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Bogus PUP convention to elect Fonseca?

GeneralBogus PUP convention to elect Fonseca?
Yesterday, the People’s United Party (PUP) announced the dates for nomination day and a special convention, in which delegates from all 31 constituencies would chose a successor to outgoing PUP Leader Said Musa.
 
But today, concerns abound that the convention may be rigged to install a Musa ally, Francis Fonseca, as his replacement, favoring the status quo whereby former PUP national campaign manager, Ralph Fonseca, Francis’ first cousin, and Musa would continue to wield great influence in the party, even though they have both resigned their official posts.
 
Our newspaper is reliably informed that one of the contenders for PUP Leader, Mark Espat, has written to the party chairman, none other than Francis Fonseca, one of the aspirants for the leadership, to request two main modifications to help ensure that the man selected as the new PUP Leader is chosen democratically in free, fair elections—just as in national electoral politics.
 
We understand that currently, each PUP divisional rep can have one voting delegate for each 100 votes that person received at the polls last Thursday, in the general elections.
 
However, Espat, along with his ally, Lake I rep, Cordel Hyde, have formally asked for that number to be changed to 1 delegate for each 25 votes that the candidate received.
 
While that does not change the ratio of voters the divisions will have at the special convention, it would change the number of delegates four-fold, making it more inclusive and that much harder for delegates to be induced into supporting a particular candidate.
 
We understand that Espat and Hyde are also asking for the list of persons eligible to vote at the special convention to be made available a week before nominations are due. Since next Friday is nomination day, it would mean that the list would be out by tomorrow.
 
Here, the philosophy is adopted from the national elections, in which the voters’ list is provided to candidates/parties even before nomination day, and people not on the list prepared before nomination day cannot vote in the elections.
 
At press time, there is no indication that the party officials have favorably received the Espat-Hyde proposals. We understand that the duo met with Musa today, to argue their points. We were unable to get his position on the matter.
 
It all makes for fascinating political intrigue. The end game, it appears, is to stack the cards in favor of one candidate, at the expense of the others.
 
Already, we know of three prominent candidates who may want to replace Musa: Espat, Fonseca and Orange Walk Central’s Johnny Briceño.
 
There is the sentiment that Francis Fonseca’s campaign manager, defeated Pickstock candidate Godfrey Smith, has been rewarded with senator-ship for promoting Francis as the next PUP leader.
 
Meanwhile, attorney Magali Marin, the sister of Corozal South East rep Florencio Marin, Jr., has been granted a senator position, pundits say, in an attempt to split the north and garner support for Francis over Briceño.

In speaking with our newspaper yesterday, Musa told us that he would not be endorsing any candidate for leadership. He also told us that his party has not made a decision on who will replace him, and that at the end of the day, the matter will be decided at the March 30 special convention.

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