If Saldivar is to ever make a comeback as an elected politician, he has to convince the voters of Belmopan to re-elect him in a general election despite all they have seen and heard. He's still the incumbent area representative of that division going to 2003, and there have not been any indications that he will not be allowed to contest it as a UDP.
But, seizing on the political moment, his opponent, PUP's Oscar Mira, has come forward saying that Saldivar has lost the confidence of his constituents in Belmopan. Here's what he had to say yesterday at the PUP's press conference:
Oscar Mira - PUP Standard Bearer, Belmopan
"The sentiments of those 15 delegates that went from Belmopan and voted for him or the sentiments of the 300+ delegates that vote for him are not the sentiments of the majority of the people of Belmopan. The majority of the people in Belmopan, as I go to the house campaigning, is totally different. They do not want John Saldivar in Belmopan to represent them. They do not want somebody with this cloud of crime around him, and they want an option."
"Speaking to the voters of Belmopan, I get the sense that they didn't even want to go ahead and re-register. I have met so many so-called UDP's - who we thought were UDP's, and they don't want to register because they are tired. I have been encouraging them, and it is good to see that they have been going to the elections and boundaries office to register because they want to make a change."
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