P.U.P. Municipal Slate Launches 2024-2027 Manifesto

The People’s United Party’s municipal slate today released its 2024-2027 Manifesto at the Swift Hall in Belize City. The document titled “Stay Pan Track” encapsulates how a new P.U.P. Belize City Council slate will address the needs and concerns of over seventy thousand residents of the ten zones in Belize City, if it is re-elected to office on Wednesday. While the party’s detractors have used the late launch to suggest that the P.U.P. does not have a solid plan, today the former mayor and his former deputy, Allan Pollard Junior, clarified that he and his team had to first go and meet with the residents to come up with the priority areas that they need to address. News Five’s Marion Ali was present for the launch and filed this report.

Marion Ali, Reporting
The launch of the P.U.P.’s manifesto comes a mere two days before Wednesday’s municipal elections. In presenting the document, former Deputy Mayor, Allan Pollard, Jr., explained that the candidates had to meet with the residents first. He shared a few of those demands from the residents.

Allan Pollard, Councilor Candidate, P.U.P.

“It is only when the people are being real is when we understand their position and their needs. And it is only when we are being real with them and real with ourselves that we can deliver for them. So, yes, we did a lot of streets, but we need more drains. Yes, we have the downtown super sale on Saturdays, but weh wi wa do pahn Sunday? And yes, Minister, Gungulung look like “States” (applause) but the people want know when wi wa reach Pen Road Extension, and Krooman. (Chuckles…inaudible response) Definitely, thanks, PM. And we love the Berger Field (applause) but we want one back ya da Lake-I and Mr Usher, wi want one fi Jane Usher [Boulevard] as well. Yes, we had six cohorts of the B-CAP program that assisted many small businesses, and had owners with start-up capital, but we are ready, Mayor, for cohort seven, eight, nine, ten. We are listening, people, and we heard you loud and clear. This document is proof of that.”

 

In the manifesto, the P.U.P. Municipal slate proposes to replace the Belize City Swing Bridge and the Belcan Bridge, rehabilitate two hundred more streets, maintain and shape a hundred and fifty miles of drains throughout the city, and work with the Belize Tourism Board to promote a cleaner city. Former Mayor, Bernard Wagner, who is making his third bid for that post, agreed that although it is one municipality, there are different needs coming out of the ten areas of Belize City.

 

 

Bernard Wagner, Mayoral Candidate, P.U.P.

“How wi could bring out wa manifesto weh could represent the people before wi meet the people. Ih can’t happen that way. Wi had to ensure that this document weh seh “Stay Pahn Track really reflect what the people want in the city. The people – da wa fliud situation. The needs of the people are diverse. The needs of residents living in the Collet or the Port Loyola areas are different from the needs of people living in a Freetown or living in a Caribbean Shores constituency, soh all ah this da wa mix and as we traversed, we understood the mix and we understood the needs and we understood that listen, everybody has needs, but some needs are different. So we ensured that we captured all of those needs within the scope of our “Stay Pan Track” manifesto.”

 

Prime Minister, John Briceño, who was present for the occasion, told the gathering that a manifesto that is for the people should reflect what the people need.

Prime Minister John Briceño
“A city is more than just streets and drains and picking up the garbage. A city is where you can make a vibrant community, where you feel happy, where you can feel safe, where you can create opportunities, that you can say I am a proud resident of Belize City. We have to continue the work, we have to stay pahn track to continue the development of Belize City. We have to stay pahn track if we will get the bridges done, and fix the streets, and the drains and the parks, and help young people.”

 

The candidates all attached their signatures to the manifesto during the presentation of the document today. Belize City, which forms one of the nine municipalities that will hold elections on Wednesday, has eleven of the sixty-seven seats countrywide. Marion Ali for News Five.