P.U.P. Party Leader Won’t Kick Darrell While He Is Down

Francis Fonseca

The plight of the BML employees who, up until the prime minister’s intervention on Wednesday, were in jeopardy of losing their jobs with the sanitation company is not lost on the citizenry nor will it soon be forgotten as a major political and public relations blunder by Mayor Darrell Bradley.  While the commitment from central government to defray the salary of workers diffused tensions, there is an existing school of thought which suggests that the People’s United Party should have capitalized on the misstep since municipal elections are right around the corner and the opposition is yet to field a slate.  It is an interesting proposition, one which party leader Francis Fonseca says is not his style of politics.

Francis Fonseca, P.U.P. Leader

“That is never my approach.  I will always be criticized for that.  That is never my approach, I never seek to take advantage of people’s misfortune for political gain.  I think people have seen it for themselves and I think yes, the People’s United Party will benefit from the entire debacle, the way it was mishandled by the mayor, the Belize City Council, the very heavy-handed approach of the U.D.P. government.  I think that is clear for all Belizeans to see and we will benefit from that politically, there is no further advantage in us seeking to create anymore hysteria over the issue, anymore hype over the issue.  I think it is what it is and the people have seen the U.D.P. for what they really are.  As I have consistently said, the government that really does not care about poor people except for their vote.  Beyond their vote there is absolutely no care and I think that was clearly seen in this episode.  So I don’t think we have to go out there and exploit especially poor, vulnerable people for our political advantage and that has never been my approach and will never be my approach.”

The People’s United Party is yet to formally introduce its candidates for the 2015 municipal elections.