P.U.P. OW South Candidate Jose Abelardo Mai on the Campaign Trail

Incumbent Area Representative Jose Abelardo Mai has been hard at work well before the date for the upcoming general elections was announced.  In the Orange Walk South constituency where he won in 2012 under the banner of the People’s United Party, the struggles of his people are real.  Poverty, unemployment and a lack of access to adequate healthcare are issues that continue to affect residents of the northern district.  Mai’s third candidacy promises change for the better, but are voters Orange Walk South sold on his campaign pledge?

Jose Abelardo Mai, P.U.P. Area Representative, OW South

“We started off our campaign very early; we suspected the prime minister would have called elections early so we had started putting our committees in place immediately.  So we hit the ground running when it was time to do so alright.  So it’s going good for us, we’ve already done three villages house-to-house, kitchen-to-kitchen they call it.  I did three villages.  I did Blue Creek, that’s the Mennonite community, Yo Creek Village house-to-house and last night we completed Guinea Grass.  Guinea Grass is the biggest village in Orange Walk South.  It was the strength of the U.D.P., it was.  We completed a house-to-house campaign of eight hundred and sixty houses last night at eight-thirty.”

Jose Abelardo Mai

Isani Cayetano

“In terms of getting the pulse or the vibe of people in that constituency, what are some of the issues that they are bringing forward this time around?”

Jose Abelardo Mai

“So many, but in order of occurrence, frequent occurrence in every house you would say that poverty is the first one which is directly link to unemployment.  In every home you go you will find two persons sitting down and say, “I don’t have no job.” or “My job ended yesterday, I only get three days for this week.  I have to find a next job next week.”  And every single home poverty, unemployment, medical needs, so many ill people.  I saw persons actually dying in their bed and not having a penny to even catch the bus to go to buy medication or to go to the hospital.  I met two cases that really, really broke my heart.  It’s so painful to see people dying in their beds and with no resource for anything.  That’s another thing.  Second, it’s the use of alcohol in these communities; mien, it’s a lot of abuse of alcohol and it’s just horrible.  Houses are very poorly equipped, no lighting.  You know, nationalizing B.E.L. didn’t work for Belizeans.  There are people that run yards and yards and yards of electrical wires to get electricity from one house to the next.  How did B.E.L. help the Belizean people?”