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The Party
HISTORY
An unstoppable political force is what the United Democratic Party is today. The real party of Change, the UDP has transformed Belize like no other organization, political or otherwise, has. That's a given. But how this Party became such an unstoppable force on Belize's political landscape is a story not as easily understood or told as it is accepted. Epitomizing the very change it effects, the UDP's own history is one of continuous transition, re-modification and re-fortification: from discontent to active resistance, from defeat to deepened resolve, from rivalry to coalition, from individualism to unity in fighting a common cause. That is the story of the UDP, how it came to be, what it stands for, and where it acquired its resolve to face the future.
The first element of resistance to the emerging PUP establishment,
developed early in the 1950's, shortly after the PUP's formation. That opposition
movement, the National Party, led by Herbert Fuller, was relatively weak.
Then came the breakaway from the PUP of Philip Goldson and others angered
by George Price's unpatriotic collusion with Guatemala. But instead of strengthening
the resistance, the split in the PUP also split the opposition to the PUP,
as Goldson and his discontented colleagues formed their own party, the Honduran
Independence Party. While the confusion continued among opposition elements,
Price was solidifying his leadership of the PUP, and the PUP was tightening
its grip on political domination in Belize. It wasn't until 1958 that the
two opposing parties agreed to merge, giving birth to the National Independence
Party, NIP.
The NIP, led by Philip Goldson, scored encouraging successes in Municipal
Elections in Benque Viejo, San Ignacio and Orange Walk, but after dominating
opposition politics for 15 years, never won national elections. With the
PUP appearing invincible, members of the NIP began agitating for changes
in the leadership. In 1969, Dean Lindo challenged Goldson at an intra-party
convention, but lost. Still convinced that the general electorate wanted
change, Lindo and his supporters broke away, forming the People's Development
Movement. Prominent among his supporters were Collet Gill, Ken Tillett and
Charles Wagner. In the NIP, there were Buntin Fuller, Henry Fairweather,
Joe Andrews and Jorge Guerra Mena. Meanwhile, in Corozal a new group was
emerging, the Corozal United Front (CUF), formed by Israel Alpuche, Andres
Campos, Edmond Longsworth and Maria Reyes.
In the early 1970's, with Goldson abroad studying and the Opposition weakened,
a group involved with the Reporter newspaper (then owned by the Chamber
of Commerce), became concerned about the PUP's apparent progression to one-party
rule, and formed the Liberal Party, led by Harry Lawrence, and including
Curl Thompson, Paul Rodriguez, Henry Young and Manuel Esquivel. Their first
move was to forge the formation of a united front including the NIP, PDM
and Liberal Party. The merger took place in 1973. It was the birth of the
United Democratic Party.
With the return of Philip Goldson and unity among all opposition
forces under the interim chairmanship of Rev. Gerald Fairweather, the UDP
in 1974 launched an aggressive general election campaign countrywide, except
in Corozal where it threw its support behind the emerging CUF, which had
just won a stunning victory in the Town Board election there.
The UDP captured an amazing 6 out of 18 seats countrywide. With two narrow
losses by the UDP in Belize City and one by the CUF in Corozal. The Opposition
had come within 17 votes of forcing a 9-9 tie in the House. The PUP was
stunned and Belizeans viewed the elections as a major victory for the Opposition
and a welcoming signal that Democracy was alive.
Another victory followed in December of that year when the UDP, for the
first time, gained control of the Belize City Council, winning 6 of 9 seats.
Dean Lindo became the new leader of the UDP, being chosen by a majority
of elected parliamentarians in the party in accordance with its newly approved
constitution. By 1977 the UDP had won all 9 seats in the City Council.
By that time also, a new emerging group in Orange Walk called the Voice
of the Silent Majority, led by Elodio Aragon, Ruben Campos and Fred Martinez,
had teamed up with the UDP to take control of the Town Board there. The
CUF of Corozal also joined-up fully with the UDP, and in the 1979 National
Elections, the UDP for the first time, contested all divisions as a single
opposition party. Confidence was high going into the elections, but hopes
were dashed when the PUP, having altered the entire electoral system, requiring
all voters to re-register and obtain new ID cards, won yet another victory
at the national level.
Frustration took over, courage wavered, and discontent crept in over the
election of new leadership in the UDP. With Lindo having lost his seat in
1979, elected Dangriga Representative Theodore Aranda, a relative newcomer
to politics, had become the new Party Leader, something that angered supporters
of Goldson, who felt the veteran politician was more deserving and qualified
for the position. With discontent and disunity inside the party, the UDP
lost control of the Belize City Council one year later, Paul Rodriquez having
resigned as Mayor even prior to the loss. Then came the upheaval over the
Heads of Agreement, in which the PUP brutally quelled the forces of dissent,
followed by Independence in September 1981.
Demoralization and the lack of leadership from the political center drove
the party to amend its constitution to elect a leader every two years, opening
up the process to the general party membership through an electoral college
represented by delegates mandated to vote according to the membership-voting
in each division. Aranda, upset with the change, broke away from the UDP.
He would later join the PUP. Manuel Esquivel was voted in as the new Party
Leader, defeating Philip Goldson who endorsed Esquivel's leadership and
recommitted himself to the party.
With new leadership and renewed determination, the party re-organized itself
and re-captured the Belize City Council in 1983 in landslide fashion with
an impressive slate featuring Dean Barrow, Derek Aikman, Hubert Elrington,
Philip Goldson, Frank Lizama and others. And, in 1984, the once invincible
PUP machine came tumbling down, with the UDP scoring a landslide victory
in the national elections by a margin of 21-7.
With no previous experience in government, the UDP made major accomplishments
in its first term, including a miraculous turn around of the economy from
the brink of devaluation and standby arrangements with the IMF to an unprecedented
and unmatchable growth rate of 10 percent, the establishment of the Tourism
Industry as a major revenue-earner, the construction of a new Airport meeting
international standards, the creation of the University College of Belize
and the first Center for Employment Training, the privatization and modernization
of telecommunications with the Government retaining absolute majority shares
in BTL, the transfer of 81% ownership of the Belize Sugar Industry to BSI
workers, significant increases in salaries for public servants, abolition
of income tax for low income-workers and reduction for all other workers,
opening up of the Stann Creek Coastal Road and commencement of paving on
the Hummingbird Highway.
Despite all these accomplishments and more, the lack of cohesion within
the party resulted in a marginal 15-13 defeat in 1989. In 1993, on the other
hand, the UDP's re-unification with breakaway elements including Philip
Goldson and Hubert Elrington, resulted in an unexpected 16-13 victory over
an overconfident PUP, which had called early elections.
In its second term, the UDP continued its work of transformation and development
despite major setbacks caused by the wasteful spending of the outgoing PUP
government. This time the UDP established the Corozal Free Zone; introduced
Cruise Ship Tourism to Belize; constructed a sturdy, secure Central Bank
Building; built the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital and the new Dangriga
Hospital while upgrading other district hospitals; increased Social Security
benefits without increasing workers' contributions; introduced Free Education
in High School and Sixth Form; modernized Belize City with a massive infrastructure
project; created the Conscious Youth Development Program, the Youth Start
Fund and Social Investment Fund; started housing programs in district towns;
completed paving of the Hummingbird Highway and commenced paving of the
Southern Highway.
After a stunning defeat in 1998, the UDP under the leadership of Dean Barrow
reorganized once again and made significant gains in the 2003 elections,
retaining all 3 seats won in 1998, regaining 4 additional seats and increasing
its overall support from 39% to 46% of the popular vote.
But, as has been proven so many times in the past, and more recently borne
out by the independent candidacy of Wilfred Elrington in Pickstock and the
disassociation from the UDP of other discontented elements in the 2003 elections,
the forces of resistance cannot attain full success when they are divided
amongst themselves. As occurred in the early days of the opposition movement,
the lack of unity among opposition elements in 2003 had once again helped
to keep the PUP in power. The kind of change initiated by those who in the
early 1970's forged a merger among opposition elements giving birth to the
UDP, is needed once again.
The UDP is the true party of change. Yet, it's a party that is planted on
a firm foundation. Candidates will come and go. Leaders will emerge and
descend. Strategies will be adopted and abandoned. That is the nature of
change. But the resolve to defend democracy remains constant. It is the
solid rock upon which the UDP is founded, the firm foundation upon which
we stand, and the unshakable faith that enables us to face the future as
daunting as it is. Long Live Democracy! Long Live the United Democratic
Party!