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Briceno’s Tour De Force Performance At NPC
posted (August 30, 2010)
The PUP held its National Party Council meeting on Saturday morning at Independence Hall in Belize City.

It was no ordinary event: no less than the balance of power in the party was at stake: would the 5 Parliamentarians: Musa, Espat, Hyde, Fonseca and Marin boycott? And if they did, what would it mean for the party going forward?

Weighty matters rested on Saturday's event - but Party Leader Briceno didn't seem even mildly perturbed. He may not have had the support of the only five other party members who actually won in 2008 - but without them - he still had the majority in Independence Hall.

And to prove it, party brass let our cameras in to tape the proceedings - which for a National Party Council is unprecedented. Here's what we saw:....

Jules Vasquez, Reporting
The executive, in front of a full Independence Hall of about 100 constituency chairpersons and key delegates from 26 constituencies spoke demonstratively in support for the current leadership and rallied behind the party leader. Many called for an endorsement convention while others railed against those executive members who boycotted the meeting or absented themselves - suggesting that they should be removed.

Many added that they have not been told of anyone else who wants to run for leader - so they're sticking with Briceno. The common sentiment was loyalty to the party leader is equivalent to unity in the party - a tour de force endorsement for Briceno:

John Briceno, Leader of the Opposition
"I have listened to all the constituencies that are present here today and listened to your concerns about unity and about fighting the UDP and I believe that we have a consensus that we should have a special national convention as soon as possible based on the constitution. Is that the will of the central party council?"

"Is there anybody against? (crowd; "no") there is no one against."

No one against - and so the party moves forward to a national convention but it's one unlike any other that preceded it

John Briceno, Leader of the Opposition
"Under the amendments that we have done; first we had 1 delegate for every 100 votes that we got in the last election, under the new amendments we are going to have 1 delegate for every 25 votes that we had in the last election."

That means the delegate pool increases from 600 plus to over two thousand. Deadline for the submission of names for those vying for posts is the 13th. September:

John Briceno, Leader of the Opposition
"That then will give us 30 days or 31 days in this case for us to hold the next special national convention on October 17th, 2010."

Jules Vasquez
"Had you ever contemplated September 26th as a date for the convention and did you change that date based on the meeting you had with the parliamentarians and the implicit threat that they supposedly collectively represent?"

John Briceno, Leader of the Opposition
"No."

Jules Vasquez
"You never intended September 26?"

John Briceno, Leader of the Opposition
"No."

Jules Vasquez
"It was all a misunderstanding or a misapprehension of the fact?"

John Briceno, Leader of the Opposition
"Probably you are coming up with that date or somebody to create mischief."

Jules Vasquez
"Now the constitution calls for conventions in November; national conventions in November. Why then would you call a special convention in October? Why not just make it November if that's what the constitution requires."

John Briceno, Leader of the Opposition
"The constitution also gives a provision for the national party council to call for a special convention. Today the national party council is the one that have called to us to have a national convention as early as possible. Why? Because our people are suffering."

Jose Sanchez, Reporter
"But do you accept that calling an early convention people may see it as a strategic move so that any challenger could not muster enough support."

John Briceno, Leader of the Opposition
"If you are interested in wanting to challenge, in your case, in an organization? what would you do? You start to work from early. Everybody knows that there is going to be a national convention in this party as mandated by the constitution by November, so if anybody wants to do that; then they should have started to work a long time ago."

Jules Vasquez
"Do you anticipate that you will face a challenge as leader?"

John Briceno, Leader of the Opposition
"Well so far nobody has told me that they are interested in challenging. There is a lot of speculation and a lot of it is fuelled by the media I think it makes a good story for the news, but as far as I know nobody within has said to me that they are interested in challenging either my position or any other position in the national executive."

Jules Vasquez
"Are you prepared to withstand such a challenge if one does arise by September 14th?"

John Briceno, Leader of the Opposition
"Any party member has the right to aspire to be the leader of this party. Now in my case I have been doing my work, I have been visiting areas, I have been working for almost 2 1/2 years with this party and I do feel and feel confident enough that I do continue to have the support of the majority of the members in the People's United Party."

But apparently not the support of those 5 key members - the parliamentarians who all boycotted Saturday's meeting.

Jules Vasquez
"There were a few notable absences in the constituencies assembled here those belonging to your deputy leaders Mark Espat, Cordel Hyde, Freetown also was not here; that is another deputy leader. Obviously there is some disunity in the executive if neither those personalities - all deputies - nor their constituencies appeared. How do you address that going forward?"

John Briceno, Leader of the Opposition
"Today what we've been listening to and I've been listening to across the country is that our party members all rank and file, they want this party to unite."

Jules Vasquez
"In spite of this unity will you seek rapprochement with those 5 parliamentarians who aren't here apparently as a boycott, I am told. Will you seek to have a meeting with them to work things out going forward, having now proven that you are compliant with the constitution."

John Briceno, Leader of the Opposition
"Well I have never been informed about any boycott. They may have whatever reasons why they did not come."

Jorge Aldana, Reporter
"How would you address the issue of you going into the convention of you being elected as the party leader but you only need 3 parliamentarians to say to the Governor General and want to change as the leader of the opposition in the house. How would you address that as the party leader?"

John Briceno, Leader of the Opposition
"There has been no indication that is going to happen. We hear all kind of rumors. I think that what is important that here in our party we have discipline, we understand that there is one party leader and if the people of the party decides that they want me as their leader then that's is what is going to happen in the national assembly."

Jose Sanchez, Reporter
"Do you welcome any challenge from Mark Espat?"

John Briceno, Leader of the Opposition
"As I said before I am not scared for any challenge from anybody."

Jules Vasquez
"If these deputy leaders, 3 of them at least continue to stand on the outside, should they then be replaced or removed from the executive?"

John Briceno, Leader of the Opposition
"That is something for the national convention to decide."

But from the showing on Saturday, we'd say much has already been decided - and very much in Briceno's favour.

So now, going forward, the questions are: Who will vie for what executive posts? And will Briceno be challenged for leadership by Deputy Mark Espat? All that will be known by September 13th, but the personalities at the meetings suggest to us that Espat has been boxed out by the crafty old guard, because though Said Musa appeared with Espat at the parliamentary meeting, Ms. Musa's divisional chairman Henry Charles Usher was at Saturday's National Party Council. Of the 5 parliamentarians on a boycott, Musa's chairman was the only one we saw Saturday's event.

That suggests to many that the old guard may have reached an accommodation with Briceno. If that is so, Deputies Espat and Cordel Hyde don't have a horse in this race, and would likely not even be in the running to keep their seats as Deputy leaders.

There are many possibilities - and the alliances and hostilities will begin to take shape in the next 14 days - leading up the deadline for the submission of persons wishing to context executive posts.

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