_{Justice Tawanda Hondora}

Court decision fails to end UDP dispute; leadership battle rages on

BELIZE CITY, Thurs. May 8, 2025

The case of who is the real UDP that went to trial on March 31 has reached a conclusion with a 37-page judgment dated May 7. In that judgement, High Court Justice Tawanda Hondora ruled that both sides erred: the Moses “Shyne” Barrow UDP for unlawfully expelling Tracy Panton and other UDP colleagues; and the Tracy Panton UDP for holding a constitutionally invalid convention on October 20, 2024, with outcomes they sought to be deemed as binding on the UDP, including the recall of the party leader and her installment as interim party leader. At the same time, Hondora did not make a specific declaration on whether Panton “is or remains a member of the UDP.” The judge noted, among other reasons, that, given the outcome of the March 12, 2025 general elections and moves afoot for the holding of a national convention, he believed that whether or not she is a member of the UDP is for the membership of the party to decide. Barrow has said he will discuss with his attorney, Dr. Christopher Malcolm, whether he will appeal this aspect of the judgement with which he does not agree.

_{Hon. Tracy Panton (c) – Leader of the Opposition}

Some would say the decision paves the way for the party to descend into chaos once more, while others view it as moot due to events such as the general election having overcome its effects. It will be left to be seen, however, how the impending UDP national convention unfolds and whether Panton has galvanized majority support to attain her goal of securing the leadership of the UDP by endorsement as she planned. But it is not as simple as that. For now, although Barrow relinquished the leadership post with his resignation on March 18, he has been reclaiming sole leadership of the UDP since April 23. At the same time, as to the way forward, and as things currently stand, Barrow cannot vie for leadership in the upcoming convention, since he lost his area representative seat in the March 12, 2025 elections and does not hold a position in the Senate. Those senatorial appointments are decided by Panton, who remains Leader of the Opposition.

A way out is for there to be compromise, but that has been elusive throughout, and there is no indication that things would change now with both sides saying they have been vindicated, and Barrow claiming victory. In fact, on Tuesday evening, just hours before the delivery of the judgment on Wednesday, the Barrow executive (with Barrow having “un-resigned” himself on April 23) issued a statement rejecting a petition submitted from the Panton camp two weeks ago to deputy UDP chairman Alberto August to call a National Party Council (NPC) meeting on May 17 to elect an interim chairman and set the date for a national convention. She had initially stated that August had been unwilling to assist, and they had therefore rallied the NPC members to submit a petition to trigger action by August.

On the day of Hondora’s decision, May 7, Panton shared that they received a letter from August in which he informed “that both he and First Deputy Party Leader, Hon. Hugo Patt, will soon communicate the way forward—finally setting our United Democratic Party on a path to unity.” Panton added that she had also been in communication with Patt, who committed to resolve the matter with her based on the Party’s Constitution and “in the best interest of our Movement.”

However, the Barrow UDP statement asserted that Panton had no standing to make such a request. It added that Barrow, the Central Executive and the NPC remain fully committed to their reform agenda, starting with the revision of the UDP constitution. Importantly, it also announced that “The UDP National Party Council will meet in short order to set dates for Caretaker and Delegates Conventions followed by the National Convention which should be held by the first week in October 2025 as per the UDP Constitution.” So, while Panton was not intending for there to be imminent caretaker conventions, Barrow has a different view; and, Barrow expects a later leadership event than what Panton envisioned. One question in this regard is whether Barrow will have any success in securing an amendment to the party’s constitution to allow for unelected persons to seek leadership, thereby opening the door for him to regain the post of UDP leader. Since Hondora’s judgment, Barrow has said he would continue to serve as leader if his colleagues see fit to amend the constitution and vote for him.

_{Shyne Barrow}

Barrow, in an interview after the ruling, said the rightful executive will determine if there is a possibility of reconciliation if that is what his colleagues desire, but it will be on their terms. He declared that “Panton and Co.” must atone and be contrite.

While the aforementioned points clearly reflect the complexity of the situation, Barrow this morning added another complicating factor: his intention to sue Mesopotamia area representative, Hon. Lee Mark Chang and the Elections and Boundaries Commission for fraud.

For her part, during a press conference today, Panton reiterated that it was the refusal of the leadership of the party to follow its own constitution and to respond to lawful petitions for a national convention that forced them to act. She affirmed that it was necessary to “restore legitimacy, uphold internal democracy, and, most importantly, to allow the voices of the Party’s delegates to be heard.” She declared, though, that they will abide by the judgment; and therefore, the constitutional office holders of the party are: Hon. Hugo Patt as 1st Deputy Leader, Beverly Williams as 2nd Deputy Leader, and August as Deputy Chairman. She considers Barrow as former party leader and Michael Peyrefitte as former chairman, given that both had resigned as members of the executive. According to Panton, the party is in transition. She also declared that there is no intention to have a discussion with Barrow in order for him to be given a senatorial appointment. We note that Patt was not present at the press conference.

Prior to the Panton press conference, there had been a nasty showdown on Wave Radio, a UDP media organ, when Barrow unexpectedly appeared as a guest on their morning show. He exploded against co-host Alfonso Noble, who charged that Barrow cannot be “prancing around purporting to be the leader of the UDP.” Barrow then accused him of perpetrating lies, including about the Hondora judgment. Things got so heated that co-host Joe Bradley moved to excuse himself, saying that things had gotten out of control. Barrow then castigated both hosts for even discussing intra-party matters, rather than focusing on the BNTU demonstration on Friday. He claimed that both Noble and Bradley have been spinning things in favor of Panton for the last 30 days. After the show, August, as Acting UDP chairman, wrote to the hosts to say the show is being indefinitely suspended, as “airing of the Party’s challenges on the Party’s radio cannot and will not be allowed to continue, as it creates wounds that will become incurable.” He added, “The morning show has become fertile grounds for the propagation of disunity …” August noted that the hosts would be advised when the situation changes.

Panton, as 1st Defendant, and Philippa Griffith-Bailey, as 2nd Defendant, were represented by Peter Knox KC. Patt, who at the beginning of trial indicated he was withdrawing from the claim, was represented by attorney Estevan Perera. Costs are to be agreed within 14 days of the decision.