34 on U.D.P. ballot for councillors, 2 for mayor

It’s down to the wire – and its four days to the U.D.P. mayoral convention. There are thirty-four horses at the gate for Councillors and two mayoral candidates. And the two contenders for Mayoral office have stepped up the gas in their campaigns. On one corner is the current Mayor, Zenaida Moya. In the other, her Deputy, Anthony Michael, and between them, the competition is fierce and nasty. In recent months several allegations have been made against the Mayor, all which she has rigorously denied. And while those issues are what her opponent is placing his bet on, today, the two were out meeting and greeting the residents of Belize City and News Five followed them to get the vibes of what can happen on Sunday at the City Centre.

Marion Ali, Reporting
The first Mayoral candidate we caught up with was Anthony Michael this morning in the Port Loyola area. Flanked by the majority of the current City Councillors, Michael was pretty confident that he will win Sunday’s Convention based on his term in office.

Anthony Michael, Belize City Deputy Mayor
“For two and a half years the people and residents of Belize city knew that when you call Anthony Michael, Anthony Michael delivered. Whenever the streets were flooded, Anthony Michael was out there, whenever patching had to be done at night, whenever it had to be done in the day, Anthony Michael and his crew were out there.”

Marion Ali
“There are still people for example, Electric Avenue, still under water. We passed one right around the lane. Address those issues. If you become the next mayor, how are you going to deal with these problems?”

Anthony Michael
“There are several issues that is on the table. Maintenance is an ongoing process; we will always continue to be upgrading streets, to clean the drains and sanitation.”

Also very confident of the Mayoral seat is incumbent, Zenaida Moya, who says she feels the residents are with her.

Zenaida Moya, Belize City Mayor
“Campaigning I feel very uplifted that we can feel that renewed with some new people at City Hall that will want to work and that will be willing and ready to work.”

Marion Ali
“The newcomers that you are supporting on your slate, I see that you have eight of them there. You still have two spaces open. Why is that?”

Zenaida Moya
“Marion, I haven’t or I am not going to simply field ten candidates. Why? Because as I told you there are some people that may not be there walking with me but we give those people a chance, we give your supporters a chance to go and cast their x for them if needs be. There’s a whole lot of persons who would want to be the final ten. We have I think about sixteen of them but it’s not possible. So henceforth, to not eliminate anybody we have key people that are already walking with me. Those persons have to be there, I have to support them.”

One of the contenders who would like to run on Moya’s slate is retired Sergeant of Police, Gilbert Pitts.

Gilbert Pitts, Candidate for Councillor
“I believe that if given a chance to continue what she’s been doing and we’ll have a pretty good job but she needs to finish what she started.”

Marion Ali
“The allegations that have come up against her, are those of any concern to you?”

Gilbert Pitts
“No, I do not concern myself with that. I believe that that is politics and I don’t get involved in that. We just concentrate on the issues and things we need to get done and if we could do the job and get the citizens of Belize City satisfied with the job that’s going on and the job that needs to be continued is done, that’s what we’d be pleased with but we’re not getting into the negativity.”

Also supporting Moya is businessman, Kevin Singh.

Kevin Singh, Candidate for Councillor
“I was supporting her already three years ago so I just come back and right back on the same ticket. I think the Mayor di do wah good job; all the councillors I think did do wah good job but under the support of the mayor so I just decide to continue support the mayor.”

Marion Ali
“And some of those councillors you talked about that are doing a good job also chose to support her opponent.”

Kevin Singh
“Well, that’s their choice.”

The only current Councillor who is supporting Moya is Wayne Usher, who believes that his decision to stay by her side will prove successful.

Wayne Usher, City Councillor
“You look at what the Mayor has done so far over the past two and a half, almost three years and you will find out that those things have been played down for whatever reason. But when you look at it fundamentally, there are a lot of things over and beyond what people just say on the media, there’s more to what the Mayor has done. The feeling, the sentiments between the community and the mayor is such that you cannot print it, you cannot show it but I have seen it; the warmth of the people to the mayor. Fundamentally, what she has done for the wider Belize City citizens, you can’t even print it or put it on the media.”

Marion Ali
“The rest of your fellow councillors are not even focusing on performance as the issue. All the other issues that have come up or are in their minds questionable, how do you see those issues?”

Wayne Usher
“The mayor has consistently said she has nothing to hide and I believe here the point is everything at this point is just allegations. Nothing has been proven about this mayor; nothing and to every allegation, the mayor has explained herself in any allegations and she has brought the proof and the facts and she has invited the public at large come in let me show you what we have, come. Better than that, she has begged, not asked, begged the audit to come and audit the council’s finance and the council’s affairs. Now is that the way anybody who wants to steal would do?”

For his part, Anthony Michael has the support of the majority of Councillors, including Philip Willoughby.

Philip Willoughby, City Councillor
“For the very reason for his concern, his passion, his dedication, his love for sports, and always being there in supporting the initiatives that I have embarked on including the street games, the summer programmes, the different road races, cycling, running, kite contests; everything that pertains to youth and sports and what I am responsible for, he’s always there willing and able to support and that is why I’m supporting him.”

And while his name will not appear on the ballot, Councillor Mark King says he still stands behind Michael.

Mark King, City Councillor
“Last month I signed an agreement with the United Democratic Party and I breeched that agreement so by way of principle I want to say to my ministers and my prime minister and my colleagues that I humbly accept that punishment. However, the punishment is just for this convention. I can continue in other conventions. When we got elected, Marion, we got elected on a platform of transparency and accountability and Mark King will remain a councillor in the City council until March first, 2009. Until then I will continue to be transparent and accountable to the people of Belize. I made my own choice and I take my punishment as a humble person and we move on. So right now I am out here supporting my councillors that I know have been working very in the Belize city Council for the last two and a half years and I believe that they will continue the hard work and give us a great job with Anthony Michael as the mayor and as a great team leader.”

Marion Ali
“You said you will take your punishment and you will remain there until March 2009. Are you strategising for the next big elections? Are you planning towards that?”

Mark King
“Well, Marion, I am a U.D.P. member, the U.D.P. has not told me that I am not as far as I know. Our agreement was one based on the convention. I will continue for the rest of my life; one, to be a U.D.P., two, to be a politician. I have nowhere to go. I am a born Belizean who aspires to go very very far in politics.”

But while the lines are drawn and many have taken their positions, Prime Minister and their party leader, Dean Barrow, says he will let democracy and the convention play its part.

Prime Minister Dean Barrow
“My feelings are feelings of neutrality. My feelings are feelings of satisfaction in so far as the robustness of the U.D.P. democracy and I will limit what I have to say to that.”

Kendra Griffith
“Are you glad though that the parties have cleaned up their campaign so to speak?”

Prime Minister Dean Barrow
“Well, indeed and of course the Executive of the party imposed a sort of gag order and I am sure much to the upset of the media but they imposed a gag order and we felt we had to do this because you know I am a great believer in democracy and the free wheeling, rambunctious democracy but I think even for me things were going rather too far. So I’m glad that things have been cleaned up. Of course, let me knock on wood because there are still a few days to go until Sunday aren’t there?”

P.M., what do you think accounted for this robustness as you would say and to this interest, such a keen interest in this elections; the number candidates that you have going up as city councillors for instance. I think it’s a bit unprecedented.”

Prime Minister Dean Barrow
“It is and I don’t want to be cynical but nothing succeeds like success. The fact that the party is in government in terms of central government and such a large majority, clearly it encourages more people to want to get involved.”

The campaign has been nasty and contentious from the start. The party hierarchy has come full swing behind Michael who also has the support of the former Prime Minister leader Manuel Esquivel and the large block of elected councillors. Moya is depending on public support to carry her through. Reporting for News Five, Marion Ali.

One likely scenario is the possibility that Moya could be returned on the ticket’s top spot and that those councillors who are currently openly against her could also be victorious … and more interesting days.