BELIZE CITY, Mon. Jan. 24, 2022– This afternoon Patrick Faber released a video message announcing his resignation as the UDP party leader and Leader of the Opposition. He will officially leave those offices on the 31st of this month after a host of calls for his resignation following yet another domestic abuse allegation, which, this time, stemmed from a report made by his fiancée, Dr. Shanikka Arnold. As widely reported, Dr. Arnold has since recanted her statement and Faber has been cleared of the charges in the courts, but he has, to a great extent, lost his standing in the public eye and is viewed by many in the public and within his party as an unfit leader.
“It is with a very heavy heart that I stand before you today to signal my departure as Leader of the Opposition in the House of Representatives and leader of our great United Democratic Party. Both resignations I wish to become effective within a few days on January 31, 2022. While I maintain that the information circulating about the matter with Dr. Shanikka Arnold are not the facts, the ills that come with these allegations are simply too much of a burden for me to place on the shoulder of our beloved party and its faithful membership,” Faber said during his message.
The leaked police statement, which has since been recanted by the complainant, suggests that Faber had attempted to end the relationship, and that the locks at the Lords Bank home shared by the couple had been changed, but the alleged altercation in question ensued following Dr. Arnold’s refusal to return the keys to the home and leave the location. The police report paints a picture of a very angry and even violent Patrick Faber, but also appears to indicate that Dr. Arnold was unwilling to leave the location upon the initial sign of violence.
Despite what was recorded in the now recanted report, Faber in his video message today remarked, “I have made a decision to focus my attention on giving my fiancée in this, her time of need, my full attention and support.”
And while his resignation may indicate an end to his political leadership at this time, Faber asks the public not to fully write him off. “I will also work on me to ensure that in the future times I can come to be as best as I can the advocate for Belize’s development that you’ve all known me to be in the past. Rest assured that my efforts remain committed for the people of Collet whom I will continue to represent,” he vowed.