Last month, we told you how Phillip Willoughby was forced to resign from his government job at NEMO. He wants to run in the UDP convention in Port Loyola. Well, so does his former councilor colleague Dean Samuels! Samuels is a contract worker under Anthony “Boots” Martinez’s Ministry: Human Development. When we spoke to “Boots” Martinez last week, he said he doesn’t think that Samuels will run. And we thought Minister Boots should know, since he is the one who endorsed Samuel's application for the Port convention. But, Boots was wrong, and to prove it, Samuels resigned this week. So, he'll now face his former city council ally Willoughby and Boots Martinez's new favourite candidate, Mike Peyrefitte. We caught up with Samuels today. He told us that, because of personal and family reasons, he procrastinated for quite a bit before deciding to run. Here’s what he had to say about why he finally made up his mind to contest the convention:
Dean Samuels - Aspirant, UDP Standard Bearer, Port Loyola
"Let me publicly and personally announce my acceptance by my party to be a candidate in the upcoming convention in the Port Loyola division. For me personally that was never an easy decision right, you have to understand really and truly it's a decision I made and I made it from my heart but it was never an easy decision. You have to understand it had to do with my livelihood, my ability at the end of the day to take of my home, my kids, da me da the provider and me have to go home go look pan them you understand. So da neva mi wa easy decision but at the end of the day it's something I do and I do it from my heart because my personally - I no wa lie to you I have always shown people that given the chance, the opportunity to sever them that for them best interest always, I always have their best interest at heart. It was a decision I had to make but I know personally I couldn't live with myself if I never put myself up for this task. I love people and I am about serving people and at the end of the day the kind of physical work I put in the relationship I have built in here in Port with people, I personally believe I owe them that and myself that to give myself a chance to represent them - it was never an easy decision. Right now I am looking at it as moving forward here to a convention, after the fact then I guess we will deal with that when it comes, I guess I gwen back inna the barbershop (laugh)."
As we reported, Samuels is going up against two more well-known candidates: Phillip Willoughby, with whom he served in the Belize City Council for years, and Attorney General Michael Peyrefitte. These 2 opponents came up in our conversation with Samuels today, and he was skeptical about their chances to beat him in this upcoming convention. Here’s what he had to about his opponents:
Dean Samuels
"I have always been in Port Loyola and I have always been in gaining people's love, gaining people's trust, providing service to the people because that is what I do, I'm genuine about that. I never jump up you know today and say I wa run for Port right - I won't knock mi bwai Michael Peyrefitte but I no jump up and say I wa be party leader or I want be prime minister and come dump myself on the people - but no I noh do that. No to chance mi lee bwai Willoughby neither, da wa lee bwai that I love, I love his work ethics and everything but da man courted the people da Albert for 2 years to fall in love with ah and when they fall in love with ah party make him wah - he do it for his own personal reason, that da his business but what that show? That no show conviction, that now show he da about people, that non show that the end of the day you have the people best interest at heart. Now for me, if it was my interest, you know what I mi wa do? I would have keep my job and you know what I mi wa do? Walk bout mi business and forget the people of Port Loyola but you know what happen, if I gwen down, I gwen down the fight for people, I gwen down at the end of the day believing at the end of the day - people is what it’s about, I will sleep better at night knowing I give that a chance. I di tell you, Port Loyola, I the sacrifice for unno, da what unno di do fi unno self? You need to get up and register. Stop make people come inna unno division - not even say come inna yo division, stop make people the elect people and then all that you do is sit down home and then hear whe you say; this one this, the minister this, the minister that, no! You need to be part of this movement, we need to at the end of the day make a decision that you want better for yourself and about your people. Forget the handout, 100 dollars and 20 dollars you know what do? Ease financial pain but by the time that done the pain come back, love da forever, that is what I got fi deh people and that is what I want from deh people. Come and elect somebody that the end of the day have unno best interest at heart - we're tired of that old system of politics, we tired of the way how people get treated and the end of the day nothing chance fi poor people; poor people still suffer, nothing change for deh, you can't serve everybody pain but you know what happen? You could ease it sometimes bredda."
When he was finished discussing his fellow port Loyola aspirants, it appeared that Samuels took a swing at his now former boss, “Boots” Martinez, and the pace of improvements that the residents of Port Loyola got during Martinez’s 4 terms in office. We challenged him on that, and here’s how that part of the conversation went:
Dean Samuels
"I personally feel that Port Loyola need upliftment bredda, we no need a bunch of politicians fi the come in ya every time and the give you story and the tell you what you wa hear and that is politics you, that system failed we totally, that system has always failed we because of the end of the day nothing change, status quo remains the same - people get used as pawns. The bottom line about it is Port need positive upliftment and the only way that could happen bredda da if people really elect and put people in place that have people interest and the love of people at heart and that is the truth - how will that happen? People need to get up and register, that is the bottom line, get up and go register right. People in Port Loyola have it serious you know, I will be honest with you, they have a serious decision to make. They have to make a decision weh part at the end of the day if they will continue with this same cycle ya, you know what I mean or at the end of the day they will push the people that love people, politician on a whole that wa see betterment for people. At the end of the day a new and improved UDP, I will be honest with - the face of politics need to change. At the end of the day we need to start think about we as people and be about ourselves, we to start elect people weh really want represent people. You see fi me, you could always do this you know, we could always continue shove our finger inna the ink and by the time that ink dry a level of hopelessness comes back and step in. You know why that step in? Because the man you just elect gone about his business, that man weh you elect you can't see he again - he alright but you no alright, nobody alright, the status quo remains the same. Den deh da the things that need to change and the only way that will change, you know what happened, Port Loyola the only way that will change? Unno get up, unno go register and unno make a difference you know what I mean. This hands out thing we need fi stop they kind of thing they, we got to be real, hands out of a 50 dollars and what changed? Nothing changed, everything remains the same."
Daniel Ortiz
"It still does sound as though you've invited the current area rep by suggesting that the status quo keeps remaining. He's been here for years and Port Loyola has had a situation where the upliftment has been slow."
Dean Samuels
"I wa be honest with you and I tell you, when I made that comment, that goes for both parties, that never go fi one person indirectly or I the single our anybody - it is on a whole, politics bredda. I have to come prep people as a politician, I no regard myself as a politician you know but that is the guise; if I want to serve my people that is my avenue and that is my lane how I will serve you - you understand? At the end of the day, that is what it will take me to bring good and services to you and serve you, then that is how I the come to you but I no throw nobody underneath the bus. I have been the protégé of the current minister with no regrets, I honestly have been in the area putting in grounds and work - no throw anybody under the bus. If there is any division anywhere in this country, you have a lot more to go when it comes to upliftment."
Samuels told us that he has already emailed his resignation to the Ministry CEO, and he only has to deliver a hardcopy of that to the Ministry.
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