P.U.P., U.D.P., and Independents face off in Cayo Central

As part of our general elections coverage for 2008, News Five will be touring the country introducing candidates to the electorate. Tonight correspondent Ann-Marie Williams takes us to the Cayo Central division.

Ann-Marie Williams, Reporting
With only twenty-three days left before the 2008 general elections, candidates all over the country are on the campaign trail canvassing for votes.

In the four constituencies of the Cayo District, standard bearers representing the ruling People’s United Party, the Opposition United Democratic Party, the National Reform Party and the Vision Inspired by the People are competing for votes.

According to the Elections and Boundaries Department in Cayo Central at the end of December there were six thousand forty-four registered voters. Incumbent area representative Mario Castellanos is one of them.

Mario Castellanos, P.U.P. Cayo Central Candidate
“We have people that are committed, dedicated party supporters that are behind me and behind the People’s United Party so we feel confident of a victory in February.”

Businessman Rene Montero is the Opposition’s candidate. He lost to Castellanos by one hundred seventy-eight votes when he first contested the seat in 2003. But this time around, he says things will be different.

Rene Montero, U.D.P. Candidate, Cayo Central
“We launched our campaign on the fifth despite the rain. It was the worse day ever. We had the Novelo’s Convention Centre, it was full to capacity. I think we made history and we intend to maintain that momentum until the seventh. We have a lot of activities. We have meetings, we have inauguration of football, we have house to house campaigning, we’ll be walking the streets. So we intend to continue with that momentum until Election Day and at midnight we will claim victory.”

Running on the V.I.P. ticket is high school teacher Gilroy Requena. Despite the uphill battle all independent candidates face, he and the National Reform Party candidate George Boiton are undeterred. Boiton says he knocks on doors with a strong message of ‘change’ in tow.

George Boiton, N.R.P. Candidate, Cayo Central
“All about in Cayo Central that we visit people are saying they are upset with the P.U.P., they have already tried the U.D.P. and they believe the same thing will happen. So they want something new, something … A new party right?”

Ann-Marie Williams, Reporting
“Do you feel like they’re serious enough to catapult that madness into real change?”

George Boiton, N.R.P. Candidate, Cayo Central
“Yes I believe so. I believe they will do it.”

Ann-Marie Williams, Reporting
“Mr. Boiton you all be fielding only ten candidates. Let’s say a miracle happens and all ten candidates are successful, you don’t even have enough to form a government. What are you planning on doing?”

George Boiton
“Well if—as you know we have the other parties, the independent candidates. Probably there are some that come in also, they get elected so we can have a coalition with them and we can form a new government.”

Ann-Marie Williams
“There is not twenty-one independent candidates so twenty-one and ten would make thirty-one but there is not twenty-one independent candidates. And if there ever were, all twenty-one would never win.”

George Boiton
“Who knows between now and Nomination Day how many can come in.”

As campaigners enter their homestretch it’s customary for standard bearers to unveil their litany of promises to the electorate. Castellanos says if successful in this election, he will build on the achievements of his party.

Mario Castellanos
“We still need to address some of the basic needs of some people in some areas and in some areas improve of them. For example, In San Antonio we need to improve on the water system that we have there. They do have water but we do have a problem with it. In some areas it’s lack of electricity. We need to make sure that they get. In some other areas we need to improve in the infrastructure for education, the schools etcetera. So basically I would want to continue working in the areas of education, in health and in infrastructural development; the streets, roads, drains etcetera. And look at also we need to work in agriculture area because we in our constituency, it’s a lot of farmers that live in our area.”

But Montero if he wins, he will have his hands full.

Rene Montero, U.D.P. Candidate
“Santa Elena, in particular, has been abandoned. As you rightly said, the streets are the worse ever in history of Belize. It seems as though a hurricane has hit Santa Elena. It’s really, really, really terrible. You notice the street—I know if I can take you there—the streets by Trapiche, the street by Loma Luz. You know we can even bury a person here. In Santa Elena the football field is abandoned, the basketball field is abandoned; everything is abandoned as though we have no representation. We need to change things.”

Mario Castellanos
“The campaigning is a negative campaign against us in terms of corruption, etcetera, etcetera, D.F.C., Social Security and some people swallow that.

Ann-Marie Williams
“-But a lot of those things have happened; you can’t say no!”

Mario Castellanos
“Well, like we said, we said mistakes were made and there were commissions appointed to do the investigations. In hindsight, the decisions that were made perhaps would have been made differently with hindsight.”

Ann-Marie Williams
“Both the United Democratic Party and the People’s United Party are claiming victory but in a close election, a third party candidate can always pose an upset.”

Rene Montero
“Countrywide I think N.R.P. is not a factor. We don’t see them around. They don’t seem to understand what politics is. They put up one sign or two signs and that’s about it. I see a little manifesto that they have, it doesn’t make sense. So as far as I’m concerned it’s only a two-way race between the red and the blue. That’s it.”

Ann-Marie Williams for News 5.

According to the People’s United Party, their candidates running in the Cayo district will participate in a rally at the Macal River Park in San Ignacio starting at three on Sunday afternoon.

In related news, today Commissioner of Police Gerald Westby met with all the standard bearers from the Cayo district at his office in Belmopan. According to press officer G. Michael Reid, the meeting was to encourage the political representatives to conduct non-violent campaigns and to discuss the department’s rules on Nomination and Election Day.