And while the PUP is not completely clear on what exactly needs to
be done to win the next election – according to the PUP, the UDP has its
own issues. Sure, they won the election say the leader and the deputy –
but do they have the confidence of the electorate?
Hon. Mark Espat,
“If I were in the shoes of the UDP I would be more alarmed frankly.
They are the ones that hold the mandate. Only 52% of the voters came out. In
Belize City more than 60% protested by staying at home. I think they should
be more in panic mode.”
Hon. Johnny Briceno,
“The government needs to take some serious reflection as to what happened
in the last election. Yes they won but look at the amount of people that reduced. 
After they having such an overwhelming victory one year ago, look at the percentages
of people that came out to vote. It was extremely low.”
Jules Vasquez,
Such a small portion of the electorate came out compared to last year. It is
the comparison between your going from a tsunami to a drop of water.
Hon. Dean Barrow,
“That is very poetic. I don’t think it is very accurate but
it is very poetic. You have to go of course municipality by municipality. There
were some municipalities such as Orange Walk and Benque where the turnout was
in fact phenomenal comparatively speaking. Belize City even if we exclude the
fact that in 2006 that was an unusual year and the fact that 2003 we had municipal
and central government elections at the same time being responsible for a higher
than normal turnout, once has to concede that in Belize City the turnout was
abysmally low. There are reasons for that and I think one of those reasons is
the controversy that the Mayor appeared to be mired in. I’ve already said
publicly that I am going to do something about that and the legislation that
we passed with precisely the sorts of circumstances that mushroomed late in
the campaign in view, will be employed, will be utilized to ensure that from
the point of view of central government, the checks and balances are going to
be very much in place in terms of the Belize City Council.”
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