With general elections only a week away, the Albert constituency is heating up. For the first time, voters will see two women going head to head - an area rep of ten years and a newcomer in the general elections.
Yesterday, our team joined Kaya Cattouse on the campaign trail and she brought along a secret weapon - the prime minister. It's no secret that Albert is one of UDP's strongholds, but the PUP are hoping to change that this election. And Cattouse says the hard work and determination she learned from being an athlete will help her do just so.
Courtney Menzies was on Wagner's Lane with her and has this story.
The Albert Division has 3 candidates to choose from - two of whom are UDPs - but if they choose to go the blue route, they'd be voting for an athlete turned city councillor who is now vying to represent them.
Kaya Cattouse-a newbie in the general elections-will face their two-term area rep, Tracy Panton. But putting her name on the ballot wasn't an impulsive decision. Yesterday, as she campaigned through the streets, she said she always knew this was the route she would take.
Kaya Cattouse, PUP Standard Bearer, Albert
"I think it was always the plan, the road I wanted to take. Coming from a sporting background, I have seen a lot of raw talent across this country, natural talent, that has not been well honed, well harnessed, well developed and I think that this is one of the platforms to do just that for youths in sports not only in the Albert constituency but across the country."
"Coming from a sporting background, for a race you have to have the perseverance, the determination, I mean all that stuff that comes with being an athlete and transferring all of that to my life as a politician, it has definitely been just a matter of transferring all those virtues and attributes that you have built in that aspect of your life to this one so it fits right in."
And while one of her opponent has had decades to build relationships with the residents, Cattouse says that doesn't necessarily translate into a better quality of life.
Kaya Cattouse, PUP Standard Bearer, Albert
"Coming into this area and seeing the deplorable conditions that people have been living in, seeing the ways that things have been happening for the past ten years. I have no doubt that on Election Day we will be successful. I mean, being in an area just to say you're a representative but doing nothing for the people, that's a pretty tough one."
And she's not only getting help from the early-elected area reps from their neighboring constituencies of Pickstock and Fort George, she also brought PM Briceno along for the walk. He's been on a countrywide tour, visiting the divisions that he believes could benefit most from his presence. And while it's grueling work, he says it's not difficult to try and sell their Albert standard bearer.
John Briceno, Prime Minister
"Kaya is a great candidate, I don't even have to try and sell her, she's selling herself, that people see what she's all about, that she's about the people and she wants to try to see how we could uplift Alberts. I mean, we had 13 years of a UDP government in Albert Division. They spent 1.1 billion dollars apart from the taxes they're collecting and look at where Albert is. They must could do better."
"It would be a shame for the country to go blue and Albert will still stay red for a person that's not really looking out for them, that person is only trying to be leader."
Courtney Menzies:
"In the 2020 elections, Mr Paul, he lost by only 40 votes, very close. Is the energy different this time around as your campaigning compared to 2020?"
John Briceno, Prime Minister
"Well the first thing is that we're not in COVID so you could walk with people and interact even easier and yes I think it's much better, it's more optimistic, it's more uplifting, people are speaking out more freely, people have seen the work of our government, of what we have done in just 4 years and 4 months and then also to have a fresh candidate, although Kaya has run two city councils, she's running for the general for the first time for the Albert Division so it gives you a sense of change, something new, but within the same party that's been in government so I'm very excited and very optimistic that the people of Albert will support Kaya next week Wednesday."
And throughout this journey, Briceno says he hasn't been "bucking up" any candidates from his opponents' parties.
John Briceno, Prime Minister
"Actually, no you know, now that I think about it. I was in Mesop and I met about two campaigners and they came and hailed me and I don't want to tell you what all they said, but it was not really nice about what's going on in their division. And I've been all over the country, come to think about it, and I've not met my opponents in Orange Walk Central either so I don't know what kind of games they're playing or if they feel they have some kind of magic trick or maybe they have liquid ink that will make sure when you put the X it will disappear from the blue and come out on the red but even that it's going to be, which red because they have two reds. So I don't know what's their strategy."
Tomorrow, we'll take you back to Albert where you'll hear from the two-term representative, Tracy Panton.
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