7 News Belize

UDP Trying To Get Past Penner’s Long Shadow Of Scandal
posted (June 9, 2014)
Elvin Penner is probably the most scandalized and publicly put down politician in memory. And since his public life exploded into scandal in September of last year - the UDP has steadily been trying to distance itself from the politically toxic two-term area representative. One large step in the right direction was to have been taken on Sunday when the UDP held its convention to elect a new candidate for Cayo Northeast. We visited and found Penner's long shadow of scandal still hovering over the proceedings - Jules Vasquez reports:..

Jules Vasquez reporting
UDP supporters of Cayo Northeast converged on Sacred Heart High School on Sunday.

Alberto August, UDP Party Chairman
"The supporters of this party are eager to come out and select a new standard bearer to represent them in the constituency"

The party was hoping to get out at least a third of the 6,200 voters from 7 villages and a part of San Ignacio Town. They had 3 candidates to choose from:

Eduardo Juan, UDP Aspirant - Cayo NE
"I have done my home work. I have visited every single village; Los Tambos, Duck Run 1,2,3, Billy White, Santa Familia, Esperanza, Marathon... I have touch base with all my people."

Tony McNab, UDP Aspirant - Cayo NE
"I am the new comer here, the more vibrant guy, the guys who have kept up with the political scene. I am out here publicly and basically I am out here at the request of the people of San Ignacio."

John August, UDP Aspirant - Cayo NE
"I feel very confident of myself today. I know I have done the ground work. We've been working visiting people here on town and the other 7 villages that make up Cayo Northeast."

Three term Cayo Mayor August appeared to have the strongest presence on the ground, but there was a wrinkle.

Another wrinkle, was the report that close to two thousand voters who had signed the recall would not be allowed to vote. Not that big a deal, since most of them were PUP's but some were UDP's - like this couple:

Jules Vasquez
"You signed on the recall petition?"

Leonardo Caretella, UDP Supporter - Rejected
"Yes we signed on it yes."

Jules Vasquez
"But you all are UDPs?"

Leonardo Caretella
"We all are UDP and we voted twice for Mr. Penner and we signed to recall him because he was not doing what he was supposed to do for us."

Sally Caretella, UDP Supporter - Rejected
"And I don't want to be represented by a traitor. I votes for him twice. I was privilege that I became a Belizean and I could vote for this man."

Jules Vasquez
"However you remain a UDP?"

Sally Caretella, UDP Supporter - Rejected
"I doubt it. If I can't choose now..."

Jules Vasquez
"But after the Penner incident, you came here to vote for another UDP?"

Sally Caretella, UDP Supporter - Rejected
"My husband has been working for Eduardo Juan and I am also supporting Eduardo Juan, yes I am a UDP. But if I can't choose who I want to because some petty person in the UDP says you can't vote if you voted to recall Penner then I either spoil my paper in the election or I voted for Landy Habet, but I am not going to vote UDP."

Jules Vasquez
"How did you feel in that moment when they told you that your name has been scratch from the list?"

Leonardo Caretella
"We feel bad about it. We feel angry about it."

Jules Vasquez
"Will you vote UDP at the next election?"

Leonardo Caretella
"Of course I will vote UDP at the next election."

Jules Vasquez
"Your wife says she doesn't think so."

Leonardo Caretella
"I will vote UDP again."

Jules Vasquez
"So you are hurted today?"

Leonardo Caretella
"Of course I am hurted."

Equally hurt was Andrea Castellanos - seen here pleading her case to one of the candidates:

Jules Vasquez
"Why can't you vote in there?"

Andrea Castellanos, UDP supporter - Rejected
"Because I signed the recall petition."

Jules Vasquez
"But you are a UDP?"

Andrea Castellanos
"I am a diehard UDP from in Joe Andrews time. I signed it because if we put those people there and we know they are doing badly, why should we accept them doing the same thing over and over."

Jules Vasquez
"You signed it but you remained a UDP and you come to the convention today?"

Andrea Castellanos
"Yes I came to the convention because they want there to campaign and now when I come here cant vote because they took my name out of the list."

Jules Vasquez
"How does that makes you feel?"

Andrea Castellanos
"I feel bad, they put me to the PUP and I am a big UDP and I am not ashamed to say what I said and whoever doesn't want to talk to me - fine. I still love my party."

Alberto August
"Jules in every convention we go through the list. We went through the list with the candidates and some of the key people. On Wednesday we went through the list and we decide that there were some people who we were not going to allow to vote and that's what we are doing today."

Jules Vasquez
"Okay but did you based it on the fact that for example in Ms. Andrea's case - because she signed the recall petition?"

Alberto August "The bottom line is that the candidates met on Wednesday and that decide on a list of people who they will not allow to participate in their convention today - that is the bottom line."

Jules Vasquez
"But are you discriminating against people who decided to vote in the recall against Elvin Penner?"

Alberto August
"We are not discriminating against anyone. This convention is between 3 persons and those 3 persons got together on Wednesday and they decided that some people will not be allowed to vote today."

Jules Vasquez
"You are only repeating yourself because you are avoiding answering my question directly. Do you believe if she is a diehard UDP she should be allowed to vote here?"

Alberto August
"Man, you are making me repeat myself."

And Chairman August and the party Secretary General may even have had to repeat that to candidates.

Eduardo Juan, UDP Aspirant - Cayo NE
"As far as the petition, we have just been aware of that."

John August, UDP Aspirant - Cayo NE
"Yes it's a pity some people cannot vote, but there is a process we have to follow. I think all the candidates agree to..."

Jules Vasquez
"Those who signed the petition won't be able to vote - that's 1700 plus voters. How will that affect the overall turnout for the UDP? And how will it affect you? I heard that your own son signed it."

Tony McNab, UDP Aspirant - Cayo NE
"My son name is on there but I will not go publicly on how I am absolutely sure his name got on there."

He wasn't the only one suggesting recall petition fraud - this man has a credible case:

Lucio Eulario Cano, Rejected voter
"They told me that I cannot vote."

Jules Vasquez
"Now the reason you supposedly can't vote is because you signed the petition to remove Elvin Penner. Your name was on the list as one of the petitioners."

Lucio Eulario Cano, Rejected voter
"I didn't signed anything."

Jules Vasquez
"So, you didn't signed the petition?"

Lucio Eulario Cano, Rejected voter
"No. I don't want to take out the man."

Jules Vasquez
"How you feel that you can't vote in the convention?"

Lucio Eulario Cano, Rejected voter
"I feel sad because I came to vote for John."

One well known Cayo resident and former PUP Aspirant who also came to vote wasn't surprised at her rejection:

Nancy Juan, Name blocked
"But you know it's expected. I came to support family. I believe that convention should be open for us to have real democratic elections but pitifully that's how the parties are - both parties would have done the same. I have nothing against them."

And while those were the exceptions - by and large, voting went on unimpeded. Just under 1,500 voters came out, and the now well known UDP machinery was in effect, using all means to get the vote out - all of them were heavily wooed:

Alberto August
"This is a UDP constituency, there is no if, ands or buts about that - this is a UDP constituency."

But one that is trying to get out of the shadow of Elvin Penner

Jules Vasquez
"Will his influence have any factor being as a area representative he still is the man still have some weights to pull."

Alberto August
"Of course he does. Nobody says he does not. Do you see him out here?"

Jules Vasquez
"I don't."

Not out there, but his presence still felt - and not in a good way.

Jules Vasquez
"Has not come up with voters and say that they dont know if they are with UDP because Elvin Penner kind of let us down?"

John August, UDP Aspirant - Cayo NE
"Jules like I said earlier we have done a house to house campaign and in some houses it was brought up but in majority of the houses I think they are happy that the party has gone down this road and having this convention today with 3 candidates to choose from."

Jules Vasquez
"Are you confident that the UDP can effectively rebound in Cayo Northeast from winning by only 17 votes in the last election and then going downhill with the entire Citizen Kim fiasco?"

John August, UDP Aspirant - Cayo NE
"I do believe so. Cayo Northeast is still a UDP stronghold."

Jules Vasquez
"It is said that the party favours John August the 3 time mayor of San Ignacio and that Elvin Penner favours you. Who will win out of those two competing interest?"

Eduardo Juan, UDP Aspirant - Cayo NE
"I don't know if that has any truth in it."

And the good thing about these affairs is that at the end of the day the truth of the ballot is non-negotiable - politicians can say what they want but at the end of the day - the voter's verdict is non-negotiable - and this time - they said overwhelmingly yes to John August who got 975 votes to 398 for Eduardo Juan and 72 for Anthony Mcnab.

John August, UDP Aspirant - Cayo NE
"I will do my work. At the end of the day whenever the elections are called the people will come out and I know that at the end of the day they will give me the support whenever the general elections is called."

August is still Mayor of San Ignacio town and will serve out his third term which ends in March of next year.

We note that the turnout of 1454 ballots cast is considered a disappointment for the UDP which regularly reports convention turnouts in excess of two thousand. We know that those kinds of numbers were definitely expected in northeast yesterday because it has six thousand voters and because the party considers it a UDP stronghold.

Home | Archives | Downloads/Podcasts | Advertise | Contact Us

7 News Belize