BELIZE CITY, Thurs. Sept. 24, 2020– Electoral politics have been dominated by the two main parties in Belize for as long as anyone can remember. We have seen the birth and demise of various third parties, with none successfully bridging the two-party political divide in our National Assembly.

In 2015, the Belize Progressive Party (BPP) was formed after about 9 members of the Vision Inspired by the People (VIP) broke away to amalgamate with the People’s National Party (PNP) out of Punta Gorda. The BPP slated 25 candidates in the November 2015 elections as a newly formed political party.

In an exclusive with Amandala, the party leaders of the BBP, Patrick Rogers and Wil Maheia, said that they are employing new strategies within the party to ensure the election of at least two of the party’s candidates to the House of Representatives.

Rogers said that the party has been lobbying for an elected Senate as a part of their reform agenda, but outlined that the ruling powers lack the political will to implement such advancements and have refused to enact this reform.

“We decided we have to run to be elected in the House; now just imagine a scenario where myself, Brother Wil, or a couple of us win? We now become that check-and-balance from within the House, so that is what our campaign strategy is going forward, to elect two, or three, BBP’s, and we will put back honor in that dishonorable House,”  Rogers promised.

He added, “If myself or Brother Wil were to win, it would never be the same again, because red or blue, whichever one was to form the Government, will understand that the proverbial crack has occurred,  and once there is a crack, the wedge goes between it, and it will burst by 2025. The next election cycle, any number could play.”

For these reasons, Rogers said, the party is purposefully going into the November 2020 general elections with fewer candidates, 9 to date, to be exact, with about 3 or 4 more to be added by nomination day. This is to allow the BPP to provide adequate financial support to those candidates, with hopes of enhancing their chances of success.

He also pointed out the limitations as it relates to campaign financing, saying, “In Belize, since there are no campaign financing laws, the business people view contributions not as contributions, but as investments.”

He added, “We have our own financial disclosure policy that is too rigid for most business people.”

Rogers said that, by principle, the BBP will hold itself accountable for its campaign financing even before becoming an elected entity; this has caused many organizations in corporate Belize to withhold their support, he said.

Rogers shared that the COVID-19 pandemic has sort of knocked the wind out of the sails of their campaign on the ground, but the party will be utilizing press conferences on social media in order to reach the wider Belizean population.

Recently, news of Wil Maheia’s candidacy in the Fort George constituency went public. Maheia traditionally represented Punta Gorda Town, at first under his PNP, before joining with the BPP in 2015. He has contested a total of 4 elections, holds the position of the Deputy Party Leader of the BPP and is now the standard bearer for the Fort George division under that party.

Patrick Rogers said that Maheia’s move to that division is part of the overall strategy being employed by the BPP for this general election: “I believe that strategically, we decided to have Brother Wil move up to Fort George because it will help us in educating our people on the need for redistricting, and it has tremendously enhanced Brother Wil’s chance of delivering a win in a one-square-mile division with less than two thousand people, so strategically, we believe that he has given himself a better chance of an upset win,” he said.

He added, “Nothing has done more to highlight the need for redistricting in this country than Wil Maheia’s move to the Fort George division.”

Orlando Muschamp, a former UDP councilor, will replace Maheia as the BBP representative in Punta Gorda.

For his part, Maheia highlighted the fact that despite what his critics may suggest, he has had extensive contact with people in Belize City and in particular, the Fort George division. He said, “When I walked through the different constituencies, I feel at home in Fort George and I know that the people of Fort George are tired of poor to zero leadership over the past 36 years. That was one of the things that made me decide to run in that division.”

He added, “But most of all, I also want to use myself, being up there, having more access to the media, to really campaign harder for the redistricting. Running up there will allow me to really highlight the need for redistricting, and at the same time running up there will allow me to help Fort George, which is one of the richest divisions in the country of Belize, but still has some of the poorest people and most violent communities.”

Maheia believes that he can contribute to lowering the crime rate in that division and creating new employment opportunities. When asked about his campaign so far in the area, Maheia expressed gratitude to the people of Fort George for welcoming him with open arms.

“Most who reach out to me say, ‘I’m glad you’re running in the Fort George, I know you from the Sarstoon. I know that you have always stood up for justice in Belize. I’ve seen you marching for justice in Belize City.’ So they feel good that I am out there in Belize City with them, and the reception has been tremendous,” he said.

“Really and truly, I just want every voter in Fort George to give me a run; one of the things that the brothers were saying when I walked through Majestic Alley the other day, you were hearing, ‘Give the man ah run. Give Wil ah run’ — that was the saying, ‘Give Wil ah run’, and it was very positive, so I appreciate the people of Fort George and I look forward to serving Fort George; new leadership, a new vision in that area,” Maheia said.

He also outlined, “Because Fort George has these multi-million-dollar agencies, you have the Belize Audubon, the BTIA, places like the Radisson, in that division, we want to lobby that once people in Fort George work at these areas, that there is a minimum of $7 an hour for their minimum wage. I want every house in Fort George that wants to become a factory to be a factory, every house should be able to produce and sell something in that division, especially in low-income neighborhoods. We want to turn Fort George into a very productive division.”

In a message to corporate Belize, Patrick Rogers said that the bulk of the BBP’s contributions come from small business donors who give $500 and under. He said, “We understand the value of the $500, because it is not from the likes of an Ashcroft, Feinstein or Roe; none of those name-brands who have the money will contribute, but the smaller business people who hear our message, understand our message, they are willing to give, to invest in the BPP. We always want to appeal to the honest business people, who do not live off corrupt business practices, to understand that they need to help finance an organization like the BPP, who is coming in with a clean slate, to clean up this mess.”