage is that, if elected in office, is that on a national level I would be able to serve the people of Corozal in a better way.”
Vildo Marin
“I believe experience; I have more experience than my opponent. Certainly I have tried very much to work hard for the area to bring development to the area, whether it be in infrastructure, in health, in education, economic development, so I am also running on my record. I would say that my opponent’s record as ex-mayor of Corozal Town has been a very dismal one. It is true that he repaired for example the Central Park and another park by Alta Mira, but look at the mess that he left us in. We, our board, is presently, when we took it over then, it was a hundred and seventy five thousand dollars in the red.”
Willard Levy
“I didn’t complain in 1994, when I met the town board that was for the P.U.P. in the red. During my three years, I managed to clear that deficit and I see no reason why he should be using that. He is supposed to be looking at the idea of serving two terms in office on a national level and the question is, what has he done for Corozal Town? What has he done for Corozal Bay? Or what has he done for Corozal District? And the answer is very simple, nothing.”
Corozal Bay is the largest of the four Corozal constituencies, with four thousand registered voters. On tomorrow’s newscast we’ll take a peek at Pickstock.
