It is difficult to say whether the PUP’s 13-5 defeat of the UDP in 1979, or the UDP’s 16-13 victory over the PUP in 1993, was Belize’s greatest political upset ever. For sure the PUP’s 1979 win was more significant in the historical scheme of things, because this was the election statement which appeared to convince the United States government, led by Jimmy Carter at the time, to support political independence for Belize. All the UDP’s 1993 victory did was delay the raping of the Belizean treasury for five years and three months. That was how long it took before a deadly troika regained power and wreaked havoc on Belize’s public finances.
In 1993, Partridge Street’s rift with UDP Leader Manuel Esquivel remained very much in effect, so much so that Amandala went out on a limb to endorse the PUP’s José Coye in Esquivel’s constituency – Caribbean Shores. But, the ruling PUP had behaved very, very treacherously in the matter of KREM Radio, so that Kremandala could not, in good faith, campaign for the PUP in the June 1993 general elections.
The 1993 general elections were called FIFTEEN MONTHS EARLY because Ralph Fonseca was desperate to get into the House of Representatives in order to establish full control over the money. Between 1989 and 1993, Ralph was de facto Minister of Finance, but he was not de jure. He was only a Senator. The laws of Belize say that you have to be a member of the House in order to be the Minister of Finance.
When the PUP returned to Belmopan in 1989, Prime Minister George Price was not what he used to be. He was older, and he was tired. Mr. Price had had to move from Freetown to Pickstock in 1989 in order to win a seat, because the UDP’s Derek Aikman had finished him in Freetown, sensationally, in 1984. And, importantly, in the absence of Lindy Rogers, Mr. Price no longer had a powerful Southside godfather to take care of business.
The PUP were so devastated and became so desperate in the aftermath of the 1993 election defeat that they resolved, at the highest levels of leadership, to go to Partridge Street. The PUP had decided they needed to do something to address their Southside vacuum.
It was not as if the Kremandala chairman had any political ambitions. Remember, the PUP had practically forced him out of political retirement to run on their Belize City Council slate in December of 1977. This proved to be a disaster for both the PUP and for Evan X Hyde.
Partridge Street did not drive a hard bargain with the PUP in 1993/94. The reason was that as soon as Esquivel and Barrow returned to office, they began to put Kremandala “under manners.” It is quite possible that the PUP would have defeated the UDP in 1998 without a Partridge Street alliance. But, as it was, with the Kremandala partnership the PUP blew the UDP out of the water: 26-3. Almost ditto, 2003.
Immediately the PUP won in March of 2003, something changed at the top. Partridge Street became expendable. Some of the change may have been personal in nature, but the bulk of it was probably philosophical in motivation. When the change came, Kremandala was caught reacting, as usual. We make no excuses for this. Between the elephants which are the PUP and the UDP, we have been counter-punching since 1975. We can’t slug it out with any of these behemoths. This is real.
While politics is about numbers, it is also about reputation. To our mind, the PUP has still not managed to replace C. L. B. Rogers. Do they have to? No, not if the Lord of Chichester throws open his bank vaults. Mr. Ashcroft, however, in his Tuesday morning interview with Marleni Cuellar in Miami, was predicting a superbond default in Belize’s future. Such a prognosis suggests he will be more prudent than wild in his disbursements to the PUP. In fact, the money so far has all been in the form of loans guaranteed by the Party Leader – no grants. And now, it is said, Ashcroft wants Johnny’s cable company, a cash cow, for collateral.
We assume the shutdown of the PUP radio station on Tuesday, just hours after Ashcroft’s televised Miami interview, is only temporary, but it is ominous. The problem is an electricity bill. The deeper problem is cash flow. And, the deepest problem of all is political acumen/will, or the lack thereof. A party whose propaganda station is closing down is only bluffing when it calls for general elections NOW! You don’t have to fly to Vegas to see this.
Power to the people. Power in the struggle.