Shortly after the Convention results were announced, John Saldivar posted a note of congratulations to Patrick Faber on his victory. And then shortly after that, another post in which Saldivar pointed out that his dream lives on, a clear indication that in 2020 he still intends to contest for the post of U.D.P. leader when […]
That convention for leader, if there is one, won’t be for another four years, and Faber isn’t looking that far ahead. For now it’s about healing any bad feelings arising out of the deputy leader campaign and the Convention, and Faber says that will be his priority going ahead. And just in case you were […]
News Five also managed to get comment from Minister John Saldivar this evening, and asked him about that meeting at his house. His response – what meeting? He also denied all reports of any bad blood between camps, hostilities in Cabinet or demands made on the Prime Minister. According to Saldivar, this battle is over. […]
You’ll notice that Saldivar said the battle, and not the war, is over. That’s because as we told you, he has all intention of contesting Faber for the post of leader when that time comes around. He told News Five today that he doesn’t expect to lose any of the support he has in Cabinet, […]
While Minister Saldivar denies any ultimatum to the Prime Minister, there are other reports that one of the demands to be made was the removal of Godwin Hulse from the powerful Ministry of Natural Resources. But indications are that it didn’t happen after all. So how bad is the fallout in the wake of Sunday’s […]
Finnegan says that the process of healing within the rank and file of the U.D.P. is underway and that reconciliation among the Saldivar and Faber factions began this morning. Isani Cayetano “Mister Finnegan…is the United Democratic Party at this moment a house divided, as a result of what has taken place?” Michael Finnegan, […]
There is a backlash to the election of Patrick Faber as first deputy leader, which is being felt across the United Democratic Party. Ladyville resident Ingrid Hernandez is an avid supporter and had been employed by Area Representative Beverly Castillo as a campaigner in Belize Rural Central. She claims she worked tirelessly for Castillo to […]
As we told you earlier, Ministers coming out of Cabinet today cut a wide path when approached by the media. Those we managed to get even a word from told us that what happens in Cabinet is secret and they would not discuss it. One Minister who spoke to us was Anthony ‘Boots’ Martinez. He […]
Patrick Faber will be the new Deputy Prime Minister next week when current DPM Gaspar Vega returns from high-level meetings. So Vega is no longer Deputy Party Leader and very soon will no longer be Deputy Prime Minister which would seem on the face of it to be significant loss of political power in the […]
The Big Deal versus the Real Deal – kind of sounds like a WWE Wrestle Mania event, but it wasn’t. The U.D.P. convention on Sunday saw John Saldivar going against Patrick Faber for the vacant post of First Deputy Leader of the U.D.P., signaling an end to more than two months of very massive campaigning. […]
With the decided underdog declared victorious, it remains to be seen if time will heal the rift between camps. Much of the campaign was heated some of it very pointed and personal. Saldivar commanded the support of a majority of the so-called powerbrokers within the Party, including Gaspar Vega, Anthony ‘Boots’ Martinez, Erwin Contreras, Rene […]
With less than seventy-two hours to go before over three hundred delegates of the United Democratic Party cast ballots to determine a new first deputy leader, campaigns on either side of the political race are in high gear. Earlier today, we caught up with Collet Area Representative Patrick Faber and his self-assuredness has never been […]
The campaign between Faber and his opponent John Saldivar has been rather intense with blows coming from both sides. Inside the Faber camp, it is believed that he will win by a margin of less than fifty votes, while Saldivar is claiming a landslide. Faber says that he is simply trying to lay down the […]
On Sunday at the ITVET in Belize City, the United Democratic Party will be holding a special convention to elect a First Deputy Leader. Belmopan Area Representative John Saldivar is contesting the post and is running against Patrick Faber of the Collet Division. Both camps have led spirited campaigns, but the outcome of several weeks […]
The revocation of the Sarstoon Prohibition SI comes only four days after it was challenged in Court by the People’s United Party, and three days after the P.U.P. planned an educational trip to the Sarstoon to protest the SI on the ground, so to speak. The expedition was cancelled at the eleventh hour, and today […]
So what’s the P.U.P. position on the big news coming out of the Istanbul breakthrough? That agreement between both foreign ministers that Belizean military and civilians will be allowed to traverse the Sarstoon unhindered? The Opposition actually has a representative in Istanbul, Senator Eamon Courtenay, and notwithstanding Government’s releases, today Deputy Leader Hyde told News […]
The father of P.U.P. leader John Briceño passed away at midnight on Saturday after a long illness. Elijio Joe Briceño was a former Minister of Government, and as such will be laid to rest on Wednesday with all the pomp and ceremony of an official funeral. Today, Deputy Leader Hyde told News Five that he […]
In a matter of a couple weeks, the arbitration panel will be delivering its final, tabulated award on B.T.L. share value assessment, reliably reported to be close to half a billion dollars. That includes interest and costs. According to the terms of an agreement made between Lord Ashcroft and Prime Minister Dean Barrow, half that […]
The Sarstoon River is currently a study in confusion and controversy. Here’s why. We’ve always owned half of the southernmost waterway. Guatemala has a claim, but we own it. Things are different now. Guatemala appears to own it, while we have a claim. The river is monitored by GAF who insist that the B.D.F. must […]
The P.U.P. heads to the Sarstoon on Saturday, with its leadership scheduled to depart P.G. at ten for the Guatemalan controlled waterway. But with all that said, will the P.U.P. even see the Sarstoon River. As we told you Thursday night, there is unofficial indication from official sources that the members of the group won’t […]
Very high level delegations from Belize and Guatemala will be meeting in Istanbul, Turkey on Saturday to discuss the Sarstoon. That’s the venue slated for the talks surrounding what has become a key factor in the bi-lateral road ahead. Tensions in the Sarstoon are at an all-time high – actually to the point where even […]
The talks are critical for another more local, political reason. The unpopular and controversial SI passed by G.O.B. prohibiting civilians from entering the Sarstoon expires six days from Saturday. Prime Minister Barrow has indicated that he will not extend it. So the ideal scenario would be that on Saturday there is some ironclad agreement which […]
All eyes may be to the South and West as the Belize/Guatemala issue percolates. But there’s a financial storm brewing – with wind gusts of just over half of a billion, with a B. We’re talking about the arbitration award which comes due very soon, likely within a couple weeks. The Prime Minister was asked […]
Earlier, Briceño spoke about Guatemala using its unfounded claim to distract from the crises affecting its people. But here’s the thing – he says that to some extent that’s the same thing happening in Belize. According to the Opposition Leader, while everyone’s focus has been on Guatemala and related issues, Belize continues to experience serious […]
Since the start of this week News Five has been bringing you the remarkable story of an alleged cross-border kidnapping, albeit a short-lived one. We’ve spoken at length with Roger Plett, one of the men who claimed that he was taken across the border by Guatemalan military and civilians, and tied up. On Wednesday night […]
