Three candidates square off in Belmopan
Manifestos are one thing but any politician in Belize will tell you that elections are fought and won, not on lofty party pronouncements, but on the ground, house to house. And that’s where we find Ann-Marie Williams, tonight reporting from Belmopan.
Rolando Zetina, P.U.P. Candidate, Belmopan
“Belmopan needs representation. Over the years, especially since the last four years we have not had the representation that I personally think that Belmopan needs. Belmopan needs somebody that is a worker, somebody that is not afraid of working, somebody that will work for Belmopan regardless of what situation it finds itself in.”
Ann-Marie Williams, Reporting
Rolando Zetina, who left his job as acting C.E.O. of the Belize Social Security Board a year ago to enter politics, says that Belmopan, where he’s lived for twenty-six years, needs representation. This is the first time in Belmopan’s history that its close to six thousand registered voters will have their own representative. The constituency was carved out of Cayo South in the latest redistricting exercise.
John Saldivar, U.D.P. Candidate, Belmopan
The time has come for somebody from Belmopan, who has lived in Belmopan, almost born in Belmopan to really start to lead Belmopan. We already have that situation for the City council. That was one of the themes we campaigned on for the City Council. Mayor Lopez and his councilors were all people who have been in Belmopan at least for the last twenty-five years. I have been there for the last thirty-six years. I’m a child of Belmopan and I believe that I understand and know the needs and desires of the people of Belmopan and so that is the advantage I carry over my opponents.”
But Saldivar hasn’t always enjoyed that advantage. The former chairman of the Reconstruction and Development Corporation ran unsuccessfully for the U.D.P. as their Cayo South standard bearer in 1998. He rebounded on October twenty-nine, 2003 when he won a bi-election defeating the P.U.P.s Joaquin Cawich whose father’s death made the seat vacant.
John Saldivar
“I have a record of working in Belmopan. While I was chairman of RECONDEV I did a lot for Belmopan and I want to continue with that work. The difference between me and some of the other opponents is that I think about poor people. Yes we want to expand Belmopan but we wanna make sure that we include the poor people in that expansion, that they benefit from that expansion especially when it comes to land in Belmopan. Over the last ten years what we have seen is that the rich developers are the ones that get the land while the poor are unable to afford the land. That is one of the immediate things that I want to change so that our regular John Joe, our regular person on the street can get access to land to build a home to start a family.”
Businessman Paul Morgan who operates a computer repair business in Belmopan is also contesting the election under the V.I.P. banner. He says Belmopan’s biggest problem is education.
Paul Morgan, V.I.P. Candidate, Belmopan
“I will institute a organisation, an educational organisation here in Belmopan that will deliver home schooling, affordable home schooling. I will look at some of the opportunities to get people working, jobs, cottage industries. There are many many things, Ann-Marie, to do around here. You just look at your shelves in the grocery stores and each and every one of those items we can make here in Belize it’s only a matter of basic technology.”
Ann-Marie Williams
“What else are you planning on doing?”
Paul Morgan”
“Well first things first. I need to win this election and I need to get out there and talk to people. I need to give them my ideas, I need to share with them their problems and let’s see what they decide on February eighth, seventh.”
But research shows that third parties are usually loosely organised and poorly funded. And in Belize no third part candidate has ever won a seat. Both Saldivar and Zetina couldn’t agree more.
Rolando Zetina
“I spoke to many of their people and they have said that they don’t expect to win that they are there for the long run.”
John Saldivar
“The goal right now is to get rid of this corrupt government. This is not the time to be dividing ourselves. They should have been on the U.D.P. bandwagon if they were really interested in removing this People’s United Party government.”
Paul Morgan
“The truth is that any one of these two parties, the blue or the red need sixteen candidates to win for them to be elected as government, for them to take the majority and if they don’t get sixteen they’re both in trouble. What I am hoping for right now is that we get elected in enough numbers so that we must form a coalition then you will see where for the first time Belize will have a government that is made up of all three parties.”
While Morgan holds hope high, the other two candidates are making sure their campaign machinery is well oiled for the February seventh elections. We met Zetina stumping for votes.
Rolando Zetina
“Currently we’re working, still doing the house to house visits. We have Committees in place that are working.”
John Saldivar
“This is the opportunity for us to say no to corruption, to say yes to good governance. They are gonna to choose people that can deliver good governance, that can deliver transparency and accountability, that do that from the heart, that are honest and people of integrity and I know that the people of Belmopan know that I’m one of those persons.”
Ann Marie Williams
“What happens if you don’t win?”
Rolando Zetina
“There are three scenarios. One I win, P.U.P. wins, that’s the ideal situation. In that scenario I will work. There’s the other scenario, I win and the P.U.P. loses under that scenario I will work. I will not use the excuse that my party is not in power for me not to work. The other scenario is that perhaps I lose and the P.U.P. loses. In that scenario also I will remain a community activist and see how I can help the people of Belmopan.”
In the meantime, the electorate has twenty-one days to decide if they will go with the traditional offerings of Saldivar and Zetina or go in a different direction with
Morgan.
Ann-Marie Williams for News Five.
It should be noted that the Belmopan based V.I.P. has objected strenuously to a News Five story that characterized the party’s chances of winning even a single seat as “near zero”. The V.I.P. called the statement “baseless, insensitive, biased and irresponsible.” News Director Stewart Krohn says he stands by the story and that the conclusion is well justified by both historical election results and the intensity with which both mass parties are contesting the upcoming election.
