BELMOPAN, Belize, CMC -Police Commissioner Chester Williams says the police have no legal authority to determine who is to occupy the headquarters of the main opposition United Democratic Party (UDP) and is urging the factions involved to settle the matter in a court of law.
UDP leader Moses “Shyne” Barrow and Tracy Taegar-Panton, who heads a dissenting group within the party, claim they are the party’s legitimate leaders. Earlier this year, Barrow wrote to the Speaker of the Parliament indicating that Taegar-Panton and at least two other legislators were no longer members of the party.
Media reports indicate that Barrow has filed a criminal complaint against Taegar-Panton, who led a group of supporters in a hostile takeover of the headquarters on Monday.
The move comes eight days after Panton led a convention at the Belize City Centre, where UDF delegates voted her as the new party leader.
But Barrow has insisted that the convention was illegitimate and not officially linked to the UDP.
Williams told reporters that the police do not have legal authority to act in the absence of a court ruling.
“Now, we are in a challenging situation because one fraction now occupies the lower flat of the building. I have again said to the police that we are not going to ask them or we’re not going to force them out of the building.
“Yes, the police can ask them to leave, but we won’t force them out if they don’t. We do not want to have any sort of confrontation with anybody unnecessarily.”
Williams said he advised Barrow to go before the court and seek the court’s intervention to correct the matter.
“The truth be told, both sides can argue that they are UDPs. So, how can you displace one in favor of the other? That’s an issue that they will have to deal with. So, we will just hold forth and be as neutral as possible. One might not like Shyne, but the truth is he is the constitutionally elected leader of the opposition.”
Panton has said she and her supporters have full legal grounds to occupy the building, citing trustee Phillipa Bailey’s approval.
But Williams said the matter might not be so straightforward.
“I look at the situation from a legal standpoint. If you have a landlord who wishes to displace his tenant, the landlord cannot just bring a new tenant to the building and say to the current tenant, “You need to leave. “There is a legal process that you must follow.
Williams said the legal process cannot be circumvented by some other process, adding, “It is sad to see that we have instances where people who are trained attorneys should know better.
“If it is that Philippa Bailey was the trustee of the property and she was holding on trust for the UDP, The question then lies as to who is a UDP? Shyne is a UDP. Panton is a UDP. And so there’s a dispute there.
“To resolve that dispute, the police must not be the arbitrator. That issue ought to be resolved in a court of law. And so if the Panton fraction believes They have all rights to the building. Then the proper thing for them to have done is to take the matter before the court,” Williams added.
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