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Belize Rural Executive Demonstrates Against Their Own Party For Arthur
posted (August 29, 2014)
The suspended PUP Standard Bearer Arthur Saldivar may be on the ropes but he's not going down without a fight. Last night his Belize Rural North Executive Committee met and issued a defiant press release saying, quote, "we completely and wholeheartedly DENOUNCE this illegal and unconstitutional decision taken by the PUP National Executive on Wednesday, August 27, 2014 to place our Candidate and ELECTED Standard Bearer on two (2) weeks' suspension pending a so-called 'investigation'. "

The release adds, quote, "the decision...only serves the selfish agenda of a few members of the National Executive who are undermining the Party under the guise of 'love for Party'."

They say defiantly that, quote, "We will NOT allow any hand-picked 'replacement' to come into our division and benefit from our years of hard work which was accomplished with much blood, sweat and tears."

That was last night, and this morning, they sought to take that message to the Party Leader himself in a hurriedly staged protest in front of PUP Headquarters. Now, PUP's protesting against their own party? That doesn't happen every day so you know 7News had to be there from before it started. Jules Vasquez reports:..

Jules Vasquez reporting
This morning Belize Rural North Committee members filed into Independence Hall.

Linsford Castillo, Saldivar Advisor
"We are here to ask for a meeting with the party leader and when I say we, I am talking about the executive committee of the Belize Rural North."

But no one was in the office upstairs, not the leader, not the Secretary General, so the crowd did a little thing in the waiting area, and then took it to the sidewalk - where the conduct of the event quickly went from subdued to spirit with the help of a bullhorn:

Wendy Castillo
"From 1989 under the leadership of Maxwell Samuels we are here today to fight on our own for the People's United Party - for the people of Belize Rural North. We will not move from here, if night comes we will stand here, but somebody will give us an answer today. Today we come in peace to ask them to have a meeting with us. We will no longer standby and just be a rubber stamp for anybody, we have a voice and we were born to speak when injustice takes place. Today injustice by our own."

Crowd Chanting
"The people's champion no suspension."

They say the party constitution only gives the committee the power to suspend - and that they've been overlooked, bypassed and disrespected. But they didn't get a chance to talk to Leader Fonseca we only saw his driver and his close advisor Albert Vaughan who took some strong words from the crowd. And then a direct frontal assault of the verbal variety

Saldivar wasn't there either, only his image while police stood by and didn't make any move to arrest them for an illegal assembly or loitering.

They continued holding the line for hours - but no one came, they got no audience with their party leader or any other party official.

This afternoon they relented. We learned that the Leader had called the Chairman - who would only give a statement:

Carol Williams, Chairman - PUP, Belize Rural North
"Our intention today was to make it clear that we do not recognize or acknowledge the suspension. In a telephone conversation to me a few minutes ago the Party Leader informed me that he will not meet with the executive committee. In light of the Party Leader's reluctance to meet with us today, our committee is left with no other choice but to reconvene and determine our next move."

No word on what that move might be and with that they packed up their signs and rolled out taking the option to fight another day - but with the September 17th Deadline approaching that day had better be soon.

The protest started at 10:00 in the morning and the committee members, 15 of them went home at 2:00 in the afternoon. The PUP's Executive's investigation of Saldivar is led by party Chairman Henry Usher.

Later on you'll hear what the Prime Minister has to say about the suspension in the opposition.

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