LETTER: Politically Paralyzed PM Browne Yet to Convene Parliament

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Politically Paralyzed PM Browne Yet to Convene Parliament

A full week has now passed since the ABLP limped across the electoral finish line ahead of the gathering storm of support that propelled the six UPP candidates, BPM’s Trevor Walker, and independent candidate Asot Michael into parliament.

Following the ABLP’s electoral victories in 2014 and 2018 a swashbuckling Gaston Browne wasted no time to convene the parliament.

But a type of malaise appears to have beset PM Browne when the dust settled after the general elections of 18th January 2018.

A political paralysis, occasioned by the ABLP losing the popular vote, might have contributed to this malaise.

There were some 22, 559 validly cast votes that went against the ABLP. This is 12.50% more votes than the ABLP got.

And there are those who argue that the main target for the votes against the ABLP was a bull’s-eye with the name Gaston Browne emblazoned on it.

We are plumb in the territory of a minority government. One in which there is a tenuous Cabinet several of whose members seem to be on shifting sand.

But the compromised political architecture is even more manifest at the parliamentary level.

The position of deputy speaker, a constitutional necessity from among the elected members, remains up in the air as, it is said, Sir Robin rebuffed that appointment.

There is a one seat majority in parliament for a minority government. The contradictions cannot be starker.

The ABLP’s legislative agenda is likely to be severely hamstrung. Bold legislative moves would necessitate a lot of horse-trading to get the desired support to pass a bill into law.

More so, all elected members on the government side must be in the chamber for the items on the agenda to pass with some ease.

An over-active bowel for an ABLP elected member, or any sudden and incapacitating ailment, that causes a member on the government’s side to not attend a session, may result in the political doomsday clock striking the 12 o’clock hour for the ABLP.

So PM Browne, it seems, has lost the zeal to convene parliament. Meanwhile, there is a growing anxiety in the population for the new parliamentary period to open.

If the PM does not call the new parliament to open elections will be triggered when that political dooms day clock strikes 12 in several weeks’ time.

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21 COMMENTS

  1. Some of the Ministers want a Prime Minister who winks at their get rich quick schemes and joins in the skullduggery. Integrity is hated among crooks. A -Sot (a person who is often drunk : drunkard. ) suits their agenda..

  2. When UPP was elected (9 seats plus 1 for bpm)in March 2009, how is it they convened parliament in May that year? The constitution allows the government 90 days. This GB admin has made clear it will convene parliament Feb 17 (less than 30 days after the election). Unlike in the past (2014-2023), it will have to be scheduled in advance to ensure ministers can properly schedule their overseas trips. Doing other wise increases the risk of the opposition fulfilling their stated role of opposing for opposing sake, voting down good bills.

    • I know one thing for certain, none of your inept members will be absent any time parliament is in session like in previous times.

  3. I think it’s more political constipation. For someone who is known for piling on the BS, he just can’t see to pump it out fast enough. The real meaning of “hard bound.” Let’s see how the crook loosens himself out of this mess.

  4. Seems as if the PM is not interested in “Take away/Lessons Learned” from the recent election. Said it many times you are rude, arrogant, boast and chat too folking much and those rhetoric would be the downfall of the ABLP at the Polls. You may be at the end of your rope with these threatening shenanigans you continue to spur as there are not too much room in the Party’s win to wiggle. Again as stated before IF the position given to the former minister was NOT agreed upon by both parties then TROUBLE in the camp. Heard he mentioned he has a lot of ammunitions/things up his sleeve which sounds like “its either his way or the whole party will suffer. My question is; Who is responsible to convene the party’s convention should do so as soon as possible and see who gets the mandate from the party. Word on the street is there are a couple of people who are interested in leadership role. Mr PM you are not bigger than the party. You may be sure of your seat but the party’s existence MUST be maintained. Very interesting is the relationship between a heavy duty equipment contractor, Minister of Works and Minister of Finance. Once again tone down your rhetoric, make sure the citizenry gets water on a consistency basis, pay public servants on time, be respectful of the elected members and ‘tap chat dem behine dem back wid opposition people’. Anything short of that is political suicide! TAKE HEED!

  5. Dear ANR
    There you go playing favourite again. You are not publishing my letter entitled Dear Giselle but you are anxious to publish this one that criticizes the Gaston Brown government. Well, here it comes again:

    Dear Giselle, yuh mashing up we party. You couldn’t wait to see the back of Harold before you start to plot to put Pringle in as leader because you know you could manipulate him. The party has a constitution but it looks like you are your own constitution and making up everything. Years ago when you walk into this party we knew we were going to have trouble with you. You turn Harold into a eunuch and make all the good people, even some of the bad ones, walk away.
    Everybody knows why Jonathan is in the senate and why you want to keep him there. That is not a secret. And Shawn is your favourite because she would do anything you say, and you promise Harold to look out for he kip woman.
    You and he have no shame? What about all the time and money spend on the young people, you couldn’t even give them one likkle pick? Now Shawn in she ugly tent dress swearing in to everything and saying the party have turns. Her turn not expired yet? How come you never said that until you were challenged by the people? And how long is a turn?
    Plenty people sweat hard and work like demon to win the election. Harold just walk away first thing as usual and leave everything to you. Third time he’s doing this. Harold just let you cut out his pair and leave us for you to abuse all ah we.
    Now yuh making up your own rules and saying who should go where. I believe if you could you would also move some of the six and put in other people.
    You and Harold very selfish. You all not thinking about all those people who work so hard all these years to win and now have nothing to show for it. Let Massiah go and get his honors from the union. He was in there already. Jonathan brings nothing to the senate. He needs to move.
    On social media, the young people cussing UPP like hell. What happen to the promises you all made to them? Wey you all going with Jonathan? Wey you all bring back Massiah for, to rob somebody of a position? Shawn nuh get enough money for pension? She want all of it for herself? What about the others who did not even get two terms? Because they name man and she name woman? What has she done for UPP? Isn’t she the one the candidates before call Mama Lazy? She had St Phillips North and did nothing, she went into Rural North and they said no, she went into St Phillips South and she lost the primary. Because Harold tell she yes we have to leave her in the senate to get extra money? That is not fair.
    Listen Giselle. You need to resign from the UPP right now, or we will expose you and the crookish things you are doing to UPP. Now is not the time for you to divide the party. Everywhere people saying you are the problem in the party. Plenty people don’t want to join UPP because of you and your nasty ways. You need to go, walk fast and take Harold and Shawn with you. Even some of your friends saying you gone too far this time.
    You have Pringle talking like he is baby Hitler saying he is the head of the party. Who made him the head, you? Where is the law in the constitution that say so? You even had him looking like an idiot. Couldn’t you prepare him for the swearing in? You know he likes to call words wrong. You’re getting paid to coach him not raise him up to be what he can’t handle.
    Last thing. UPP needs to call back those four senators and start over. That was not your job to name them. You are mashing up the party and plenty people want you out of UPP. You gone too far this time.

      • @ Cool Ruler

        You hit the nail on the head……some ABLP joker/minion want to sow discord within the UPP ‘BUT IT NAR GO WORK’…….YOU TINK PEOPLE FOOLY LIKE YOU DUMB ABLP FOLLOWERRS WHO WOULD FOLLOW GASTON TO THE PIT OF HELL?

  6. It shows that the writer doesn’t have a clue about our parliamentary procedure. Which elected government held Parliament a week after the election? And doesn’t our constitution give the winning party ninety days to convene the first parliamentary sitting with the Throne Speech and thereafter present a new budget. You really cannot blame the UPP people, as they all suffer from intellectuality. When God was giving brains, he skipped over them. Their leader cannot even pronounce the word “impartiality”.

    • @Sideline, Gaston Brown afraid of backlash from Asot Michael. He trembling, he might pee his pants. How sweet it is, Hitler the “dictator fraid he kin”. Tune in for real life drama😃

  7. groping, wire wearing, drunkard that Heads of Government in other Caricom countries don’t like and or trust? Disco Dumpling will self-destruct!

  8. Fron the sideline, you cannot be serious?! UPP is the thinking party, we don’t follow the ‘put a dog in a red shirt and me go vote for it’ mentality. One only has to listen to pointe fm to hear the dunce conversations. The alp’s main way of getting votes is to bribe their people cause they believe they don’t have any brains. So please take that back. “They all suffer from intellectuality” so you admit the UPP people are smart, lol. You can’t even use words correctly. You can’t criticize Pringle because he has more integrity in his little finger than you have in your whole body.Being able to not stumble over the word ‘impartiality’ means nothing when the person saying the oath lacks it and integrity in spades. You guys are childish and disgusting. Ohhhh and where are your comments on Antigua Airways?

    • @SMH January 26, 2023 At 6:54 pm
      Don’t make me laugh. The UPP is the thinking party? You mean UPP is the stinking party. They can’t think to save their life. The first thing they said when they won the 2004 election is “Wah arl we guh duh now. They had no clue. When the finances got rough the only option they could think off, even to this day, was to go to the IMF. During the worst pandemic the world has seen they called upon the PM to go to the IMF. is that the thinking party? Give me an aspirin. You guys are an inept set of people. Cannot think outside the box. Harold sat for years twiddling his thumb while ABIB was melting down the financial sector. It took a brain like Gaston to come up with a creative solution. And thereby saved thousands of people their savings. The UPP sat also for years trying to find out how they would buy the shares from Rappaport for WIOC. The only option they saw was to lend money from Venezuela and Venezuela to become the majority shareholder. Looking back on that deal, if that were to happen Antigua would be without fuel today because of the boycott from the USA on Venezuela oil companies. Gaston came and in ninety days he bought WIOC for one third of the price that UPP was willing to pay for it. And he did not borrow one cent from the Treasury. It’s called Financial Engineering. And through his term he has demonstrated to us that he can find solutions to many of our financial issues. Look how we are funding UWI with a special tax on Financial Instutions and how is funding the EDF with a special tax on Telecom revenues. UPP has no clue how to run this country. All they know is going to IMF for help. Well, we got a loan from Saudi Arabia at conditions better than the IMF.

      • Big dawg farder you is a fool! GB don’t have to go IMF when he can get Billions of hard currency from Africa as cargo. GB don’t have to do anything but sell out Antigua to Saudi money for votes with the Arabs.
        His shares with the wife of the Chinese disappeared keeps WIOC in his childbride wife’s pocket so he does not need the IMF.
        As for his having corrupted the good name of UWI colluding with the professor turned friend of the corrupt leader – shame on you Sidelines! Your old backside have to collect scraps from the dawg to live, but eating it off the floor and in the gutter, man how low can you stoop!

  9. The 🐍 🐍 and the killer BOYCOTT PRINGLE SWEARING IN CEREMONY at Government House.

    They planning real good for that likkle black boy fu Jeanie who said that the plural of mask is “MASKIS”

  10. Thank you @Amen. If many have the choice between a politician who can pronounce something without a slight stumble but don’t practice integrity or one who stumbles over a word or two but PRACTICE integrity…. WE WILL TAKE THE SECOND ONE WITHOUT HESITATION!!!

  11. @From the sideline, how did I know that you would come back with ‘stinking party?’ Like I said childish, smh. All these things that you mentioned as Gaston’s accomplishments are stilled wrapped in controversy. There are whispers of money laundering and lack of transperancy. Does Nyamco ring a bell? There needs to be an audit of that institution to determine what he has done with our money because he certainly didn’t use it to help us during Covid, so please miss me with the nonsense. Financial engineering, my foot! Explain how he engineered that most of the dealings benefit him and his extended family. Again an audit is in order. And you said Upp had no clue” but guess what? They would have never sunk so low as to come up with this quagmire ANTIGUA AIRWAYS! I see you still can’t speak about it!

  12. One Foot Gaston Browne, let us get on with the People’s Business open up Parliament now. It is our house not yours, we voted in our representatives . Let them In.

    Stop playing games this is not Pointless FM or ABS TV. Talking about Next Level!!Try Open Parliament .

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