UNITED DEMOCRATIC PARTY

United Democratic Party
Leader
Dean Barrow
Chairperson
Doug Singh
Spokesperson
Karim Berges (National Campaign Manager)
Established
1973
Headquarters
Near the Belchina Bridge, Belize City, Belize
Political ideology
Progressive, Social democracy
Website
UDP website
The United Democratic Party is one of Belize's two major political parties, and the current governing party. After ten years in opposition, the UDP won the February 2008 election with 25 out of 31 seats.[1]
Former Prime Minister of Belize Manuel Esquivel twice led the UDP to electoral victories in 1984 and 1993 before losing in 1998 and resigning. The present leader of the party is Prime Minister Dean Barrow, an attorney by trade. The party presents a centre-left, social democratic ideology.
The party colors are red and white. Its motto is "Keeping Democracy Alive".
Party Leader: Dean Barrow
Deputy Leaders: Gaspar Vega, Erwin Contreras
Chairman: Doug Singh
Vice Chairman: Frank Mena

Past Leaders
Phillip Goldson (with NIP) (1961-1974)
Dean Lindo (1974-1979)
Dr. Theodore Aranda (1979-1982)
Dr. Manuel Esquivel (1983-1998)

Founding
In 1974, electoral opposition in Belize was weak; the ruling People's United Party (PUP) had never lost a legislative election since its founding. The main opposition parties included the National Independence Party (NIP) and the People's Development Movement (PDM), led respectively by Phillip Goldson and Dean Lindo. Representatives of both parties, together with a new Liberal Party led by Manuel Esquivel, met to consider joining forces to fight the PUP electorally. The three parties fused into the new United Democratic Party on September 27, 1973, in time for general elections called for October 1974.

Early Electoral Success
A field of eighteen candidates were selected for the party's bid in 1974. The UDP won six seats and came within a combined eighteen votes of winning three more. Dean Lindo was subsequently named Leader, and Joseph Andrews of Cayo Deputy Leader.
The UDP won municipal votes in 1974 and 1977 and gained seats in 1975 and 1978, with their only setback coming with the defection of an area representative to the PUP. It was considered only a matter of time before the UDP formed a government. However, their 1979 bid failed; in November 21 elections the UDP won only five seats and party leader Lindo lost his to newcomer Said Musa. During this period the UDP advocated a cautious position on the status of the Guatemalan claim and a conservative view of economic policy.

Internal Dissension and Regrouping
In the early 1980s, the UDP suffered from internal maneuvering against new leader Theodore Aranda, a Garifuna from Dangriga. Aranda often claimed that Belize City elements were attempting to stall his leadership, a view refuted by other political observers. Nevertheless, it seemed the UDP had lost some of its original fervour. It put up only token resistance to the controversial Heads of Agreement designed to settle the Guatemalan claim in March 1981, and its position that independence be delayed to coincide with the resolution of the claim did not sit well with some parts of the electorate. Nevertheless, the UDP retained three towns in elections of December 1981.
In late 1982 Aranda was removed as head of the party and opposition leader, replaced by Belize City Representative Curl Thompson. At a January 1983 convention to settle the leadership of the party, college lecturer and UDP Senator Esquivel defeated popular former leader Goldson. Recovered from its dissension and benefiting from the unpopularity of the PUP government then in power, the UDP won Belize City Council elections in December of 1983 to set up a general elections showdown in 1984.

First Government
Riding on the shoulders of popular sentiment and the blunders of the PUP, Esquivel led the UDP to a resounding victory in general elections of December 14, 1984, securing 21 seats out of a possible 28 (the number having been upgraded from eighteen). Esquivel pursued a course of minimal government, choosing to concentrate on exports and luring foreign investment.
During its term in office the UDP joined the International Democratic Union and Caribbean Democratic Union, two groupings of political parties, in 1984 and 1985, respectively.
The UDP, in preparing for general elections in 1989, boasted of "rescuing the economy" and turning around the fortunes of less fortunate Belizeans. They pointed to improvements in education, transport, tourism, industry, agriculture and social lifestyles. However, black marks against the UDP included too much dependence on Taiwan and the United States, lack of party unity and a feeling of victimization of certain elements of Belizean society when it fired almost 1,000 public officers in 1995. The PUP had scored victories in municipal towns in the late 1980s, and said they intended to "Put Belizeans First", a reference to the aforementioned domination of government by Taiwanese and American investors.

Between the Governments
The UDP lost general elections of September 4, 1989 by a tally of 15 seats to 13. Esquivel became Leader of the Opposition for the second time. The UDP, while appearing to be stable outwardly, faced a series of events that nearly split the party in half.
In September 1991, Guatemala recognised Belize as a separate territory after pressing a claim to its lands for the previous two and a half centuries. Belizeans took the news warily, well aware that Guatemala could be tricky with regard to their claim. As part of the resolving of the dispute, Belize signed a Maritime Areas Bill that recognised Guatemala's right to Caribbean access that would otherwise have been denied. Esquivel and his deputy Dean Barrow agreed to support the Bill and help sell it to Belizeans.
Unfortunately for the duo, parliamentarians from within the UDP, angry at the complicity of Esquivel and Barrow and rigidly opposing any relations with Guatemala occurring without a full dropping of the claim, resigned in late 1991. These included Phillip Goldson, Derek Aikman and Hubert Elrington. This trio proceeded to form the Patriotic Alliance for Territorial Integrity (PATI) which ultimately became the National Alliance for Belizean Rights (NABR). Goldson charged in early 1992 that Belizean government had become a "two-horse race" between the PUP and UDP (meaning Esquivel and Barrow) and that a third party such as NABR was needed to straddle the middle. The embarrassed duo stopped supporting the now Maritime Areas Act (it had been passed in assembly) and began actively courting Goldson and Elrington. Aikman was forced out of his constituency on charges of bankruptcy in 1992.
In January 1993, the United Kingdom elected to remove most of their troops kept in Belize to stop Guatemala from pressing its claim. This, combined with electoral success in the bye-election for Aikman's seat and the municipal elections of 1993 in Belize City emboldened the PUP to call elections 18 months ahead of schedule, on June 30, 1993. With less than a month to go before voting, the UDP uncovered evidence that the PUP was secretly encouraging alien immigrants to register and vote in the elections. The UDP also hoped to prove that the PUP encouraged the British to leave, intending to again concede Belize to Guatemala.
For further information on these events see National Alliance for Belizean Rights.

Second Government
The UDP, in coalition with National Alliance for Belizean Rights (NABR), won general elections of June 30, 1993 by 16 seats to 13 for the PUP. Manuel Esquivel was elected prime minister for a second time. Notable about the UDP's victory is that only 49% or so of Belizeans voted for them; it is the only time in Belizean political history that a party recorded a win in general elections without the majority of national voter support.
Early in the UDP's second term in office, Guatemala revived its claim to Belize, stating that all territory south of the Sibun River was theirs and demanding a hearing in the International Court of Justice. The two countries would eventually begin another series of talks, although border incidents involving Guatemalans entering the country illegally and Belizean law enforcement continued.
The UDP were able to make further improvements in several sectors of Belizean life, including the reduction of gang violence, the rise of tourism as a major industry, improvements in infrastructure and social development. However, Belizeans were dissatisfied with the country's economic performance and the remoteness of its officials, including Esquivel. Opponents often scathingly commented that Deputy Prime Minister Dean Barrow was "Minister of Everything" due to his frequent appearances before the Belizean public. Charges of corruption and nepotism were frequently levelled against Ministers Salvador Fernandez, Hubert Elrington, Eduardo "Dito" Juan, Ruben Campos and Elodio Aragon. The PUP made significant strides in popularity, much as had happened with the previous UDP administration, and seemed poised to win in 1998, even as a discouraged UDP made valiant attempts to shore up its public image.

The UDP from 1998 to 2008
The UDP lost general elections of August 27, 1998, winning only three seats. Party leader Dr. Manuel Esquivel lost his seat in Caribbean Shores division and immediately resigned. In early September, Dean Barrow was named Party Leader and Leader of the Opposition.

New Media
The UDP established a radio station, WAVE Radio, at a compound on Fabers Road in Belize City late in 1998 before moving it to their headquarters off the Belchina Bridge sometime thereafter. After shutting down its main political organ the People's Pulse due to unpaid bills, the UDP created the new Guardian newspaper to replace it, naming journalist Audrey Matura Tillett as editor. She was replaced by Herbert Panton and then by current editor John Avery. WAVE's current general manager is Juliet Thimbriel.

The 2003 General Elections
Main article: Belize legislative election, 2003
In the runup to general elections in 2003, the UDP stressed its willingness to learn from its mistakes in office. It fielded a slate of 29 candidates for the 5 March elections. In the last three months prior to the election, several scandals involving party favouritism in the ruling People's United Party gave the UDP greater confidence. However, the electorate showed that they still did not fully trust them, and voted them only seven seats. Barrow was named to the post of Leader of the Opposition for the second time.

Participation in the 2005 protests
Main article: 2005 Belize unrest
In January 2005, Belizeans engaged in protests against the PUP's new budget, claiming it demanded too much from the people. UDP supporters demonstrated in front of the National Assembly building on January 14 and January 21, and were behind the scenes encouraging union and student activists to continue taxing the energies of the PUP, making them weaker in the eyes of the people. Barrow famously stated in April 2005 that if necessary he would sanction civil disobedience among his supporters if it meant removing the PUP. Late in the year the UDP began naming candidates for elections in 2008, then more than two and a half years away.

National Convention
The UDP held its National Convention to elect party leaders in May 2006. Dean Barrow was reapproved Party Leader after his success in March 2006, despite claims he might step down in the weeks prior to the election. Elected as Deputy Leaders, Chairman and Deputy Chairman respectively were Gaspar Vega, Erwin Contreras, Frank "Pawpa" Mena, and Doug Singh.
After former soldier Robert Garcia left his post as National Campaign Manager early in 2007, the UDP named Karim Berges, businessman and activist, to replace him.

Third Government
The UDP was successful at the polls on February 7, 2008, winning 25 of 31 seats, with Barrow becoming the nation's fourth Prime Minister.
The new Prime Minister is on record as promising honest, open administration, and has named a cabinet of sixteen ministers and 5 ministers of state.

THE POLITICAL SYSTEMS OF BELIZE

Having given all the Prime Ministers of Belize from its Independence to present, I will now give information on the political parties in the country of Belize. Once this is done we will continue with other persons who have become famous and notable people in Belize.

People's United Party
Last Party Leader (Soon a new election of Party Leader will be held)
Said Musa

Chairperson
Henry Charles Usher

Spokesperson
Yasser Musa

Establishment of Party
The PUP was established in 1950.

Headquarters
Independence Hall, 3 Queen Street, Belize City, Belize

Political ideology
Capitalist, Christian Democrat

Website
PUP website

The People's United Party is one of two major political parties in Belize, and currently the main opposition party. It is a Christian Democratic party; the current Party Leader is Said Musa.
The PUP governed Belize from independence in 1981 to 1984, and then from 1989 to 1993 and from 1998 to 2008. Under former leader George Cadle Price, it had dominated Belizean politics from the first elections in 1954 to 1984.
The PUP won 22 of the 29 seats in the House of Representatives in 2003. It subsequently held 21 seats after losing one to the United Democratic Party in a by-election in October 2003, after the death of one of their Members of Parliament (MPs).
After nearly ten years in power, the PUP lost the February 2008 election, winning six out of 31 seats.
The party colors are blue and white.

Leaders of the PUP since establishment:
John Smith (1950-1952)
Leigh Richardson (Acting) (1953-1956)
George Cadle Price (1956-1996)
Said Musa (1996-present)

History under the PUP
Early history (1941-1952) and the 1940s politics with the trade unions are notable historical events.
Belizean politics in the 1940s was dominated by activists from the trade unions, particularly the Workers and Tradesmen's Union (later the General Workers Union), which had just received its right to organize British Honduran workers. Among the Union's leaders (some of whom would later be prominent in the PUP) were Clifford Betson, Antonio Soberanis, Henry Middleton and Nicholas Pollard Sr.

Coalescing against the British
Among the favourite places for anti-British sentiment to manifest itself was the Belize Town Board (now City Council), which offered opportunities for anti-colonial elements to gather strength and support from British Hondurans. A group of college-educated students, led by John Smith, George Price, Herbert Fuller and Herman Jex were all elected to positions on the Board and later the Legislative Council, assuring that they would be well placed to act. On December 31, 1949, an incident occurred that would force them to act.

Devaluation and the People's Committee
On this date, a Saturday, the Governor devalued the Belize dollar after previously insisting he would not do so. An ad hoc committee, the People's Committee (PC), was formed in January 1950 and began to speak out against this unwelcome act in particular and colonialism in general. Such members as Price and Smith in street corner meetings and Goldson and Richardson behind the printing press of the sympathetic daily the Belize Billboard, pressed the issue and sought the support of the Belizean people. A wave of anti-British and anti-colonial sentiment struck British Honduras (or Belize as the PC called it for the first time) that had never before been seen, not even in the 1930s at the height of Belize's Labour Movement. The PC found that almost overnight it had become the salvation of the people.

Formation
Belizeans rapidly accepted the new party's statements against colonialism and exploitation of the masses. On February 12, 1950, a crowd of 10,000 marched to Government House in Belize City and proceeded to stone the houses of supposed pro-British elements. A meeting at the Battlefield Park in central Belize City was teargassed by police, and a state of emergency was imposed until July. It was the first time that Belizeans had spoken so forcefully against British colonial policy and on a national level, featuring men and women. By April, the PC/PUP had infiltrated the General Workers Union and sought to turn it toward a nationalist, capitalist perspective. By September 1950, an overworked PC was forced to admit that it had overreached itself and that the work of enlightening British Hondurans was the vein of a political party. Its members agreed unanimously to the dissolving of the PC and the birth of the PUP on September 29, 1950.

The colonialists respond
A draft constitutional report prepared to examine Belize's readiness for development appeared in April 1951. It argued that the British system allowed Belizeans to "(enjoy) the fruits of their labours" and argued that rapid political development in such a multi-ethnic society as Belize's was "premature". Among its complaints was that development was not uniform among all ethnic groups, the dominance of the Creoles, widespread illiteracy, and overall "backwardness' of Belizeans, especially outside of Belize City. Its views reflected those of the middle class of merchants and colonial supporters who saw no reason for change. The PUP attacked the report, mobilized its supporters against it and declared a break with all things colonial, including the name "British Honduras"; PUP leaders routinely referred to the country as Belize thereafter until the name was officially changed in 1973.
The colonialists also sought to mobilize support, and created a National Party in August 1951 to oppose the PUP; this party drew its support from middle-class Belizeans and British officials. One month earlier the colonial government dissolved the PUP-dominated Belize City Council for neglecting to place a portrait of King George VI in its chambers, and in October jailed PUP leaders Richardson and Phillip Goldson for an article in a local newspaper justifying revolution. Leader John Smith left immediately after that, having failed to persuade the party to fly a "Union Jack" at its meeting to counter statements that Guatemala had been aiding the PUP. In City Council elections of 1952, the party won just three of nine seats, with four going to the National Party and two to independents. The National Party had managed to recruit respectable anti-PUP elements from among women's leaders, trade unions and middle-class representatives and presented a better front. Nevertheless, George Price, the only leader to escape the colonial attack, topped the polls.

Expansion and dissension (1953-1969)

The General Strike
The PUP for the moment turned its attention to the labour front. George Price was named head of the GWU in April 1952, and returning leaders Richardson and Goldson called for a "Crusade against Colonialism". The national holiday, on September 10, was dominated by a PUP-sponsored parade that clearly showed how much it had grown beyond its early years. Another opportunity came in October of 1952 after workers at a Stann Creek citrus factory called a strike and were joined by their fellows in the Colonial Development Cooperation, United Fruit Company, Public Works Department and Belize Estate Company sawmill operations. Originally called for two days, the strike lasted 49 days on the support of Belizeans across the country, forcing the colonial government to capitulate and call for negotiations with all of the managements except for the BEC, which shut down its sawmill and left 268 workers jobless. Calls for scab labour were met with violence from demonstrators and a number of people were arrested, but by December 8 some 48 workers were on the job and the GWU called off the strike. Membership in the GWU (and support for the PUP) rose dramatically.

First National Elections
Main article: British Honduras legislative election, 1954
The new constitution envisioned by the 1951 draft report called for universal adult suffrage and a Legislative Council of nine members. General elections, the nation's first, were called for April 28, 1954 and were contested by the PUP, the NP and independent candidates. The PUP stressed anti-colonialism and stood against the proposed British West Indies Federation which they claimed would destroy Belize's economy; their opponents continued to argue that the PUP was a front for Guatemala. The GWU proved important in getting out the vote in the districts and even provided candidates in certain areas. On election day, 70% of the electorate voted, awarding the PUP eight seats and the National Party 1. A chagrined colonial government pledged to work with the PUP; the cautious victors replied that such a partnership would be welcomed only if it "did not retard the campaign against the colonial system". The colonials sought every opportunity to wreak havoc within the Party. Already, the PUP was divided between a faction led by Richardson and Goldson, who advocated accepting the offer, and Price, who refused to compromise himself.

Party Dissension and Colonial Mind Games
This party dispute came to a head in the summer of 1956, in which ten central committee members left the Party, including Richardson and Phillip Goldson. A majority in the elected government, they nonetheless felt threatened by the overwhelming support in the street for Price, who controlled the rank and file through his connection with the GWU. Price was thereafter undisputed leader of the party, and went unchallenged for nearly four decades as such. As a minor result of the resignations, the GWU lost its popularity and this signaled the end of Labour's attempt to control the country's movement. The prodigal members had an equally hard time of it: their new party, in elections of March 1957, managed just 17% of voter popularity and overall voter turnout dropped to 63%.
A pleased colonial government now turned up the heat full blast on George Price. They dismissed him from the Executive Council on the old charge of selling out to Guatemala, giving his opponents something to work with; although Belizeans still debate the relationship between Price and Guatemala, the charges were not immediately serious. In March 1958, a protracted charge of sedition was laid on him for supposedly uncomplimentary remarks about the possible reception of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom in Belize. A jury acquitted him and the charges backfired. Moreover, the PUP achieved its greatest electoral dominance in 1961 elections, sweeping all eighteen seats from the hapless National Independence Party.

Working Toward Self-government
In contrast with its early years of mass action against the colonial order, the PUP of the 1960s was more focused on change from within. In October 1961, Hurricane Hattie arrived on the shores of Belize City, causing destruction in the de facto capital. The PUP immediately began calling for the moving of the capital to higher ground, to escape flooding. This demand led to the construction of Belize's current capital, Belmopan, later in the decade, as well as the village of Hattieville, 16 miles from the city, to host the hurricane's evacuees. It also showed that George Price's vision for the country was national, rather than insular.
As of 1959, a women's arm of the Party, the United Women's Group (UWG), was created under Gwendolyn Lizarraga, later Belize's first female Minister; its task was to mobilize Belize's women to eradicate poor conditions in housing and urban development. Its efforts were mixed at best and illustrate the PUP's unwillingness to allow women much room in the march to development, preferring them to depend on their male counterparts in government.
On January 1, 1963, Belize achieved internal self-government, the last step before full independence. All matters outside of foreign affairs and national defense would now be the province of the government. The British also retained the public service, including bureaucrats and police, and internal security, meaning that loyalty was a higher priority than development and forcing Price to actively recruit the middle class to the PUP's side.
The PUP in this era presided over the shift from forestry to agriculture, the rise of the sugar industry, reforms to labour laws, land distribution, infrastructural development and increased social services contributing to a general improvement in the standard of living.

The 1970s and early 1980s: new challenges
As the PUP moved into the 1970s, it controlled the nation of Belize like never before. It had not lost an election, general or municipal, ever, and enjoyed the confidence of the Belizean people. But new challenges arose that would ultimately lessen Belizeans' confidence in the PUP.

UBAD and PAC
In 1968, students began returning from abroad with a serious sense of the kind of development Belize needed to stay afloat in the modern world. Evan X Hyde, a young black middle-class Creole, graduated Dartmouth College, a predominantly white school, with an A.B. in English in 1968. He formed the United Black Association for Development (UBAD) in early 1969 and began seriously attacking the PUP's economic and social policies, equating them with neo-colonialism and denouncing them as "politricks". He joined trained lawyers Said Musa and Assad Shoman in the formation of their People's Action Committee (PAC), which was against "the North Atlantic economic domination (of Belize)" (Shoman) and in the analogue movement RAM (Revolutionary Action Movement) formed by a fusion of the two. Though none of these movements lasted for very long, they all left serious impressions on the psyche of the PUP, which prided itself on being the party of the people. The PUP first tried to silence them, stripping the latter of their jobs and laying charges of sedition, housebreaking and robbery on the former, all of which he dodged. When that did not work, they tried coopting them: Shoman and Musa later played prominent roles in the PUP and Hyde was thereafter relatively quiet in defence of or opposition to them. However, the party was shown to be indecisive in its handling of the two groups.

The UDP and Dwindling Fortunes
At the formation of the United Democratic Party, a combination of the NIP, PDM and Liberal oppositions, it was thought that they could not present a worthy challenge to the ruling party. What happened next proved otherwise. The UDP proceeded, under Dean Lindo, to come within 18 votes of throwing the 18 seat Belize House of Representatives into deadlock, seized control of the Belize City Council from the PUP (for the first time in two decades) and winning municipal votes in 1975, 1977 and 1978. While Belizeans still wanted independence, it was felt that the UDP needed an opportunity to prove themselves in government. The results of the 1979 elections showed that the UDP had not quite passed that test, particularly because of their demands for a delayed independence due to Guatemala's claim to Belize remaining unsettled. While the PUP eventually fended off this initial UDP challenge, their policy on Guatemala and independence at any cost would prove the party's undoing.

Heads of (Dis)Agreement and the PUP's decline
On January 30, 1981, Premier Price presented to the house a paper with suggestions for the new constitution to come into effect on the eve of independence, which the United Nations maintained had to be no later than the end of 1981 when it supported Belize in a resolution at its 1980 meeting. On March 11, Price, Assad Shoman and other Belizean negotiators returned with a series of proposals they called the "Heads of Agreement", though nothing had actually been agreed on. The sixteen clauses called for Belize to make tough choices in order for the claim to be dropped, but Belizeans rebelled and set the country afire, forcing a state of emergency. It was under this state of emergency that Belize gained independence on September 21, 1981, a hollow victory that came at the price of losing Belizeans' trust. The PUP, hanging on for three more years despite economic losses and general discontent, finally called a general election for December 1984, and lost, 21-7, to the UDP. In many ways, it was the end of an era.

Reform and Resurgence
The PUP for much of the 1980's was heavily divided and out of ideas, characterized by intra-party fights such as the 1983 national convention in which Said Musa challenged Louis Sylvester, or occasional disputes between the so-called "left wing" of Shoman and Musa and the "right wing" of Sylvester, Ralph Fonseca and persons considered to be the chief financiers of the PUP. In 1986, Musa won the chairmanship position and began recruiting new faces into the party. The immediate result of this was improvement in municipal elections in the late 1980s and a close general election victory in 1989. In its first post-independence term the PUP hardly shied away from the same economic policy the UDP had utilized, involving economic growth by improving services. An early election in 1993 cost the PUP a chance to stay in power, and saw them in opposition a second time. The PUP used the time to do some internal repairs at national conventions in May 1994 and November 1996, which saw the resignation of George Price as party leader; Said Musa defeated Florencio Marin Sr. in the ensuing convention to name a new leader. After winning municipal votes in 1996 and 1997 and the general elections in 1998, the PUP were riding high once again.

The PUP Today
The PUP has led Belize to eight consecutive years of growth, despite serious external and internal shocks to the traditional and non-traditional bases of the economy.
In 2004 several Ministers resigned from Cabinet citing inability to work within the current system. The party wooed them back almost immediately, but aftershocks from this incident continue to affect the party.
Belizeans today are more skeptical of the party than ever before due to constant accusations of corruption which it says are falsified. The 2005 protests in Belize highlighted some of these claims.

National Convention and Current Leaders
The PUP held its last national convention on July 1, 2007 in Corozal Town. These are the leaders emerging from that convention:
Party Leader: Said Musa
Leader Emeritus: George Price (no day-to-day role in the party)
Deputy Leaders: Godfrey Smith, Johnny Briceño, Juan "Vildo" Marin (all re-elected)
General Secretary: Henry Charles Usher
Treasurer: unknown
Public Relations: Yasser Musa
Campaign Manager: Ralph Fonseca

PUP Media
Newspaper: The Belize Times published every week at party headquarters, Editor: Andrew Steinhauer
Radio: Positive Vibes Radio 90.5 and 102.9 FM (replacing FM 2000) Manager: Vaughan Gill

Trivia
George Price is usually referred to as "Father of the Nation" by PUP supporters for leading Belize to independence.
Released a CD compilation of campaign songs in the 2003 elections, a first in Belize. The CD, "Go PUP", features the immensely popular "Welcome to the Party" by Belizean punta artist Supa G, sung in various local dialects as well as English.
Lost the 1993 elections despite polling more votes overall than the UDP. The PUP has only been outpolled in popular votes once, in 1984 at that time. This year, 2008, they lost the general elections again. Restructuring of the PUP is underway.

WHO'S WHO IN BELIZE, CENTRAL AMERICA - PART V

The Honourable Dean Oliver Barrow
Prime Minister of Belize
Incumbent
Assumed office 08 February 2008
Monarch
Elizabeth II
Governor General
Colville Young
Preceded by
Said Musa
Constituency
Queen's Square
Born
2 March 1951 (1951-03-02) (age 56)
Political party
UDP
Profession
Lawyer

Dean Oliver Barrow (born March 2, 1951) is a Belizean politician and the Prime Minister of Belize. He is also the leader of the United Democratic Party. An attorney by trade, he served as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1993 to 1998 and was then Leader of the Opposition until the UDP won the February 2008 election. Following his party's victory in the 2008 election, he became Prime Minister.
He has four children, the oldest of whom is rapper Jamal "Shyne" Barrow, born November 8, 1978, currently serving a prison sentence in the United States of America.

Education
Barrow attended St. Michael's College in Belize and Norman Manley Law School in Kingston, Jamaica.

Legal Career
Barrow, a senior counsel, is also considered one of Belize's more successful attorneys and has appeared in several high profile cases. He began his legal work in the law firm of uncle Dean Lindo in 1973 and became a partner in 1977. He would eventually leave to form his own law firm. He is currently senior partner in the local law firm Barrow and Williams (with Rodwell Williams), and frequently appears in court to argue sensitive cases. Among his more controversial clients is Lord Michael Ashcroft and the businesses he is in charge of, particularly the Belize Bank and BTL.

Political career
In 1983 Barrow entered electoral politics as a candidate for Belize City Council elections in December of 1983, which he won as part of a nine-man slate. He then participated in general elections of December 1984 as a candidate for the Queen's Square electoral division against, ironically, former fellow MP Ralph Fonseca. Barrow defeated Fonseca handily and was nominated to Cabinet as Attorney General and Minister of Foreign Affairs in addition to being Prime Minister Manuel Esquivel's deputy in the Government and the UDP from March of 1990.
In the 1989 general election, Barrow defeated Thomas Greenwood but his party lost the election. Barrow continued as Deputy Party Leader to Manuel Esquivel and in his law practice. In 1993, Barrow won his third straight general election, over Juliet Soberanis, and returned to Cabinet in the posts he held from the previous administration in addition to Minister of National Security. His detractors called him "Minister of Everything" during this period because he appeared at most major functions on behalf of the UDP government.
After the 1998 elections loss in which he was one of only three representatives who retained a seat for the UDP, Barrow was elevated to Party Leader and Leader of the Opposition, replacing Manuel Esquivel in both positions. Barrow has presided over the smallest Oppositions (3 and 7 respectively) in the House of Representatives since 1974 and ever in the UDP's history. Barrow has won his last two elections by closer margins than his previous elections over attorney Richard "Dickie" Bradley.
Barrow was re-elected for the sixth time against the PUP's Anthony Sylvester and Ebony Babb of the NRTCP.
The UDP won a massive victory, with 25 out of 31 seats, in the general election held on February 7, 2008, and Barrow was sworn in as Prime Minister on February 8. He is the country's first black Prime Minister. He announced his Cabinet, including himself as Minister of Finance, on February 11

IT SUNDAY IN BELIZE. LET'S HAVE A LITTLE CHANGE UNTIL TOMORROW

HERE IS A BIT OF NEWS EVENTS OCCURING IN BELIZE AT THIS TIME

Belizeans head to Taiwanese Medical School
On Saturday, two Belizean officer cadets of the Belize Defence Force will leave the country bound for Taiwan. Twenty-one year old Chantel Castillo and twenty year old Hugo Rosa received scholarships from the Ministry of National Defence of Taiwan to study medicine at the National Defence Medical Centre. The program is for seven and a half years, but before they get to their medical studies, the cadets will first spend four months enrolled in a language course and another eight weeks in military training. This afternoon the officer cadets told us the scholarships are a dream come true.Chantel Castillo, Taiwanese Scholarship Recipient“Quite honestly I have a mixture of feelings. I am happy, I am excited. Of course there is also a feeling of nervousness in going away to a new country and experiencing a whole new culture, but I honestly feel honoured and blessed at the opportunity that myself and the other cadet, Hugo have been given.”Hugo de la Rosa, Taiwanese Scholarship Recipient“My reaction was, I am blessed, I am honoured. I feel it’s a privilege that many youths would want to have and I know it’s competitive, especially medical career it’s very difficult to get in and I know that I motivate those youths who are in sixth form who wan to study to join the B.D.F. and so that they can gain opportunities to go foreign and to bring their dreams to a reality.”Joseph Shih, Taiwanese Ambassador to Belize“We are very happy we are able to open a new page for our cooperation with the B.D.F. and of course it’s in our effort continuously to uplift and enhance the capacity brewing in the B.D.F. this is going to be a long program, long training, seven years and at the end of that become a general practitioner.”Col. Dario Tapia, Deputy Commander, B.D.F.“We are strengthening the relationship, military to military and hence those two scholarships and in the future we are hoping to get pilots trained in Taiwan.”Kendra Griffith“What can you tell us in Mandarin?”Hugo de la Rosa“Ninhoa, which is hello.”Chantel and Hugo joined the Belize Defence Force about a year ago. Chantel is from Belize City, while Hugo lives in Guinea Grass.If you are one of the many Belizeans students looking for a way to further your education, both Deputy Commander Colonel Dario Tapia and Ambassador Joseph Shih, say in the coming weeks they will be seeking other applicants who want to study abroad. The officer selection begins at eight next Friday at Price Barracks. Applicants need to bring proof of citizenship, education, and clothing because they will be confined to the barracks for the two-day programme.Joseph Shih“I am very happy to report that next week actually, we are going to announce again the Taiwan program for 2008 in concert with our international cooperation fund. That’s the largest program we offer, scholarship I mean, for the Belizean students. Last year, for instance, we have twenty-three students as recipient of I.C.D.F. program and also six for Taiwan scholarship program. So that makes Taiwan as one of the largest scholarship giving countries. But I encourage to take this opportunity of course, the students of Belize to take full advantage of the opportunity.”Col. Dario Tapia“People who want to join the officer corps of the Belize Defence Force that we have an officer selection board scheduled for the twenty-eight of February and the eighth of March. It’s a two-day process. As long as they are in sixth form, minimum, they have graduated from sixth form or are enrolled to finish sixth form for prospective candidates so that we can send them abroad to do a particular course of studies. So if any of the Belizean young fellows who are willing and want to serve their country, this is an excellent opportunity to sit this selection board.”The Taiwanese scholarships are for persons interested in earning Bachelors, Masters degrees in that country.


Godwin Hulse & Paul Perriot Senators Designate

He rose to national prominence in 2005 when he led BTL workers in a shutdown of the national telecommunications provider. And now Belize Communication Workers Union President Paul Perriot will be a senator. He was chosen last night as the senator designate for the National Trade Union Congress of Belize. In a four way race, Perriot received 10 of 21 votes. He takes over from NTUCB President Rene Gomez who served as senator until the House was dissolved in January.
In other news, the Chamber of Commerce has voted that Godwin Hulse will be its nominee for senator. Hulse bested John Grief 60 to 13 in an inter-chamber election. Next week Tuesday he will face off against the Better Business Bureau’s nominee. The persons winning that election will be the business sector senator.



Coast Guard at the Crossroads of Change

Minister of National Security Carlos Perdomo has been making the rounds in the past week. He’s visited the police, the Immigration Department and the BDF. And today it was the baby of the bunch - the Coast Guard. This protector of Belize’s seas and coastline may be newly commissioned – but as I found out today – there are big plans for the Belize Coast Guard.

Jacqueline Godwin Reports: We are not sure why the decision was made to relocate the National Coast Guard formerly the Belize Defence Force Marine Wing to its present location in the Ladyville area but it has not helped in the tactical operations on our waters and at sea. It is has been a challenge to secure and rescue because there is no immediate access from the Coast Guard’s docking area alongside the Belize River to the open waters.
It takes at least half an hour to carefully manoeuvre their vessels for a quarter mile through the winding tributary littered with debris and overhanging branches. The ride is further delayed by no wake zones on the Belize River. It’s a deployment impediment that was pointed out to the new Minister of National Security Carlos Perdomo when he visited the facility today for the first time since his official appointment.
Hon. Carlos Perdomo, Minister of National Security said,“The Belize Coast Guard is one of our youngest service organisations and so it has a long way to go. It is in its budding stages but it is going to be a very crucial element for our security because the Coast Guard will take care of the safety and security at sea.”

But as the threat at sea develops so does the Belize Coast Guard. Commandant Brigadier General Cedric Borland told 7NEWS that major plans are underway to allow for easy and quick deployment from two strategic locations this includes the relocation to the Belizean Beach area by mile four on the Western Highway and a base at Calabash Caye.

Brig. Gen. Cedric Borland, Commandant - National Coast Guard commented,“This is going to be a forward base for us to deploy if there are any incidents, any emergencies out at sea we are already out there and ready to deploy. We will have two vessels posted at that location for immediate response within that area. We are also looking at setting up our main headquarters in the area of Belizean Beach so the Coast Guard continues to develop.”

The relocation from Ladyville to the Belizean Beach area won’t happen for the next two years. Construction on the million dollar headquarters should start by the end of the year. In the meantime the National Coast Guard continues to forge ahead as it has since its inception in 2005.

Brig. Gen. Cedric Borland noted,“In fact we started off with just six vessels, now we have nine vessels. We started off with 55 men, we are about to take in a recruit of 30 men, a recruit intake of 30 men.”

As part of the familiarisation tour Minister Perdomo viewed a slide presentation on the Coast Guard’s operations along Belize’s two hundred and thirty five mile long coastline.

Hon., Carlos Perdomo remarked,“It also beginning the work to share the new direction and the new policies of government.”

Brig. Gen. Cedric Borland commented,“We are able to patrol all the way north in Bacalar Chico, we are out at the Turneffe Atolls, we have a station known as Hunting Caye where we have one vessel deployed. We have a minimum of at least three vessels out at sea at any one time so we can consider that adequate. What we are not able to do at this time is perhaps go well into the exclusive economic zone because our vessels are not capable of the endurance out there but that is an area we are working on at this time.”

Minister Perdomo says while the Belize Coast Guard should be saluted for what it has accomplished there is still a lot of work ahead. That includes more vessels and other resources.

Hon. Carlos Perdomo said,“Our operational skills will improve with more boats. The Coast Guard will expand personnel wise, operational wise. So in four or five years we will see an increase in the presence of the Coast Guard in the number of vessels. So it takes a little while but as I said, it is a new unit but it is developing fast.”

In January Commander of the 12th US Air Force Base. Lt. General Norman R. Seip made an official visit to Belize. One area of discussion included the assistance of helicopters to help improve our national security. Perdomo says that possibility still exists.

Hon. Carlos Perdomo continued,“Those talks about helicopters will be a Central American initiative and I only known very generally the details about it but we will sit down and pursue it. It is not something that’s right around the corner but it is developing and we will how that goes.”

And for a Coast Guard at the crossroads of change, the next few years will make for interesting watching.

The National Coast Guard works closely with the BDF, the Police, Fisheries Department and other agencies like the Belize Audubon Society.


HAVE A BLESSED SUNDAY.
Yours ,
Brenda A. Ysaguirre

WHO'S WHO IN BELIZE, CENTRAL AMERICA - PART IV

The Right Honourable Said Wilbert Musa
5th Prime Minister of Belize
In officeAugust 28, 1998 – February 8, 2008
Monarch
Elizabeth II
Governor General
Colville Young
Deputy
Juan Vildo Marin
Preceded by
Manuel Esquivel
Succeeded by
Dean Barrow
Constituency
Fort George, Belize District
Born
March 19, 1944 (1944-03-19) (age 63)San Ignacio, Belize
Political party
PUP
Spouse
Joan Musa
Profession
Lawyer
Said Wilbert Musa (born March 19, 1944) is a Belizean lawyer and politician. He was the Prime Minister of Belize from August 28, 1998 to February 8, 2008.

Early life and education
Said Musa was born in San Ignacio of Palestinian descent. He was the fourth of eight children by Hamid and Aurora Musa.
As a boy, Musa attended Saint Andrew's Primary School in San Ignacio. He then attended high school at St. Michael's College in Belize City and later St. John's College Sixth Form. He then studied law at the University of Manchester in England, receiving an Honours Degree in Law in 1966. He returned to Belize the following year, serving as crown counsel and then going into private practice.
Political career
Musa joined the People's United Party (PUP) under George Cadle Price. He ran for Parliament for the first time in 1974 in the Fort George constituency and was narrowly defeated by Dean Lindo, losing by 46 votes. He was, however, successful in the 1979 election, winning the Fort George seat and defeating Lindo by a margin of 71 votes. He served as Attorney General and Minister for Economic Development from 1979 to 1984. In the first years of independence, Musa served on the committee that wrote the Belizean Constitution.
In the 1984 election, Musa was defeated by Lindo, losing by a margin of 57 votes, but he regained his seat in the 1989 election, defeating Lindo by 449 votes; he has won the Fort George constituency in every election since. Musa was Minister of Foreign Affairs and Education from 1989 to 1993. He took over the leadership of the PUP in 1996 and led the party to a landslide victory in elections in 1998 and 2003.
Musa led Belize to significant growth over his near-decade long term in office, but his popularity has declined severely in recent years due to increasing perceptions of corruption among his Cabinet and within his party.
Outside of Belize, Musa chaired several regional organizations, including CARICOM.
Musa again led the PUP into the election held on February 7, 2008, but this time the PUP suffered a severe defeat at the hands of the UDP, winning only six out of 31 seats. Musa himself was re-elected in the Fort George constituency. UDP leader Dean Barrow succeeded Musa as Prime Minister on February 8.
Musa said on the day of the 2008 election that he intended for it to be his last election. After the PUP's defeat, he congratulated Barrow. He considered the opposition's focus on allegations of corruption and negativity from the media to be primary factors in the defeat.
On February 13, 2008, Musa announced that he was stepping down as party leader so that the PUP could "renew itself from the top." The PUP will hold a convention on March 30, 2008 to select his successor.
Family
Musa is married to Joan Musa. His son Yasser is a respected artist, poet and entertainer in Belize and currently heads its arts council, the National Institute of Culture and History (NICH) in addition to serving as chief of public relations for the PUP. Another son, Kareem, recently returned to Belize with a law degree and has taken on a number of prominent cases recently.
He also has two other sons, Mark Musa (a doctor in England) and Said Musa Jr.(a graduate of USF with a Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration).

WHO'S WHO IN BELIZE, CENTRAL AMERICA - PART III

The Right Honourable Dr. Manuel Esquivel

Manuel Esquivel, born in 1940, Prime Minister of Belize (1984-1989, 1993-1998). Born in Belize City, Esquivel earned a bachelor of science degree from Loyola University in New Orleans, Louisiana, and a certificate in physics education from the University of Bristol, England. He taught science and mathematics at Saint John’s Junior College in Belize City before becoming involved in politics.

Esquivel was one of the founders of the United Democratic Party (UDP) and was chosen as the party leader. Elected to the Senate (the upper chamber of the national legislature) in 1979, Esquivel served as minister of finance and as minister of defense and economic development. He led his party to victory at the polls in 1984 and became Prime Minister. When the party lost power in 1989, it still held the second largest number of seats in the legislature, making Esquivel the leader of the official opposition. In 1993 Esquivel became Prime Minister again when his party won the national elections. Shortly thereafter, he announced the suspension of a pact with the neighboring country of Guatemala that would have resolved a 130-year-old border dispute between the two countries. Esquivel claimed that too many concessions had been made in order to gain Guatemalan acceptance of the pact. Esquivel served as prime minister until the national election in 1998, when the UDP was overwhelmingly defeated. After the election Esquivel resigned as leader of the UDP.

Abbreviated Information on Manuel Esquivel, Second Prime Minister of Belize
In officeDecember 17, 1984 – September 7, 1989
Deputy
Dean Barrow
Preceded by
George Cadle Price
Succeeded by
George Cadle Price
4th Prime Minister of Belize
In officeJuly 3, 1993 – August 30, 1998
Deputy
Dean Barrow
Preceded by
George Cadle Price
Succeeded by
Said Musa
Born
May 2, 1940 (1940-05-02) (age 67)Belize City, Belize
Nationality
Belizean
Political party
United Democratic Party
Spouse
Kathy Esquivel
Dr. Manuel Esquivel (born 2 May 1940) is a Belizean politician. As leader of the United Democratic Party, he served as Prime Minister from 1984 to 1989, and then again from 1993 to 1998.
Esquivel, born in Belize City when it was still the colony's capital, studied a Bachelor of Science in physics at Loyola University New Orleans; he subsequently pursued post-graduate studies into physics at Bristol University, England.
He was appointed to Her Majesty's Privy Council by Queen Elizabeth II. This life-time appointment confers the title "Right Honourable". He also holds an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from Loyola University.
After the UDP won the February 2008 election, Esquivel was appointed by Prime Minister Dean Barrow as senior advisor to government with the rank of minister on February 12, 2008.[1]
Esquivel is married to wife Kathleen (Kathy), with three children. Daughter Laura has followed in her father's footsteps as City Councillor under the UDP since March 2006.

WHO'S WHO IN BELIZE, CENTRAL AMERICA

Philip Stanley Wilberforce Goldson (July 25, 1923-October 3, 2001) was a Belizean newspaper editor, activist and politician. He served in the House of Representatives of Belize as member for the Albert Division from 1961 to 1998 and twice as a Minister. He was a founding member of the People's United Party (PUP), National Independence Party (NIP), United Democratic Party (UDP) and National Alliance for Belizean Rights (NABR).

His favorite quote: “The time to save your country is before you lose it.”


Early life and Education
Goldson was born in Belize City to Peter Edward Goldson and Florence Babb and attended St. John's College High School, graduating in 1939. For much of the early 1940's he participated in the Open Forum movement featuring fellow SJC graduates George Price and Leigh Richardson as well as older activists such as Clifford Betson and Antonio Soberanis. But his main job was as editor of the Belize Billboard, which he took up in 1941.Channel 5, September 19, 2001
Participation in the Nationalist Movement
In 1950, Belize's first major political party, the PUP, was formed under John Smith as leader. Goldson was named Assistant Secretary, working under George Price. He continued to edit the Billboard and kept it running as a daily newspaper until its offices were destroyed in the late 1960's. In 1956, he resigned from his post along with nine others, citing Price's ambitious moves within the party hierarchy. They would never work together again. On election day 1954, he married Hadie Jones, with whom he would father six children.

Days in Opposition
Goldson joined Leigh Richardson under the Honduran Independence Party and contested the 1957 election unsuccessfully. He failed again as a member of the National Independence Party in 1961 but won one of two seats in the House for the NIP. This began his role as the long-running member of the Opposition; from 1961 to 1974 he sat in the House alone (he was appointed after the NIP lost all eighteen seats to the PUP in 1961 elections), joined only by Edwin Morey from 1965 to 1969, and remained in opposition until the PUP lost elections in 1984. Goldson, according to historian Assad Shoman, singlehandedly kept the two party system in Belize alive at a time when citizens distrusted the PUP and ignored the NIP. Goldson, however, eventually left to pursue a law degree in London, returning in 1974 after the formation of the UDP. After Theodore Aranda was deposed as leader of the UDP in 1982, Goldson ran unsuccessfully against Manuel Esquivel for the post of UDP leader, but won a Ministership in 1984.

Second life with the NABR
Upon the occasion of the Maritime Areas Act's passage in 1991, Goldson led a group of politicians away to start the National Alliance for Belizean Rights (NABR). He charged that the PUP and UDP had hijacked politics in Belize for themselves and pledged to fight Belize's cause. But he was becoming increasingly stricken by blindness and though winning his seat again and serving as Minister of Immigration and Human Resources[1] from 1993-98, his time was nearly up. Former friend George Price retired in 1996 and Goldson announced he would do the same after the 1998 election.

Death and Honours
Goldson left Belize to treat his medical condition but did not succeed. He died in the United States on October 3, 2001 and was buried several days later with a state funeral. A few weeks prior to his death he was awarded the Order of Belize for his patriotism and political work.
Author and sculptor Stephen Okeke has been soliticing contributions for a bust of Goldson, similar to one created for George Price. As of December 31, 2007, the project is complete, having overcome financial difficulties, and will be exhibited at the Pallotti Junction in Belize City.
In 1989, the Philip S. W. Goldson International Airport was renamed in his honour.

WHO'S WHO IN BELIZE CENTRAL AMERICA

The Right Honourable George Cadle Price

George Cadle Price
1st Prime Minister of Belize
In officeSeptember 21, 1981 – December 17, 1984
Deputy Prime Minister
Florencio Marin, Sr.


Succeeded by
Manuel Esquivel
3rd Prime Minister of Belize


Georger Cadle Price was in officefrom September 7, 1989 and July 3, 1993
George Cadle Price was born January 15, 1919 in Belize City, Belize
Nationality
Belizean
Political party
People's United Party
Spouse
bachelor


George Cadle Price (born January 15, 1919) was the first Prime Minister of Belize and is considered the architect of that country's independence. Born in Belize City, he entered politics in 1947 with his election to the Belize City Council. Three years later, on September 29, 1950, he cofounded the People's United Party, which he led for four decades and which was devoted to the political and economic independence of the British colony, then known as British Honduras.

Education and Early Political Activities
Price was never educated further than St. John's College High School (SJC did not have a sixth form until the 1960's.) While there, however, he was exposed to the teachings of Catholic social justice, in particular the encyclical Rerum Novarum. Upon graduation Price attached himself to local business man Robert Turton as his private secretary. He also rallied a few SJC graduates, some of them later members of the PUP, to contest elections in 1944 and 1947 for the local Town Board, being successful in 1947. Price also contributed to the Belize Billboard, then run by Phillip Goldson.

Later Political Career
Main article: People's United Party
Price, upon the formation of the PC in 1950, was named its Assistant Secretary, and in a famous speech later that year claimed that "National Unity" propelled the PC's actions. With the formation of the PUP Price's stature rose and he ascended through the party ranks until he became leader following a dispute in 1956.
Elected to the colony's Legislative Council in 1954, he also served as mayor of Belize City from 1956 to 1962. In 1956 became also leader of the PUP. As First Minister, a post he held since 1961, he led the team which began negotiations over independence with Great Britain. He maintained that post as premier in 1964.
In 1981 Belize gained its independence, and Price served as the country's first prime minister and foreign minister until 1984. After the PUP's defeat in the elections by the United Democratic Party under Manuel Esquivel, he resumed the post of prime minister in 1989, serving until 1993, when he was again replaced by Esquivel.
In 1982, Price became a member of the United Kingdom's Privy Council. In October of 1996 he announced his resignation as party leader, and on November 10, 1996 was formally succeeded by Said Musa.

Honors
In September 2000, Price became the first person to receive Belize's highest honor, the Order of National Hero, for the prominent role he played in leading his country to independence. He has received similar honors in other Caribbean and Central American countries.