The P.U.P. today held a meeting of the National Executive, which also includes standard bearers, to decide a way forward to general elections. But by our count, there were at least twelve standard bearers who did not show up. Now, what we heard is that those persons – including five from the north, three from the West and a few from the city, San Pedro and Belize District, deliberately absented themselves from the meeting in silent protest of Francis Fonseca’s leadership. It’s a credible report, because rumours of discontent have continued to grow after defeats and loss of ground in consecutive elections – three in 2015 back to back to back. At least three big hitters—John Briceño, Dan Silva and Cordel Hyde—were not present. But true to form and course, the P.U.P….at least those present, say that there’s absolutely nothing wrong with the Party, and nothing amiss about those very conspicuous absences.
Henry Charles Usher
Henry Charles Usher, Chairman, P.U.P.
“It was a regular meeting of the National Executive and we invited our standard bearers to be present.”
Reporter
“Okay, we’ve been out here since one-fifteen and we noticed that key personnel in the P.U.P. didn’t show up. We know that most of the standard bearers from the north didn’t show up; we know many from central including Cordel Hyde didn’t show up and we know a number of from the west didn’t show. Is there a reason for half of the standard bearers not showing up?”
Henry Charles Usher
“I don’t know of any organized reason; I know a few of them gave us apologies as to why they couldn’t be here today. And I believe others had work-related items they had to deal with. There is nothing organized against it; it’s just that they couldn’t be here today. But as I said, it was just a regular meeting. It wasn’t like if anything special was brought up.”
Reporter
“It is the first meeting after the Dangriga bye-election, which the P.U.P. lost. There was so much spirit on the ground…so much said about the strong spirit.”
Henry Charles Usher
“It’s the first official meeting, but we’ve had meeting of the caucuses since the bye-election in Dangriga so we have met since then yes.”
Reporter
“It’s the first time for a lot of them to feel their party leader since the Dangriga bye-election; he’s not in the caucuses. So I’m saying that after the strong showing on the ground at the Dangriga bye-election, shouldn’t we have expected a good strong showing to continue that momentum?”
Henry Charles Usher
“But we had a majority of them there, Jules. Majority of the standard bearers, all the members of the national executive, they were upstairs and we had a good meeting. We went through what was the plan for the next couple of months and that was the basic agenda of today.”
Reporter
“So you don’t make nothing of the absences?”
Henry Charles Usher
“Nothing at all…nothing at all.”
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