A significant political rift has emerged within Belize’s United Democratic Party (UDP) following controversial remarks about Venezuela, exposing internal divisions on foreign policy. Former UDP leader Moses “Shyne” Barrow has publicly denounced current party leadership for expressing sympathy toward Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro without consulting membership.
Barrow specifically criticized Senator Patrick Faber and other UDP representatives for what he characterized as “crying tears for the dictator, narco-trafficker Mr. Nicolás Maduro” during a recent press conference. The former leader emphasized the UDP’s identity as a “conservative, center-right party” with established international affiliations to Republican and conservative parties, suggesting the pro-Maduro position contradicts these alliances.
The controversy stems from a UDP press conference held last Tuesday where Faber criticized the Briceño administration’s January 5 statement on Venezuela. Faber had argued the government’s position lacked clarity and appeared designed to avoid offending Washington, claiming the ruling People’s United Party was “hiding behind CARICOM” rather than asserting an independent foreign policy.
Barrow countered this perspective by endorsing the government’s approach, describing the official statement as “mild and temperate and consistent with what CARICOM put out on the matter.” He further cautioned against antagonizing the United States, Belize’s largest trading partner, while invoking former Prime Minister George Price’s foreign policy mantra of being “friend to all, enemy to none” – while explicitly excluding “despotic dictators” from this philosophy.
Barrow highlighted Maduro’s record of jailing political opponents, creating millions of displaced Venezuelans, and threatening CARICOM’s zone of peace as reasons to distance Belize from the Venezuelan leader. Senator Faber declined to comment when contacted by news outlets regarding the growing internal dispute.