Email

Print

Through all the trials, travails and triumphs of Zenaida Moya, the heard a lot of criticism from those within her own party, but nothing from the Opposition? And even now, a few months to municipal elections, the once fearsome blue machine appears to be on a very low idle. But that’s generally how it is for mass parties recovering from a massive defeat at the polls. And today the PUP, still re-organizing and recovering after an epic internal struggle held a press conference to tell everyone that they’re still here, and still viable.

Hon. Mark Espat, PUP Deputy Leader
“The spirit of today is that we enter now a new phase in our work as the Opposition and as the National Campaign Manager said on the road back to Belmopan.”

And while that may have been the expression of a wish more than an actuality, the long absent PUP made a decent show of it, crowded into the smallest meeting room at the Radisson. The Leader sat flanked by his three Deputies and National Campaign Manager and they talked a mean talk.

Hon. Johnny Briceno, PUP Leader
“We have moved quickly to restructure and reorganize our party. We want the Belizean people to know that we intend to be a responsible Opposition who is not only representing the interests of our supporters but is the voice of Opposition for all Belizeans.”

And that voice is angry about lacking flood relief.

Hon. Johnny Briceno,
“Government needs to get serious and get its act together. We need immediate support for our small farmers and those in micro enterprises who were affected by the floods. Many have lost their entire investments and will find great difficulties in meeting the necessary cost for planting of next years crops.”

Hon. Mark Espat,
“Why has it taken so long to petition our partners for support? The Prime Minister in classic gesture politics has spoken casually about a million here, a million there, but such offers belittles the extent of the damages and they betray a blind man swimming his hands to halt the rain.”

But according to the Deputy Leader it’s not raining money into government’s coffers – in fact because of plunging world oil prices, the budget will have a shortfall – the PUP predicts of $30 to 40 million.

Hon. Mark Espat,
“We are concerned that major sub-sectors of the economy are in a seismic slowdown and that the year end growth figure will fall below the Prime Minister’s projected 2% growth and we recommend that the government revisit its oil tax regime. Not just to recover a windfall but to ensure that all Belizeans secure more than the 27 cents of every oil dollar we currently get. We urge the government to bring to Parliament immediately a supplementary budget to outline new public sector investments, to deliver needed tax relief, to approve subsidies and increments and to amend government’s flawed fiscal projections. We sound the alert. More than the alert, the alarm before the smoke turns to fire.”

The PUP hopes the government’s performance will vault them to victory at the polls next year.

Eamon Courtenay, National Campaign Manager
“The catalogue of the UDP failure is historic and unprecedented. Garbage continues to be uncollected and to pile up. Towns have more bush than ever before. Streets are worse than memory can recall. Drains are blocked and exacerbate the flooding. We believe that the electorate is more sophisticated than ever before. These elections will be the first opportunity for Belizeans since February 7th to send a message to Belmopan, a message that sends to Mr. Barrow, this UDP no plan, no heart, no hope. We have every expectation that in the election in 2009 we will do better than we did in 2006.”

Shouldn’t be too hard to do after they won 2 of 67 seats, and to bolster their hopes, the party will march for the rights of retrenched workers.

Hon. Cordel Hyde, Deputy PUP Leader
“We stand in solidarity with the fiery Public Service Union President and her membership. Enough is enough. We have given these people a chance to govern, we have tried to be fair, we tried not to oppose for opposing sake but we have been nice for too long. We have given them the benefit of the doubt and they have given us every reason to doubt their every word. And so I wish to announce here this morning a protest march in Belmopan for early next week and we will not stop there. This set has to get the sense.”

That demonstration has been tentatively set for Monday in front of the BAHA Office in Belmopan.

And while much was said in the hour long press conference, the PUP still didn’t announce who it’s mayoral candidate for Belize City is. Conventions have been held in Benque Viejo, Orange Walk Corozal and Dangriga. Cayo and Belmopan are planned for this weekend and Belize City and San Pedro by the end of the month.

And what about the opposition’s position on the proposed twenty-four point five percent proposed business tax on Telemedia and other phone companies? The leader of the opposition said that he had not gotten a copy of the legislation yet and so he could not declare the party’s position. The amendment goes to the house on Friday and Telemedia managers held a meeting with the Prime Minister today to ask him not to amend the tax.

As we reported last night, Telemedia’s profit from May of 2007 to May of 2008 was a record thirty-seven point eight million dollars from gross earnings of one hundred and fifty-six million, nine hundred and thirty eight thousand dollars – also a record.