It's official, Gaspar Vega has resigned as Deputy Leader of the UDP - and with that he is expected to be replaced as Deputy Prime Minister.
Those are the broad strokes of a political story that caught everyone off guard yesterday. At first, there were suggestions that Vega could be making the first move to break up the Barrow Cabinet, but tonight we can report that he is simply walking away, not leading a rebellion.
7news has obtained a copy of his resignation letter to the UDP. Dated Tuesday, March 8th. and addressed to the party chairman, it thanks the party for letting him serve as Deputy Leader for the the last 8 years. It continues, quote, "this opportunity ultimately elevated me to the position of Deputy Prime Minister...for which the most gratifying accomplishment was the successful renegotiation of the Petrocaribe agreement...."
He then gets on to the meat of the letter, continuing, quote, "I will not contest the position of area representative of Orange Walk North in the next general election." We note that Vega is a three-term representative - and his seat was considered the safest for the UDP in the north - and it is now in play. His letter goes on, quote, "It has been established that the party is...not having another biennial for another four years; because...I will not be a candidate n the next general election, I am convinced that the proper thing to do is to withdraw my application for Deputy Party Leader in the upcoming biennial convention to be held on March 20, 2016." So less than two weeks before the convention, the Deputy Party Leader resigns, putting the party's second most senior seat up for grabs. We'll tell you more about that hotly contested race in a second.
Vega continues, "I will continue to faithfully serve the UDP and will do whatever is asked of me in the interest of the betterment of the party. I will also work arduously with my successor to ensure another victory (in) Orange Walk North."
And following up on that "grace note", Vega concludes, quote, "I remain a proud member of our great UDP."
The letter is only copied to Party Leader Dean Barrow - it was not addressed to him and we are told by multiple sources that Vega would not even take the Prime Minister's calls after he got the letter. The Prime Minster in the end had to send an emissary directly to engage Vega. And when he did, Vega - our sources say - told the Prime Minister that he was frustrated and felt he had been disrespected. As has been widely reported, Vega was stripped of the powerful Ministry of Natural Resources after the general elections in November, 2015. At the time here's how the Prime Minister explained it:
FILE: November 9th, 2015
Rt. Hon. Dean Barrow
"From before the elections, the Deputy Prime Minister and I has spoken. He had actually asked me to be relieve of the Lands Ministry."
Hon. Gaspar Vega, Deputy Prime Minister
"I don't know Jules. Mixed emotions that that lands department has really put a toll on me. I think it has cheated me."
Jules Vasquez
"Now, have you indicated to the Prime Minister that....?"
Hon. Gaspar Vega, Deputy Prime Minister
"Yes, because at times it was just too much with the colleagues and the peer pressure of the colleagues wanting to deliver more and more and the public and then yet everybody watching at you like a hawk. So, it gets to you and there was a time that I said, you know PM, you can have this Lands Department."
But reports say that the demotion to the relatively slight Ministry of Agriculture continued to bother Vega - and as one senior parliamentarian put it to us today, he had a bad case of "macobi" for the Ministry of Natural Resources.
Vega's sudden departure leaves an immediate vacuum in the second most powerful seat in the UDP. And it also throws a wrench into the works for the party's upcoming March 20th convention. The party sent a release today saying that the convention will have to leave Vega's first deputy spot vacant - and a special convention will be held later in the year to elect a new deputy. Inside sources say that Security Minister John Saldivar is definitely interested in the job. Patrick Faber also told us he is, quote, "most definitely" interested.
And while Saldivar and Faber load up what is sure to be a hotly contested campaign, for the time being Vega hasn't gone anywhere; he's still a member of cabinet and still the deputy Prime Minister. That new Deputy Leader of the Party - whoever that is - would likely be promoted to Deputy Prime Minister - but, again, that's not happening till the middle of the year.
For now, though, Vega's departure certainly weakens the UDP because he was a major source of campaign funding for many seats, not only in the north but also in Cayo and Belize Rural.
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