Cordel Hyde steps down from the PUP
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Belize is less than five weeks away from a double election and two weeks away from nomination day and today, Cordel Hyde stepped down from the PUP, citing personal reasons. Hyde's announcement also comes exactly one week after Anthony Mahler, the former PUP standard bearer for Caribbean Shores, stepped down for personal reasons as well. A press release sent out by Hyde today states."Last night I informed my PUP Lake I committee that I will not be contesting the upcoming general elections mainly because of a sudden illness in my immediate family. My son Khalid was diagnosed in New York Monday night with a cancer called Hodgkin’s lymphoma. It is curable, but he will need the full support of his immediate family." The release says that it was not an easy decision for Hyde since he had given 18 years of his life to politics. But while Hyde cited family illness as his reason for stepping down, he also commented onhis battles with the PUP over the years. In that release, Hyde said "the relationship with my party’s leadership over the years has not been the best. Sometimes the internal tension spilled over into the public’s domain with me not attending some party and parliamentary events, but never with me publicly commenting or condemning. People around the table will know that I agitated mightily inside for the party at its every turn to do what I thought was right for the people and country of Belize. It is no secret: I lost many of those battles. My absences were oftentimes my desperate but sincere attempts at getting the party to see the error of its ways, to return to its social justice roots." Hyde continued by saying that he did not win three straight general elections on his own but as a result of the hardworking men and women of Lake Independence and he thanked them for their support through thick and thin. The release concludes by saying "I hope that someday, long after the euphoria of elections have passed, and our names are forgotten, you will look back and say, we did it our way – the Lake I way. We did not yield; we never gave in. May it be said that we never lost our way, that in the days when hope unborn had died we stood strong; together we made the ultimate sacrifices. Scripture says there is a time for everything under the sun. I believe my time has come. For me, this campaign has come to an end". There has been no official word from the People’s United Party on Hyde’s resignation but word on the street is that the party is courting Yolanda Shackron as the possible standard bearer for Lake I. If you recall, Shackron was PUP’s hopeful for Mayoral candidacy in Belize City but in October of last year she had backed out of that race just around the time the PUP were leaderless after Briceno’s stepping down as party leader. We must also note that there has been wide spread rumours that PUP’s incumbent for Alberts, Mark Espat, may be stepping down as well. Again, that is just a rumour and our attempts at getting any official word proved futile.
