Belize City’s independent Candidate hopeful

Smack in the middle of the nominations for the major political parties was the sole independent candidate for Belize City. A former minister, Carlos Diaz says he is still a P.U.P. but he is taking a chance on the Lake Independence division as an independent. Diaz joined the race at this late stage because Yolanda Schakron’s candidacy came into question. Diaz didn’t have a grand parade today, but arrived with six persons to nominate him.

Carlos Diaz, Independent Candidate, Lake I

“It was an up and down trip for me because I said I had retired from politics but when Cordel suddenly pulled out, I said I would take up the mantle and run with it. Then the party brought in Miss Schakron and I am in no mood to fight with anybody so I said okay I will back off. Then when I heard that the prime minister said that Miss Schakron would be disqualified and Mr. King would win by default, I said that is not a fair fight. That is not a fair fight. You can’t disqualify somebody to mek somebody else win. So he won’t win by default. If Miss Schakron, I can run, I can win.  I am at a disadvantage but I have the experience in the area that can make up for that disadvantage. I work this constituency for three elections; ’84, ’89, ’93; I work this division so it’s only a matter of some of these new areas to the back there that I need to fight with. But you can see that I have the support out here. I have the support.”

Delahnie Bain

Carlos Diaz

“What do you do now? Are you going to be doing the door to door thing starting today?”

Carlos Diaz

“Yes, starting today I will do door to door. I’m going to do my campaign;  I will start at the back where I don’t know much of the people or I don’t know who is there because I know about everybody in the front. So I’ll just start in the back and work my way forward.”

Delahnie Bain

“So what would you say you have to offer the people of Lake I?”

Carlos Diaz

“Well, the people of Lake I need a lot of things but what they need most is somebody who has the concern for the division; somebody who knows the people, knows the division, knows what they want. This building we’re standing here right now; when I was in office, I had the idea that if we bring government back to Lake Independence and move it from Albert Street, it would be something prosperous for the people around here. we have this building, we have lots of other things that I did to make Lake Independence what it is today and the people haven’t forgotten; they have not forgotten.”

Diaz says he doesn’t think Schakron had the grassroots characteristics needed to win in an area like Lake I. But is he really an independent candidate? Well, there is word that his bid was really for the P.U.P. to have a face since Schakron’s candidacy was fading.