Patrick Faber says he’s not leaving UDP, but threatens independent run in Collet: ‘[This party] is crazy’

Published by BBNTEAM at December 12, 2022

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Posted: Monday, December 12, 2022. 9:52 pm CST.

By Aaron Humes: Former leader of the United Democratic Party, Patrick Faber, issued his strongest attacks yet on his own party at the National Assembly this afternoon after attending today’s meeting of the House of Representatives.

He was last seen inveighing against Belchina on party turf and threatening an independent run in the Collet Division, which he is approaching 20 years representing as of next February. Weeks later, his mind is just about made up, though he still holds out hope of returning under the party banner.

After clarifying that he never actually applied to run again in Collet (because of the party’s decision that it would honor sitting area representatives’ decisions to run again), Faber maintained that while he remains a member of the UDP and will not be “put out” of the party, it is up to the UDP whether he will run in Collet for the UDP or as an independent.

And he says residents still have his back, if his recent tours of the area are any indication: “I have tested the waters significantly in the aftermath of Hurricane Lisa; I visited homes extensively, I move around the division, and the word from Collet residents is – wherever you go, we will go with you. And so, I am confident this will be groundbreaking if the UDP decides they do not want me to run for them, I will run for the Collet constituency and I’m confident I’ve got the support of people.”

Faber said he will not rely on promises from erstwhile successor Ian Jones to step aside if the party’s demands are met, saying party chairman Michael Peyrefitte has ignored letters challenging the validity of the convention held a few weeks ago at the party headquarters. “This party is now a runaway train. The leader does whatever he wants. The chairman supports him in the nonsense that he does – and as a result of that the kind of hope you have that we could sit down at the table and have reasonable discussions and that reasonable people, reasonable minds will prevail doesn’t seem to be possible. I will repeat, I am a UDP, I love my party, I am elected under the party’s banner. So, I don’t want anybody to say I am leaving the UDP. I am in this party. In fact, they took me off the National Party Council’s chat group. They can’t do that, another indication that they are crazy. This party, the leadership is just doing what it wants to do.”

The Collet representative insisted that the party has never funded any of his campaigns and gave the ruling party rare credit for “progressive” moves to establish the Constituency Development Fund, though he noted the genesis of the program under Dean Barrow’s administration when constituency funds and monies for office space were first granted.

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