New P.U.P. threatens expulsions/suspensions
In political news, inside the opposition People’s United Party sources say that the temperature has reached boiling point and that there is open warfare between the old and the new P.U.P.s. It is reported that at least one expulsion will be made and suspensions will follow this week.
This past Sunday, the old P.U.P. went ahead with its planned convention in the Corozal Southeast Division called by the current representative Florencio Marin Junior. The young Marin won the seat by a mere sixteen votes in the last general election and had been advised by the national executive of the P.U.P. that it was too early to go to convention for standard bearer when general elections are more than four years away. Marin found support from the old P.U.P., including the leader emeritus George Price, former leader and P.M., Said Musa, Francis Fonseca and Mike Espat and staged the event which attracted a couple hundred persons.
The new P.U.P. is not taking it lightly and it is known that a meeting has been called for tomorrow of the national executive to determine how to deal with defiance of the old guard. According to one report, following a meeting this morning of the John Briceño Management team, a series of measures were proposed which could upset the opposition side in the House of Representative since the defiance has come from three elected members of the House. The Executive will seek to remove Musa, Marin and Fonseca from the parliamentary Caucus, oust Marin Junior from the northern caucus, strip Mike Espat as chair of the southern caucus and declare Sunday’s convention null and void. The three elected representatives are also to be withdrawn from the proposed shadow cabinet.
This latest insolence to the Briceño leadership has to do with an indication that the new P.U.P.s were not inclined to drum up support for Musa who will reportedly be brought before the courts in connection with the controversial monies from Venezuela.
Said Musa, Former Prime Minister
“Now they say that I committed a crime. What crime did I commit? I acted in good faith. You may not have agreed with what I did to try and help the hospital but my friends I did not commit a criminal wrong. I did not commit a crime and I would suggest to you that as a result of helping that hospital, Belize is benefiting greatly. Why? Because this hospital is also giving additional curative services to the Belizean people instead of having to go abroad for services such as kidney dialysis treatment and so on. The U.D.P. is trying everything possible. First, they want to jail me but they have been trying to jail many other P.U.P. and victimising many other P.U.P. so we should not be a fraid of them I want to say to Dean Barrow and the U.D.P. I am not afraid of you. Bring it on anytime you want. We are ready to face you because I know I am innocent and I know hat in time this very same thing will come back to haunt Dean Barrow and the U.D.P. It will come back; it will boomerang right back in their faces. Ih di remind me what I told them in the House of Representatives “noh watch me, watch yuhself”, yes.
