Opposition gets bad news in its first attempt at a recall in Cayo Northeast
Orlando Habet
The People’s United Party has received some less than welcome news to bring in the New Year. The petition to recall former Minister of State Elvin Penner has been rejected out of hand by the Elections and Boundaries Office. Two thousand and two signatures from voters in the Cayo Northeast Constituency were handed in to Governor-General Sir Colville Young on November twenty-eighth, and in a letter dated December thirtieth came the response that enough of those signatures had been disqualified to ensure that the P.U.P. did not meet the required thirty percent of registered voters. The P.U.P. political officer for Cayo Northeast, and the man behind the recall petition Orlando Habet, is disappointed by the rejection, but isn’t giving up just yet.
Orlando Habet, P.U.P. Political Officer, Cayo Northeast
“Our Secretary-General received a letter today, a letter that was dated on December thirtieth 2013. The letter stated that from the information they received from the Elections and Boundaries Office to the Governor General saying that after verification of the signatures of the petitions, the Chief Elections Officers found that we did not provide the requisite number of electors that is specified in section three and four of the act and under those circumstances the Governor General indicated that no recall referendum can be issued.”
Mike Rudon
“Alright, is that a final decree from the Governor General?”
Orlando Habet
“Umm, we are not certain. We will meet as our national executive, we will meet this week and we will make a decision on what our next move will be. We will certainly be writing back to the Governor General to ask him if that is exactly what you are asking; that it is the final verdict.”
Mike Rudon
“Now Landy I can’t believe that you or the P.U.P. would have made such a basic mistake as to not collect the requisite amount of signatures.”
Orlando Habet
“Certainly, we submitted two thousand two signatures, which is thirty-four percent of the voters. The required amount was a thousand eight hundred and forty-four which is thirty percent. That is a difference of two hundred and fifty-eight signatures. According to them, they accepted only a thousand six hundred and sixty-five or twenty-eight point six percent and that we fell short of seventy-nine signatures or one point four percent, which means that they rejected three hundred and thirty-seven signatures or five point eight percent. We strongly believe that it is political maneuvering as we are certain that the Elections and Boundaries Department is political.”
While the news today is disappointing, as Habet says it is probably not surprising since the Elections and Boundaries Department is considered to be essentially open to political manipulation and control.
Ali Babarrow and the 40 thieves sleep well tonight.
The honorable Penner is now redeemed. stop picking on the boy, he has suffered enough.
Hang in there Elvin, your seat in cabinet is being kept warm, soon you will be back to feast on your righteous booty. Ali will keep you from prison.
Revolution so at hand prepare yourselves belizeans for it is at hand
We are living in a state of dictatorship. Either the Elections and Boundaries workers are party hacks or afraid to loose their job. I am sure none of these people will be turned back come election day. You look older than the pic in you card, or can you still sign your name like that. What in the world is happening in this country. I can’t believe how far these crooks will go to try to hold on to power. While the poor is suffering the ministers are raking in the dollars from our coffers.
I say if we love our country, we cannot make this end like this. Penner shouldn’t be collecting our tax dollars for doing nothing, and everything must be done to have the recall succeed.
AH! the UDP manipulating things again, when the f%$· are we going to get democracy in this country?
Not surprising however we keep asking the same question…..when will we have democracy? When will we stop swallowing these dumb as#es from manipulating and dictating us Belizeans? Until we actually stand up and cause a revolution as Rod says!! That is when we will see the light at the end of the tunnel!!
Not even that the PUP can do correct???
My goodness – we are really in bad shape
As the opposition you should know they will throw obstacles on the course and as a viable replacement for the party in power you should have been prepared for that..
This shows lack of planning, execution and vision!
BIG SURPRISE!!!! This news piece was not even worth the minutes it took to report it, because it was always a given fact that the signatures would be thrown out so that there is not enough. Who in Belize honestly believed that this recall was going to happen, who ever you are I have an invisible bridge to honesty in Belize to sell you. As far as revolution by Belizean people that will never happen. Belize people have always been talk without action, that’s all we do talk talk talk and everybody knows what should happen but ask one to get it started then you will hear one thousand excuse why it won’t work and then that is the end of the talk. So basically the country and it citizens will continue to be RAPED by the hard hearted politicians and they and their families will continue to laugh at us as they live the good life. That picture is a very bleak picture for the country of Belize and it is beyond sad for such a jewel to come to that fate. SAD, SAD, SAD.
I would request a specific list of the signatures that were rejected. I am sure it would be hard to find one voter that would support Penner’s crap. So based on that alone I am forced to believe this rejection was political just like every other thing that happens in Belize! This man should go!
Perhaps, it is time to revamp the Elections board? They are apparently working at the behest of their political bosses.
It is of no surprise to me P.U.P could have sent in 20,000 votes and it would have been rejected.U.D.P would have found some kind of discrepancies to reject the recall. I wish they would reject the same names on election day…..But the u.d.p works for its own convenience. Belizeans fail to realize that we are at the mercies of d U.D.P….Only God can take us out of this mess. God bless Belize and It’s people
At last you have said something wise, Buju. The PUP, if they think they are are an alternative party, should have be prepared with Plan B and mobilizing the masses. Or are they expecting a free-pass? This is a real test to the free-thinking Belizean and the third parties. Barrow is testing your patience. If the free-thinking Belizeans swallow this pill quietly, then expect more corruption at all level, more victimization, and less work for the well-being of Belizeans
We are demanding a list of all the 300 plus names rejected by Elections and Boundaries, and that these names be printed with their card for all the world to see that what the election and boundaries have been trying to do is a total disrespect for democracy. We are sure that all these people are legally registered voters that they should never have been rejected. If we have to prove this so that the right action can be taken, then we need to go the extra mile, because penner need to go! If we have to go to court to have these people accepted, let nothing stop us from doing so.