By Breaking Belize News Staff (HP): Tracy Taegar-Panton did not come to Battlefield Park to make polite requests. She came with an ultimatum.
“The parade is on fire and the stage will be on fire and we will keep the fire going until the corrupt Briceño led administration calls the elections, because it is time for him to go,” the Opposition Leader thundered to supporters on Friday, capping a protest march that snaked from UDP headquarters through the streets of Belize City to the historic downtown park.
The demand for early elections, and the branding of the administration as corrupt, are Panton’s political declarations, made from a rally stage to her party faithful. But they signal a clear escalation. What began weeks ago as press releases and audit demands has now spilled into the streets, under a banner reading “Stand for Belize” and a chant that has become the Opposition’s rallying cry: enough is enough, Belize deserves better.
Panton insisted the anger on display was not manufactured. The party, she said, had “felt the pulse of the people,” and found them frustrated, tired, and suffering. The turnout, she noted, stretched beyond the city, with the northern, southern, and central caucuses represented, along with San Pedro.
The march unfolds against the backdrop of the Ministry of National Defence controversy, allegations now under a government-ordered audit that has yet to produce any findings. That distinction matters. The accusations flying from Friday’s stage remain exactly that, accusations, and the government has repeatedly said accountability is being pursued through the proper channels, with the audit chief among them.
That did not soften the rhetoric. UDP National Campaign Manager Juliet Thimbriel went after the government in blunt terms, declaring Belizeans “tired of stealing,” tired of “politicians that are frauds,” and tired of leaders who “give their family members contracts.” She cast herself as a messenger rather than a candidate: “I am not a politician on ballot. I am in politics and I am informing the Belizean people.”
Thimbriel also raised an eyebrow at delays faced by buses ferrying supporters to the march, which she attributed to road checkpoints, though she was careful not to cry sabotage. “I don’t want to say it is on purpose,” she offered.
Whether Friday moves the government remains to be seen. What is certain is that the Opposition has found its theme, its stage, and its temperature. And Panton has promised the fire is not going out.
The post UDP turns up the heat with Belize City protest appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.
By Breaking Belize News Staff (HP): Tracy Taegar-Panton did not come to Battlefield Park to make polite requests. She came with an ultimatum. “The parade is on fire and the stage will be on fire and we will keep the fire going until the corrupt Briceño led administration calls the elections, because it is time
The post UDP turns up the heat with Belize City protest appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.
