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Faber Forges Forward, But Does He Have The Numbers?
posted (September 2, 2019)
We start tonight with politics - where UDP Deputy Leader Patrick Faber yesterday officially launched his campaign for party leadership.

The convention for that will be held in February of next year, and Faber hit the ground running yesterday with a mega event at the Civic Center. Officially, it was an endorsement convention just for Faber's stronghold in Collett, but unofficially, it was the launch of the drive to February where everything is on the line for this young politician. Jules Vasquez was at the Civic for the political heat check:...

Jules Vasquez reporting
The Civic Center was draped with images of Faber - and convention goers were greeted by these towering figures, making him seem larger than life. And to buttress that image of an ascendant leader, supporters were bused in from all over the country.

But on Sunday, it was principally about the Collett division - where Faber said he was worked for 27 years:

Hon. Patrick Faber, Deputy Leader UDP
"We have shared so much together my Collet family - 27 years; 16 of which I have been your area representative."

"I have been your street campaigner, I have been your street captain, I have been your city council candidate, I have been your president of the IPF, I have been your Collet Standard Bearer and Area Representative, I have been your Belize District regional leader, I have been your party chairman, I have been your first deputy leader."

And now he wants to go one giant step higher, first giving an obligatory nod to the sitting leader:

Hon. Patrick Faber, Deputy Leader UDP
"I give a maximum salute to the man who have captained this ship through this era and I thank him for his stellar leadership, party leader and Prime Minister Rt. Hon. Dean Barrow, we thank you sir. My grand goal now if you will have me is to continue this transformation into what will be the new Belize."

"My friends we are taking off from the path to the future. We thank you for being here and we welcome you on this journey to change Belize. I will serve you, if you let me, but all hands on deck is what is required if we are to fully bring about the new Belize. Thank you and God's blessings."

And while the confetti and pyrotechnics, the balloons and blasting music announced his arrival, it's really a numbers game - and these 14 Collet delegates who were sworn in. Each division has 14, and Faber has to get a majority of them on his side if he wants to be leader.

Inside we saw the standard bearers for Caribbean Shores, Lake Independence, OW Central, Orange Walk South, Cayo south along with area reps from Belize Rural South, Albert, Orange Walk East, Cayo Central and Former leader Manuel Esquivel.

They took up the front rows, while Faber's core supporters filled out the main seating area of an elaborately designed civic Center - but not a very full one.

The indoor convention under air conditioning had its advantages, but trying to energize a venue that can hold over five thousand with just a thousand or so supporters was a challenge.

And the gathering was not exactly inspired and, after a full lunch sponsored by the organizers who wouldn't want to….

But, to be fair, political conventions are rarely known for crowd cohesion or spirt, it's always a scattered affair. The point is - mass party muscle, and the question is, did Faber show enough of it to make him appear a viable candidate for leader?

Jules Vasquez, reporter
"What happens next?"

Hon. Patrick Faber, Deputy Leader UDP
"The ground work begins, delegate to delegate we are going to move around, but my work in this campaign is not only to campaign to delegates, it's to work on the party's structure whether I become the leader or not we will need to face the elections of 2020 and so I am running at simultaneous campaign - one that will me be prepared to win that convention in February, but also to prepare the party to win the general elections whenever they are in 2020."

Jules Vasquez, reporter
"Are you running into a headwind in so far as we know there has been a little friction in the cabinet as recently as last week and also we see only 7 constituencies representing here today."

Hon. Patrick Faber, Deputy Leader UDP
"Absolutely not. Most of the constituencies are represented here today, so I dont kmow where you get that from and I will tell you this as well that in fact the UDP is well and we will continue to keep things together."

Reporter
"Mr. Finnegan, neither your former campaign manager is here."

Hon. Patrick Faber, Deputy Leader UDP
"I don't know why he is not here; you will have to ask him. But also we enjoy that support and also the Mesopotamia people are here and the delegates are here."

Jules Vasquez, reporter
"But at the end of the day the prime minister, in order for you to be successful, do you need his behind the scenes support or can you do it alone?"

Hon. Patrick Faber, Deputy Leader UDP
"Well the prime minister is sacred in all of this in my view. I saw in the last convention where he decided that he was not going to involve himself in campaigning for either candidate and I believe that is his position in this case as well."

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