by G.A.Dwyer Astaphan
During an election campaign, consistently well attended public rallies help to mobilize and motivate a political Party’s supporters, and to keep their morale and confidence high. At the same time, they tend to demoralize that Party’s opponents.
So they can play a pivotal role in an election.
Now, even before Saturday, January 15, reports had indicated that attendance at public rallies of the Antigua & Barbuda Labour Party (ABLP) had been below par. And it is no secret: this has caused a dramatic rise in concern among, and has dealt a blow to the confidence of, leaders and followers alike of that Party.
So what happened on Saturday, January 14? Mr. Gaston Browne announced that the motorcade scheduled for Sunday, January 15, would be his Party’s last event of this election. The public meetings which was to be held after the motorcade and on Monday have been cancelled.
Henceforth, he and his candidates will be in their constituencies, engaging in retail politics, house-to-house, voter-by-voter, doing whatever they can to save their skins.
(Interesting how some politicians are so desperate to save their own political skins but care so little for the people).
This ending of public meetings and other events may be considered to be a good strategy. And it is: but only for a Party whose concern levels are feverishly high, and whose confidence has dropped precipitously. Perhaps, it is the only strategy left for a Party which could be staring defeat in the face.
So while we can admit that Mr. Browne and his colleagues made the right decision here, we must also agree that it is a decision made because so much has gone wrong for them in this election.
It is a decision which was forced upon them by the successes to date of their opponents, and by their own failure to mobilize, motivate, excite and energize their supporters and, generally, the voters of the country.
It is a sign of desperation, just days before the voters get to do their thing. Maybe more than desperation: maybe despair.
You see, instead of capturing the people’s imagination, they, especially their leader, have turned people off.
People are tired of it, and doubly tired of the tirades, the reckless and personally abusive comments, the repeatedly demonstrated disregard for the rule of law, and the failure to provide even the bare essentials…,.and with no sign of repentance or reform. Indeed, they are doubling down and seeking a fresh mandate for their failures.
So they know that they are in a state of electoral asphyxiation and they are gasping for a breath of air. And they are hoping that they can get it over the dwindling, remaining days.
I have heard from well positioned contacts about the dissatisfaction and dissent, and the murmuring, the mumbling and grumbling within the Antigua & Barbuda Labour Party (ABLP) leadership and lower circles.
They are bothered by the momentum on the other side, and, notably, by Mr. Asot Michael’s powerful performance in defence of his seat, his revelations, and his positive impact being felt, not just in St. Peter, but nationwide are bothering ABLP decision makers.
Some of them are especially upset with the line of viciousness that is being taken against Asot, just to please and placate Gaston’s animus against the man who made him king. And they know that this could be politically fatal to them. But they are afraid of Gaston too.
What a thing!
So while they are very concerned with the UPP ((and they should be, because UPP has out-campaigned them), they appear to be afraid of Asot, who seems to be proving, even as a one-man show, to be quite capable of handling all of them.
Gaston has no answer to Asot, hence the abuse and vilification, telltale signs of what could be a drowning scorpion.
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Dwyer kip out a are we sudden Jack…!!! Pay attention to St.Kitts and Nevis.
You should tell that to his cousin also to mind his business in Dominica. Them people on pointe fm a always call him for his opinion. I wonder if he would care disclose how much money he received from Antigua labour government.
@ Spar Par
Dwyer continue to enlighten us about the EVIL DEEDS OF GASTON AND THE ABLP.
What a thing!!!!
@ My Friend BRIXTONIAN. I ordered a shipment of SMELLING SALTS for My FRIENDS BRIXTONIAN , CHARLES TABOR and All the other UPP Candidates for the January 18 2023. The following is the reason.
Results of 2023 Election in Antigua / Barbuda .
ABLP win all 17 SEATS
UPP ZERO SEAT ( Candidates lose Deposits )
DNA ZERO SEAT ( ALL CANDIDATES LOSE DEPOSITS )
BPM ZERO SEAT
ASOT MICHAEL ZERO SEAT
MASSIVE LANDSLIDE VICTORY ABLP
Gaston has built nothing but an empire on corruption. He has no vision; his team is morally bankrupt! Vote them out. Power corrupts; absolute power corrupts absolutely! Labor needs to go and fix itself.
Sir (or whatever pronoun you prefer to be addressed by), I’m begging you PLEASE DO NOT BRING OUT THE MORALLY BANKRUPT CARDS!!
That’s a very broad brush, which unfortunately has daubed every single political party in the country, whether or not they’re contesting this pending elections!
‘Sungoo’ no better than ‘Lungoo’!!
The truth is just the truth this leader only cares about himself. No pensioners, no government workers,no Rastas, no Christians no citizens that cares about this country that is in their rightful mind will not and should not support ABLP lead under gaston. We have suffer with labour it is not safer with labour it has been two years of hardship, crime rate has increased, job loses, suicide.
During the pandemic this administration close their ears and eyes to assist the people although they receive funds to help the less fortunate now election is near that money we should have gotten during the lock down is used to try and bribe the people.
Who benefits more from the bribe the politicians or the bribe.
Red is dead let’s us remove Hitler from his high horse. Stop being loyal to party and be loyal to yourself and the country where every body benefits
Look yourselves in the mirror and ask yourselves. Who is doing well in this country? The bastions of the Labour Party or all and sundry?
Vote your conscience. Not what mammy and daddy say wha u fu do. Remember, you are going to be in the long line. In the hot sun, sweating. Waiting for your turn to vote.
When you done. I’m quite sure you will want to go home and take a shower. Guess what? Wata nar run!!! Let dat be in your mind as you cast your X. It is not you alone they have to bathe. Granny, Pappy, Mammy, Daddy, Sister,Brother, Cousin and you neighbor. Meanwhile Labournearga have full flowing showers, swimming pools, jacuzzis and hot tubs waiting for them.
They living good while you working hard to make ends meet. Tell dem. De Party DUN. UPP go tek ova!
When they do. Hold them responsible for doing the peoples work. If they don’t. Vote them out. Plain and simple.
Gaston was given an opportunity and his EGO got inflated. He claimed his Stance stood for all things good. His actions have come nowhere close to his Stance!
Tik Tok. City West going UPP. Time up!
you nah lie! The ABLP some blood sucking mosquitoes!
How soon we forget!!
2004 – 2014 wasn’t so long ago!
I know generally, we do not tend to be a people who read. And we tend to have selective amnesia with our ‘party-coloured’ tinted glasses. Perhaps I’m dating myself here, but I can remember that we had water woes long time until we had to get water here by barge in the early to mid 1980s.
And while not near the 1980s levels, we were still dealing with water issues prior to the 2004 elections which the UPP promised to fix, and in quick time too (although they weren’t foolhardy enough to claim that they could do it in 14 days). Did they fix it? Come around ABLP did the very same thing, made the same ridiculous pronouncements about having running water problem fixed in 14 days. Did they fix it?
Nevertheless, here we are, in 2023 and again water woes are on the ballot.
Water shortage is not unique to Antigua; other OECS countries are suffering too. Even states in the the great USA are suffering decades long water challenges (California comes to mind), all exacerbated by severe prolonged droughts.
What I know is that all of these politicians indiscriminately run their mouths and make empty promises.
Generating water via Reverse Osmosis (RO) process is extremely costly, especially as a stand-alone process. If it were two-fold RO plant like old Tango which desalinated water while also generating electricity, then we could have better synergies there, not necessarily cheaper but at least we’d be getting two products from one plant – WIN-WIN.
But be that as it may, rectifying this issue is no quick fix, because we don’t have endless resources to throw at the problem. Our politicians need to just stop chatting about the issue and get busy really trying to surmount the challenge. And our citizens need to stop chat chupitniss ’bout water like they lack sense and memory.
Make it make sense please!
All of us do not have bird brains capacity!
PLEASE!
@ My Friend BRIXTONIAN. I ordered a shipment of SMELLING SALTS for My FRIENDS BRIXTONIAN , CHARLES TABOR and All the other UPP Candidates for the January 18 2023. The following is the reason.
Results of 2023 Election in Antigua / Barbuda .
ABLP win all 17 SEATS
UPP ZERO SEAT ( Candidates lose Deposits )
DNA ZERO SEAT ( ALL CANDIDATES LOSE DEPOSITS )
BPM ZERO SEAT
ASOT MICHAEL ZERO SEAT
MASSIVE LANDSLIDE VICTORY ABLP
Time for him to go, time for all of them to go. We have nothing to show, nothing to be proud of. Gaston and the ABLP parliamentarians enriched themselves with no consideration to what Antiguans are going through. Selfish bastards!
We are fed up, fed up, fed up! TIME TO GO GASSY DICTATOR BROWNE.
GASTON ONLY CARE ABOUT HOW MUCH MONEY HE HAVE THE MAN SELL OUT THE COUNTRY AND KEEP ALL THE MONEY
SICK, TIRED , FED UP. SICK, TIRED, FED-UP OF GASTON’S TANTRUMS.
TIME FOR GASTON AND THE ABLP TO GO
G.A.Dwyer Astaphan…
Wasn’t he a legal rep for the ABLP and or some of its Members? Hmmnnn
He seems to be sending a #message” about the ABLP GANGSTERS…Hmmmnnn!
#DOOR_2_DOOR CAMPAIGNING by the ABLP, could this be a sign or signal of not only desperation, but also an easier way, to pass 1 MILLION dollars around…hmmnnnn.
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