The PUP's press conference today was to talk about the Sarstoon Showdown, but we did manage to get in a question about Dr. Francis Smith's incendiary remarks against how own party. On Sunday morning - the PUP candidate for Pickstock called the media to his office at Belize Medical Associates to explain why he and the G-11 would not be attending the party's rally in Big Falls later that day. Smith insisted that the party must hold true to its constitution and have a convention where the leader can be challenged. Today, that Leader Francis Fonseca didn't want to talk about it too much - and would only say that both sides are working on a compromise:..
Hon. Francis Fonseca, Leader of the PUP
"I have met with the 11 standard bearers. We have agreed upon a process which I believe will lead to a resolution of whatever differences we have between and among us. So, I am not going to attack or criticized Dr. Smith or anyone else. We are, as he said, we are free thinkers in the People's United Party. He has every right to his views. But at the end of the day we are one party and we must respect the decisions of our party. So we will have a dialogue, we will have a discussion and we will certainly try to resolve whatever differences exist among us and between us. But at the end of the day when our final decisions are made, we ask and we expect that everyone will respect and abide by those decisions."
So, when the Power To The People Tour moves to Hopkins this coming weekend - will the 11 of them absent themselves again? And if they do, will they be sanctioned by the party? Fonseca - who can be hawkish - avoided laying down a hardline:..
Jules Vasquez
"Is attendance for the 11 mandatory?"
Hon. Francis Fonseca, Leader of the PUP
"We expect all our standard bearers to be present. We ask all of them to be present. We expect all of them to be present."
Jules Vasquez
"And if they are not?"
Hon. Francis Fonseca, Leader of the PUP
"Again, it is not about trying to reprimand, its not about trying to attack, its about trying to work together to try to resolve as I said any differences that exists."
Jules Vasquez
"Sir, but these people want you challenged for leader. They are not speaking about a united party. They are saying that the constitution of the party requires that you must face a challenge as leader, even though they agree to the opposite in March. They now say that was a mistake."
Hon. Francis Fonseca, Leader of the PUP
"That's your view. I am saying we are in a process. We have agreed on a process aimed at resolving the matter and I believe that process will work."
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