Anna Banner Guy is the Independent Candidate in Belmopan
There’s a third standard bearer for the Belmopan constituency. She is Anna Banner Guy and she is contesting the next general elections as an independent candidate. Guy is a well-known face in electoral politics in Belmopan, having served on the Belmopan City Council under the United Democratic Party. She is going up against John Saldivar from the U.D.P. and Oscar Mira from the P.U.P. But outside of her political life, she has worked with hundreds of young people in the Belmopan area as the founder of a well-known youth organization that provides training workshops, mentorship, and after school programmes. Banner Guy says she wants to represent those youth and the wider Belmopan community at a national level, so today she launched her candidacy in the capital city. She points out that while she may not have big money machinery behind her, her team is taking an innovative approach to politics without the partisan taint. Banner Guy says she has been preparing for it for over a decade.
Anna Banner Guy
Anna Banner Guy, Independent Candidate, Belmopan
“As an independent candidate, I will not have to tow a party line. So, when I present position, it is going to be from the people and for the people. But going back to campaign financing, we are hoping that as many people can be convinced of this vision for Belize to move away from this bi-partisan system which we have seen how corrupt both P.U.P. and U.D.P. have been over the years. I can tell because I was there. Initially when I joined the UDP, a part of why I joined is because my values and principles aligned with that of the party at that time. Things have changed significantly since then or I became aware and now I am running indepdently because I know I can and will be effective. The issues important to the people and the issues most important to my constituents are the issues most important to me. People are in dire need of adequate and affordable housing; equitable land distribution – those are the things we are not familiar with in Belmopan. If you are not part of a political campaign or a part of a system that moves in alignment with our area representative then there is no equity there in terms of how lands are being distributed. There is no proper plan in place for adequate housing, for young professional and people who want to live in this city. But we also want to look at safety for our community. Belmopan has valuable citizens locked in their home, they are retired and have served this community but they don’t feel safe coming out in this community. Belmopan used to be a pedestrian city and that has changed. The initial idea of Belmopan has collapsed and is going down fast under this administration.”
Reporter
“What would you say as it relates to your readiness, that you think you can deliver this seat within the time you still have left for General Elections?”
Anna Banner Guy
“I have been preparing for this since 2008, so I am very ready. I work with the largest sector of this community on daily basis and by extension I work with the entire community. So, ready; our team is very ready.”
Also at Banner Guy’s launch was former Belmopan Mayor Simeon Lopez, who endorsed her candidacy. Banner Guy says that she will be presenting her manifesto in the coming days.
