Patrick Faber Reflects on His Turbulent Leadership of the U.D.P.  

Patrick Faber’s stint as leader of the United Democratic Party was anything but smooth. His brief tenure was marred by personal challenges that significantly impacted his ability to lead the U.D.P. effectively. Now, having stepped down, the Collet Area Representative has had the opportunity to look back and ponder what he might have done differently.

 

Isani Cayetano

“In terms of everything that has happened politically over the past two or three years, involving your leadership of the party and seeing what is taking place now, what would you say is the primary lesson that you have learned as a politician, seeing what’s unfolding in the UDP?”

 

Patrick Faber, Area Representative, Collet

“Well, I suppose that a lot could have been done differently and within the ranks of the UDP, we have to start trusting each other and giving each other the benefit of the doubt over time.  You will recall that once I became the leader in 2020, led the party into the election and lost the election, there was immediately a gun pointed to my head because my attempts were to try to give the party an opportunity to breathe before we immediately said all the people who were former candidates of the party can come back.  That was criticized heavily and, of course, I was attacked for it, but time has now proven that that might have been the bigger approach. And we’ve even seen new people come who we know can’t win.  Many of them who surround Shyne Barrow now are not people who can win, but because of the need to try to continue this jostle for leadership, and to be clear, I am not aspiring for any leadership position, nor have I done so in the last four years.  My last bid for leadership was in July 2020 and in fact I fought for the recall victory in 2021.  But the lesson, again, is that we really need to get to a point where we are honest with each other and honest among the membership of the party.  We need to listen to the members of the party.  I tried to do that when I found myself with my issues, not wanting to tie an albatross around the neck of the party.  I said, “Okay, I’m walking away.”  In this instance, Shyne Barrow would be smart to do the very same thing.  It is clear, the people of this party are saying, the people of this country are saying he is not the person they want for leadership.”