Hugo Patt Breaks Silence on Budget Absence Amid U.D.P. Leadership Tensions

Corozal North Area Representative Hugo Patt was noticeably absent from Monday’s Budget Presentation, but he says politics had nothing to do with it. Patt, who’s found himself at the center of the United Democratic Party’s ongoing leadership shake-up, insists his absence was due to a family emergency, not party drama. The controversy stems from a leadership shuffle following the March twelfth general elections. After Moses “Shyne” Barrow lost his Mesopotamia seat and Tracy Taegar-Panton secured hers in Albert, Patt, then acting leader, briefly took the reins. But in a surprising move, he quickly passed leadership to Panton, sparking speculation about internal rifts. Despite the political noise, Patt says his focus on Monday was family, not factionalism.

 

Hugo Patt, Area Representative, Corozal North

“I had an emergency with one of my sons, so I had to take him to the hospital. It really caught us off guard. We don’t plan for these things. While I wanted to attend the Sitting of the House, I had to take care of the health of my child. These things do happen from time to time. Friday I was there, I was a bit late, but yes, I was there at the inaugural sitting of the House of Representatives.”

 

Marion Ali

“I don’t know if you’ve heard but Mr Barrow says he blames you in terms of how things turned out with the whole handing over of the leadership after he handed it over to you. What are your thoughts about that?”

 

Hugo Patt

“He’s entitled to his opinions and his comments. Ms. Ali, we could lay the blame on anybody or we could blame everybody, but at this point in time, I don’t think it helps. Our supporters are really tired of the situation that we’re in and like them, and like me and many of us, we just want to see us get over the crisis that we have been suffering for the past months. So while everybody is entitled to his or her opinion, and if he’s to blame me and if anybody is to blame me, I can live with it, but my thing is this: I don’t think that blaming anybody will help. Finding excuses won’t help. We need solutions and I think that that is the way that we need to go.”

 

Marion Ali

“May I ask what happened when Mr. Barrow passed on the interim leadership to yourself? What happened between that point and when you handed it over to Ms. Panton?”

 

Hugo Patt

“From a legal standpoint, and from a procedural standpoint, yes, I am the acting party leader, but you know, I have not been shy about the fact that I have said that I have never wanted this position. And while, under the constitution, I just can’t hand over the leadership to Ms. Panton, I am willing to make sure that that process is followed.”