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PUP Leader Speaks On Arthur
posted (August 17, 2018)

Today’s special sitting gave the press an opportunity to interview Opposition Leader John Briceño about a few developments in his party that made the evening news this week.

We told you last night that the PUP’s vetting committee has refused Arthur Saldivar’s application to run in the Belmopan convention for a second time. He believes that once again, the leadership of the party did not handle his application fairly, and so, his legal team will be going back to the Supreme Court to challenge this latest refusal.

Back in June, when the press questioned him about Saldivar’s candidacy in Belmopan, Briceño was very measured and diplomatic about the reasons why the party’s national executive did not support it. This time around, Briceño stated in no uncertain terms that Saldivar will not represent the PUP in the Garden City. Here’s how that conversation went:

Hon. John Briceño - Leader of the Opposition
"I think there is a general feeling around the party that we don't think that Arthur Saldivar qualifies to be a standard bearer for the People's United Party. Last time around he felt that we did not give due process, so we decided to change the date and we followed due process based on the constitution of the party. We had the vetting committee that met, they interviewed him and at the end of the interviews of the people that applied, they vetting committee made a recommendation to the national executive once again that they do not believe that Arthur Saldivar meets the qualifications to a member of the party and that stands - I believe that the national executive will also then take that recommendation and will not accept his application to participate in the convention in Belmopan."

Reporter
"Will you then respond to the letter that he sent from an attorney in Trinidad that he's suing the party for another postponement after the convention as well?"

Hon. John Briceño
"Well obviously we will have to respond likewise and our lawyers are looking at it. We believe it’s a frivolous case, I believe that as a party we can decide we want to represent us or not. Once we and especially in this case, we believe this gentleman does not meet the qualifications that we expect from our standard bearers, so again I believe it’s a frivolous case but that is something that is going to be played out in the court."

Reporter
"As the leader of the party, are you at all concerned of the impression that this gives to anyone outside; the fact that it seems as though there is somewhat of an in fighting although it might not necessarily be that?"

Hon. John Briceño
"Yes absolutely no in fighting, just needs somebody that probably has a few screws lose, I think you all are helping the gentleman, we wants attention and he's getting all the attention that he wishes he could get but at the end of the day I can tell you that Arthur Saldivar will not represent the People's United Party."

As viewers will remember that Saldivar’s main complaint against his party’s leadership is that they make unilateral decisions that fly in the face of the PUP’s constitution, which strives for equality and fair treatment of all its members. His supporters have also accused the leadership of attempting to assert ownership over the party, and so we challenged Briceño on that. Here’s how that back and forth went:

Daniel Ortiz
"Is it a concern to you that the voters looking on will interpret what seems to be somewhat of a proprietary ownership of the PUP from the leadership? It's almost as though if you don't fit the bill for what your leadership says, you can't represent the people of Belize."

Hon. John Briceño
"Would you want Arthur Saldivar to represent you? Do you want Arthur Saldivar to represent you? Do you think he has the morale standing? Do you think that he can represent you? I don't think he does and I believe that as a party, we in the People's United Party can set certain conditions that we expect from our leaders. This has nothing to do with propriety, it has nothing to do with who you are friends with or who you were born or whatever it is. It's simply that there are certain things that we expect from our leaders and we believe that Arthur Saldivar does not represent what we expecting from our leaders and as a party we have every right to set those standards that we expect from our leaders."

Daniel Ortiz
"So how do you reconcile that position with those PUP voters of Belmopan who are standing strong behind him?"

Hon. John Briceño
"Even the devil has his followers."

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