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The PUP will have two new Senators – and both are nationally known figures. They are attorneys Eamon Courtenay and Lisa Shoman who will take the seats previously occupied by Cayo’s Hector Silva and San Pedro’s Eiden Salazar. The PUP release reports that Courtenay will lead the opposition in the Senate. And while the addition of two former Ministers of Foreign Affairs – one who replaced the other mid-conference in 2007 - certainly increases the opposition’s profile in the senate – that doesn’t mean that the move is universally embraced in the PUP.

First, there’s the fact that Courtenay has acted as one of the attorneys retained to defend Michael Ashcroft’s business interests in Belize. Couple that with the fact that the PUP party leader John Briceno’s family were recently exposed as business partners with the Ashcroft-owned Speednet, and the appearance certainly is that the leaders of the opposition in the House and the Senate are tied in tightly to Lord Ashcroft. The second thing is that at least two members of the party’s national executive have indicated that the subject was not tabled before or approved by the executive when it met one week ago.

And now there’s a third member of that executive who is not asking for any kind of anonymity. Bill Lindo, the Deputy Communication Director is taking sides and naming names. He spoke to us about an hour ago and says that he is definitely not with the appointments. He says he today told the leader that, “the signal you are sending is that the PUP is owned by Ashcroft.” Lindo says he feels that the party leader made the appointments based on Lord Ashcroft’s instructions. And he warns that his party leader will have a fight on his hands because Lindo will not resign from the executive and says he has the support of Chairman Carolyn Tench Sandiford. We could not reach Trench–Sandiford for comment.

Interestingly Lindo adds that last week before the executive meeting, members warned the leader that if he makes the appointments he will find himself in difficulty. Lindo says that going forward he will speak out against his leader and the appointments at every opportunity. And more than all that, we are reliably informed that Don Hector Silva – who is away in Guatemala – has expressed “profound shock” at his being removed so suddenly. Silva like Salazar had been given letters of appointment for two years; only one and a half years have elapsed since then.

It is notable that Senator Silva abstained in his vote on the Telecommunications Amendment Bill when it went to the senate two weeks ago. That was a vote not in consonance with his party leader John Briceno who voted against the bill the day before. But, whatever did or did not prompt the move, it’s a done deal; the party release announces that the letters of recommendation have been sent to the Governor General and the changes will come into effect with his signature.