U.D.P.’s John Saldivar campaigns hard in Cayo S.
Today was nomination day in the Cayo South constituency, where the P.U.P.’s Joaquin Cawich will seek to take over the seat formerly held by his father, the late Pino Cawich. Seeking to thwart those plans is the U.D.P.’s John Saldivar. Over the weekend News 5’s Patrick Jones spent some time with Saldivar and his team as they travelled over familiar territory in the nation’s biggest electoral division.
Patrick Jones, Reporting
The campaign trail took the United Democratic Party’s candidate, John Saldivar, to Teakettle, Camalote, Roaring Creek and Cotton Tree. The high-powered team accompanying Saldivar included U.D.P Leader Dean Barrow, his Deputy Oscar Ayuso and past leader Dean Lindo. Two weeks before he squares off with Joaquin Cawich for the Cayo South seat, Saldivar says he has narrowed the main issues down to three.
John Saldivar, U.D.P. Cayo South Standard Bearer
“Well I think the big issue right now is the People’s United Party trying to buy out Cayo South, basically coming with money and thinking that our supporters, our voters are going to go to the polls and vote for them because of money. And the big issue right now we are telling P.U.P. that we are not for sale. We are not for sale here in Cayo South. Of course the other issue is about the seventy-five percent, the three-fourths majority which the P.U.P. currently enjoys in the House of Representatives, we are telling people that this one seat, this Cayo South seat has become so important that if the U.D.P. should win it, the P.U.P. will loose their three-fourths majority in the House and be required to consult with the United Democratic Party and get our agreement when they want to change the Constitution of Belize, and we feel that that is very important. The third issue of course is that John Saldivar has been in the division for ten years now. And my opponent has only been here a few months and I believe that the people of Cayo South know me, know what I stand for and will support me on election day.”
It’s the third time around for Saldivar in Cayo South. And over the previous two attempts he has been able to successfully narrow the margin of defeat, coming to within twenty-four votes in the March fifth Elections. Saldivar says persistence more than anything else will propel him into the seat his party has never won.
John Saldivar
“Staying in touch with my people and letting them know that I am there for them. And I believe that that is why I was able to overcome the fifteen hundred vote margin that I was defeated by in 1998, because I stuck it out with my people and as long as you show people that you genuinely care about their concerns, about their needs, people are going to support you.”
And according to Opposition Leader Dean Barrow, the broader national issues will bode well for the U.D.P.’s success.
Dean Barrow, Leader, United Democratic Party
“I get the sense that people are optimistic about a Saldivar victory on October twenty-ninth. I think that they are concerned about strengthening democracy in Belize and they are appreciative of the fact that with a Saldivar victory, the United Democratic Party presence in the National Assembly will be strengthened. I also get the sense that they are not happy with the performance of the current administration, and so that the combination of the two things, positions John very well to win on October twenty-ninth.”
But it is a third factor that may determine the outcome of the election…and that is race.
Dean Barrow
“There are people whose first language is Spanish. There are people who speak Maya and of course there is the Creole element. So that John’s challenge is in fact to ensure that his appeal is across the board. And if truth be told, we have not been particularly strong in the Hispanic areas going into and coming out of March fifth. But I know that he has done a lot of work in those areas and he has tried to deflect the propaganda, which has been used by the other side suggesting that because he is who he is, he would not be particularly sympathetic to the Hispanic people. I feel that he has been successful. I feel that the Hispanic people realise that he is a good person and that he will work for all the constituents in Cayo South.”
John Saldivar
“My support comes from throughout Cayo South, whether it be Creole villages, whether it be Spanish villages. My support is from the whole of Cayo South. As a matter of fact you might know that the last time Pino expected to win in Armenia and St. Margaret and we came even in Armenia and St. Margaret, which are predominantly Hispanic villages. So my support is not only from the Creoles and the black villages, but also from the Hispanic villages, and this is one time all of Cayo South is united behind the candidacy of John Saldivar.”
It is left to see how many of these handshakes, hugs and best wishes will be transformed into votes on October twenty-ninth. Patrick Jones, for News 5.
