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Delroy Cuthkelvin Offers Candidacy; PM Says Stand Down
posted (June 30, 2015)
Last week, we told you how UDP's Melvin Hulse willingly threw himself on his sword and resigned as the Standard Bearer for Stann West. That's after 4 days of scandal which raged in the wake of a leaked conversation in which he was backbiting his Party Leader and Prime Minister. We've told you how the Stann Creek West Executive Committee has chosen its chairman, Nathan Young, as the man who should become Hulse's successor. Well, two other players have emerged on the scene, but the most controversial character who's expressed interest is Delroy Cuthkelvin.

Viewers will remember that at the convention held in March of last year, Melvin Hulse was chosen in an open convention to return as standard bearer. That's a convention which Cuthkelvin contested but one which he boycotted last minute after complaining that the party had taken off his voters approved list. That's not something that should be taken lightly, but since the standard bearer's position is vacant once again, Cuthkelvin has announced that he wants back in the race.

Over the weekend, he told Love News why:

Delroy Cuthkelvin
"As you know, the situation has arisen where Mr. Melvin Hulse has resigned from the position of Standard Bearer of the United Democratic Party in Stann Creek West. And so the party has indicated that there is a need for a new standard bearer and a name has been suggested by Mr. Hulse. And as the party leader said, 'if no one else has stepped up then you would have probably be endorsed'. Well I want to announce to you that I have been meeting with my people since yesterday from Stann Creek valley coming all the way down, right now I'm in Independence. And after meeting with the core committee, that has supported me in the last convention, we have decided that we are going to offer ourselves as the UDP Standard Bearer for Stann Creek West. So the party will be getting by application bright and early on Monday. We have activated our committee already in all portions of Stann Creek West and we are confident that we have a broad-based support. Broad enough to win the convention and certainly broad enough to go on with the general elections."

Reporter
"Previously you have submitted your name to the previous convention but then you backed down."

Delroy Cuthkelvin
"Yes as you know the situation that occurred there, we had serious concerns about the way the convention was being conducted but that is water under the bridge, we don't want to regurgitate all of that."

As you heard, Cuthkelvin said that the voter's list complaint is now water under the bridge. Well according to the Prime Minister it certainly is not, and he reports that there will be significant resistance to Cuthkelvin's candidacy. He explained why to us yesterday:

Hon. Dean Barrow, Prime Minister
"I have seen where he said that he will offer himself. I will tell you and tell him that there are people in the Stann Creek West Committee who will make representations to our screening committee with a view to having them reject any application on the part of Delroy Cuthkelvin. In terms of what happened the last time when he was supposed to participate in the convention, where he campaigned and obviously got some kind of support including financial. And then at the last minute, pulled out of the convention and used as an excuse the fact that according to him, allegations about the party, having behaved in a way that is unfair. That has left a bad odor in terms of the constituency, certainly in terms of the party. There is a process in our party, there is, as I've said, a screening committee and they ultimately will have the last word. But he needs to be served notice that there is going to be tremendous opposition to his being allowed to contest on other UDP conventions."

Reporter
"Sir, he says that's water under the bridge and he feels confident..."

Hon. Dean Barrow, Prime Minister
"It is not water under the bridge sir, I am telling you that members of the Stann Creek West Committee will be lining up, (he will have a chance to state his case), to complain to the screening committee with a view. Making strong representations with a view to his candidacy not being allowed. What will happen is a matter for the screening committee."

Reporter
"Would you advise him not to go ahead and...?"

Hon. Dean Barrow, Prime Minister
"In my view, that he would be best advised to withdraw. I think otherwise he's going to create the kind of distraction and diversion that we don't need but it's a matter for him."

So, who's the other new personality who has announced interest in taking the standard bearer's post? Well, the Prime Minister told us that it's a candidate who reportedly has the respect of people in Stann Creek West who are on both sides of the political divide:

Hon. Dean Barrow, Prime Minister
"Mr. Walter Garbutt who is an absolutely outstanding individual, he is from the area, and was the first principal of Independence High School. He was for a while, I believe, the principal at Belmopan Comprehensive. He also was the director of the ITVET in the Valley, in Hope Creek. He now runs an NGO that's working with fisher folks. He is absolutely well known in that constituency, respected by all and sundry including members of the opposition. I was told that Emilio Zabbaneh posted something saying 'all this PUP will say is that that is a man that I respect'. So wonderful candidate, I'm not sure what's going to happen now since there are two good candidates, both Mr. Garbutt and Nathan Young. I believe they are meeting to try to work things out but Wally Garbutt is somebody I had approached twice before and he wasn't ready, he felt that his mission as an educator had not been completed. It's great to see him be prepared now to take that plunged."

Reporter
"You fully support him."

Hon. Dean Barrow, Prime Minister
"I fully support him, in the context of a convention or working out who will go forward between himself and Nathan Young. These are both good individuals so I'm not going to, as it were, choose a side. I think that it would be a pity if we had a contested convention between them because somebody will lose and their too good to have any of them lose. So I am hoping we can work it out."

We'll keep following the developments in Stann Creek West.

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