After 10 years of UPP “losership” it’s time for Gisele to go
Dear Editor:
Many were shocked to hear that Hon. Anthony Smith, a rising star in the UPP has joined the list of defectors from the party. Many may see this as an act of political suicide by a young politician who is liked and respected. But what pushes people to commit suicide? Feelings of helplessness and hopelessness.
We cannot ignore the mass exodus of members from the party since losing office 10 years ago. Yet the Party refuses to change. Almost all dissenting party members say that they are frustrated with the Party leadership.
This is a major issue. They feel that they are ruled by a dictatorship and it is impossible to air their views in the hostile environment that has been created.
The famous saying “people don’t leave jobs, they leave bosses” comes to mind.
Why is it taking the Party this long to accept that something is wrong with their leadership style? Maybe they don’t fully understand what is wrong and it will take some soul searching to address the problems. But it begins with accepting that there is a problem within the UPP.
After the convention in April, D. Gisele Isaac was asked in a radio interview about the MPs who supported Richard Lewis.
I was shocked when she said that the convention is over and the dissenting MPs needed to get on board. Miss Isaac sounded more like a boss than a leader.
A boss focuses on control, giving orders, and checking off tasks. But a true leader motivates his or her team to reach new heights through communication, collaboration and support. This is the culture that the UPP must cultivate to recruit and retain members and position itself to win.
The Party leadership organized a retreat a few weeks ago to give members a chance to air their grievances. This was supposed to be the beginning of the healing process.
But Gisele Isaac, one of the organizers, showed up over an hour late and stormed out of the session once the discussion got too heated. So it looks like the boisterous chair cannot sit the hot seat. She is more focused on control and command than actually listening to the team.
After 10 years as the chairperson of the UPP, is Gisele happy with where the Party is? Does she think the Party is on the right track? She needs to get off her high horse and really ask herself why everyone sees her as the problem?
Is she too arrogant to accept that she could be standing in the way of the Party’s progress? Even if she doesn’t think she is the problem, shouldn’t she as the chairperson be committed to finding the problem?
A good leader looks to inspire and lead people, with a vision and commitment that convinces other people to follow them as an example.
They focus on guiding and supporting their team, not just barking orders. When people feel valued and inspired, they go above and beyond. But when they feel controlled and unappreciated, motivation goes out the window and many eventually quit the team.
Bosses like Gisele stick to the status quo and are quick to tell you how things are done and what works. They’re resistant to change, new ideas and a new direction.
They refuse to get out of their comfort zone and so they fight to stifle innovation and growth. But in today’s political landscape Gisele’s leadership style will continue to fail the UPP and the mass defections will only continue.
It’s hard to teach an old dog new tricks and unfortunately, it might be too late to reprogram Gisele. The time for fresh blood and a change of leadership has come. T
he stats are not good. She’s not good for business, it is time for the UPP to either change its course, or continue to drift in the wrong direction.
Harold Lovell stepped down after three failed attempts as the political leader of the party. Gisele has been the chairperson of the party during this period of the party’s failure, it’s time for her to step down and help to save the UPP.
Frustrated UPP Member
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It’s definitely time for her to go, she is doing to the upp to same thing she did to her marriage
UPP belongs to Gisele Isaac-Arrindell
UPP belongs to Gisele Isaac-Arrindell
UPP belongs to Gisele Isaac-Arrindell
UPP belongs to Gisele Isaac-Arrindell
UPP belongs to Gisele Isaac-Arrindell
U.P.P. member, YOU DO NOT have to be a member of the party.
Why don’t you follow those who left or are leaving?
Get it through your thick head that A DECISION WAS TAKEN BY A MAJORITY OF MEMBERS AS TO WHO THEY WANT LEADING THEM.
You don’t have to stick around if you do not support the MAJORITY DECISION.
What is so hard to understand in that?
Just leave and let the damn party breathe.
If they remain in opposition and you don’t want to be in opposition, why the hell are you sticking around?
Trupz. Are you damn disgusting and sickening now.
@@Brixtonian:
What’s your response to this article? And please don’t tell me that it was written by a Labour Party member.
If the leader cannot realize that although she has some strong leadership qualities, being an authoritarian vs being authoritative is the recipe for political suicide. This is certainly paradoxical to the objective of building a strong team.
I have told Lovell many years ago that the Chairman and that Attorney dude will cause the downfall of his party. He clearly knows that I’m not a supporter of the UPP, and will never be.
Their principles of aristocracy do not align with the culture of the vast majority of our citizenry.
Their hastened negative or dismissive response on every issue or project proposed by this administration even when there are benefits to the growth and development of Antigua is disingenuous.
So many of the members have complained about their disregard for real progress.
I believe that there will be more defections in the works as there are others who are similarly disillusioned.
Cheers.
I often wonder why the chairperson of the UPP Tried her hand at elective politics? I wonder no more! This woman is to divisive, that NOBODY outside of the delusional delegates in a convention would vote for this woman!
Upp party been a party of hate, badmind and jealousy that the nucleus and which the party was established. There is no progress or growth among upp just fights and negativity.
@Paddy Pendergast.
She did attempt to run in City South in 2018, but quickly withdrew her name as she realized that she was no match for the Attorney General.
@Big John Stud>>>>>>> you a kill me 🤣 🤣 🤣 🤣 🤣
Her husband is a nice “butter skin” fella
You just jealous you can’t handle a “Strong Black Woman” lol 😆 😂 🤣
Some men love it when the woman “wear the pants” 😆 🤣
This has absolutely NOTHING to do with ‘cracks’ and ‘implosion’ within the UPP. If as you say the UPP is devoid of aspiration and ideas then why does Gaston and the ABLP keep taking ‘talents’ away.
You obviously DO NOT KNOW that the hearts of men are deceitful and desperately wicked. JUST ASK ANTHONY THE EC$6,500,000.00 (the six and a half million dollars he was paid to ‘jump ship’ so that at least he could service his EC$700,000.00 DEBT.
Do not blame the UPP. Anthony like Dwayne, Lamin et al has NO SOUL. They are Judas’ and can be bought for ANYTHING!
@for sale
A who use Disco Dumpling money to give out and BUY votes in the same constituency where the girl lived that he gunned down…..she and her unborn child??? U better careful wah ur say. Dig wan hoarl fu you too
“Get it through your thick head that A DECISION WAS TAKEN BY A MAJORITY OF MEMBERS AS TO WHO THEY WANT LEADING THEM.”
This statement obviously from the lady or one of her minions is delusional. Like 2019 the convention elections were rigged. Beginning with the departure from the norm of voting for the chairman first before the political leader.
Plenty lucre not from the party but from outside passed to get some candidates to vote a certain way.
Blame for the dominance of this woman must be squarely placed at the feet of the two former leaders who did not have the belly to reproach her for her wrongdoings.
A so-call freedom fighter lawyer, a puffed up ex- army man, and a poodle placed as deputy to smooch her arrogance, helped to deliver the convention to her and her chosen leader who seem not to want to be leader.
UPP is in the latter stages of decline. Saving it would involve a drastic change in the leadership, clean sweep and a new philosophy re winning political campaigns. Is that possible? Maybe not. Maybe it is time to take UPP to the burial ground.
The ABLP seem to be in political heaven at the moment, but let them “crow” whilst the sun shines, because it won’t last while the citizens of the country still get power cuts; cannot afford housing or put regular food on their tables with high inflation and taxes eating away at our hard earned wages and pensions – when and if we get them that is!
The master of deflectionary tactics is at it once more, but he fools no-one except his die-hard ABLP acolytes and sycophants, who will continue to drink Gaston’s KOOL-AID, until it’s too late to save the country.
This terrible Prime Minister continues thrives on division. Simple!
STAND YOUR GROUND MY FELLOW UPP SUPPORTERS – THIS NASTY DEVELOPMENT MEANS NOTHING IN THE LONGER TERM.
HOLD, HOLD, HOLD …
Cry harder in the comments😭😭. Neither u nor ur party nah want accept the reality that there is ruckus and chaos inna ya party and that’s y the party is self destruct Smith gone and more to follow. Soon its going to be u Gisele Whenner and Harold remaining.
@Brixtonian
You are witnessing the politically savviness of a leading Caribbean Prime Minister at work. You know during the SID4 Conference, many delegates mentioned to me that they’re watching PM Browne and PM Mottley as they both seem to be the sharpest tacks in our region. They admire their fearlessness.
But according to you, a man can never be king in his own country. Only outsiders can see his value. That’s shameful.
@ Dave Ray, you may say that the Prime Minister is being “savvy”, but many others will opine that the voting public in All Saints West are being deceived by this utterly underhand tactic.
And furthermore, if you believe that Anthony Smith wasn’t given some sort of tax-payer FUNDED inducement, then your gullibility is there for all of us LIVING here to witness.
So sad that Gaston Browne is now following the Republic of China’s 🇨🇳 lead in the march to becoming a one-party state here in Antigua.
You’ll be happy with that won’t you Dave?
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