Finnegan says third parties not a factor

In putting together the candidate list, two things stand out: one is that despite their brave words over the last year, the so-called third parties and alliances remain poorly organised and unfocused. Both of the major political parties have never seen the newcomers as much of a threat, a sentiment expressed at the last House meeting by U.D.P. representative from Mesopotamia, Michael Finnegan.

Michael Finnegan, Area Rep, Mesopotamia
“I don’t know who tell these independents out there that they stand a Chiney man ghost of a chance in terms of the elections. That’s my feeling. Respectfully that is my feeling. Respectfully, my feeling is that this dah wah P.U.P. and this dah wah U.D.P. country. … Some way down the road when I dead and my grandson and my granddaughter sit in this parliament things might change. But noh mek we fool we self, blind eye Jamesy could see this.”

The second trend worth noting is that over forty years into the era of feminism, only two of the eighty-three declared candidates are women. With statistics showing that women comprise two-thirds of our Belizean university students, it is obvious that there is a massive disconnect between ability and power. But that, as they say, is another story.