Mayor Zenaida Moya Flowers answers the tough questions

In political news, she had a meteoric rise, but today Belize City Mayor, Zenaida Moya Flowers, appears a falling star. On October first Moya-Flowers was charged with uttering false documents and failure to comply with City Council regulations and within days she was removed from her party’s National Party Council after she had choice words for her leadership. Since then her party career continues to go downhill and support for her is dwindling. Last Saturday the national executive of the U.D.P. met and constituted the Ethics Committee in full. This committee will determine her expulsion from the party in the next few days. The committee is chaired by the former Prime Minister and Leader, Manuel Esquivel, who, during the U.D.P. City Council convention, came out flat against the mayor. In her first appearance on television since she was charged, this morning on Open Your Eyes, the Mayor answered a host of questions on the finances and the rifts at City Hall, her future in the U.D.P. and much more. It was not lost on her that she helped the U.D.P. rise to the top.

Zenaida Moya Flowers, Mayor, Belize City
“I still maintain that I was there when the party was at a low. I remember when in 2005 it’s something whereby there were a lot of friction clearly in the whole political atmosphere and at that time I was asked to run for the party. Clearly I didn’t say yes immediately and I only accepted until the party leader called and I accepted to run. But at that time when they needed me I feel that I was there, myself along with the support base of the unions. I think we did a lot to ensure victory, success for the party and I think that even having been a stalwart of the United Democratic Party, being out there in the face of individuals, being such a staunch and, to some people, militant individual for the party, I think that should stand for something and so I was simply surprised at the quick reaction and decision.”

When she appeared on Open Your Eyes this morning she was asked about the alleged unaccounted two hundred and seventy-five thousand dollars from the City Hall’s treasury. Mayor Moya Flowers said that the money is not missing, the documents are.

Zenaida Moya Flowers, Mayor, Belize City
“The documents that the Finance Department paid on, apparently they are similar as to how they would pay if they were paying via cheques. They would pay whether on an invoice or whether on an estimate or—pretty much it’s mainly estimates they indicated that they would pay on for most of the cheque payments. But now what is being said is that because its cash payments now the special auditor is not accepting these documents. The documents were presented for the January, February, March figures and when I say documents, it’s gonna be whatever supporting documents for the cash payments, whether it’s invoices, actual receipts, whether they paid via quotation and estimates.”

“The government auditor signed for these documents and for some reason, afterwards, at least this is according to my Finance Department team, even after they had signed for the documents, they asked them back for the documents because they say they could not find it for whatever reason. And so these documents are there in limbo apparently. According to our finance people, the Auditor General’s Office have these documents because the individual signed for it and so they feel that these people should be held responsible because they have in fact signed for the documents.”

Marleni Cuellar
“So you’re saying that the issue of the two hundred and seventy-five thousand is a case of missing documentation?”

Zenaida Moya Flowers
“Yes.”

So how does the Mayor feel after all has been said and done? Well, she was not exactly apologetic and she said she is looking at the national level.

Zenaida Moya Flowers
“I hope it does not have to come to that, being out of the party. I think it definitely should not have to come to that. Unless we meet that crossroad, then I’ll look at that.”

William Neal
“Do you intend to mend fences?”

Zenaida Moya Flowers
“Yes, I mean again I’m not somebody who hates any individual. I may be upset with persons about certain actions but I do not and I will not linger hate in me. So to not linger hate or malice with any individual, I am very open to mending fences.”

Marleni Cuellar
“Do you have any regrets about any of your past actions?”

Zenaida Moya Flowers
“Well, in certain things that probably, I mean, clearly there are certain things that you look at and you say maybe you could have done it differently. But life is too short to be having regrets. You simply have to learn from whatever actions that may come about, from whatever decisions or stances you have taken and try to move forward in a positive manner. I do hope to one day move towards the national level and so I do hope to move to that level. That is what I’m looking at. I don’t see myself simply just coming out of politics. I think it is something that is a noble venture, despite the nastiness and the pettiness of it.”

As for her relationship with the Councillors, the Mayor said she will remain professional when she returns to work on November second.