P.U.P. take wait and see approach on third parties

Since January, three different third parties have announced their plans to contest general elections in 2008. This week People’s United Party Chairman Francis Fonseca gave his take on the recent developments on the local political scene.

Francis Fonseca, P.U.P. Chairman
“I think it is new territory for all of us. It is new territory for all of us, so I think we have to wait and see quite frankly. As you know, the history of third parties in Belize—although it is not a long and established history—has not been a very positive history, so I think we have to wait and see. We have obviously in weeks and months seen I think three new third parties emerged and some of them seem to be very focussed. The one that seems to be best organised is the V.I.P. They have already contested an election and did fairly well for a third party, so I think there are serious contenders and I think the jury is still out on the P.N.P. and the National Reform Party, which I think launched their party yesterday.”

“If you are going to be a credible third party, you’re going to have to come to the table with real solutions to the real problems we have as a country. You can’t just get up and join hands and say well we are an alternative to the bad U.D.P. and P.U.P., people want to see what alternative what does that alternative really mean, what are your plans, what are your solutions? And I think so far that is where the third parties, perhaps with the exception of V.I.P. who have laid out some plans, the third parties have been very silent on the policy issues that I think are of concern to most Belizeans.”

The third parties include the Belmopan-based Vision Inspired by the People, the People’s National Party from the Toledo district, and the National Reform Party, which is headquartered in the Belize district.