Landy In, Cardona Out: the UDP Convention in Orange Walk East
The UDP held a divisional convention in the Orange Walk East on Sunday. Two businessmen went up against the incumbent and sitting area representative, Marcel Cardona. The UDP machinery was well oiled and in full force, but not for the incumbent, in fact it was in support of Orlando Burns. You will recall his name in the recent Belize Natural Energy controversy for opposing the renewal of the contract of Deborah Seawell, the Manager of the BNE Charitable Trust. Orange Walk East is an area well known for hot bed for political firebrands and on Sunday close to three thousand voted in one of the most hotly contested conventions. We have here a report from Marion Ali. Footage provided by our friends from CTV in Orange Walk.
Marion Ali, Reporting
The crowd that showed up at the United Democratic Party’s Orange Walk East Convention sported red t-shirts with the names and faces of one of three candidates who vied to hold the post of standard bearer for the 2013 General Elections.
There were posters for the incumbent, Marcel Cardona, who went by the slogan “Against All Odds”…
There were others with the name “Denny” for one of Cardona’s two rivals, Denny Grijalda…
And then there were t-shirts worn by people like this guy promoting businessman, Orlando “Landy” Burns.
The event which opened from nine in the morning at the Louisiana Primary School, ended at four in the evening. And before it was over it was evident that Landy Burns had the support of the majority. Even the Deputy Party Leader, Gaspar Vega, turned out to campaign for Burns.
When the votes were tallied it was Burns with one thousand three hundred and seventy seven votes, Denny Grijalda with seven hundred and ninety seven, and Cardona with six hundred and twenty one. The figures represent less than one half of the total number of registered voters in the division, which shows it stands slightly over six thousand voters.
Cardona lost the support of the party’s leadership after he suspended Diane Haylock as the President of the National Institute of Culture and History after she signed a concession agreement with businessman, David Gegg, in June of 2008. It provided Gegg exclusive rights for the construction of a facility in the Nohoch Che’en Archaeological Reserve. Marion Ali for News Five.
As the numbers tell, Cardona ended up last in the three man race. The results were not totally unexpected because Cardona lost support of his party since the NICH controversy.
Cardona (Minister) was fired by Dean Barrow because he stood against corruption by Diane Haylock (CEO). She signed a contract without her higher authority knowing, in this case, Minister Cardona.
[ Does this remind you about ambassador Palma against CEO of Ministry of Foreign Affairs in regards to Ms. Hulse- daughter of Melvin Hulse???] (WHERE IS MS, PALMA??? BELIZEANS FIGHTED FOR YOU, NOW WE WANT YOU TO BEGIN SINGING??? or when will Dean Barrow release the audit that was made in the Embassy of Belize in London????)
Why didn’t Dean Barrow fired her when she used her power as CEO to sign a contract with Gegg???? Marcel Cardona suspended her because of her corrupted action but Barrow instead fired the minister. WHAT THIS TELLS US BELIZEANS????
In political science, this incident would categorize Belize as operating under a Crony Capitalism.
Landy has been using his position in BNE for his own benefit! News 5 investigate who paid for the gas truck that traveled to OW Louisiana area to provide free gas.
Looks like a load of money spent on red T-shirts. Christmas is here, time to scramble for the money – should run elections in every constituency, bribe money would come in useful.
GOODNESS ME… CORRUPTION AT IT’S BEST IN BELIZE… MONEY OR NO MONEY, POLITICIANS ARE IN IT FOR THE MONEY. NOT MONEY TO HELP OTHERS BUT THEMSELVES. DO YOU THINK, SOMEONE IN THEIR RIGHT MIND WOULD INVEST THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS IN SOMETHING THAT WOULDN’T GIVE THEM SOME TYPE OF COMPENSATION BIGGER THAN THAT, THAT THEY INVESTED?? REALLY PEOPLE. AND THE PEOPLE VOTING, ITS ALL ABOUT MONEY TOO, GIVE YOU A HUNDRED RIGHT BEFORE VOTING TIME AND YOU GO AGAINST WHAT YOU BELIEVE IN, BECAUSE SOMEONE PAID U MONEY TO TURN THE OTHER WAY. NO MATTER WHAT, BELIZE IS HEADING DOWN THE HOLE, UNTIL YOU HEAR THE SMASH, WE SHOULD BE RISING UP, MAKING OUR BELIZE A COUNTRY IS USE TO BE, A COUNTRY THAT CAN PROSPER, A COUNTRY PEOPLE WANT TO LIVE IN AND NOT MOVE OUT OF. BELIZE WAS ONCE A COUNTRY THAT LIVED, NOW IT’S A COUNTRY THAT IS JUST IN SURVIVAL MODE, BUT SLOWLY DWINDLING. SAD!
we can see the ignorance of the people voting for people that only seek wealth and status. aren’t these people seeing the atrocities this goverment is doing to our country and yet they go out and vote,damn!! what the hell is wrong with this people and later they baul for the hardship the bald head man is doing to us see the gas price just gone up before christmas $10.00 per gallon. nothing is heard about the BNE oil production, how we can manage to bring down the price of fuel, what about all the millions received through this company, it’s not benefiting belizeans just a few individuals linked to the company, elite people and politicians. what about us the regular belizeans?
It’s a case of exchanging underdog fu black dog, as Marcel is a real underdog in this party.
He was fired from his position because he dared to chastise one of Dean’s Crony (Ms Haylock)
Marcel, like so many area reps, is less powerful than Dean’s cronies. Marcel found that out the hard way. The Party finally found a way to get rid of their underdog, I’m sure they are at a private victory party drinking champagne, and expensive whisky, at our expense!
Another thief… nuff said
!@$$… when a country is lead by buisness man and lawyers the only thing that will go down is your personal assest… cause they gona make you pay through your nose….
YEAH SHOULD HAVE TAKE THE MONEY THEY SPENT ON T-SHIRTS TO FEED THE NEEDY NOT THE GREEDY. DEAN AND HIS CRONIES SHOULD BE BURNED TO THE STAKES
They say that ” a government is a reflection of its people.” but i must say that in Belize the people is a reflection of its government. The common man see how our so call leaders get away with their corrupt ways and say i can do the same, resulting in the crime rate we see today.
” WE DON’T NEED NEW LEADERS, WE NEED TRUE LEADERS”