Today, Monday, January 21, 2008, 7 candidates representing 4 political parties strode up to the Civic Center with their faithful followers in tow to declare their candidacies in the 2008 General Elections set for February 7 this year.
For the new Belmopan constituency, 3 candidates threw their hats into the ring. They are Mr. Paul Morgan, the leader of the VIP; Mr. John Saldivar, the incumbent for the old Cayo South Division*; and Mr. Rolando Zetina. Mr. Morgan is contesting for the VIP (yellow), Mr. Saldivar for the UDP (red), and Mr. Zetina for the PUP (blue).
In the new Cayo South constituency, 4 candidates are contesting for that seat. They are Mr. Hubert Enriquez (VIP-yellow), Mr. Charles Galvez (PUP-blue), Mr. Richard Smith (NBA-green), and Mr. Ramon Witz (UDP-red)
And so, Belizeans all, the battle for control of the national treasury, the rights to be Lord of the Manor for the next 5 years if they so desire, is officially on. If numbers tell the tale, the Reds have it in Belmopan and Cayo South. The last group to arrive at the Belmopan Civic Center this evening, they came, about 250 strong in their bright red shirts, waving their party flags and dancing to their anti-PUP music. At precisely 3 p.m. John Saldivar and Ramon Witz stepped through a corridor of red and white flags held by party stalwarts in tribal shirts, and entered the heavily guarded door to present themselves to their respective Returning Officers – Mrs. Noreen Fairweather (Cayo South), and Ms. Josephine Tamai (Belmopan). Then they “flex” around Belmopan and roadside villages in Cayo South before setting down at Teakettle for a pre-election rally in the evening.
The PUP set their hats in the ring in the morning at about 10 o’clock. An energetic crowd of about 200 escorted Charles Galvez (Cayo South) and Rolando Zetina (Belmopan) up to the guarded Civic Center door. They were not as numerous as the red party that gathered in the evening, but they were more boisterous. Their chants of “All the Way” resounded across Market Square in answer to the traditional battle call – P-U-P. When the formalities were done, the Blue crowd followed their leaders, dancing on the Belmopan Ring Road on their way to their own pre-election rally.
The other candidates who entered the fray today were not nearly so surrounded with friends, and other supporters. But they were nonetheless upbeat, eager to get it on. At 11 a.m., VIP leader Paul Morgan (Belmopan) and Deputy Leader Hubert Enriquez (Cayo South), along with their yellow-shirted supporters, entered the Civic Center and presented themselves to the Returning Officers. For the VIP, a Belmopan-based party that has garnered respectable numbers in consecutive BMP City Council Elections, this is their first time contesting the big one. The VIP’s, considered a somewhat socialist leaning party, stress co-operative formation, proportional representation, and campaign financing reform to improve the nation.
At noon, the Christian Pursuing Reform, Richard Smith, wearing the NBA Green and singing That old time religion is good enough for me, and other Christian battle songs, stepped out of his bus. The Holy Warrior was ushered into the Civic Center by a group of green- shirted supporters waving green flags. Richard, who is running for Cayo South, is touting the “three legged stool” approach to governing – a partnership of government, business, and the church.
This weekend all political parties contesting in Belmopan and Cayo South were out campaigning. The next few days leading up to February 7 will be intense as women and men wearing blue, green, red, and yellow try to cover turf one more time for the 7 men who hope that fortune will smile on their ship come the big day.
*Cayo South, the nation’s largest division, was split into two recently by the Elections and Boundaries Commission. The result of the split is the Cayo South Division, which comprises 12 villages, and the Belmopan Division, which is comprised of Garden City and the villages in its suburbs.