Photo: (l-r) Top row: Hon. Tracy Taegar-Panton and Hon. Patrick Faber’ Top row: (l-r) John Saldivar and Beverly Williams
AFD submits recall petition for Shyne; UDP chairman says Taegar-Panton has constructively resigned — Faber, Williams and Saldivar too.
BELIZE CITY, Thurs. Aug. 29, 2024
The Alliance for Democracy (AFD), the group of United Democratic Party (UDP) standard bearers led by Albert area representative, Hon. Tracy Panton, on Tuesday reported that Hon. Panton and 2nd Deputy UDP leader, Beverly Williams had submitted to the UDP Secretary General a petition for the recall of UDP leader, Hon. Moses “Shyne” Barrow. This was followed by a response from the chairman of the party, Michael Peyrefitte, declaring that by her actions and statements, Hon. Panton was deemed as having constructively resigned. Word emerged late Wednesday night that at a meeting of the Central Executive Committee (CEC) of the UDP that day, a motion was tabled and passed to the effect that along with Hon. Panton, Hon. Patrick
Faber, John Saldivar and Beverly Williams have also constructively resigned from the UDP.
Tuesday’s recall petition was denied by Peyrefitte, who reported that it fell three signatures short of the required one-third (176) of signatures from registered delegates of the National Convention, the Party’s highest decision-making body. The leader could then be recalled at a National Convention if two-thirds of the registered delegates in attendance vote in favour of such a motion. The AFD emphasized that a party leader can be recalled AT ANY TIME.
While the AFD stated it had submitted 208 signatures from 17 divisions, Peyrefitte said that only 173 were valid. In a response from the AFD to Peyrefitte’s letter, the Alliance vehemently opposed the Chairman’s rejection on the basis of the presumption that the 35 delegate signatures that were not accepted come from the three divisions where new UDP standard bearers were announced on August 21. The AFD points to party rules that require a constituency convention with a 10-day notice for the appointment of delegates. However, this has not been done. The AFD then affirms that the Chairman’s declaration of these official delegate signatures as null and void “is a blatant violation of the Constitution and a continuation of the ongoing hijacking of the Party.” The AFD declares it will continue to “stand against this tyranny and fight for the restoration of democratic principles within the UDP.”
As the political game of chess unfolds, all attempts at holding the party leadership accountable are being stonewalled, however. Peyrefitte even told Hon. Panton that having constructively resigned, she had no standing to submit a petition, and he was merely responding “as a matter of clarification.” He added, “While the UDP Constitution should be of no concern to the Alliance for Democracy, who I’m sure has its own Constitution and rules that govern its affairs, I have responded in the interest of the public record.” Peyrefitte outlined three articles of the Party’s Constitution that he says Hon. Panton violated when she went on talk shows “publicly attacking Party officials, disparaging the Party … and declaring yourself the leader of a new party …”
In his letter of clarification, Peyrefitte reminds Hon. Panton that he is empowered to call a National Convention “in case of an emergency,” but that, since the last meeting of that body on August 13, 2023, there has been no such emergency. He also recalls that on April 7, 2024, the National Party Council passed a resolution affirming the unanimous decision of the National Convention at its August 13, 2023 meeting to endorse Barrow and the leadership executive through to the convention AFTER the next general elections. He also reminds Hon. Panton that on August 22, 2024 a letter was written to her by 20 standard bearers asking that she abide by the August 13, 2023 decision of the National Convention.
As it relates to the declaration that Hon. Panton has constructively resigned, the AFD called it baseless, saying that it stems from the AFD’s insistence “that the Party’s Constitution is being repeatedly violated.” It also deems it unfounded, given that Hon. Panton and others have been excluded from the Party’s communication channels. The AFD likewise challenges Peyrefitte’s authority to make such a declaration and therefore deems it absurd and disrespectful.
In a release Wednesday night, the AFD similarly called out the decision of the Central Executive Committee (CED) to declare that Hon. Panton, Hon. Patrick Faber, John Saldivar and Williams have constructively resigned from the UDP. The release states that they became aware that the motion was proposed by Barrow and was supported by the 15 members in attendance, only four of whom were standard bearers. The Alliance questioned the effective purpose of the decision, saying that it falls short of expelling the four members. They refer to it as Barrow’s most absurd motion presented at his “handpicked” CEC “during his less than stellar time as Party Leader.” The AFD adds, “This latest move by Shyne Barrow is viewed as an attempt to draw attention away from his many violations of the UDP Constitution in removing and installing standard bearers without proper approval of the National Party Council, as well as refusing to allow a Recall Convention duly called for by the required amount (sic) of delegates.” As to those who are to vote when the matter goes to the NPC, the Alliance says it “does not expect that the Standard Bearers and their delegates … will approve this latest absurdity and that these colleagues may soon have to come to grips with the many delirious actions of their dictator Party Leader.”
Today, the decision of the CEC on the four senior party officials was leaked. It notes that the formation of the AFD violates the Party’s Constitutional prohibition of factionalism and division and is a display of lack of affirmative support for the leadership. The CEC also makes reference to precedence for a constructive resignation that was established in the case of Marcel Cardona, who was issued a letter on March 30, 2011 by the then UDP chairman, Hon. Patrick Faber, saying he had constructively resigned and the Party would therefore cease to regard him as a member.
All four politicians have declared via social media that they have not resigned from the UDP and do not intend to do so. Hon. Faber in particular remarked, “The longest serving member of parliament, former chairman, deputy party leader/deputy PM and former party leader … do you really think you can constructively resign me?” Williams and Saldivar also affirm they remain UDP standard bearers for their respective divisions. Saldivar said he follows the Party Constitution and respects the leader, but the same Constitution gives him the right to sign a petition to recall the Party Leader at any time. He commented, “When I was the Leader of the Caucus for Change and I campaigned for the recall of Hon. Patrick Faber, it was quite okay with the then Chairman Peyrefitte who granted the petition within a day of the submission. When the Caucus for Change campaigned for Hon. Shyne Barrow against Hon. Tracy Panton and secured a narrow victory for Shyne, we were not considered a fringe party.” Saldivar said he looks to his standard bearer colleagues to see who will stand up for what is right, fair and constitutional, and who will “bell the cat before we self- destruct.”
Notably, there was an attempt at mediation between the leadership of the party and Hon. Panton. It was chaired by Reverend C. David Goff; joined by former House Speaker, Laura Longsworth; the UDP’s Ethics Committee Chairman, Aldo Salazar; and Lindsay Garbutt, the National Campaign Manager as members. However, after one meeting with either side, Reverend Goff wrote the two parties saying they were suspending the mediation given the recent developments and a lack of compromise.