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Hon. Julius Says Party Has To Be Clearer On Candidates
posted (July 4, 2018)

And, Espat also wants reform also in the process to screen candidates for divisional conventions.  The ongoing convention fiasco in Belmopan has blown up in the PUP's face - where the party has now had to twice postpone the convention, and re-open the call for applications from interested candidates.  It's a proper mess and Espat says it could have been avoided if the party would open up to some reform:…

Hon. Julius Espat - Cayo South Rep
"The reason I think the party has to do a little more reform. I believe has to consider more people.  I believe the party should be including more people instead of expelling people. And I believe our system of how we decide who should run or not should be defined. What happened yesterday at the press conference you were at is a clear example that we have to run things a little differently. We cannot do thing and expect that people will lay down and take it. And so, yesterday was to me a clear example of you are now being forced to listen to the people, but if you would have done the way we would have recommended it from the beginning, this scenario would not have played out. I'm not chastising anybody, I'm just saying that this is the direction we are forced to go, we have to go."

Jules Vasquez
"So, Arthur Saldivar in your opinion and Mr. Andrews should have been allowed to contest the convention?"

Hon. Julius Espat
"How can I explain it to you, I might not agree with personalities and how they operate or what they do but if the rules and regulations specifies certain things, then you are allowed to run then you should run. Patrick Andrews for an example, I don't see any conceivable reason as to why you would not allow him to run and I stood by that. I don't agree with Patrick Andrews on many things but that does not stop me from having a right to run."

We'll have more of our far - ranging conversation with Espat tomorrow - when we'll ask him if he really does support his party leader John Briceno.

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