Over the last couple weeks, I have carefully tried to explain that there were people in the Opposition UDP who wanted to speak to me. Apparently, the very thought of any of their people wanting to speak to me, and my publicizing same, led the WAVE Radio people to the conclusion that I was seeking to ?big up? myself. So, last week Friday morning, just an hour after this newspaper hit the streets of Belize City, the lady commentator on WAVE?s morning show referred to what I had said, and laughed in a sarcastic manner, whereupon the male commentator, who compulsively indulges in disrespect, began to ?lick out? at I man as if I were a nobody.

Well, I said to myself, why would I discuss anything at all with people who have this opinion of me. My problem subsequent to this, however, was that the UDP gentleman who had approached me was a man I hold in deep respect. I therefore felt that I had to explain to him what had happened to change the course of our reasonings, so when the work week commenced on Tuesday, I telephoned him to say that there had been a disruption of the process, whether willful or accidental. He, of course, wished for the radio disrespect to be disregarded, and for us to continue on our course, but one does have to stop and think sometimes.

The key thing in last week?s column was that I indicated that the UDP could not expect to have me support them in a general election. At first blush, there are some political observers who would say that such an indication removes any reason for discussion between BelChina and Partridge. It is not as simple as that, I submit.

Those of you who monitor the local political exchanges closely, will have noted that the ruling faction of the PUP have not publicly attacked me despite my criticisms over the past few months. I can assure you that they are strongly tempted to do so. Strongly tempted. There are some in the ruling faction who are angry with Partridge. But, as far as I know, none of their people have attacked me in the public media.

There is the obvious contrast here with the UDP, which has attacked me publicly on their radio station in the middle of the aforementioned reasonings. It may be that Friday morning?s attacks were the immediate response to the column earlier that morning. But even if that were so, I am saying to you that such a response would have been unsophisticated.

My position is that I have a son and a son-in-law who are PUP Cabinet Ministers. In the 2008 election scenario, Mark Espat does not need any material support from Partridge. Cordel Hyde will benefit from Partridge support in some ways, but after two general election victories, he is less dependent than when he started out in 1994. My commitment to Mark and Cordel is, then, more a matter of family protocol.

Suppose, however, that Mark and Cordel, for whatever reason, decide to explore their options, then there has to be a shift, because of family protocol, in the way how we view things at Partridge. Yet, there are ground principles to which Kremandala is absolutely committed, and if I wander away from these principles in any way, then there are people who will remind me of ?foundation,? as Rufus X did a couple months ago when he felt I was mollycoddling the Prime Minister because of personal friendship. My point is that the UDP should not view things in a simplistic manner when they deal with us. We are not one dimensional.

This is the very type of statement which appears to irritate some UDP people, one reason being that they know the UDP is much larger and more powerful than Kremandala. The UDP, however, is not more successful than Kremandala. If they analyze the previous statement/sentence carefully, they might become a bit more respectful. The PUP has shown itself to be a more professional party in its dealings with Partridge, the quintessential example being 1989 and the KREM Radio matter.

This newspaper had gone all out to elect the UDP in 1984, but by 1988 the relationship was falling apart, the main problem being the UDP?s refusal to allow Rufus X to be the party?s Belize Rural North standard bearer. Two or three months before the September 1989 general elections, Amandala said that we were tired of listening to the British soldiers broadcasting on their private radio station, and we would begin broadcasting on ours. The UDP government, perhaps understandably, responded in a disciplinary manner. The PUP jumped on the political opportunity, and began to trumpet loudly the fact that they were in full support of Radio AMANDALA, as the concept was then known. The PUP were not sincere. They were playing politics, but politics is politics. The Radio AMANDALA trumpeting helped the PUP win in 1989.

At the bottom of the line, it is about arithmetic. It is not about personality. It is about 4, 5, or 6 percent. You can?t change reality. In the words of Dr. Dennis Young, quoting his late grandmother, the beatings will continue until the morale improves.

Power to the people.