Leader of Belize’s main opposition United Democratic Party (UDP), Patrick Faber, has been replaced as the Opposition Leader in Parliament by former Bad Boy Rapper, Shyne Barrow.
Faber was removed from his post following a viral video showing him violently charging in the direction of the mother of his two-year-old daughter. Barrow said that Faber’s refusal to seek help for what is being described as a pattern of domestic issues.
Barrow said that Faber’s apology was the first step, however, he needed to go beyond just saying that he’s sorry.
“I know at least one executive made that suggestion to Patrick, that why don’t you take a leave of absence and say to the public you accept that you have a problem and you are going to seek help and you will return.
“He outright rejected that suggestion and that really is what led to his demise. You know the interesting thing about those that are now saying he without sin cast the first stone, so that means none of us could be in parliament, none of us could at any level of leadership because certainly everyone is with sin.
“Though I had been accused…that process ended within a few hours. There was a retraction and my wife went on to endorse me, but that has made me hypersensitive to the matter of gender-based violence, as it should,” said Barrow, who himself had faced public scrutiny over his actions a few years ago.
Faber had become Opposition Leader after the UDP was trounced in the general elections last November when the People’s United Party (PUP) achieved its first national election victory since 2003, winning 26 seats.
Media reports said that Barrow, the Member for Mesopotamia, has been elevated to the post, completing another phase in what is described as a palace coup.
“I am not operating in a vacuum. It is not Shyne Barrow that wrote the Governor-General. It is the Honourable Hugo Patt, deputy leader of the UDP, Honourable Denise Barrow, the Member of Parliament for Queen Square, after deliberations with the constituency leaders who got together three hundred delegates to recall the Honourable Patrick Faber”.
The decision to write to Governor-General Froyla Tzalam comes on the heels of a campaign that was recently launched by members of the party to garner as many signatures to trigger a recall convention.
Faber remains the overall UDP Party Leader but is facing a recall petition signed by what appears to be a majority of delegates from the convention.
CMC
, Patrick Faber, has been replaced as former Bad Boy Rapper, Shyne Barrow.){kind=link}