Candidates Promise to Bring Back Agriculture to Belize Rural North   

With just over a week until the general election, the candidates in Belize Rural North are in full campaign mode, trying to connect with as many voters as they can. This constituency has three fresh faces entering the race. In tonight’s edition of “Meet the Candidates,” we introduce you to the contenders from the P.U.P., U.D.P., and P.N.P., all vying for a seat in the 2025 general elections. Here’s News Five’s Britney Gordon with the details.

 

Britney Gordon, Reporting

After serving just one term, Belize Rural North Area Representative Marconi Leal decided not to run for re-election in the 2025 general election, stepping down as the People’s United Party’s candidate for the constituency. Shortly after, his son, Marconi Leal Jr., stepped up to the plate, taking over as the standard bearer. Although this isn’t his first foray into politics, it is his first time running for this position. He shared his plans to continue the work his father started.

 

Marconi Leal Jr., P.U.P. Candidate, Belize Rural North

“ Well, I’ve been the chairman of the P.U.P. Belize Rural North Executive for the past four years, supporting my dad. So the work continues. I’ve been supporting him, the project that we’ve been executing, supporting our twenty-five different villages. I’ve been involved. So I’m excited about continuing the work. People believe in P.U.P. and the work that they have been seeing that has been done across the country. And so definitely excited to be serving the BUP and serving the people of Belize Rural North.”

 

Also new to the scene is Leal’s opponent, Eustace Shaw. He admits that he hasn’t had much time to campaign in the large constituency, but he’s doing his best to show the people of Belize that he plans to make a positive difference in the area.

 

Eustace Shaw, U.D.P. Candidate, Belize Rural North

“One of the things I hope to bring to Rural North is to stop all victimization and try to work with everybody. Because at this time, people, some people don’t get attention because they are branded one color or next. And with my candidacy, I promise that I will try to end the victimization. I will work for the people of Belize Royal North. Whether red or blue, green, doesn’t matter. I entered into this race it has been a dream of mine. And when I was asked to represent the people of Belize Rural North, seeing all the problems that we have faced, experiencing it personally,  I thought it would be a good thing to enter the race and assist people in this area to try to overcome all the trials and tribulations that we face.”

 

The third candidate competing for the seat in Belize Rural North is Andrew Reynolds from the People’s National Party. He threw his hat into the race after feeling dissatisfied with both P.U.P. and U.D.P. representation throughout the years.

 

Andrew Reynolds, P.N.P. Candidate, Belize Rural North

“ I’m sick and tired of seeing what UDP, PUP, PUP, UDP, UDP, PUP is doing to our country. Alright, many people right now don’t even want to vote. Because of the lies, the deception, and the trickery with these parties. So for me, I want to see better for my people. Better for my country. I want to work on the farm. Let people get back to the farm. Let them start plant again. Let our youths start loving farm again.”

 

Leal admits that the constituency is a vast area to manage, but he’s determined to fix the crumbling infrastructure in many of the villages.

 

Marconi Leal Jr.

“There’s a lot. We have twenty-five villages. There’s a large road of, network of roads. So, it’s definitely infrastructure.  Continue the work that we’ve been doing, paving the Crooked Tree paths. Right now, we’re hot mixing from Lucky Strike to Mascal. We’ve done some work on the Burrell Boom riverside, but there’s so much more because of the twenty-five villages that we serve. So, infrastructure is definitely one of the most important things, continue to work on education, continue to support our libraries, citizen security for our different networks of police booths that we have there’s a lot of work to do in Belize Rural North on that. How do we support tourism, because we have different tourism sectors.”

 

Shaw says the residents have welcomed him with open arms. He believes their concerns are manageable and is confident that, if given the chance, he can make a real difference in their lives.

 

Eustace Shaw

“I don’t see the problem of why we have so many stuff that’s not done, why people are struggling in Belize Rural North.  And for the most part, we can bring back Belize Rurall North into what used to be like the breadbasket of this country. Agriculture has been one of the greatest things in Belize Rural North, but that have died. With no assistance from government, that have completely gone or almost completely erased.”

 

Britney Gordon

“And what makes you the candidate to step up to the plate and address these issues?”

 

Eustace Shaw

“Because I have experienced it firsthand. I know what it is like. Imagine growing your own stuff and being able to feed yourself. It’s a different feeling from going to the market and buying. People know me, people know what I stand for.  That’s why I am definitely the person for Village Rural North.”

 

Reynolds aims to breathe new life into the farming industry in the constituency. His vision is to build a community where both young people and elderly people can thrive and support themselves.

 

Andrew Reynolds

“Right here where I’m campaigning right now, in Cookred Tree. All the people, the road is very bad, alright? It’s bad, these people are complaining about their road. In Lemonal, a place like Lemonal, in Rancho Dolores, the roads there are bad, no farmers get no assistance. These people continue come and lie to our people, and when they get nominated they, when they win the election, we don’t see them again. Me, I want to come and sit with the people. I want to come and help them with their roads, with their farm. We need to get back to the farm. We need to plan. Because famine is coming on this land, miss. We already can’t go to the grocery store. Because when you go to the grocery store, what are you taking back home? But if we get invested in the farm, we could sell, we could eat. You understand? We could be secure.”

 

Britney Gordon for News Five.