Libertad election issues

Over the weekend we witnessed the last round of village council elections. Up north, Libertad was the last community to conduct local elections to determine who would run the affairs of the village. The last village council officials were elected under a UDP slate which was headed by Gregory Terry. Of course, Terry would not run for re-election since, under his watch, the village assets deteriorated and the affairs of the village were left to the mercy of the elusive Mr. Nobody.

But on Sunday last, even shame at the gross incompetence and total neglect of the UDP would stop their supporters and leaders from flocking into Libertad in an effort to save the skin of Gabriel Martinez. In fact at the front lines were senior Cabinet Ministers including the Belize Rural South Area Representative Manuel Heredia. Now I don’t really understand what was inside the calabash head (or in other words Cabeza de lek) of the barefoot minister to show up in Libertad. This is the same Junior Heredia that could not even walk the streets of Caye Caulker in the weeks leading up to and following the village council elections. The bare foot minister has but one village in his constituency and he could not show up to support his UDP slate on Election Day. What a shame! But the barefoot minister was in Libertad the day before and on Election Day and he was dishing out blue notes right, left and center, I hear. I also wonder what Pablo was doing at a very well known house in the village. I hear he was using that house as a paying station. It’s a good thing the Police didn’t pick that time to do one of their infrequent searches. And as for Dora (sorry, I mean Boots), what was he doing in Libertad? For months the streets of Libertad have been in a deplorable condition. I hope that with Dora getting firsthand experience of the condition of the drains and streets, thing will look better for Libertad. Now as for Gabriel, his own UDP supporters wasted no time in lecturing him in the presence of his cabinet colleagues.

But like the local elected officials who disappointed the people of Libertad, so was the long time village nurse who had claimed to be “professional” for years. Yes, I couldn’t believe my eyes when I noticed the community nurse, Mrs. Terry, campaigning for the UDP inside the polling station area. For a public servant to be mingling in the nitty-gritty of politics is a complete shame. But what makes matters even worse is that Nurse Terry had the guts to be disrespecting and insulting people that share the same community. Now can anyone tell me how will this disrespectful nurse that was seen and heard uttering things perform her duty to those same people she disrespected? Nurse Terry has no respect for her profession and the public servants who are fighting hard to build their credibility. I hope that when Nurse Terry is transferred out of Corozal she does not cry victimization.

Now turning to the new Chairman Mr. Bautista (or should I say Teacher Bautista), he turns out to be just another “persona ingrata.” After enjoy the free grants given to him under the PUP to get his education degree, he now has the guts to turns around and kick the party that educated him. This is the same Tr. Bautista who was allowed to continue teaching under the Methodist Management even though it was alleged that he was conducting illicit relations with another teacher. I am no biblical person but I believe Christians refer to those actions as adultery. Mr. Bautista’s adulterous actions combined with the UDP politics eventually led Mrs. Luciola West to leave the Methodist Management after years of service. Mrs. West was an Ordained Religious Minister in the Methodist Church, a religion I once held to great standards.  Mrs. West is a woman of integrity, honesty and most importantly a godly woman. But because she called the devil by his name, the evil plans of the influential UDP Methodist members in Libertad eventually prevailed and had the respectable West leaving to teach at a Seventh Day Adventist managed school. While I am tempted to say that Mrs. West moving to teach at an Adventist managed school may well be God’s calling, I felt so disappointed for the treatment she got from a Management to which she dedicated her youth and family.

The reason I bring up the issue of UDP politics in Libertad is merely to point out how the UDP money, power and their control of some religious organizations can screw up the lives of honest and trustworthy people. There will be no positive difference in Libertad under Bautista and the UDP. I just pray the wrath of God does not fall on innocent, dedicated and hardworking taxpaying people of Libertad for the misdeeds of others.

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