Photo: John Saldivar

by Marco Lopez

BELMOPAN, Sun. Dec. 18, 2022

On Saturday, the National Party Council for the United Democratic Party overturned the decision of the party’s Special Committee, which had voted by a margin of 4 to 3 to disallow John Saldivar’s bid to seek via a party convention to be the UDP’s Belmopan standard bearer. Forty-two members of the NPC, however, reportedly voted in favor of his candidacy, reversing the decision of the Special Committee which preferred that Saldivar be prohibited from running, “in the best interest of the party.”

In a Facebook post about a day ago, Saldivar said, “God is good, all the time. Justice prevailed.”

Saldivar is the leader of the UDP’s Caucus for Change, a group within the party with a significant stronghold and influence among members. In January of this year, the group triggered a recall convention in an effort to oust then party leader Hon. Patrick Faber from his post, and endorsed Hon. Shyne Barrow. 

Saldivar no doubt still has a significant pull within the party, but there is no indication if he will be able to reclaim his roles as interim caretaker of the Belmopan constituency and Western Regional Leader, since the current UDP leader, Hon. Barrow, has asked him to stand down and desist from his attempts to be a UDP candidate.

He said at the time that the decision made by the Special Committee was a difficult one, but agreed to disallow Saldivar from being a party candidate in the best interest of the UDP. Barrow was also of the opinion that the decision was the best course of action, and even gave Saldivar a sort of a farewell saying, “I hope Mr. Saldivar could find meaning and purpose in another role if it is that he still wants to be involved in politics but not as an official, not as a candidate for the United Democratic Party.”

While these are the LOO’s wishes, Saldivar seems to have maintained the confidence of a majority of the NPC, despite being designated as a “Significantly Corrupt” person by the US State Department. That designation is the basis of the proceedings within the party against him. In late November, following the announcement of the designation by the US Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken, the ad-hoc Special Committee was formed by the party to determine Saldivar’s standing. The committee, which was formed to deliver a “swift conclusion of the matter” concerning the allegations, did just that – being convened in late November and handing down a decision by December 9.

As far as Hon. Barrow’s plea for Saldivar to step down to save face, in an interview on PlusTV prior to the decision of the Special Committee, Saldivar concluded that he would not let perception guide his decision. 

“The reason he is the party leader today is because the Caucus for Change did not fall for the perception, yet my party today is being asked to fall for the perception. Truth in my view and I have said this over and over, truth must always trump perception,” Saldivar said. 

It is clear that Saldivar’s influence as the reputed leader of the UDP’s Caucus for Change played a significant role in the vote at the NPC, which should effectively reinstate him in his positions within the party. In a release following the Special Committee decision, the UDP Caucus for Change declared:

 ”The Special Committee of the UDP to revert to the National Party Council (NPC) to make a decision on the candidacy of John Saldivar in the Belmopan constituency. Our Caucus is clear and determined in our support for John Saldivar in the absence of any evidence to prove his guilt. We believe it is only right and just that the people of Belmopan choose their leader. We will therefore vote accordingly at the NPC.”

Now, the National Party Council, the second most powerful decision-making body within the UDP, has decided to allow Saldivar to maintain his candidacy in the Belmopan division. 

How the USA will respond to Saldivar’s continued active political participation within the Opposition despite its designation of him as significantly corrupt is yet to be seen. Of note, the US Embassy is located in Saldivar’s home constituency of Belmopan.

Similarly, how the UDP and its leader, Hon. Shyne Barrow, will navigate this obvious power play by Saldivar is also yet to be seen, since the blessing of the party leader will effectively mean a breakaway from the USA’s position, while continued opposition to Saldivar’s candidacy could create a rift between Barrow and the all-so-powerful UDP Caucus for Change.