PUP leader says Joseph Mahmud “made poor decision”

Joseph Mahmud

Wednesday, November 22, 2014. AARON HUMES Reporting: Monday’s resignation of Cayo North area representative Joseph Mahmud from the House of Representatives was a bombshell despite his announced intention not to seek reelection.

Francis Fonseca

But no one is more affected than the People’s United Party (PUP), whose leader and executive are, to say the least, disappointed not only by the sudden departure but about being left in the dark, so to speak.

PUP Leader Francis Fonseca addressed the news at a briefing on Tuesday morning at Independence Hall in Belize City.

He said that he had had no communication with Mahmud after their prior conversation indicating that he would support the party and continue to the end of his term.

Knowing that he had unspecified “personal problems” to deal with, Fonseca opined that perhaps these became too urgent and necessitated his hasty exit.

Fonseca denies disrespecting the ex-representative or attempting to undermine him as some have alleged, but said he could sometimes be difficult and had unshakable views of how the party should operate.

But in the end, said Fonseca, there was a limit put to him.

He was told that if he was to continue with the party it was with an expectation of supporting the current leadership and behaving in the tradition of the PUP and how the Belizean people expect him to.

With his departure, now the party moves on, having to decide between declared contenders Michel Chebat and Richard Harrison and others who may toss their hat in the ring.

Fonseca believes the by-election, only the third in post-Independence Belizean history after Freetown in 1993 and Cayo South in 2003, will be called in early January as the ruling UDP seek an advantage.

He remains confident, however, that the PUP will retain the seat they first won in 2012.

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