U.D.P. Cayo Northeast Committee also wants Penner to resign

Fermin Magaña

While Elvin Penner has not made up his mind if he is resigning, the People’s United Party says it now has enough signatures to start the process of a recall in Cayo Northeast. According to deputy leader, Julius Espat, the P.U.P. has now made it to the one thousand seven hundred plus signatures it requires to trigger the recall mechanism. Espat says the process has been arduous and cumbersome, while the man who is preparing to contest the bye-election for the Opposition, Orlando Habet, has told News Five that voters in the division are intimidated. That’s on the P.U.P. side. Now….Penner isn’t giving camera interviews, but he cannot avoid public scrutiny. His portfolio and government responsibilities have been stripped from him. He has been castigated by his party leader, who has made it clear that Penner is a dead duck in the U.D.P.  He has been asked to resign, and has been thrown under the bus repeatedly with full national fanfare. And his executive committee – that team of loyal U.D.P.s who have worked with him in Cayo Northeast, wants him gone. Penner is in a position that no man would envy, but insists that he has to meet with his committee, his people and his boss before he makes a final decision. He is scheduled to meet with the executive this week. Fermin Magaña is the committee chairman, colleague and friend of Penner. But he is clear that they support the position of party leader Dean Barrow. 

Fermin Magaña, Chairman, U.D.P. Cayo Northeast Committee

“I would want to say that we need to listen to what Mr. Penner has to say. He has to express what his feelings have been. During this whole past month we haven’t had much communication with him so we need to listen to him. But I think the direction that the Party has taken is a correct one and I think that answers the question.”

Reporter

“So the Committee would at this point support the resignation of Mr. Penner?”

Fermin Magaña

“I think the Committee at this moment would support its Party Leader. It would support the position of the Party and it would listen to Mr. Penner. This is my personal opinion. I believe that if you do something wrong there are consequences to your actions and that you have to face those consequences to your actions, so I do believe that Mr. Penner will have to face the consequences of his actions.”

Reporter

“Your name has been called as one of the persons who would replace Mr. Penner if he chooses to resign or even if the recall process goes through down the line. Could you confirm or deny that?”

Fermin Magaña

“What I have to say in that aspect is that there are many people in Cayo Northeast who could fill those shoes and would do a good job. There are names being called and I will throw some names at you. There is Mr. Edwardo Juan, Mr. Trapp who is a Councilor, there’s the Mayor…there is Miss Bernie Fernandez who is also a Councilor. Those names have been thrown out. Now at this point in my life I believe that I’ve just gotten assigned to a new position where I work. I would not want to get into that, but I can’t say in the future something like that wouldn’t come into my life. But for this moment, no! But if my Party were to ask me I think that like any other good U.D.P. I would be willing to step up to the plate.”

Depending on the outcome of Penner’s consultations and his eventual decision, Magaña might be called upon sooner rather than later. Still, everything is on hold pending Penner’s next move.