So while the future appears to hold nothing but confrontation and more infighting as both sides jostle for control of the UDP - is there a way forward?
To our surprise, Shyne Barrow yesterday proposed the possibility of a coalition:
Jules Vasquez
"Your party's under attack. Your party is under attack from within. The other side is hoping to continue to snipe off standard bearers, to try and erode your support base. What's your plan?"
Shyne Barrow, Leader -UDP
"My plan? We're going on a nationwide tour, in order to get ready for the general elections. That is the plan."
Jules Vasquez
"So will you field your own candidates in Albert, Collet, Queen Square? In Belmopan, in Orange Walk East now in Belize Rural North. Will your version of the UDP, or the UDP, will you be fielding candidates against the Alliance as you call them, candidates in those constituencies?"
Shyne Barrow, Leader -UDP
"We will have to. We have no, no other choice."
Jules Vasquez
"But you realize you have no prospect of winning. It may be that you make it so that neither version of the UDP wins."
Shyne Barrow, Leader -UDP
"This is not where we want to be. One of the options that people have thrown out is that maybe there could be some type of coalition with the Alliance for Democracy party, similar to UDP and the NABR with Manuel Esquivel and Philip Goldson. So maybe we wouldn't contest in in the three seats, that we currently have that were elected under the UDP."
Jules Vasquez
"Queen's Square, Collet, Albert."
Shyne Barrow, Leader -UDP
"Yes. So that is a possibility that had been thrown out there."
Jules Vasquez
"But then how can you have a, but how can you have a..."
Shyne Barrow, Leader -UDP
"I said a coalition."
Jules Vasquez
"Yeah, but how can you have a coalition..."
Shyne Barrow, Leader -UDP
"They would be the Alliance for democracy. They would have to accept that they're the Alliance for Democracy."
Jules Vasquez
"Tracy Panton claims that she's the leader of the UDP, sir."
Shyne Barrow, Leader -UDP
"Well, those false claims will not get them anywhere. And if she continues with her false claims, then we'll do what we have to do as far as finding candidates but I'm just telling you that, that has been thrown out there and my colleagues and I are not, averse to, to some type of coalition. But we have not, we're going to have an NPC, a central executive, and we'll ventilate the matter and decide what is the best way forward."
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