Cycling Association; a petition to remove its executive

The cycling election that should have been held at the Aguada Hotel in Santa Elena did not occur at the end of November and President Emil Moreno is being challenged by Belize City Deputy Mayor Dion Leslie. Because those elections did not take place, Leslie’s camp has set out to sign a petition for a vote of no confidence against President Moreno. There is no precedent for a vote of no confidence in the constitution of the Cycling Association and Moreno has received major support for a stay to the proposed elections. A letter from the Pan-American Confederation of Cycling, to which Belize subscribes, has been delivered to the Minister of Sports, Patrick Faber. The letter urges the Minister not to hold elections until a visit by the president of the Federation Jose Manuel Pelaez Rodriguez takes place on January twentieth, 2013. The Pan-American Federation also writes that along with the International Cycling Union, it recognizes only the  Executive Committee of  the Association presided by Moreno in accordance with the constitution of October twenty-fifth,  2006. Notwithstanding, Leslie says many cyclists have signed the petition to show that they don’t want Moreno anymore and it’s time for change.

Dion Leslie, Deputy Mayor, Belize City Council

Dion Leslie

“The cyclists decided the best way to show the disapproval for the current executive is to come together and sign a letter of no confidence for the president and his executive and that is what has been done. I believe we have close to over fifty percent of registered cyclists in the country who have signed that document. Those who haven’t signed, they haven’t been able to see the document as yet, but we understand that they are willing to sign it because everyone is on the same page. They want Moreno to step down. The show of attendance at the meeting in late November in Cayo showed the man that they don’t want him anymore; they want a new vision for cycling and they just want to move forward and that is what this is about.”

Jules Vasquez, 7News

“But are you all trying to bypass the process when the Sports Council is waiting on a report from the President and it is in hand at the Sports Council. Are you all trying to just circumvent this and just force unu way?”

Dion Leslie

“We are not forcing our way any at all. We will allow due process to follow. The sports council will do what it has to do, but it is just the cyclist; it is not us. We are not out there pushing a pen in your hand and forcing you to sign this. Cyclists are coming and they want to see something happen; they are scared. The second biggest race in the cycling calendar is less than a month away and we don’t even know what will happen. The cyclists are scared; they are on the road everyday asking what will happen. They just want to see action happen and what they mean by it is that they want to see Mister Moreno removed as president, a new executive put in place and cycling moving forward.”

So that’s where it is tonight; a petition for a vote of no confidence and a stay of the elections.