U.D.P. confident of Feb. 7th victory

The United Democratic Party presented their city candidates for nomination in the afternoon. News Five’s Janelle Chanona reports that, not surprisingly, the mood was upbeat.

Janelle Chanona, Reporting
This afternoon Mahogany Street was ablaze in red as the thirty-one candidates of the United Democratic Party made their way to the Administration Building to be nominated.

Dean Barrow, United Democratic Party Leader
“We really feel extremely confident, we feel extremely grateful because people are showing their support so openly. We are really very, very pleased. Morale is at a tremendous, all time high for us.”

Party Leader Dean Barrow led the motorcade but the U.D.P.’s Pickstock Candidate and his band led the marchers.

Sedi Elrington, U.D.P. Pickstock Candidate
“Why I chose to do this today? Because my band wanted to do it. We wrote a special piece just for today. The band leader wrote a special piece.”

Janelle Chanona
“And what does the piece say?”

Sedi Elrington
“We noh want no Said Musa. We noh want no Said Musa, Godfrey got to go.”

At the complex, each of the U.D.P. candidates squeezed through the crowd of supporters with their six nominating voters to have their names on the February seventh ballot. According to National Campaign Manager Karim Berges, the plan is to use today’s momentum to push their message.

Karim Berges, National Campaign Manager, U.D.P.
“On the ground, strictly on the ground. Districts, division to division, on the ground, Belize City, out districts, strictly on the ground.”

Janelle Chanona
“What is the specific issue you are taking to the electorate on the ground?”

Karim Berges
“The specific issue pretty much is the twenty-one pledges that we have. It’s a campaign on hope, not a campaign of fear.”

And according to the candidates, over the next three weeks, they’ll continue aggressive house to house campaigns.

Patrick Faber, U.D.P. Collet Candidate
“These days you can find me out until ten-thirty, eleven o’clock in the homes of the people of Collet. They are still some people who are saying I noh reach deh yet but I’m getting there. I will get to every single house before the seventh of February definatley, so don’t worry, you’ll be seeing me in the homes.”

Michael Peyrefitte, U.D.P. Freetown Candidate
“There are certain burning issues but the number one thing that people say to me is, “Peyrefitte, we need a government, and a representative that we can trust and believe in”, plain and simple. Once we have that, everything else will fall into place and I’m hearing them loudly and clearly.”

Manuel Esquivel, Former Prime Minister
“The only way we could lose is if it’s stolen and there’ll be some of that but we have to keep it under control.”

When the U.D.P. was voted out of Belmopan ten years ago, Manuel Esquivel was leading the party.

Janelle Chanona
“Speaking on behalf of the party, what would you say is the one thing from the last U.D.P. administration that you would want to redeem in the eyes of the public? What would you like to reinforce to the electorate?”

Manuel Esquivel
“It has been redeemed in so far as you recall that in ’89 they talked about austerity and all of that and they talked about it again in ’98 and now they are the ones having to implement the austerity so they are having to correct the problems created by them.”

Michael Finnegan, U.D.P. Candidate, Mesopotamia
“I am, I don’t want to use the wrong word, I am certain that the U.D.P. will form the next Government of Belize.”

And the U.D.P.’s candidate in Mesopotamia was so confident, he took time out to give his P.U.P. opponent a word of advice about a sign at Conch Shell Bay.

Michael Finnegan
“The fish market now is located in the Collet and in the Albert divisions, away from the Mesopotamia division but he doesn’t even know the boundary of the division he want to represent and secondly, could you believe that the name Waight was spelt wrong?”

Janelle Chanona
“In our elections coverage, we’ve heard the proposal that in many ways the electorate is feeling that the P.U.P. has to lose or should lose because of what they’ve done while in Government and it’s not necessarily what the U.D.P. is putting forward, it’s just a change. Have you heard this one, and two, do you accept it?”

Dean Barrow
“Yes, yes, yes there is an extent to which that clearly is a factor. I think there is a very real way in which that is valid. But in the end, Janelle, it really doesn’t matter. Once we win, our test will be to deliver for people regardless of the reasons why they elected us. So in the final analysis it all will come down to the United Democratic Party being able to implement its agenda, being able to demonstrate to people that in fact it is giving them what it has promised, which basically is good governance and economic progress.”

The U.D.P. ended nomination day with a motorcade through the streets of Belize City which ended at party headquarters. Reporting for News Five, I am Janelle Chanona.