Leader of the Opposition People’s United Party (PUP), Francis Fonseca, has confirmed to Amandala that by Wednesday of this week, details will be released of a newly restructured and ‘streamlined’ National Executive of the PUP.
Fonseca told us that at a meeting of the Executive on Friday, November 18, he was “authorized” to put together a new National Executive, and is in the process of doing that.
Because it was an “ongoing discussion,” he said, he has declined to state who may be asked to leave their posts or which posts may be eliminated, though he stated that there would potentially be less posts on the Executive as a means of “streamlining” it.
Multiple media reports indicate that the two posts for Senior Deputy Leader, created for Mark Espat and Cordel Hyde, would be eliminated, costing them their seat at the table.
Espat told us he had “no comment at this time,” when Amandala contacted him this evening.
Florencio Marin, Jr., Corozal Southeast representative, is expected to join the ranks of the current Fonseca deputies, Mike Espat and Carolyn Trench-Sandiford.
Fonseca did refute to us reports elsewhere in the local press, which he characterized as ‘misinformation,’ that former Governor of the Central Bank of Belize, Sydney Campbell, was a candidate for the post of party treasurer, to replace Julius Espat. Campbell has reportedly refused the post, and Fonseca told us that his was one of “many names put up for many posts.”
Meanwhile, Espat is slated to fill the position of National Campaign Manager, from which Eamon Courtenay, SC, had recently resigned, amid reports that Courtenay felt slighted by Espat’s nomination to head a campaign committee without his, Courtenay’s, consideration.
For his part, though, the prominent attorney had told our newspaper he only wished to step aside, having been appointed by the former leader, and allow Fonseca free rein to select his people.
Other posts said to be affected in the ongoing executive restructuring are those for Policy and Reform, and Communications, whose respective chairs, Senator Lisa Shoman and Narda Garcia, would be switched.
According to the PUP’s constitution, the National Executive, which is elected by the National Convention and responsible to the much larger National Party Council, is one of the governing bodies of the PUP (along with the Convention and the Council), and specifically charged with “directing the organization and administration of the party.”
The Executive consists of the party leader, deputy leaders, chairperson, chairs of the regional caucuses, national campaign manager and his deputies, national communications director and his deputies, co-chairs of the policy and reform committee, liaison for civil society and social partners, research and development coordinator, national strategic development manager, chairs of the various standing units apart from campaign and communications, legal advisor, treasurer, leader emeritus (the deceased Rt. Hon. George Price), immediate past leader (currently Hon. John Briceño), and the secretary general, who is appointed by the NPC and has no voting rights.