What Does Cordel Think of the P.U.P.’s Mayoral Debacle?

Deputy Party Leader Cordel Hyde finds himself in a peculiar situation where candidates for the mayoral seat in Belize City are concerned.  Incumbent Mayor Bernard Wagner is his brother-in-law and Deputy Mayor Alan Pollard is basically his nephew.  Pollard has openly expressed an interest in challenging Wagner at a P.U.P. convention to determine who will run for the party during the March 2024 municipals.  On the other hand, the party’s national executive is endorsing Mayor Wagner for a third term in office.  So what does the Lake-I Area Representative who introduced both men to electoral politics think of the ongoing scenario?  That’s what we asked him earlier today.

Cordel Hyde

Cordel Hyde, Deputy Party Leader, P.U.P.

“It’s been an interesting time, but it‘s a wonderful problem we have, you know.  Some years ago, we couldn‘t get people to run.  We used to have to beg people to run.  I could remember in 2018, we literally had to go and beg persons to run because people weren‘t necessarily offering themselves, you know.  We‘ve come a long way.  We know have a hundred and twenty-five applicants or candidates for sixty seven seats or thereabout and I think that‘s a good problem to have.  We‘ve been in much discussion with those two aspirants., two of them are heavyweights, two of them we need to have on the slate because we like to see it as a one-two punch.  So we‘re working on that and I think an announcement is coming down pretty soon, so I‘m very hopeful and I‘m very optimistic that we‘ll get it done.”

Isani Cayetano

“But you’re in a most unique seat, one is your brother-in-law and the other is your understudy and they all come from the Zinc Fence camp.  What is your take on how you look at this whole entire scenario as it plays out?”

Cordel Hyde

“I wish I weren‘t in this situation.  I wish it was different, you know, one is married to my sister and one is practically my nephew.  So it’s a peculiar situation.  They say life isn’t fair and you are being a little bit unfair, like life too, you know, so we’ll leave it at that.”