_{UDP operatives face off at the gate entrance to the second floor of UDP headquarters}

Shyne calls it political violence and says another meeting will be convened

BELIZE CITY, Sat. June 14, 2025

When AMANDALA arrived at the headquarters of the United Democratic Party (UDP) just after 9:00 this morning, the parking lot was lined with barricades, and over a dozen police officers were on guard in the general area and along the street. The black Range Rover of former Mesopotamia area representative, Moses “Shyne” Barrow was among the three vehicles parked on the compound. He had been inside the building from earlier, and Allan Kelly, his driver, stood waiting on the ground-floor verandah. Across the street from the Uno gas station, nearly 200 supporters joined Leader of the Opposition, Hon. Tracy Panton under tents while music blared from loudspeakers. A few Panton supporters also lined off the barricades in front of the headquarters. Panton and her supporters were staging a unity rally ahead of a National Party Council (NPC) meeting called by acting UDP chairman, Alberto August.

_{Tracy Panton supporters gathered under tents at field opposite Uno gas station}

When August arrived on the compound he was approached by several Panton supporters who ran under the UDP banner in the March 12, 2025 general elections. They tried to get him to reason with them in an attempt to get him to allow all key UDP members, including Panton, to participate in the NCP meeting, but no headway was made. The back-and-forth that ensued dragged on for a while.

_{Alberto August, Acting Chairman, UDP}

Not long after, Jose Uc Espat, a Barrow supporter, arrived to attend the meeting. His name appeared on the list of 105 NPC members, while neither Panton nor any of her supporters elected on March 12 were included. UDP member, attorney Orson “OJ” Elrington engaged August—pointing out that it was unacceptable that Espat, who lost his bid in the Albert constituency, would be allowed to participate, and the winner in that division, Panton, would be disallowed.

August countered that there is a process, and reminded Elrington that the last time they tried to have a meeting with everyone, “it did not even go beyond the reading of the agenda. Dehn bruk up the meeting. The party leader was assaulted. The office was broken up.” He then declared that they would have just “a small group of people meeting together,” after which there would be standard bearer conventions. The winners would then select their delegates who will vote at another NPC meeting on September 7. According to August, this would effect a reset of the party, and they would then be ready to select their next leader at the National Convention on October 5.

However, the opponents countered that Panton and her supporters should also participate in that ‘small group.’ When Elrington proposed that there be a sub-committee including August and “all of the purported leaders,” August rebutted that there are structures and the UDP already has such an entity in the form of the Central Executive Committee (CEC). Elrington proceeded to quote the party constitution which indicates that elected members should form part of the CEC, but Panton, et al. have been excluded. August maintained, however, that Panton had been expelled from the UDP.

_{Diane Finnegan, NPC Member, UDP}

The exchange that Elrington had with Dianne Finnegan was far less courteous, as he kept interjecting during her interview with the media. After she made reference to him as an example of “big educated people” and outlined what she believed they should be doing instead of holding a rally, she ordered, “Please shet up for me!” – and it was all downhill from there. When Elrington kept interrupting, repeatedly asking, “Who were you elected by to be here?”, Finnegan told him, “You go deal with your rape case.” Elrington retorted, “That is what you resort to all the time with your idiocracy”, and this was followed with several curse words; which caused Finnegan to counter, “That is why you are in court and I’m not, because you are disrespectful to women.”

_{Elodio Aragon, Sr., senior member of the UDP}

Elder of the party, Elodio Aragon, Sr., told Amandala that the situation is unfortunate and terrible. Though he described the situation as difficult, given all the dynamics, he believes things will begin to settle in a month’s time, and especially after a national convention is held. Faced with the prospect that August and Barrow will continue to influence the delegates list and the process, Aragon said, “Those who are following Tracy will have to be tougher. And they will have to find all means, because that guy, that crazy man is not even elected. So, his time is up. At the national convention, his time is up. He is finished. So, we are hoping that at the national convention a lot of things that have not been settled will be settled.”

After more than an hour of those exchanges, August and others on the delegate list tried to make their way to the meeting room on the second floor, but the throng of Panton supporters were already standing guard at the grill door at the bottom of the stairs, and operatives like Brian “Yellowman” Audinett were facing off against Kelly, preventing anyone from going upstairs. Police merely looked on passively as things intensified. August and Espat subsequently tried to head up through a side door, but they were disallowed. Instead, the Panton supporters at the door let through Hon. Lee Mark Chang and other Panton supporters.  

_{Tense moment as several men try to restrain Brian “Yellowman” Audinett who was preventing access to the second floor of the UDP headquarters. Jose Uc Espat maintained his cool as tensions escalated.}

There would still be yet another escalation of tension when Espat and others tried to make it to the meeting room once more. Several men attempted to restrain Audinett, and there was much pushing and shoving as Espat tried to get through. Espat would be accused in short order of “showing” his firearm, but as captured by a videographer, he maintained his calm throughout and never brandished his gun. Nonetheless, he aborted his attempt to get through when Audinett asked him to come out of the enclosed area.

_{Moses “Shyne” Barrow departs in his egg-stained vehicle amid chants from Panton supporters for him to leave}

In the end, the NPC meeting was aborted, and Barrow, wearing a red shirt with “Barrow PL” imprinted on the back, would come downstairs to find that his vehicle had been pelted with eggs. He himself was allowed to peacefully exit the compound. He later posted a video statement on his Facebook page referring to the chaos at the headquarters as “political violence” perpetrated by a “criminal enterprise.” He remarked, “This is the same reason Tracy Panton and her cabal were expelled from the United Democratic Party. For acting outside the framework that guides our institution which is that of the constitution. They continue to demonstrate a level of lawlessness, a level of contempt for authority that frightens me.” He suggested that this is why it has been purportedly difficult for him to hand over leadership.

_{Moses “Shyne” Barrow, Former Mesopotamia Area Representative}

According to Barrow, it’s all unfortunate, because what would have happened at the NPC meeting “would have brought the party forward.” He claimed that it would have “opened the door to inclusion, to reunification – reset and rebuilding.” Barrow announced that they would have passed motions “to lift the expulsion of Tracy Panton and others. Today we would have passed motions to allow everyone, even those former members that ran with Tracy Panton to contest in constituency conventions. Today we would have made recommendations to the constitution in order to reconcile inconsistencies, clarify ambiguities, fill gaps and strengthen the weaknesses that we have in our constitution …” Barrow affirmed that he and the acting party chairman and members of the CEC and NPC “are prepared to forgive and to begin the healing and to come together, but we will not be intimidated. We will not be threatened with physical violence.” He said those are not the type of people “we want leading any political institution.” Barrow then announced that another NPC meeting will be convened at the party headquarters “so that we can bring the party together and be prepared to win the next general elections.” Barrow committed to do everything as the outgoing party leader (a position which he insists that he still holds, even after his defeat at the polls, and subsequent resignation), to unite the party, but insisted that they must follow the processes outlined in their constitution. He affirmed that he wants to leave the party stronger and better for who will succeed him.

_{Hon. Tracy Panton, Leader of the Opposition}

For her part, Panton told Amandala that they showed up because the grassroots members who make up the base of the party “are tired of injustice … are tired of the constitution of the party being dismissed and disregarded … are tired that legitimate leaders of the UDP continue to be dismissed and disregarded.” Her call to action was to unite the UDP “in the interest of what is going on in this country, the lack of response, the aloofness of the government when it comes to the teachers, when it comes to the public officers, when it comes to the bloated contracts, when it comes to the level of corruption that is being unravelled every single day. When it comes to the high prices of fuel, when it comes to the high cost of living.” Panton declared that they will not allow the hijacking of the party and “if we have to stay every day in court, that is what we’re going to do.”