Barrow attributes victory to P.U.P. “screwups”

While Zenaida Moya will have her hands full figuring out how to run a city in tough financial times, U.D.P. leader Dean Barrow will spend the next two years trying to parlay yesterday’s municipal success into victory in the 2008 general elections. In the wee hours of this morning he offered a quick analysis of the win.

Dean Barrow
?Our candidates I think worked extremely hard. We tried mightily to say to people that even at the level of municipal governments, we would do better, that we certainly were in favour of reform, that we would give good governance at the municipal level.?

?I certainly will keep reminding the party that this is not a victory entirely of our own making, perhaps even primarily of our own making. I take nothing away from the fact that our candidates in all the municipalities obviously gave it their all. I take nothing away from the fact that the party came together I believe in a way it has never come together, at least not in the recent past. But basically, this was almost preordained because of the way the government has screwed up and because of the way the different elements in our society coalesced in this determination to register their disapproval and disgust.?

But beyond the dissatisfaction of voters, the newly invigorated U.D.P. will also have to step up to the plate.

Dean Barrow
?If there is a good faith effort on the part of U.D.P. town councils and if there is honesty and openness, in my view, that is going to be more than enough to propel us into central government. Because remember, that at the same time, things are not going to get any better in terms of the economy, I don?t think things are going to get any better with the P.U.P. in terms of that scandals that we keep hearing about. Things are not going to get any better in terms of their internal fit. They clearly are going to have all sorts of difficulties. There will be recriminations; there will be finger-pointing as to who didn?t do enough that sort of thing. So I have no fear at all that if we keep our noses scrupulously squeaky clean and are seen to be doing our damndest to perform effectively, it should be fairly smoothly sailing.?

For the full details of the voting in all nine municipalities viewers should visit the official website of the Elections and Boundaries Department, www.belize-elections.org. We would also be remiss if we did not offer kudos to the Chief Elections officer, his very capable staff and all those public officers who conducted yesterday’s balloting with such quiet efficiency.