2024-10-22 - Channel 5 Belize

Shyne Accuses The Alliance of Fraud and Deception

Moses “Shyne” Barrow says that he remains the leader of the United Democratic Party. This is after the Tracy Panton-led Alliance for Democracy held what it described as a ‘unity convention’ on Sunday during which U.D.P. delegates voted for Panton to be the U.D.P. leader. But as we have been reporting, Barrow is rejecting any and all results from the Alliance’s convention, saying that the event was not sanctioned by the leadership of the U.D.P. nor its executive and therefore was a waste of time and money. Barrow stopped by our studies today and accused The Alliance of fraud and deception. He said that none of the motioned passed is valid or legitimate.

Moses “Shyne Barrow, Leader, U.D.P.

“That is fraud and deception. That event on Sunday is an Alliance for Democracy party event. Anything else that they would want to claim is complete fraud and deception. That was not a UDP convention. Where in the UDP constitution does it allow activities, procedures to take place without the duly elected executive? You show me where in the UDP constitution it says that the delegates can appoint an interim, they appointed two interim party chairmans on Sunday. They started with Jacqueline Willoughby then they went again with Sheena Pitts. Show me where in the UDP constitution, the delegates can do that. In order for the convention to proceed, the party chairman has to call it to order. No. If Alberto August had broken ranks with us and showed up, you could make an argument even though we would argue, well, he’s going against what the National Party Council decided. So it is still not legit. That would be a more legitimate argument that at least the secretary general, the deputy party chairman, one of the people that has the authority to preside over the activity, to call it to order so that you can vote on anything. So nothing that they voted on is valid or legit. This was Maduro 2. 0. They had whatever they had with no challenges, no contests. And you have taken everything that they have said as fact. Who verified who was a delegate and who was not a delegate?”

Marion Ali

“How are delegates identified in the first place and the number of delegates?”

Moses “Shyne” Brrow

“By the Secretary General. The Secretary General. The secretariat gets the list from the standard bearers. When there is a convention, we go over that list.”

Barrow says AFD’s Convention is a “Farce”

According to Barrow, the party’s constitution does not allow the appointment of an interim chairman. He said that a party convention cannot proceed without a duly elected party chairman. Barrow says that the U.D.P. will not reduce itself to what he described as a “farce”.

Moses “Shyne” Barrow, Leader, U.D.P.

“This idea that you have a one-fourth petition, but you don’t need the party chairman to call a meeting to order to preside over the event? You don’t need the secretariat for checks and balances, for scrutiny, for election integrity? It’s absolutely absurd, Marion. I don’t see how you guys get around that. If there was maybe one from the ranks then you could maybe understand, but it is not even the party leader that can conduct a national convention. It is the party chairman. In his absence, it would be the deputy chairman. In the deputy chairman’s absence, it would be the secretary general. You had none of that. So what you’re saying now is that because these people are aggrieved, because in their opinion, they are not happy that they can do away with everything. And that is why we said they formed their own party. There’s no way under the UDP constitution that that could survive. There is no provision by which to appoint an interim chair, then begin the proceedings. You need to begin the proceedings, then you, you do your voting. There is no, there is nothing, and I just, I understand the provision that you quoted, but show me where it says that a national convention can proceed with no party chairman, no secretariat. No deputy chairman. You can just proceed. Who calls it to order Marion?”

Marion Ali

“Let me pose this question to you, Mr. Barrow… but since the issue of the delegates and the validity of the list has come forth has the secretariat..

Moses “Shyne” Barrow

“That’s not a UDP. What you’re asking, what you’re asking the UDP to do is to reduce itself to this farce, to this circus. This is fraud and deception by people who have all been accused of corruption. So that’s another thing you need to look at. This is what the Americans were talking about when they spoke of significantly corrupt. Who is behind this? John Saldivar. Edmond Castro accused him of being corrupt. What you are asking the UDP to do is to even dignify this farce by saying, oh, so who are we going to ask to see the delegates list when, ma’am, the way a convention proceeds is that all of these things have to be done before the convention proceeds. You don’t do it after the fact. So, it’s a complete farce, complete fraud and deception and the onus is on them to go to a court of law and let the court say otherwise. Until then, you have a duly elected leadership executive where there was no controversy, there was no discrepancy. I got elected along with other leaders, fair, transparent, in free elections. What happened on Sunday, if you want to link that to UDP, was a farce. What we believe happened on Sunday was an Alliance for Democracy party convention.”

Will Shyne Kick Out Other UDP Standard Bearers?

And as we saw on Sunday, there were quite a few U.D.P. standard-bearers who are now supporting Tracy Panton and the Alliance for Democracy. The possibility of those individuals, including Queen Square Stand Bearer Godwin Haylock, being kicked out of the party is quite real. So that’s what we asked Barrow today.

Moses “Shyne” Barrow, Leader, U.D.P.

“One thing I will give them is they are few, but they are loud. But being boisterous doesn’t make you right. So, again, if Mr. Haylock was a member of the UDP, then he would be bounded by the UDP constitution to not criticize the party or the party leader.”

Marion Ali

“Would you say that he has also, quote unquote, constructively resigned?

Moses “Shyne” Barrow

“No. He is, he’s a member of the…everyone that went to the Alliance Event have become members of the Alliance.

Marion Ali

“So you’ll be looking for new standard bearers?

Moses “Shyne” Barrow

“We don’t know who the delegates are because, you know, we could we could not ascertain that but we have seen the standard bearers Edmond Castro all of them Boots Martinez.

Marion Ali

“Will you be looking to replace all of them with new UDP standard bearers?

Moses “Shyne” Barrow

“Yes, in due course, we will address that.

Marion Ali

“So, Godwin is gone.

Moses “Shyne” Barrow

“In due course, we will address that. We will address that as a party. We will address that the NPC will meet. I will wait for the chairman to convene a central executive, an NPC meeting, and we will discuss the way forward as far as what we will do in those instances. I don’t want to get ahead of myself. I want to follow the procedure and let the party chairman. The party chairman will be available next week. But it is, it is my opinion, right? I don’t want to get ahead of the party but it is clear, and that has been the discussion before this happened that those that want to go and be a part of the Alliance for Democracy Party event, it’s just as if you went to a PUP event, then you become a member of the PUP. it is not as if they went there and they said nothing, they went there and they proclaimed their support for their leader of the Alliance for Democracy Party. So I don’t see how we can proceed with them as UDP standard bearers.”

Marion Ali

“That would be quite a number of people the UDP would have replaced.”

Moses “Shyne” Barrow

“Only seven because remember, the four were already expelled. So there is only seven and, and of the seven… but I don’t want to get into who could win or who can’t win, but I mean, Haylock is the only seat that is a sure seat, but it is not a decision for me to make. And so I want this to be clear to say that is a decision for the party to make formally, but it occurs to me that anyone that went to a convention for another party and voted in that convention would with immediate effect relinquish their position in the UDP. It occurs to me.”

Taegar-Panton Says Rift Might End Up in Court

We asked Taegar-Panton how the ongoing rift between the two factions would be addressed, especially with conflicting press releases from both sides using the same letterhead but sharing opposing information. While she assured that the issue would be resolved, she didn’t provide specific details on how it would be handled. However, she hinted at the possibility of the matter being taken to court.

Tracy Taegar-Panton, Area Representative, Albert

“The former party leader has now been recalled. He has no jurisdiction to speak on behalf of the United Democratic Party. You see, you can’t have it both ways. You can’t have it both ways. And the situation will be remedied. It has to be remedied. And I won’t get into all those details. Our commitment is we will leave no stone unturned. And that is our commitment to the delegates. And that is our commitment to thousands of UDP supporters who showed up on Sunday.”

Marion Ali

“You can answer or you may not. Will it be a legal matter?”

Tracy Taegar-Panton

“It may. It may be a legal matter.”

Barrow Says Coalition Might Be Possible; Taegar-Panton Says “Never”

Barrow and the executive that has been in place refuse to step down or hand over to Taegar-Panton and her executive. Today we asked Barrow if there was a possibility for both sides to mend fences and reunite, in light of speculation among political pundits that the next general election could be only a few months ahead. He said perhaps only under a coalition, but that would have to be decided by the National Party Council. The suggestion is one that Taegar-Panton finds to be nothing short of ridiculous.

Moses “Shyne” Barrow, Leader, U.D.P.

“I believe there are some people that that need to go out to pasture and this romantic idea that if we let everybody run, that everyone will behave was tested last year and it didn’t work. So I believe we’re at a good place. The U.D.P. can put forward candidates that are credible candidates that don’t have the baggage. And as I said, the most that could happen in a practical sense would be some type of coalition where we wouldn’t run candidates against Albert, Collet and Queen Square.”

Marion Ali

“Those three.”

Moses “Shyne” Barrow

“Those three. Well, that’s just me sharing my thoughts as always. I am bound to what the National Party Council says.”

Tracy Taegar-Panton, Area Representative, Albert

“Have you heard anything so ridiculous as yet? Coalition with who? We are members of the United Democratic Party. The convention held on Sunday, whether he likes it or not like it, whether he wanted to participate or not participate, was a UDP convention and a massive show of a United Democratic Party, a united United Democratic Party. It is the first time in two years that I have seen that level of support by UDP supporters and UDP delegates converging in one space to make a stand for the party and its constitution. There are no two political entities. There is one political entity. The party leader has now been recalled in accordance with the constitution, so there is no coalition to be had.”

BDF Soldier Dies in Collision on Southern Highway

A Belize Defence Force soldier lost his life in a traffic crash on Monday night on the Thomas Vincent Ramos Highway. Twenty-six-year-old Genario Che was on his motorcycle heading home when he collided with a truck. He died on the scene. News Five’s Britney Gordon headed down south to find out more.

Britney Gordon, Reporting

The family of twenty-six-year-old Genario Che is tonight grieving after the young B.D.F. soldier lost his life on Monday night on the Thomas Vincent Ramos Highway in Toledo. His girlfriend, Benedicta Cal, told News Five that she was at home waiting to hear back from him at the time of the incident.

Benedicta Cal, Girlfriend of Deceased

“I neva expect him to come home yesterday evening because he told me that he reach today later on. He just video call me round two thirty tell me he de da town. He tell me he gwen buy this white T-shirt so I tell he good. So afta that I di try call he again, lone voicemail.”

Che was enjoying some time off with a colleague at a bar in Punta Gorda earlier that afternoon. The two parted ways and Che headed home in Silver Creek Village. Tragically, Che would never arrive to his destination as he collided with a pick up truck. He died on the scene. Maria Cucul, Che’s mother, says she could have never anticipated what would happen to her son after he left their home earlier that day.

Maria Cucul, Mother of Deceased

“I didn’t know. I only know that he gone early morning to work. Not knowing he lost his life.”

Che was previously stationed in Belize City but was recently relocated closer to home. He bought the motorcycle three days before his death to travel back and forth to work. Major Roberta Usher, the B.D.F.’s Chief of Staff, spoke to News Five.

Major Roberta Usher, Chief of Staff, B.D.F.

“The information received is that on the road, towards Jacinto Ville in PG the soldier live in Silver Creek. He was not on duty at the time, he was on time off for yesterday. He had the time off from his supervisors. He was scheduled to return to return to work at fourteen hundred, two p.m. but he never did. So all of that is being investigated as to why he did not return at two.”

Che was known to the force as a reserved but committed soldier, and those closest to him remember him for his kindness and friendly spirit.

Major Roberta Usher

“He has been in the force for seven years. He’s a member of the Alpha company in the first infantry battalion. All his colleagues and friends that we’ve asked, he’s a very quiet individual, very productive, committed to his work. Personally, we all go through issues, whether he was or was not. His friends say sometimes he was down sometimes he wasn’t but at work, his friends say he was committed, productive soldier, always doing his job.”

Benedicta Cal

“He’s a friendly, talkative, respectful young man.”

Che tragic incident has brought the family together to celebrate his life.

Maria Cucul

“He’s a really friendly boy. He’s a loving son to me, He is the one that helps me in my life and my family,”

Britney Gordon

“Does he have any siblings?”

Maria Cucul

“Yes, he has two brothers and four sisters. His father died long time ago”

Britney Gordon

“And was he the eldest? Because I know he was junior.”

Maria Cucul

“Yes he is my first son.”

Britney Gordon for News Five.

Butcher Charged with Murder

Police have formally arrested and charged twenty-five-year-old Loren Timoteo Vanegas, a Belizean salesman from Dangriga, for the murder of Manuel Fernandez Junior. The arrest follows the discovery of Fernandez’s dismembered body inside a barrel near a resort in Dangriga. Fernandez was killed after a violent altercation with Vanegas at a local meat shop, where Vanegas is suspected of fatally stabbing him. The motive is still being investigated.

Hugo Patt Loyal to Shyne Barrow

Hugo Patt has distanced himself from the Alliance for Democracy, making it clear in a statement that he has nothing to do with the Alliance’s convention on Sunday. In a statement, Patt stressed his position as the duly elected first Deputy Party Leader and a member of the National Executive. He says he will continue to work alongside Party Leader Moses “Shyne” Barrow. Today we asked both Barrow and Tracy Taegar-Panton about Patt’s position.

Moses “Shyne” Barrow, Leader, U.D.P.

“He did not go. Hugo Patt, he’s a trillion percent with me. If Hugo Pat was not with me on Friday, they would have appointed a new leader of the opposition. But they lied. They lied. They put up a, a flyer. One second. They put up a flyer, Marion, saying that Hugo Pat was their first deputy. How your first deputy know I come? And if that was your first deputy, why has he not gone with you to the governor general? They are dishonest and deceptive. Denise Burrow wants nothing to do with any alliance and does not support what is happening any way, shape, or form, despite the implication or the innuendos that Mr. Godwin Haylock tried to insert. He has not consulted with Sister B. And I know this because I have met with her. Because I do know that they share a close relationship. There is no doubt about that. They are close. They have been working together in Queens Square for quite some time. But he does not speak.”

Tracy Taegar-Panton, Area Rep., Albert

“Did he say that Mr. Pat was in support of or did he say that he was the first deputy leader because he is the first…I don’t know what Mr. Castro have said. There was no effort or desire for us to act against the first deputy or the second deputy leader who were also endorsed at Bird’s Isle. The same delegates who endorsed the slate at Bird’s Isle were the same delegates who voted in this convention. So you are going to tell me that they were valid at Bird’s Isle but they are no longer valid? By whose declaration?”

Marion Ali

“Mr. Pat issued a press release today to clarify that he’s not associated with the event that was held on Sunday.”

Tracy Taegar-Panton

“He’s not the first deputy leader? Is that what he’s saying of the United Democratic Party? Is he not the first deputy leader of the United Democratic Party because that event on Sunday was an event held by the United Democratic Party.”

U.D.P. Standard for OW East, Elodio Aragon Jr., Chides UDP/AFD

The ongoing divide between the two parties has also angered standard bearers of the party who want to see unification and preparation for any possibility of an early general election. One of those standard bearers, Elodio Aragon Junior took to Facebook to write a letter to both sides. Aragon told News Five today he is tired of the dispute and wants both sides to put their differences to rest and move forward as one united party.

Elodio Aragon, Jr., Standard Bearer, OW East

“I’ve always stood on fat for this party to Tamir. I got an N. P. C. And I talk how I things how I believe things should be run, etcetera. But you get tired. Sometime, you know, you decide, you know what? Make this attitude. After all, they are. They are the leaders that themselves. So But it comes to a point where we can’t sit back no more as leaders and continue to watch where we are going. And I will tell you, you know, I was so upset when I saw the press release that was issued right after this, this, um, convention, right? But, and after that press release, then I saw the chairman, and I’m not too happy with what he’s saying. Because at the end of the day, they know fully well what the truth of, of, of, of these things and the manner of how they go about it, like they are not looking at the solution to the problem, you know, they are continuing on a path where we never will come together as a party and if we don’t come together as a party, then we are fooling ourselves because a general election is looming upon us and we have to, to come in and start this issue once and for all.”

Shyne Not Surprised by Aragon’s Statement

And Moses Barrow says he is not surprised by Elodio Aragon’s statement. According to Barrow, Aragon has never supported his leadership of the party, but nonetheless, he tried to build a relationship. Barrow noted that in his statement he did not recognize Tracy Panton as the leader of the U.D.P.

Moses “Shyne” Barrow, Leader, U.D.P.

“He has never supported me but again, another demonstration of my democratic principles and values is the fact that even though he did not vote for me in any of the national conventions, in any NPC, I still supported him. I still tried to build a relationship with him. I was giving him support for his constituency. I gave him tremendous support for the town council, and I tried to build a relationship with him, but this is not necessarily surprising because he has always been aligned with Patrick Farber. But what is interesting is he does not recognize that Tracy is the leader of the UDP. So they, they can spin it their way, but look closely at what he says. If he believed that Tracy was the leader, then he would not be asking me to relinquish anything.”