Address Delivered by Hon.

Francis Fonseca, PUP Party Leader, at Endorsement Convention

Holy Redeemer Parish Hall Belize City October 29, 2011

I am a Member of the Peoples United Party because I believe: (a) That the nation of Belize is founded upon principles which acknowledges the Supremacy of GOD, faith in human rights and fundamental freedoms, the position of the family in a society of freemen and women and institutions, the dignity of the human person and the equal and inalienable rights with which all members of the human family are endowed by the Creator; (b) In the principles of social, economic and environmental justice and therefore believe that the operation of the economic system must result in the material resources of the country being so distributed to serve the common good; that there should be adequate means of livelihood for all, that labour should not be exploited or forced by economic necessity to operate in inhumane conditions but that there should be opportunity for advancement on the basis of recognition of merit, ability and integrity; that equal protection should be given to children regardless of their social status and that a just system should be ensured to provide for education and health on the basis of equality. (c) That the will of the people shall form the basis of government in a democratic society, recognizing that people and institutions remain free only when freedom is founded upon respect for moral and spiritual values and upon the Natural Law. So reads the first three clauses of our Partys Political Creed. I Pledge to you today that I will live by this Creed and lead by this Creed. Brothers and Sisters of our great Peoples United Party, I am humbled by the trust and confidence you have placed in me. I accept your call to service with full appreciation of the tremendous responsibilities it carries with it. I thank all the delegates who have participated in this historic day for our Party and Nation. To those of you who are here to support me, I give you my commitment that I will work each and every day to live up to the faith and confidence you have placed in me. To those who are not here to support me and to those who have sincere questions and concerns about my leadership, I humbly ask of you a fair opportunity to prove myself, to earn your respect and to gain your trust. I want your support! I need your support!

Let us discuss our differences, find common ground, and unite for the good of our Party and Country. Working together, I am confident that we can re-energize our Party and regain the trust and confidence of a majority of the Belizean people. We belong to a great Party with a proud legacy of service to the Belizean nation and people, but we must also accept that our Party has, at times, failed the Belizean people and failed to meet the standards of its own creed. At times, we have lost our way and failed to stay true to our Motto: Serve the People. At times we have allowed the rising tide of greed and inequity to erode the strong social justice roots upon which our great Peoples United party was founded and built. At times we have given the Belizean people cause to believe that we are more concerned about the interests of a few and not the many. I pledge to you and our nation today, those times are behind us!!! Today we renew our commitment to the core values and philosophy of our great Party. Today, we embrace this opportunity for real; and meaningful change both within our Party and in our Nation. The road ahead will often be dark and difficult. It will require the skills, talents and commitment of all of us who love this Party and Country. I am prepared to work with anyone and everyone who is prepared to work with me. I did not seek this position; circumstances have led me to it. I MUST now work hard each and every day to prove myself worthy of this great honor and privilege. I must travel the length and breadth of our Nation meeting with our people in their homes, villages, towns and cities, sharing with them our Partys new vision for them, their families and Belize. I, and we, must listen and learn from them how best the Peoples United Party can be of service to them and their communities. I must serve you with humility, integrity and compassion. Together, we must earn the respect of the Belizean people, regain their trust, and win back their hearts and minds. Today more than ever, our Party needs a strong sense of unity and purpose. This is no time for selfishness, no time for anger, no time for any of us to stand on the sidelines with our arms folded waiting for the new leader to fail, no time for undermining a new beginning. After four years of UDP Mal-administration, victimization, cronyism and corruption, our people are crying out for change. After four years of UDP economic destruction and rampant crime, our people have had enough. After four years of a petty, arrogant, personal, vindictive UDP Prime Minister, our people can take no more. In the words of Dan Man, Wi tiad a gat nothing. We demand something! We demand better! We demand more jobs less crime!!

*It is time for the Peoples United Party!!!. I call upon each of you and all members and supporters of our great Party to join in the exciting and challenging journey ahead. Belize needs a strong, effective Peoples United Party to defend the National interests and to work for a better life for all Belizeans. There is no time to waste!!! Starting next week we will embark upon an aggressive nationwide media campaign exposing the failure, incompetence and corruption of this UDP Government. There will be direct intervention with Standard Bearers to ramp up their organizational capacity and election readiness. We will tour all the districts and we will engage in strategic engagements with the unions, Civil, Society and private sector. Our great Party guided Belize out of Colonialism and unto the promised land of Independence. We transformed the Belizean economy and revolutionized the education system. We created the Belizean identity and ushered in a cultural re-awakening The PUP is Belize and Belize is the PUP!!! I stand today on the shoulders of three servants of our Party, George Price, Said Musa and John Briceo. On behalf of our Party I thank them for their dedicated service and commitment to the People of Belize. On September 19th of this year, our great Leader was called home by our Almighty Lord and Savior just two days shy of our Nations 30th Birthday. George Price was a man of deep faith with an unending love for Belize and its people. His was a life of service and sacrifice. In these dark days, we too must have faith, we too must love Belize, and we too must be prepared to serve and sacrifice for our party and country. In my last conversation with Mr. Price a few weeks before his passing, he said, Belize needs the PUP; we will rise again. Mr. Price is watching over us with Gods guidance let us fight on and proudly rise again!!! There are those who say the PUP cannot win again. Well, those people do not know me! Those people do not know you! Those people do not know the heart and will of our great Peoples United Party. Let the word go forth today from Holy Redeemer Parish Hall, the PUP is back!!! We can win!! We will win!! Thank you. God bless you. God Bless Belize.