Marcel Cardona Lashes Against His Own U.D.P Government
He was ousted from Cabinet as the Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture; he was banished to a seat on the opposition side and during the sitting of the House on July fourth, a member of the gallery, an avid supporter of the ruling United Democratic Party, hurled an object at him as he left his unaffiliated opposition seat. Know who we are talking about? It’s no other than Orange Walk East Area Representative Marcel Cardona who was also stripped of his ministerial vehicle and even asked to resign from the United Democratic Party after he did not support Governments last budget. This was all done to him by his own U.D.P Government. But what hurt Cardona the most is that for four years no assistance was given to residents of his constituency who duly elected him as their Area Representative in the 2008 General Elections.
Today, in a press conference held in Belize City, Cardona, accompanied by members of the Orange Walk East Upliftment Committee, spoke freely to the media for the first time. He held back no punches as he spoke out against his own Government. But we’ll get to that later. The climax of the press conference came at the end when Cardona publicly announced that he was divorcing himself from the United Democratic Party and endorsing P.U.P Standard Bearer for Orange Walk East Doctor Marco Tulio Mendez who he won in the 2008 General Elections. In Cardona’s words “The evil, victimization and oppression that the people of Orange Walk East have been put through by this U.D.P Government will not go unpunished and Punishment will come on March 7th.
Marcel Cardona- Divorced from the U.D.P
“The moment of truth has arrived he moment of decision is here and ladies and gentlemen I would like to announce to you today that myself and members of the Orange Walk East Upliftment Committee have discussed the issue of going forward and as a consequence I have decided to take a time out from electoral politics at this time I shall not be contesting the upcoming General Elections. At the same time I have been asked by the committee to indicate that even though I shall not be contesting the upcoming elections, by no means does this mean that the committee shall remain passive during the elections in fact the committee has voted on and has agreed that considering the two candidates in the east it shall be endorsing and shall be campaigning for and supporting the P.U.P Orange Walk East Candidate Doctor Marco Tulio Mendez. I further more wish to announce that as for me my support cannot be for any Landy Burns in Orange Walk it will defiantly be for Doctor Marco Tulio Mendez in Orange Walk.”
But that was not all because apart from announcing that he would vote for Mendez in the upcoming elections, Cardona also endorsed P.U.P Leader Francis Fonseca.
Marcel Cardona- Divorced from the U.D.P
“I make it absolutely clear to each and every single one of you, I personally know Francis Fonseca much longer than I know Dean Barrow by the way and I have every inclined feeling that Francis Fonseca is truly a humble man, a man that is prepared to dialogue with all Belizeans and is prepared to listen to the Belizean people which is something that the present Prime Minister absolutely does not know how to do and for these reasons and the fact that Francis Fonseca has laid out a proposal for the restoration of economic growth and development to Belize, I Marcel Cardona publicly endorse honorable Francis Fonseca as the new leader of the PUP, the new leader of a party that God willing will be the vehicle to bring better things to all Belizeans.”
For us that was the highlight of the press conference. But there were also more interesting moments. In the past Cardona was unable to speak against his government because of section 59 2 (e) of Belize’s constitution which prohibited him from doing so. But with the dissolving of the House last Friday it was no holds bar for Cardona today.
Marcel Cardona- Divorced from the U.D.P
“Since the Prime Minister announced the holding of early general elections simultaneously with the holding of the municipal elections on Wednesday March 7th 2012 and the dissolution of the National Assembly. It is indeed a liberating experience and today I have the distinct honor and privilege of freely without the prior constrains of section 59 2(e) of the Belize constitution of addressing you openly without further censured and expressing to you my thoughts, my feelings and my plans for the future. It was therefore not difficult to believe the then leader of the opposition and now Prime Minister Dean Oliver Barrow, when he famously announced to the nation of Belize his commitment to the Belizean public to maintain a zero tolerance towards corruption policy in the words of the then leader of the opposition and now Prime Minister Dean Oliver Barrow, the meaning of corruption according to him was as follows; In a town meeting held during the crisis created following the discovery of the former PUP government financing of the private debts of the Universal Health Services and its subsequent public outreach and series of public demonstrations followed in Belmopan, Dean Oliver Barrow said and I quote, the problem with this government is the fact of their undiluted corruption, promises have been made by them that they had no intension of keeping but I, Dean Barrow tell you any UDP government that I lead will never, never, ever be engaged in corruption and as soon as it rears its ugly head I will personally cut it off and I tell you I will sharpen a special machete with blades on two sides so that every time it springs up right so I will chop it off and if it means the government have to fall then so be it, let the consequences be dammed, the people of this country deserve better and I Dean Barrow am determined to give them better.”
And for those who thought that the Dean Barrow Administration does not reek of corruption, then as they say it’s best to hear from the horse’s mouth.
Marcel Cardona- Divorced from the U.D.P
“Is the awarding of millions upon millions of taxpayers’ dollars illegal service to the prime minister ex-wife Louis Young Barrow and his brother Denise Barrow when there are other equally competent if not more competent local attorneys who could do the job, not a blatant act of corruption and nepotism on the part of Mr. anti-corruption Prime Minister Dean Oliver Barrow, and so is the awarding of lucrative oil contracts to the Prime Minister’s nephew Kimano Barrow to allow him and his family to benefit from the oil bonanza in Belize, not another blatant act of public corruption and nepotism on the part of Mr. anti-corruption Prime Minister Dean Oliver Barrow and so is the appointment of the Prime Minister’s ex-wife Louis Young Barrow and his 27 year old son Anwar Barrow to the lucrative board of directors of BTL, following BTL’s take over by the government of Belize in 2009, not a blatant act of public corruption and nepotism on the part of the Prime Minister, and so is the appointment of the prime minister 27 years old son Anwar Barrow as a temporary Senator or member of the Belize Senate not another blatant act of public corruption and nepotism on the part of the Prime Minister and his government and so is the awarding of the lucrative National Boledo Lottery contract to a joint venture business between Brads and the PM’s 27 year old son Anwar Barrow a further blatant act of public corruption and nepotism on the part of Mr. anti-corruption Prime Minister Dean Oliver Barrow. Is the award of a limited number lucrative logging licenses to exploit or to extract valuable mahogany, timber, hard woods and other exotic lumber from the previously untouched 22,000 acres fresh water creek forest reserve to close relatives including nephew and special friends such as his driver, his special consultant, and political advisors and the wealthy UDP candidate for the Orange Walk East and Deputy Prime Minister Gaspar Vega not another blatant act of public corruption and nepotism on the part of this Dean Barrow administration and so is the deputy Prime Minister Gaspar Vega’s families and close relatives monopoly over the Rose Wood logging and Rose Wood lumber exportation business in Toledo not another blatant act of public corruption or nepotism on the part of this Dean Barrow administration.”
And then it was off to the famous Broasters Report.
Marcel Cardona- Divorced from the U.D.P
“Those sitting minister of the outgoing UDP cabinet that are single out in the Broaster Report for their participation or complicity in various acts of public corruption, contraband and even drug trafficking or the narco trade. My Belizean we need to wake up, we need to look around and we need to see where we are, has the Prime Minister delivered on his promises, his promise contained here in this manifesto entitled Imagine the Possibilities, has he delivered and the answer is no, he has miserable failed to deliver on his promises.”
During the press conference Cardona also listed out a number of threats he says the Barrow Administration placed on the people. This included land and jobs cancellations, the cancellation of the Social Security fund for the elderly among others.
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