Tag: 2024-11-11

Shyne Barrow is back in the building! He returned to the United Democratic Party’s headquarters on Youth for the Future Drive, thanks to a High Court ruling in his favor on Friday morning. Barrow, the Area Representative for Mesopotamia and Leader of the Opposition, is one of five claimants who took Tracy Panton and former Secretary General Philipa Griffith-Bailey to court over the building’s occupation. Barrow and his team are seeking various forms of relief, which the High Court will address at a later date. This afternoon, he sat down with News Five’s Isani Cayetano to discuss these latest developments. We kick off our newscast this evening with that exclusive one-on-one with Shyne Barrow.

Shyne Barrow, Leader of the Opposition

“We are thrilled, extremely grateful for the decision of the High Court to grant this injunctive relief.  We are grateful to the lawyer, of course, counsel Immanuel Williams and the Glenn D. Godfrey law firm, and we just feel vindicated.  We are extremely satisfied that Belize is a place of rules and laws that must be complied with, no matter how right you think you are.  There are procedural norms that must be complied with and we were very confident that the High Court would comply with the case law, all the way to the Court of Appeals, as to how you treat with matters.  You can’t just come and be a political gangster and use violence and use might to have your way.”

Isani Cayetano

“What does this mean in terms of a return to the status quo as it were before October twentieth and, of course the resulting events thereafter?”

Shyne Barrow

“Well, that is what the learned Justice Hondura said.  His orders were that things would return to the status quo and that the property returns to the Central Executive of the United Democratic Party.  In essence, acknowledging the claimants who came on behalf of the U.D.P.”

Isani Cayetano

“On both sides of this debacle, it has been argued that the building is symbolic, as the seat of the United Democratic Party.  There’s also the argument that one does not necessarily have to administer the business of the U.D.P. from that particular location.  What are your thoughts on that?”

Shyne Barrow

“The building is essential.  That is our headquarters, that is where we operate.  That is where we have our party organs.  So I appreciate the spirit of comments that may have been made by the party chairman.  Unlike the alliance, who marshalled a hundred people with force and aggression to take something that they said was inconsequential.  We abided by the rule of law.”

The leadership tussle between Shyne Barrow and Tracy Taegar-Panton is also under the High Court’s scrutiny. Barrow’s claim includes a request for Justice Hondura to decide who the rightful U.D.P. leader is. The timeline will start in January 2025, with a case management session, but with general elections on the horizon, we asked Barrow if the legal outcome would even matter if he and the U.D.P. lose the national vote. Here’s what he had to say.

Isani Cayetano

“The matter that’s before the High Court where the legitimacy of the leadership of the United Democratic Party is concerned.  If the general elections are called and held before March 2025, looking at the timeline that has been given by the court, in terms of when they will have a case management and then when they’ll have the trial or the substantive matter before the court, you lose and the United Democratic Party loses the next general elections, would the leadership debate or the leadership argument that’s before the court be  an academic exercise at that point? Because they would be open and free to challenge your leadership at that point.”

Shyne Barrow, Leader of the Opposition

“I don’t know, because they are not members of the party.  That’s something that you have to look at.  These are people that have acted in complete circumvention of the United Democratic Party’s constitution and I believe that what happened in the High Court, the decision that was made by Justice Hondura really underpins the mindset and the behavior of these people, that they act outside of constitution.  They act outside of rules, it’s whatever they say.”

It’s highly likely that general elections will be called within the first three months of the new year, given that supplementary funds have already been allocated for the process. But the big question is: Can the fractured U.D.P. and Shyne Barrow mend fences with the Alliance for Democracy to mount a strong campaign against the People’s United Party?

Isani Cayetano

“Would you consider, perhaps, a mending of fences seeing that in this particular case you have two strong candidates who have won their constituencies, in the case of Mr. Faber, five times over, and in the case of Mrs. Panton, at least twice, consecutively.  Would you consider, perhaps, making amends for the sake of being able to mount a formidable challenge?”

Shyne Barrow, Leader of the Opposition

“Initially, we had said to those that had seats, the elected members and the one standard bearer that’s from Queen Square.  We had invited them when we were doing mediation that we would consider having them return to the fold.  But I just don’t see how that is practical at this time.”

Isani Cayetano

“Do you feel confident, notwithstanding all the developments within your party over the past several months, that you would be able to mount a formidable challenge in terms of vying for government and, of course, the leadership of this country?”

Shyne Barrow

“We are confident that the Belizean people are very dissatisfied with this government and the elections in the United States gives very sound guidance as to elections being won on election day. One thing we have done in the leadership executive of the U.D.P. is to keep our standard bearers focused on their people, on the engagement, on the message, and that is a unique message, overall communication agenda but it is unique in every constituency because, as we know, politics is local.  So candidates who have been there for maybe a year or two years, they should not have any difficulty.”