Leader of the United Democratic Party (UDP) Moses Barrow, has filed a police report against Beverly Williams, the party’s Standard Bearer for Belize Rural Central. In the police complaint that was obtained by News Five, Barrow says that she made a threatening remark at him.
The incident reportedly occurred during the party’s National Party Council meeting in Belize City on Saturday.
The report states, ‘”At around 2:45 p.m., while the meeting was in progress, Ms. Williams, seated about three feet to the left of the Party Leader, made a threatening remark: ‘You are evil, and you will mourn for your evil.’ The Party Leader felt immediately threatened and responded, ‘You are mourning for your evil.’ Ms. Williams then began banging on the table, disrupting the meeting, which led Mr. Peyrefitte to suspend the proceedings. Ms. Williams attempted to physically attack the Party Leader but was restrained by other members.'”
According to Barrow, Williams said, ‘”I will send somebody to hurt you, I will send somebody to kill you.”‘
News Five reached out to Williams for comment, telling her that Barrow has filed a police report against her. Williams told News Five that she is waiting at home for the police “come fi me.” She shared that she has been trying to get in contact with the Police Commissioner. Williams says that Barrow embellished the incident.
Williams accepts that she told him, “I will make somebody hurt you.” But, denies anything about sending “somebody to kill you.” She added that her statement was a response to Barrow “mad-staring” her and the comments he reportedly made about her daughter.
It is with profound sorrow that we learned of the passing of Dr the Honourable Abdulai Conteh the esteemed former Chief Justice of Belize. Dr Conteh’s tenure from 2000 to 2010 marked a period of significant transformation and progress within the Belizean judicial system. His fearless defence of individual rights and his commitment to upholding the law set a benchmark for excellence that continues to inspire. The introduction of new Judges’ Rules, Supreme Court Rules, and a Code of Ethics under his leadership significantly enhanced the practice and administration of law in Belize.
Former Chief Justice Conteh’s influence extended beyond Belize, impacting the wider Caribbean and Commonwealth legal practices. His work garnered respect and admiration from his peers. As we mourn his loss, we celebrate the rich legacy he leaves behind, a legacy of justice, dedication, and profound respect for the rule of law.
On behalf of the substantive President, Honourable Mr Justice Adrian Saunders, Judges and staff of the Caribbean Court of Justice, I extend our deepest condolences to his family, friends, and colleagues. May his soul rest in peace, and may his contributions continue to guide and inspire future generations. The Honourable Mr Justice Anderson President, CCJ (Ag).
The United Democratic Party is in shambles and the constant wrangling that plagues the once powerful organization threatens its viability heading into the next general elections. On Saturday, a scheduled National Party Council was aborted when tensions inside the U.D.P. headquarters almost resulted in an exchange of blows. It’s the worst that the infighting has ever been, with personal insults being traded among supporters of party leader Shyne Barrow and his many detractors. The meeting was set to begin at two o’clock and while followers of the party leader stood outside with placards, inside the venue a shouting match was underway. Moments later, Chairman Michael Peyrefitte exited the building after suspending the meeting. Nonetheless, those who had gathered for the N.P.C., including elected area representatives and delegates, stayed behind and continued their meeting before calling an impromptu press conference. Here’s News Five’s Isani Cayetano with that story.
Isani Cayetano, Reporting
Internal strife and leadership disputes have created a chaotic environment that will undoubtedly jeopardize the United Democratic Party’s chances in the 2025 general elections. Nowhere is this chasm more evident than in the failed meeting of the National Party Council, the second most powerful decision-making body within the U.D.P. What ought to have been a productive session to discuss various relevant issues within the political organization quickly devolved into confusion.
Alberto August
Alberto August, Deputy Chairman, U.D.P.
“We sought to conduct an N.P.C., a scheduled N.P.C. meeting this evening and it did not workout and I will not sit here and talk the party’s internal business to anyone.”
Deputy Chairman Alberto August abstained from discussing the rift, however, the truth of the matter is that the U.D.P. has been torn apart by factional infighting.
Shyne Barrow
Shyne Barrow, Party Leader, U.D.P.
“The meeting had to be suspended because some of our colleagues were not conducting themselves with the proper order, so we felt that it was, the party chairman felt that it was better to reschedule the meeting because at the end of the day, those that always talk about the constitution and regulations and rules have a difficult time accepting the will of the majority and have a difficult time accepting simple procedure. The central sets the agenda and then we go into the meeting and we conduct the affairs based on that agenda. But there was a lot of toxicity and disorderly conduct and the party chairman felt that it was better for us to suspend the meeting.”
Back in April, Port Loyola Standard Bearer Philip Willoughby married the daughter of his political opponent, Gilroy Usher Sr. The marriage clearly raised concerns among others within the party. The suspension of the NPC, according to Albert Area Representative Tracy Panton, is the result of UDP Chairman Mike Peyrefitte’s refusal to include on the agenda the issue of the process used to remove Willoughby.
Tracy Panton
Tracy Panton, Area Rep, Albert
“I sent him a message requesting that since the NPC was actually petitioned by the majority of the party, that we wanted our issue to be dealt with first. And the reason for that is, when we disenfranchise standard bearers, when we do not follow the constitution of the party in terms of dealing fairly with standard bearers, what in fact we do is that we disenfranchise the voters in the constituencies, particularly Port Loyola. In all of this process, while we were dealing with a specific issue, so that we could be clear on what the process would be.”
Once a beacon of unity and strength, factionalism has taken root, with various groups vying for control and influence. Many of those who showed up for the meeting are in staunch opposition to Shyne Barrow’s leadership.
Tracy Panton
“If we do not deal with the issues now, what will happen is if the party leader does not like you, he is going to pick off one standard bearer at a time and that certainly is not the democratic way. He tried to go after John Saldivar, who went to a convention and the people of Belmopan decided in that convention that John Saldivar would be their standard bearer. He tried to go after Denny Grijalva from Orange Walk Central, who was endorsed. He was the guest speaker at the endorsement convention. No. This party has a democratic process. We have a constitution, we have rules that must follow because we have to ensure fair play, [that] there is inclusion and that people’s voices, the decision makers of this party, their voices must be heard.”
A cabal made up of Belmopan Standard Bearer John Saldivar, Collet Area Representative Patrick Faber, Belize Rural Central Standard Bearer Beverly Williams, and Albert Area Representative Tracy Panton, is calling for Barrow’s removal as party leader.
Shyne Barrow
“The fact is that any attempt to unseat me or to move me or however you describe it, is an exercise in futility, as per the constitution. In order for that process to happen, it’s a hundred-and-twenty-day process if the party chairman were to entertain any petition because the national convention of the United Democratic Party is the highest body of this party. On August 13th, 2023, unanimously voted not only to re-elect myself and other leaders, but they put forward a motion that explicitly prohibited any change in leadership until after the next general elections.”
Despite Barrow holding firm to that agreement, there is a call for another national convention. Two hundred and thirty-two signatories from across sixteen constituencies have endorsed this call. A palace coup now seems afoot.
Patrick Faber
Patrick Faber, Area Representative, Collet
“Certainly, it was our intention to say to the leadership of the party that we were not pleased, as you know we aren’t, with the leadership of the honorable Shyne Barrow, and that we needed to make changes post haste. It’s not only the honorable Shyne Barrow, we were prepared to say the entire leadership because when we call a convention it is for everything, the party leader, the deputy leaders, the chairman and vice chairman. We need a reset, we need a change.”
That change, once the group is successful at triggering a national convention, will see Tracy Panton once again vying for the leadership of the United Democratic Party. She has the full support of John Saldivar.
John Saldivar
John Saldivar, Standard Bearer, Belmopan
“I think that Tracy has the qualities of the type of leader that we want, that can carry us into the next decade. So there isn’t, in my view, any opportunistic behavior on my part. I want to see Tracy become the first woman prime minister of Belize.”
Patrick Faber
“I don’t have anything different to say. I have made that very clear and just to, so that you understand, if I had wanted to run, nobody would stop me from running. So when you see I tell you that I am one hundred percent with her, that’s what I mean. I think that the time has come, as John has said, that we need to go to a different level and I really feel that Tracy, not only because she is a woman, but yes, she is a woman, I think she has the wherewithal, she has the character, she has the skill set needed to lead this party, and if that means we are propelled into government, to lead the country.”
According to the embattled party leader, this was all foreseen a year ago.
Shyne Barrow
“What we feared last year when we passed that motion was that you have some in the party that would prefer us to lose and lose terribly than to see the UDP flourish and prosper under my leadership because those people would prefer to be leaders themselves.”
For all the antipathy towards Barrow’s leadership and the sustained call for his removal, is stepping down before the next general election an option this late into his term?
Isani Cayetano
“With this much antipathy and vitriol, do you consider stepping down? I mean…”
Shyne Barrow
“Absolutely not. This is not the way democracy works. I was elected by the majority, I still enjoy the majority and I will continue until the next general elections.”
Following the U.D.P. chairman’s departure, a group led by Albert Area Representative Tracy Panton proceeded with a meeting of their own, however, Deputy Chairman Alberto August did not take control of the meeting as he should have. That’s according to former party leader Patrick Faber, who says that as an elected official within the party, August should have assumed full control of the N.P.C.
Patrick Faber, Area Representative, Collet
“If the chairman decides [that] he doesn’t want to be part of the meeting, by right, and I accused Mr. August, as well, of not doing his duty today because Mr. August had all right to then say, “You know what, let us continue with the meeting.” If the chairman decides [that] he’s going to exit, that is on him. If the leader decides that he is going to exit, that is on him. They don’t make the National Party Council on their own. I am not sure what the numbers were for today, but I am sure that we had well over a quorum. I am sure that at the time when he exited nobody left with him. I would be surprised if one person left with him when he left, so it was clear that we still had the amount of people in this room to conduct a meeting of the National Party Council. So, if the chairman is not going to do his job, we’ve called on the vice chairman. This is the first strike for the vice chairman, maybe he will reconsider. I was not pleased at all, and I think all of us share that view, with his actions. He should have taken control of the meeting because he is duly elected. The party leader, nor the chairman, can given any punishment to the deputy chairman for doing what he would have done because he is elected by the national convention. Nobody can punish him, nobody can kick him off.”
With the United Democratic Party in utter chaos, will a new leader be able to shore up the support of its followers to mount a formidable challenge against the P.U.P. should general elections be called in the coming months? It’s a question that was put to Tracy Panton who is eyeing the leadership of the beleaguered party.
Tracy Panton, Area Representative, Albert
“No political party puts its standard bearers on a ballot to lose. None. We are not conceding defeat and we will not surrender. We will do the work that we must do to ensure, whether it’s a month, whether it’s six months, whether it’s a year. We are going to do what we need to do on the ground to ensure that the best foot of the United Democratic Party steps forward whenever the general elections are called.”
Reporter
“Tracy, is it your opinion that the chairman of the U.D.P., with the decisions he has made that are not in your favor, that he is holding the party hostage?”
Tracy Panton
“I believe that whenever you do not listen to the voices of the electorate, whenever you do not listen to the voices of the delegates, whenever you do not listen to the voices of the standard bearers and the elected representatives of the party, then you are holding the party hostage.”
Last week, we told you about a letter written by San Ignacio Mayor Earl Trapp demanding the expulsion of Collet Area Representative Patrick Faber for allegedly bringing the U.D.P. into disrepute with statements that were made on social media. A few days after sending the letter to Chairman Mike Peyrefitte, Mayor Trapp made and about-face and rescinded his call for Faber’s dismissal. Here’s Faber’s reaction to that fiasco.
Patrick Faber
Patrick Faber, Area Representative, Collet
“Earl Trapp is my friend, I understand [that] sometimes circumstances push people in the wrong direction. He has rescinded his letter and Earl Trapp and I are fine. I really don’t know, but we were prepared to deal with that today. The people of the National Party Council, majority of the people which we are in regular contact with every day, well until they kicked me out a few days ago, know, and I began receiving support immediately. In fact, the majority of the members of the N.P.C. gave me that assurance as early as a few days afterwards that, “Listen, Faber you have are not going to go anywhere by our hand, you know, so that was not a concern for me at all today.”
Reporters also caught up with Mayor Earl Trapp today in San Ignacio. He was asked about his decision to rescind his initial letter to the party calling for Patrick Faber’s expulsion. Mayor Trapp also commented on the current state of the party, referring to it as a “sad reality”.
Earl Trapp
Earl Trapp, Mayor, SI/SE
“If you read the retraction statement, basically I believe that our party are in shambles. WE are at the point of honestly being destroyed. What I was hoping is that this letter would have sent a strong signal not only to Mr. Faber, but to the thirty-one delegates. We need to look at the bigger picture. The bigger picture, one where we see the party is bigger than us. Another one they have not been seeing eh large number of poor U.D.P. supporters that are suffering. I am trying to show them this. If they fail, then I am not to blame. I am just trying to do my part and my position was I submitted this letter to the chairman and half an hour later it was leaked out and so in that I was disappointed and moving on, one, two three, days later, I began to receive a lot of texts from epopee in support for Faber. People here tell me mayor remember we went to support you and you cannot throw Mr. Patrick under the bus and it is a bigger picture than that. So that is what prompted me to rescind the letter and ask for everybody to come together. But, as we saw what happened on Saturday, I was not there, but it is sad, but it is reality.”
Venezuela’s Nicholas Maduro has claimed another victory at the polls, securing another six years in office as president. If this is so, Maduro defeated his main opponent by seven percentage points in a vote that was marred by widespread irregularities. But the opposition is saying that Maduro clearly lost the elections, demanding an audit of the exercise. Now seven regional countries have called for that audit and while there was a resolution at the O.A.S. following the elections, Belize abstained. Minister of Foreign Affairs says Belize wants more information on the election results before it can have a position on who is the new president.
Francis Fonseca
Francis Fonseca, Minister of Foreign Affairs
“There was a resolution that was proposed before the Organization of American States. Belize abstained in terms of that resolution because we really want to get more information. We’re not satisfied that we’ve been provided with sufficient, reliable information so we join with those who say we need more transparency. We need more information provided, more data provided. So far the Venezuelan Government has said that they will provide that data and information. We expect them to do so. So we are prepared to wait for that to be done – a reasonable time period – but again, when we’re dealing with these issues, we have always found in Belize that it’s best for us to work through the organizations that we belong to, like CARICOM and SICA. So we’ve discussed this matter at the CARICOM level, not yet at SICA. Obviously there are different points of view but the great majority of the CARICOM countries abstained from that resolution for the very reasons I stated, that they need to see more information. They need to have more data presented to them. We are absolutely committed in CARICOM and as Belize to ensuring that there are free and fair elections in Venezuela, that’s critically important.”
On Friday, Mayor Earl Trapp wrote the chairman of the United Democratic Party demanding the immediate dismissal of Collet Area Representative Patrick Faber for bringing the U.D.P. into disrepute. That letter was leaked to the media and made headlines in our evening newscast. On July twenty-ninth, Trapp wrote once again to Chairman Mike Peyrefitte, expressing dissatisfaction over the leak of that letter. He also made an about-face regarding his call for Faber’s removal. In that letter, Trapp stated, quote, since the release of my letter, I have received a significant number of phone calls, text messages and personal requests from faithful U.D.P. supporters asking that I retract the said letter. At the end of the day, I am here as a servant of the people, and I am guided by their concerns. I am now of the firm view, after widespread consultation, that the expulsion of Patrick Faber will cause more harm than good to our beloved party. It is my sincere hope that the entire leadership of our party will from this point forward refrain from personal attacks and instead be guided by the party’s constitution and keep the best interest of the U.D.P. at heart, end quote. As we’ve reported, the National Party Council will meet on Saturday at the U.D.P. headquarters here in Belize City.
UDP Mayor of San Ignacio/Santa Elena Earl Trapp says he doesn’t want Patrick Faber expelled anymore. In another leaked letter to News 5, Trapp tells Party Chairman Michael Peyrefitte, that he is retracting his July 26th letter. The letter, originally intended for the eyes of UDP Party Chairman Michael Peyrefitte, found its way into the public domain.
Trapp says that since the leak, he received numerous calls, text messages, and personal requests from dedicated UDP supporters, urging him to reconsider his stance. “I am here as a servant of the people, and I am guided by their concerns,” Trapp stated. Trapp says he now believes that the expulsion of Patrick Faber would inflict more harm than good on the party.
“I sincerely hope that the party accepts this retraction and does not proceed with this matter. Thank you for your understanding,” Trapp concluded.
