P.U.P. area rep.’s review hearing set for April 11th

In political news, the internal struggles within the People’s United Party continue as word today is that inquiries into the loyalty of Albert area representative will officially climax in two weeks. According to a press release issued by the P.U.P. secretariat today, “after reviewing the letter of complaint … and televised statement by Mark Espat … the National Executive felt that the statement raises a question of party loyalty and discipline that ought to be investigated”. The National Executive is planning to discuss the matter at a meeting at the P.U.P. headquarters on April eleventh and says it will give Espat “the opportunity to be present and respond to the allegations”. The announcement follows a letter from Leader Emeritus George Price who, in his capacity as chairman of the party’s Order of Distinguished Service, recommended to the National Executive that Espat be expelled for his recent public behaviour. The cited incidents were the disloyalty evidenced in his March seventeenth public statement and, more seriously, an allegation that Espat has been conspiring with the U.D.P. to have former Prime Minister Said Musa and other former government officials arrested. But this week three members of the O.D.S., Belizario Carballo Senior, Ciriarco Contreras and Hector Silva wrote separate letters to Price. The three men contend that one, they were not aware that Carballo had been removed as chair of the O.D.S. but more importantly, that the body should have met to discuss Espat’s action prior to Price’s official letter recommending his expulsion. The trio say that the allegations of the Albert representative’s collusion with the U.D.P. should also have been backed up by evidence.

In related news from within the P.U.P., today Jaime Briceño and Eamon Courtenay met with party officials at Independence Hall to finalize the rules for this Sunday’s election. As we have reported, Secretary General Henry Usher will act as returning officer and voting is expected to start at ten in the morning at the Belmopan Civic Center. The two candidates, Freetown representative Francis Fonseca and Orange Walk Central’s Johnny Briceño are hot on the campaign trail in an effort to meet with as many of the approximately six hundred voters eligible to participate in the election of a new leader.