Shyne Pays Homage to Past U.D.P. Prime Ministers

Late this evening, News Five spoke with Party Leader Shyne Barrow, who shared with us the significance of this milestone to the United Democratic Party.  Barrow took the opportunity to acknowledge the work of his father, three-time prime minister Dean Barrow, as well as the leadership of the late Sir Manuel Esquivel and Dean Lindo.

Shyne Barrow

Shyne Barrow, Party Leader, U.D.P.

“Certainly, it is a celebratory day, time to be able to say that it has been forty-nine years since the United Democratic Party has been a mass party and out of those forty-nine years, twenty-three years have been in government.  And, for the record, we are the winningest mass party, most successful mass party at the polls post independence.  I would definitely like to take this time to thank Right Honorable Dean Barrow for his contributions to making the U.D.P. the most successful mass party at the polls post independence, as a minister in Sir Manuel Esquivel’s cabinet and deputy prime minister, then party leader leading us out of the wilderness of opposition for ten years, and then thirteen years, consecutive years of U.D.P. government.  So that is much to celebrate, there are certain countries where there is only one mass party, there is only a state party and for many decades in Belize the P.U.P. ruled this country. The different opposition parties could not muster enough seats in the House of Representatives to form government and it wasn’t until the amalgamation of the PDM, the Liberal Party and the National Independence Party which is an amalgamation of the National Party and the Honduran Independence Party that finally, in 1984 we were able, after independence to have a U.D.P. government.  Sir Manuel Esquivel was successful twice.”