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“Z” no Longer a UDP
Tue, May 25, 2010
The process has been in train for months, but tonight it's official: Mayor Zenaida Moya-Flowers has been expelled from the UDP. Chairman of the party Doug Singh today confirmed that the letter of expulsion was delivered to her on Friday afternoon. According to Singh, she has 30 days to appeal but tonight there is no indication from the mayor that she will be doing that. Those close to her today told us she will pursue the appeal because she does not accept the charges outlined in the letter of expulsion.

There was no comment from the mayor; when we called her office a number of times and her secretary told us she was on a deadline and had no time to comment on the letter. Chairman Singh confirmed that the expulsion is based on the findings of the Ethics Committee chaired by Marilyn Williams. The committee had a meeting with Mayor Moya-Flowers some weeks ago at which the charges were presented to her. She was allowed representation from a member of the UDP in good standing and she brought Pastor Howell Longsworth. According to Singh, Moya-Flowers accepted the charges - but those in the Mayor's camp say she did not and that's why she will likely appeal the decision. Singh confirmed that the ethics committee had the option to fine, suspend or expel, and they chose the most serious punishment.

The procedure to discipline Mayor Moya-Flowers started in the first week of October after she was charged criminally for mishandling city funds. But it has nothing to do with those charges; rather, the charges against her are based on the explosive interview she gave to the media after she was arraigned on that charge. Now, if the expulsion stands - that is, if the mayor does not appeal it - it will have no effect on her pubic post; she will remain the Mayor of Belize City. And while an expulsion seems so final, in the topsy-turvy world of politics, all things are negotiable. For historical context we note that in the early 90's the UDP expelled Hubert Elrington, BQ Pitts and Derek Aikman for their intransigent position on the Maritime Areas act. They joined with Phillip Goldson in the NABR and formed a coalition government with the UDP. In 1998, Aikman was called back into the fold as a UDP candidate while BQ Pitts is presently considered a UDP in good standing.

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