The leader of the United Progressive Party Harold Lovell says the party will pilot two constitutional amendments to ensure the Antiguans and Barbudan living abroad can vote in future general elections.
He told the Diaspora Progressives Virtual Seminar last night that he wants the creation of two new constituencies.
Here is his full presentation on the subject of the diaspora vote:
Advertise with the mоѕt vіѕіtеd nеwѕ ѕіtе іn Antigua!
We offer fully customizable and flexible digital marketing packages.
Contact us at [email protected]
Lemme guess and Mac Emmanuel will be the MP!!!.
The NY Con Artist has begun to campaign for another job. They all want to stay abroad and determine how we should live here. No!!!
…and while we’re at it, hell no to members of the cloth sitting in our parliament. What are we supposed to do when he claims God told him to do something contrary to our laws?
I am a supporter of PM Browne, but the UPP makes sense on this proposal.
I think the idea to allow Antigua-citizens living overseas to vote is 100% right. Nearly every major country in the world allows overseas citizens to vote in national elections.
There are so many new secure online voting technologies available nowadays.
Only Antiguans who live in Antigua should be allowed to vote or hold office. People who don’t live in Antigua don’t have to live with the consequences of our elections.
lord we are not citizens of Antigua & Barbuda….
Boss I am with you on this one. Recall when Mac was running, he claimed A&B was his home and that he had given up his US citizenship. Seems right after the election (days after) he managed to get back his US citizenship back. Mac needs to tell us what special unknown US program facilitated such.
Mac wants to have his cake and eat it too. Just like all the others up there. Why don’t they come here and suck salt like we all here do? I would even appreciate if they would live six months here and six months there.
Why would they be sucking salt in an ECONOMIC POWERHOUSE.
Watta 🤡 and puppet Lovell keeps proving himself to be. Wan big PAPPYSHOW and CLOWNASS LOSING LYADD. He behaving like a drowning man clutching at air.
This is an idea that the UPP, and in particular Mr Lovell, has raised several times in the past. However, I’m not sure it could work, and I really don’t see the need for additional constituencies, especially any that are outside of the physical boundaries of Antigua and Barbuda. I’m not sure that Constitutionally it could work.
Moreover, he’s going to have the time of his life getting other political parties to buy into such a scheme. This is where karma comes back to serve the UPP and Harold Lovell a nice plate of their own stew. When the government advanced the CCJ Constitutional amendment, while Mr Lovell said that in principle he supported the move to the CCJ, as leader of the party he did very little to convince his followers to vote yes in the referendum. He spoke about voting conscience. This is on an issue that ought to have been a straightforward and simple one, especially since Mr Lovell knows the benefits of the CCJ. He had people like Pearl Quinn spewing hogwash, without rebuking or correcting them.
Now, on an issue that is potentially very contentious, do you seriously expect the ABLP to support the UPP’s intent to amend the Constitution to allow for constituencies outside of the physical landscape of Antigua and Barbuda? If you do, I have three well trained pterodactyls that I captured just before the last ice age that I’d like to sell to you.
I mean if this nonsense came of the mouth of a nonlegal minded person I would excuse them for being ignorant of the constitution. But for someone who is a lawyer and spew out such idea as a political gimmick is not even laughable. Unless the crowed he was addressing is really that stupid and desperate to want to believe any and everything. Lovell has shown with this to be nothing more than a clown. And I feel sorry for those that believe in his fairy tale stories. Antiguans living abroad know exactly what to do if they want to vote in the general election, come home and register and when election is called you come home and vote. All the other Islands are doing the same. Covid prevented many to come home and vote. Too bad. You cannot have your cake and eat it. Many of them only pay Uncle Same his taxes. Antigua and Barbuda get none of their income. And they proudly show their US Passport. Yes, some send home money to support families, but how often has the PM called on them to invest in Antigua. He even have carve out a special investment project for them.
FROM THE SIDELINE as usual you are the one writing a lot of nonsense. Sometimes I wonder if you exposed to formal education. What Harold Lovell has suggested is practiced in many places in the world and also as close to home as the Dominican Republic. Moreover, if you were an honest and objective person and not just one who will do or say anything to support your political party the ALP, you would admit that Harold indicated that there would have to be changes to the Constitution to facilitate the process. More and more you just come across as an irrational, biased and empty Gaston supporter that provides comic relief in your usual long, nonsensical comments. Please listen to the recording with this article and you will hear the constitutional changes that would be required, including the dual citizenship provision that prevents such a person from running for Parliament.
And as Wash an Basin said you could not even get the CCJ through a referendum so why does Harold even think this would fly with two third of the population. And on top of that adding two additional constituencies. Tell me please which Island has done that.
The Labour Party would never agree for nationals abroad to vote. With the exception of New York, most nationals in England and Canada are not labour supporters. How often does the PM or his ministers visit Canada and England? They are always in New York. But then I am not surprised that a lot of labour supporters are in New York as parts of New York remind me of St. John’s. So a lot of these labour supporters are right at home. Most of the Antiguans in New York don’t even bother to go to university to develop intellectually, they are too busy hustling two and three jobs to survive.
Sounds like this was proposed by the PUNK-ASS-COWARD who REFUSED TO GIVE UP HIS U.S. CITIZENSHIP (like Mr. Knight). Didn’t he propose to start a chicken farm, run against Max Fernandez and then PUNK OUT when push came to shove??? What a cheapskate loser Mc Emmanuel still is!!!
I am a National of Antigua and Barbuda. Me barn dey at Holberton Hospital. I went to Greenbay Primary School, then to Golden Grove Secondary School and graduated from Princess Margaret School. Some of you people in Antigua. Would not want a person like me to vote in Antigua and Barbuda elections. Why? Because I of a sober mind. Decided that I would like to go abroad and improve my futures. I have properties in Antigua. I do pay property taxes in Antigua never in arrears. I also send a few pennies to Antigua monthly. However,one like me would be seen and treated like a Non National in the Country of my birth,Antigua and Barbuda. Someone not born in Antigua and Barbuda could become Prime Minister. I on the other hand would have to give up my Citizenship of the Country I am living in. To run for Political Offices in the Country of my birth. To that I say.Hell no !!
Some of you in Antigua, suffers from envy, jealousy and hardness of hearts towards your own NATIONALS.
This is excellent. US citizens are allowed to vote from anywhere in the world, wherever they reside. They must cast their vote by absentee in the last constituency they resided or call “home” in Antigua or Barbuda.
Mr. Lovell should be careful, because the strong majority of Antiguans living abroad are stong supporters of the ABLP. Nonetheless, it’s a good idea. Go for it.
Americans no matter where they live, must pay their taxes at home to Uncle Sam. Antiguans the minute they leave Antigua will have nothing to do with taxes and paying the IRD. The only way they pay some taxes is when they have property and even that is a problem for the IRD to collect. I have family members living in the USA and only come to Antigua during carnival or Christmas. And paying taxes is not part of that. Even when we had PIT.
FROM THE SIDELINE what does the payment of taxes has to do with the issue of making voting in an election for Antiguan and Barbudan citizens in the diaspora possible and perhaps creating a diaspora constituency? Please answer that question and spare me your long, nonsensical comments.
Paying your taxes in our country would at least give you some equity in my opinion in h having a say as to how your tax dollars get spent. And that is what all these major countries like USA, Canada and most of Europ have as mandatory for their citizens. Why you think they now ensure that our financial institutions must declare all the bank accounts held by foreign passport holders. Many Antiguans with USA citizenship are now catching hell. Uncle Sam is even going after children born in the USA but living in Antigua. Just had a friend who had to let his children renounce their US citizenship. He had built up quit some saving for them in their bank account. but like always you will call it nonsensical cause that is your only rebuttal to my comments. Bu you know that don’t bother me. It just tells that you have no answer.
FROM THE SIDELINE would the payment of taxes by residents in the diaspora be the only qualifying criterion for them to be given a more integral role in the electoral process of their country of birth? Many residents in the diaspora do pay taxes for the properties they have here. However, that is not the criterion for even Americans overseas being able to participate in their country’s electoral process. The criterion is simply citizenship. Moreover, with respect to Antiguan and Barbudan in the diaspora, do you realize the millions of dollars in remittances that they send back to this country. These remittances are even more important than the payment of taxes that you are trying to link your nonsensical argument to. And by the way, because the CCJ referendum failed does not mean that every other referendum will fail. I always have an answer to any of your comments, but I call them nonsensical because invariably they are indeed nonsensical.
@ CErmle: How do you know. The strong majority of Antiguans living abroad are ABLP supporters. Speak for yourself ABLP supporter. Is that wishful thinking. Is that what Gaston Browne tells you. We shall see in 2023 or before that.
@wanna bee
You wasting time with that idiot CErmle. He and rest of the asskissers are not worth trying to discuss anything.
Which Party change the voters list after they won the election? Which political party says that Dead people voted for their opponents? Harry and his Cabal continue to bamboozled their blind followers. Caused they think that they are fool’s..
It does not take an economist to tell that the Antiguan abroad paly a big part in stimulating the Antigua economy.
Easily, 3000 Antiguans abroad contributed more to the Antiguan economy than the 3000 young men in Antigua who sits on the block all day and don’t want to work.
Yet they still rely of the government for health care and other services. I am not going to even go into crime which also drain the Police/Government resources.
The Antiguan government is not spending resources on the Antiguans abroad.
Let’s take one Antiguan family returning home for 2 weeks, for example. In many cases, the family spend between $5000 to $10000 USD on this one trip, especially if its during the carnival season. This pending starts from coming through customs and ends when they pay tax at the airport to leave. The ret-a-car companies and the vendors mall attendants can give you a good account too. A lot off people don’t ever know that the spending at vendors mall by returning national is comparable to the tourist. Go down there and ask them for yourselves. Also, check the paid up-to-date property tax log of the percentage of Antiguans abroad Vs those living in Antigua.
This one family’s spending is also comparable to that of a full time minimum ware worker in Antigua. All they could do is pay APUA and buy some food. But the returning family spend some on ren-a-cars, some at English Harbor, some at Big Banana, some to ride on Wadadli Cat, some to their families. All this is in addition to the little change they send home through out the year to help the families.
He’s right. Every citizen should have the right to vote regardless of wherever they are in the world; if and only if they are legal citizens of our nation. The US allows it and so too should Antigua.
FROM THE SIDELINE what does the payment of taxes has to do with the issue of making voting in an election for Antiguan and Barbudan citizens in the diaspora possible and perhaps creating a diaspora constituency? Please answer that question and spare me your long, nonsensical comments.
Are these folks for real….talking about having your cake and eat it too. These overseas folks just think because they are in a better economic country than A&B they can decide what’s best for the folks that live with the existing conditions that GOVERNMENTS meted out to the citizenry. Think because one visits maybe twice a year for two weeks(some not at all) should determine our country’s destiny? Ah drunk some ah unnu drunk……want fuh tap ovaseas an mek decision fuh people dat lib yah. Dat will never happen! USA & Canadian citizens can be audited by IRS and Revenue Canada for citizens living outside the country end earning monies. Can A&B do that? have a vote where you pay your taxes. Desperate times calls for extreme requests…….A drowning person grasp at anything within reach to save their lives. Papa Doc was an educated man and look how he treated the people of Haiti, Muf said.
Comments are closed.