U.D.P. Corozal Convention; Incumbent Marin wins over Campos
The UDP Corozal Bay Convention was held on Sunday and from the looks of it, it appeared like a race for national elections. Money was flowing and the placards and billboards were visible throughout the constituency. Ministers were at every turn and by and large, they were supporting the incumbent. Three contested the convention including the town’s mayor.
Marion Ali, Reporting
There were three candidates contesting the UDP Corozal Bay seat for Standard Bearer for 2013: the incumbent, Minister of Health Pablo Marin, two-time Corozal Town Mayor, Hilberto Campos, and newcomer, Kenard Smart with their campaigners advising the voters on where to put their X.
There was also a good showing of Ministers, most of whom supported their cabinet colleague, Pablo Marin.
anthony "boots" martinez
Anthony “Boots” Martinez, Minister of Works
“We belong to what we call the Ministers Association just like how they have the Mayors’ Association. I’m here supporting my colleague, the Hon. Pablo Marin. I think he’s the better candidate, he has won, he is the duly elected Area Representative.”
The duly elected Area Rep, Marin was very optimistic from quite early, long before the polls closed and the final tally did declare him the winner.
Pablo Marin, New UDP Corozal Bay Standard Bearer
pablo marin
“You can see the crowd, you can see the people coming in and they are wearing my shirt, so they’re not afraid to show with who they are.”
Marion Ali
“It’s been known in the past that people wear politicians’ shirts and still vote against them.”
Pablo Marin
“Not here in Corozal, and the good part – why I’m not afraid is because I’m working from day one.”
Also not afraid, but disturbed by what he termed as heavy spending by the party in favor of his opponent was Town Mayor, Hilberto Campos.
hilberto campos
Hilberto Campos, Corozal Town Mayor
“The fact that we have to put on a show and have all of this extravagant spending and all of those lucrative banners all over town and – it’s kind of disturbing. If the contest would have been to see who could spend more then I would have already lost. It’s been a week now that we’ve had over four or five Ministers living in Corozal for over a week, which I’ve offered a most warm welcome to them. At the end of the day I am not only contesting this convention only against Mr Marin, you know. I’m going against the entire Cabinet, so-to-speak.”
Going against the Cabinet and in Campos’ corner was none other than a member of Cabinet, Minister of Tourism, Manuel Heredia – and also Belize City Mayor, Zenaida Moya Flowers, who, although no longer an official member of the UDP, felt it necessary to support Campos.
Zenaida Moya Flowers, Belize City Mayor
zenaida moya flowers
“I remain a UDP, I will continue to support the UDP and however I can help my colleague, I’m here to do so and I think that just showing that we in the Mayors’ Association supports Hilberto, I hope that that plays some role in terms of how people come out.”
Marion Ali
‘Do you think it will come against you anymore, the fact that you’re not supporting the person who the party is supporting but you’re supporting his opponent?”
Zenaida Moya Flowers
“Well at the end of the day it’s supposed to be one big party, right?”
Marion Ali
“You’ve worked with Mr Marin as a fellow Minister. Where do you feel that he might not have made the best possible Minister or Area Rep?”
manuel heredia
Manuel Heredia, Minister of Tourism
“When it comes to his Ministry I feel that he is an excellent Minister, no doubt about that. But I feel the Mayor has a better quality when it comes to the principles that I look into.”
Marion Ali
“Do you feel that supporting him will have any kind of a backlash on you now?”
Manuel Heredia
“Anything that is done against me it doesn’t hurt me. It hurts my constituency.”
As to whose political standing was hurt, Campos had to yield to Pablo Marin, and at the end of the day there is no bad blood between them.
Pablo Marin
“We are the same family and after all we have to come back again together to beat the PUP.”
Hilberto Campos
“I offered myself and as such I am up to accept whatever the electorate decides at the end of the day. I’m still a UDP.”
Marion Ali for News Five.
When the votes were tallied, Marin trounced Campos by some more than nine hundred votes; he got one thousand six hundred and sixty-three votes. Campus trailed with seven hundred and forty-two and Smart was far behind with less two hundred and ninety-seven.
MOST Belizeans are ignorant. They vote without questioning the candidates.
I was in Belize last week and I approach the UDP campaigner of both Campos and Marin at Corozal Town; and I asked them about the candidates CV. They gave me some pamphlets that has lone 8u!!$#iT….it was only sweet words and promises!!! I asked them about specific details about EDUCATION, EXPERIENCE, ACHIEVEMENTS, COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT, ABILITIES, SKILLS, ETC. and I was replied that they don’t know the education level of the candidates…and that education is not important……the same campaigners responded like this….WHY???? Because Belizeans never question them about that!
I then gave them a small sermon about the non-existence of politics in Belize and just poliTRICKS, poliTICKING, and poli!@#$!!! I explicitly told them that we do not have neither transparency nor accountability in Belize….Politicians do not know what those two concepts real means….I am certain that if I approach any minister and asked them about Politics and Administration they would not be able to answer me about the difference orientations like New Administration, New Public Management, Governance, etc…
I told them that a candidates should be well-qualified and have concrete proposals in terms of Public Policies, Programmes, Plans, Projects, etc….They then ignore me….that is the attitude that needs to change because i dont care about PUP or UDP….because both of them are the faces of the same coin….
And when i comes to the buying of votes, Belizeans are so blind to see that the $100 or $200 for the vote is for 5 years….
for instance, lets say that a Belizeans is given $100 for their vote, now that comes out to $20 per year, thus $1.67 per month, hence, $0.42 per week, and $0.06 per day…. DO BELIZEANS REALIZE THIS?????
BELIZE will never prosper because of unqualified candidates that run for general elections…
can anyone construct a table that depict the EDUCATION, EXPERIENCE, ACHIEVEMENTS, COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT (before becoming a candidate), SKILLS, ABILITIES, ETC. OF OUR PRESENT MINISTERS AND REPRESENTATIVES?????????????
I find it hard to believe that with all the things happening to the people of Belize and their country that anyone would find the time to get excited over any of these major political parties regardless of which P it is.
HMMM good turn out!!!