(The article below was first published in the AMANDALA issue of Friday, February 25, 1983.)

BELIZE CITY, Thurs. Feb. 24

Following a meeting of right wing PUP Ministers and “soldiers” held last week at Trinidad Farm, a mimeographed bulletin has been circulated attacking Attorney General Said Musa, who is described as “the proclaimed leader of the Democratic Direction, the leftist party within the People’s United Party.”

For the first time the right has fingered, which is to say, called the names of all those they consider “the socialists and communists.” Those accused are, and we quote directly: “Said Musa, MacClovio Alamilla of Shell Oil Company, Gloria McField, Elkin Trench of Belize Estate, Bobbie Usher of Northern Fishermen, Steve Mahler of Belize Estate, Leni Jo, Martin Saldivar of St. Joseph School, Remijio Montejo, Dorian Barrow of Belize Technical School, Rafael Chavez, Clement Usher of Credit Union of Belize City. From the Cayo District, Assad Shoman, Jorge Aguilar, Juan Duran, Enrique Martinez of Belize Times and Oscar Alonzo of Development Finance Corporation. From Orange Walk, Eddie Salas and Domingo Perez from the U.G.W.U., Landy Burns and Chabo Orio, and Godfrey the Lawyer who is the overall contact man.”

We must say, first of all and with tongue in cheek, that it must certainly be good news to all Belizeans that there are communists in only three districts.

Seriously though, Godfrey must be hunting with the hounds and running with the hares. The leftist “contact man” is lawyer for Energy Minister Louis Sylvester, acknowledged leader of the right wing. Landy Burns, again, is very much the businessman, hard to figure as a “commie.” There are a couple other question marks. Please understand that this newspaper is not saying these people are communists. To parody Miss Clairol, only the P.M. knows for sure.

Anyway, the bulletin ends with “TO BE CONTINUED”, and is not signed or claimed credit for except by the very nebulous “We, the democratic members of the People’s United Party.”

Both the left wing and the right wing claim to be true followers of the Prime Minister. That is the bottom line in all the propaganda of both warring parties.

But no matter how the P.M. does “jack and bowl,” the day is fast approaching when the PUP will become too small to hold both antagonistic wings.