UDP presents Belize City manifesto
The hype surrounding the upcoming city and town council elections cooled off over the Christmas and New Year’s holidays, but with politics as something of a national sport, it will not take long for things to heat up between now and March first. Today, the UDP candidates in Belize City fired the year’s first electoral salvo.
Janelle Chanona, Reporting
To a room of party supporters, this afternoon the United Democratic Party officially launched its manifesto for the March municipal elections. Entitled ?Plan of Action?, the document itself is filled with the usual election promises of good governance, more economic opportunities, improved infrastructure, and a better quality of life for Belize City residents.
Zenaida Moya, UDP Mayoral Candidate
?The cycle of poverty is real and we have to do what we can to ensure that it doesn?t continue.?
Mayoral hopeful Zenaida Moya admits the UDP manifesto is scant on details of exactly how they plan to achieve their nine election pledges, but she contends that?s part of the party?s strategy.
Zenaida Moya
?Residents don?t want any bulky material. Sometimes persons may feel almost intimated to see a bulky book and we felt that by offering something simple, you know, a little two pager, that is something that people will feel more calm picking up and reading. So the website where we offer the webpages is something that persons who may want to look into the details of our plans can go to.?
Janelle Chanona
?Zenaida, some quarters might suggest that all the UDP needs to do is show up, that you will be able to ride in on the failures of the PUP city council. How would you respond; disagree or agree??
Zenaida Moya
?Well, I fully understand and I believe the entire UDP fully understands that this current administration is unpopular. But we have not let that be something that will be the springboard for a UDP city council team to just ride in on. We have been campaigning very hard; most of us have been campaigning for months now, so we don?t feel that. We feel that we will have to work hard still. As much as the people respect us and have faith and trust in us, we believe that this is a smart city, the residents are eager to have us in there, but they are also eager to ensure that they put the right persons in.?
The U.D.P. city council slate and manifesto were officially endorsed today by party leader Dean Barrow.
Dean Barrow, Party Leader, UDP
?We in the United Democratic Party are absolutely confident that the men and women that represent us, that in fact have offered themselves for election to the city council on march first possess the energy, possess the ability, possess the experience, but above all, possess the honesty and the integrity to do the job that the circumstances now require for our city.?
The internet link for the UDP manifesto is www.udp.org.bz. The other UDP candidates for the city council are Laura Esquivel, Hyacinth Latchman, Gilroy Middleton, Mark King, Anthony Michael, Leila Peyrefitte, Calvert Quilter, Dean Samuels, Phillip Willoughby, and Wayne Usher. Officials of the incumbent People’s United Party tell News Five that they are currently preparing their city council manifesto and plan to release that document to the public in late January.
