U.D.P. Denies Patrick Faber’s Application to Run Again in Collet

Patrick Faber

Collet Area Representative Patrick Faber is the most senior politician on the opposition bench.  The former leader of the United Democratic Party has won his seat as a member of the House of Representatives as many as five times since he entered electoral politics almost two decades ago.  He has also been at odds with the leadership of the U.D.P. ever since he was succeeded by Shyne Barrow, following a convention on March twenty-seventh.  The discord between Faber and his successor subsequently led to his removal from the Central Executive Committee several months later, on August fifteenth.  The reason for Faber’s dismissal was his refusal to take down several social media posts that were not favorable to the party.  But the shocking news tonight is that Faber has been rejected by the U.D.P.’s Nomination Committee.  In a letter dated September twentieth, Faber was informed that his application for Standard Bearer for the Collet Division had been denied.  It cited seven instances, the most recent being September eighteenth, when Faber took to his Facebook page to post what are being described as, “public attacks against the party”.  Earlier today, we spoke with U.D.P. Chairman Michael Peyrefitte, as well as Vice Chairman Alberto August, who has also been vocal about his discontent with the party’s leadership.  The erstwhile chairman says that the decision to sack Faber came from two individuals within the Nomination Committee who seemingly did not confer with other executives within the party prior to arriving at that conclusion.

Alberto August

Alberto August, Vice Chair, United Democratic Party

“You’re talking about an individual, you know, who has a five-term area representative for the Collet constituency.  You’re talking about an individual who has gone through everything single elected position within the party, except for one, but has gone through all the elected positions within the party, from down da bottom, straight through to the top.  The only position that Patrick Faber has not held in the U.D.P. is for the Director of Women’s, dat da because ih cyant hold dat, but every single one else, the honorable Patrick Faber has held.  So then, how does two or three persons decide the fate?  And I was made to understand because when Tracy Panton requested a clarification from the chairman of our party, in terms of what was happening because it doesn’t look good, what’s happening?  And the response that she got from our party chairman is that he checked, because Tracy’s question was that the genuine authenticity of the correspondence, and his response was that he checked with the secretariat and the secretariat informed him that the correspondence is genuine.  Sir, you neva even had to check.  That should have been your role.  You should have known about it.  So you’re going to tell me that these two persons, sir, made a decision like this in your party and you had to check with the secretariat?  Something has got to be wrong, my friend. Something noh smell good.”