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Wally Garbutt: Educator, Philosopher, Fisherman… Politician?
Thu, July 2, 2015
On Tuesday's newscast, we told you about the vacant post created when Melvin Hulse resigned as the Stann Creek West Standard Bearer for the UDP. Delroy Cuthkelvin wants to run in a convention to replace him, but the Prime Minister says that he ought not to.

The man who the PM hopes will emerge victorious is career Educator Walter Garbutt. He undoubtedly has the respect of the Prime Minister, and so, that piqued our interest to find out what type of man he is. That opportunity presented itself last night, and we asked him why politics now, while he's in his 60's. He explained it to us:

Walter Garbutt - Aspirant, UDP Standard Bearer, Stann Creek West
"My profession, my career, my passion: education and fishing and I have had the best of both worlds. I spent 50 years in education and I am 65. I'll be 66 next week Wednesday and I am so proud of my age and I have spent about sixty five and a half years fishing. So, I've been fishing longer than I've been teaching."

"It was difficult. Even now sometimes I almost had a nightmare about a night or two ago, because I was getting into politics - "really all that crowd and that noise and I am not accustomed to that, but Stann Creek West calls and if Stann Creek West or Toledo East or that kind of area calls me - Belize call. Most of my family have moved to the states, not because Belize isn't great. But for me I have nowhere to go and so to move into politics, my friends on both sides of the political divide or the three, because I have some good friends. My friend Wil Maheia, in Belmopan Mr. Morgan - people I admire and respect and so I never had any political divide. I've never been treated when I go anywhere because I am short and I am fat and I am from Monkey River - I've been honored and respected and so politics for me was something that - and I hope that politics could at some point reached where my vision of it is. That's if it's not that in 2015, I will not settle that that is what politics must remain and I will try and if I get into any position I know you can't disagree outside of Cabinet, but in Cabinet I'll argue like hell and try to persuade to do the right thing and make the right decision and if I reached a point where I felt that I can't succeed in there or out there - at most jobs I worked I have a resignation written out and if I can't, I won't try to bad mouth my prime minister or my colleagues outside, but to themselves or inside the Cabinet I will."

Daniel Ortiz
"Talk to us about what you believe your chances are. You have the respect of the Prime Minister and you have the as you say the respect of those on both sides of the political divide in Stann Creek West going forward and tell us what is the arrangement between you and Mr. Nathan Young?"

Walter Garbutt
"Eric Donaldson says "the love of the common people" - that is what is most important to me. That's what drives me and common is not used here in negative term. Common means the ordinary people - that's what propels me, not people with degrees or people with fame or people with big three story houses. What drives me are humble people, ordinary people with extraordinary capacities and dreams and visions and attitude. That is what drives me."

"What are my chances? In every race, one must win, one must lose - that's a sad thing in a way. I would like a situation where nobody loses. The party or the people that lose will benefit. They will get their just share of whatever Belize has to offer - this great country Belize."

Daniel Ortiz
"The urgence with Mr. Nathan Young. Are you all both going to a convention or have you all worked out whose stepping forward?"

Walter Garbutt
"Say a prayer for us tonight. I hope I am not presumptuous and if the people in Stann Creek West and they are the people that's going to make the decision. From all that I have seen and heard I am the person that should be at this time."

The other man who is poised to contest Garbutt's candidacy is Nathan Young. But as they say, in politics any number can play, so we won't count Delroy Cuthkelvin out just yet. He has to convince the party why they should allow him to run in an open convention.

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