Host of political aspirants visit Rise and Shine
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Lamp-post and yards are decked with flags and signs from all political parties and independent candidates country countrywide. With elections only twenty-nine days away candidates seeking political office are visiting television and radio stations countrywide to get the plans they have for their constituency heard. A couple of those individuals have appeared on Plus TV's Rise and Shine. Charles Leslie aspirant for Stann Creek West tells us why he chose to run under the PNP.
Charles Leslie, Aspirant for Stann Creek West, PNP
First of all, the Independent is strong, but I joined the PNP because I respect their internal constitution. I respect Will Mejia for all he has done in Toledo; since forever Will has been an advocate for environmental issues down in Toledo and he has been an advocate for the people in Toledo for decades almost. So that’s what I respected about the PNP and in Belize we have a disunity, we don’t have a unity and the PNP, under the Belize Unity Alliance is a non-partisanship. So the allegiance of myself and of Will is to the people and the constituency and not the party. So that is why I went and joined Will, because I believe in Will and I believe in the PNP. It’s time for the south to get what we have earned and what we deserve.
Leader for the People's National Party Wil Mejia says that he believes that this is a year for the third parties and independent candidates.
Wil Mejia, Leader, PNP
I think it is definitely a year for the Independent and a year of the third parties, soon to become the first parties. The people have awakened; thanks to technology that is out there today, Facebook and the expansion of PlusTV country wide, people are seeing more. Twenty years ago, only limited information was available, today people are bombarded with information and they can make their own decision. You can get news form down south within a matter of minutes and some people are jumping on the bandwagon. This is the year of the PNP and you can see the growth; we have had Lewis who ran as an Independent Chairman for Placencia in 2010. I think that was very historic, because it wasn’t just that he ran and said, ‘We are all running’ and then said he is an Independent. No, he went up against the PUP and the UDP and beat them by a landslide. The proof is there; people are coming around and people are ready for this change.
Rodwell Ferguson representative for the Peoples United Party in Stann Creek West also appeared on Rise and Shine to share his vision for that constituency.
Rodwell Ferguson, Representative, PUP
First of all, I lost the election is 2008, and after my lost I said, I wonder if it’s because of my personality or something with me, then I realized after six months of thinking that it has to be because I was a PUP and the circumstances that led to the lost of the PUP in 2008. So immediately after those six months, I launched a campaign and I went back to all the villages and I held meeting at the village levels. They told me that I didn’t lose - it was the party that lost. So they said that they were prepared to give me an opportunity again to represent them whenever an election is called. So from that day I got confidence and I said that I will come back and represent the wonderful people in the Stann Creek West constituency.
Emilio Zabaneh Chairman of the executive for Stann Creek West says that he along with his committee and Rodwell will work to move that constituency forward.
Emilio Zabaneh, Chairman of the Executive for Stann Creek West
Bringing things back to Stann Creek West, as Chairman of the Executive of Stann Creek West, I want to speak to the people of Stann Creek West and assure them that as your Chairman, we will work and I promise you that we will work with Mr. Rodwel. You have to help me, but we have our little manifesto and we have plans for Stann Creek West and we plan to work with the People’s United Party to create jobs in Stann Creek West. That is what we believe will move our country forward - to create jobs. We have to empower the youth and we have to empower women. We need to get back to the basics. We need to continue to serve the people. Specifically, we have a lot of plans within Stann Creek West. We want to see the cruise industry grow down south. We are proposing that a cruise facility be built in Big Creek, where we have the only inland port in this country. Rodwell and I have sat down and he wants to see more tourist destinations opened up in Stann Creek West.
