by Colin Hyde
A television news outlet reported on a note from Opposition leader Tracy Panton re: the latest Patrick Faber incident, debacle, in which Tracy basically defended her brother UDP who was slotted to be the lead senator for the party when the Senate meets for the first time under the PUP 2025-2030 regime. I think we can call that defense a first take. The incident, ehm, debacle, happened one early morning in late April, and the defense was made maybe a day or so later. Tracy could have done with more time to think this one out.
I couldn’t find the comment on Channel 5 or 7, so it must have been on XTV News. Unfortunately, XTV doesn’t produce a news transcript, so I couldn’t get what was said verbatim. I know what I heard on the television news. I believe that the substance I have here from a kind of media on Facebook that calls itself Belize News Network (BNN) is sufficient for the purpose. This BNN story titled, “TRACY P SAYS FABER IS A GOOD LITTLE BOY”, said “Opposition Leader Tracy Panton has stepped in to defend her boss, Patrick Faber, following his recent public outburst. In a Facebook post that she has since deleted, Panton insisted that Faber did nothing wrong, and instead accused the police officers in the viral videos of abusing their authority.” This BNN very kindly – hurray for kindness — said, “We are not sure if Panton saw the same footages the rest of the country saw.”
I saw the “footages,” an dehn noh nice. Patrick has his talent, and it’s easy to understand why the party wants to keep him, and hopefully they do, and hopefully he can find the humility to serve in the back row, where the party can use him. Yes, the brother has talent. But after so much patience, it’s sealed now that he is not House material. He is like the talented footballer on the front line who always di ops an offside, the one in the defense line who can’t go a game without committing a foul in the box.
A parent cannot, should never give up on a child. But this is politics, House business, not home. I understand Patrick is one of a crowd of UDPees who like to hang around drinking beer and playing dominoes. There, there’s his niche. Brother, this guy is some kind of “folly in waiting”. Like forever, the PUP has had out its “welcome to the party” sign; but trust me, to this one the ODS would say, no, not him.
I don’t care if Faber was within the law; what is basic is that we must respect everyone who wears a police officer’s uniform. Faber says he wasn’t drunk. If he wasn’t, then he is very snotty, and he has terrible night sight. There’s a whole lot wrong with his behavior in that video clip.
Agh, Faber’s despicable conduct with women who are friendly with him isn’t his only baggage. The incident with his camera, where there might be evidence on a tape about a heinous crime—it can’t be that we need a law to make us hand the tape over. The way he handled that is incredible, twice over because he is a public figure and political leader, thrice over because he aspired to be our prime minister.
My gudnis, Braa, you weren’t drunk and you acted like that? Every thread you pull from this story is rotten. There is no need for more rope. All things being possible under the sun, maybe while his party decides on a replacement he can hold over, maybe until the case is called up. Hopefully, hopefully he is not a petty bleep, because the UDP and the country can use his talents.
It’s hard to believe that just five years ago Patrick and John were vying for the right to lead our Belize! Now the limit for both a dem is to serve the party, in a limited capacity. John, with all his lapses, made the terrible mistake of supporting Shyne over Tracy in the first go-round. A terrible mistake he made there indeed, which he, yes, acknowledges. Man, this John has made too many mistakes. There is a “story” that he still has ambitions to lead the UDP, and that he is doing things behind the scenes to forward that agenda. He has denied that accusation, and I hope his words are true. He wasn’t on the promotional sheet for the recent UDP press conference, and no one mentioned him being there. If he wasn’t, the party needs to explain his absence. The UDP and country can use John.
The UDP seems to have a problem attracting “pure” talent. They can’t look to the VIP, because all their leaders are now senior citizens. Don’t look to the US for an example; you have to be super rich to allow old men to play big. If you are an octogenarian in Belize and haven’t acted out your dream yet, pray that the Hindus are right about recycling, because it won’t happen in your present coming. Okay, you might win the Sunday Jackpot! The other parties are all belly-up. Patrick Rogers is reportedly doing valuable work researching our past in Nicaragua. I expect he and Ms. Detra Gillett are pooling their talents. Wil, with all his credentials … is there a worse politician anywhere? And Nancy, she has more ostriches than she can handle.
The Bel-Ams are chomping at the bit, but they need the dual citizenship thing. Talking about them, Wellington Ramos had a quite lengthy piece on his position on this in social media. I couldn’t give him a “like,” because I haven’t given much thought to it. It’s interesting why dual citizenship didn’t take off. I’m not aware of any study on it. I haven’t paid much attention to it, but off the top I think it is their arrogance that has caused this initiative to stall. You know the very unfunny joke about Bel-Ams putting on airs whenever they touch down here for a visit. What did they have to be so uppity for? For sure they have done much to hone their talents abroad, they have more cash than we have, and they have polish to burn. Off the top again, I think their ambition needs a thorough airing out. I hope they don’t come around with their thin skin.
The Bel-Ams did some serious injury to their ambition with their unwavering support of Master Shyne, who in the world of talents-to-develop-the-country brought little to the table. Patrick and John are economists. Shyne reportedly speaks well. Aha, that brother’s far right politics would make him a darling for Cuba-hating/Netanyahu (genocidal Zion)-loving Louis Wade and Scott Stirm; but he gets stopped at the door, because, like most Bel-Ams, he is LGBT woke.
Faber said no bastard joy flowed through his veins, because he swore off it for the year. I say “legalize it”; that there man is a candidate for another kind of inebriant. If we took up a wager, Faber is the only one who would bet he was sober. No surprise, the Shynists jump up and holler, “we told you so”; but get this, their guy, who said he was on a party-cleaning job, he didn’t have the credentials to clean up anything. If Shyne was about cleaning house for a substantial leader (other than Tracy), that would have made sense; but the cold numbers spoke to only one thing: it was all about him. And just let me say it again for ears that are hard of hearing: The brother didn’t, doesn’t have the credentials.
Faber’s disappointing behavior in the wee hours of the morning made the road a little harder for the UDP, but there’s no need for them to panic. Belize needs a serious opposition, so Belizeans will give the party the space to get its act together. No one expects the UDP to win the Village Council elections after what happened on March 12. Bah, Patrick and John have joined Sharon, heroes with too much tarnish to lead. My, so much substance, but all the glitter is gone.
Yu have to be real about things. Yu cannot lead and be a bad example. Politics isn’t church business, where pastor not only has to control himself, hihn haffu control the spouse and children tu; but the House has its standards. Sorry, Mister Faber is not House material.