The Opposition People’s United Party (PUP) announced a new party executive council at its National Party Council meeting on Saturday, June 16.
The party now has five Deputy Leaders on the executive council: Deputy Party Leader North Florencio Marin Jr., Deputy Party Leader, Policy & Reform Carolyn Trench Sandiford, Deputy Party Leader South Michael Espat; Deputy Party Leader, West, Julius Espat; and Deputy Party Leader East (Rural Affairs) Dolores Balderamos Garcia.
The posts of National Campaign Manager and Communications Director, once held by Senator Lisa Shoman, have been abolished.
The Party has divided its communications work into four regions: north, south, east and west. Communications Director East Attorney Kareem Musa, the son of former PUP Leader Said Musa, will be responsible for communications in Belize City.
Each region will be responsible for its own communications. Jose Mai has been appointed as the communications director for the North; Ivan Ramos is the communications director for the south; and Orlando Habet is the communications director for the Western region.
There are also going to be regional campaign managers: Campaign Manager North Ramiro Ramirez; Campaign Manager East Arthur Saldivar; Campaign Manager South Rodwell Ferguson Sr.; and Campaign Manager West Senator Collet Montejo;
PUP Leader Francis Fonseca told the media the re-configuration of the Party’s new executive is an effort to decentralize the work of the party, to make it more responsive and efficient.
He said the party has put in place specific campaign managers for the four regions, because that approach will strengthen the party’s effectiveness.
The decentralized communications efforts should not result in overlapping efforts, as Fonseca said the regional communications managers will defer to the Party’s Secretariat to national issues.
Not included in the new PUP Executive are old hands like William “Bill” Lindo and John Briceño loyalists such as his brother, Jamie Briceño, Narda Garcia and Servulo Baeza.
Other members of the new Executive council are Party Leader Francis Fonseca; Past Party Leader Said Musa; Past Party Leader, John Briceño; Party Chairman Henry Usher; the Chairman of the Northern Caucus Marco Tulio Mendez; the Chairman of the Western Caucus Joseph Mahmud; the Chairman of the Eastern Caucus Dr. Francis Smith; the Chairman of the Southern Caucus Oscar Requeña; Chairman of Marshalls Stephen Latchman; President UWG – Wendy Castillo; President BYM Carla Bradley; Chairman of ODS Belizario Carballo; Legal Advisor Anthony Sylvestre, Jr.; Party Treasurer – Dr. David Hoy and Secretary General Myrtle Palacio.
