Letter: Things That Make You Say Hmmmm
In the early ’90s, Freedom Williams and C+C Music Factory famously coined a song called “Things That Make You Say Hmmmm.” While most of us take the word of our government as gospel, every once in a while, there are some things that should make us say “hmmmm.” Indulge me on three quick points.
ONE: The 2023 General Election
In the 2023 General Election, support for the UPP was strong, with the ABLP retaining power by only six votes in St John City East. This was a constituency considered a sure win for the UPP. A total of 1,595 Antiguans went to the polls that day, casting 791 votes for Melford Nicholas and 785 for Harold Lovell. This result defied all pre-election and exit polls, which indicated that Lovell should win. The constituents were voting for the leader of the party, who would become the next Prime Minister—a major driving force for votes. Yet, the UPP still lost. To illustrate how close this loss was, six votes is less than half of the total votes for the DNA candidate.
TWO: The Venezuelan Election
Last week in the Venezuelan election, incumbent president Nicolás Maduro declared himself the winner long before the votes were tallied. He “won” despite every pre-election poll, exit poll, and international observer view to the contrary. In fact, the actual exit polling showed Maduro losing by a landslide to the opposition. Who was the first international leader to congratulate Maduro on his win? None other than our own Gaston Browne. In his letter, he stated, “I present my compliments and have the honour to extend sincerest congratulations on your recent victory at the national elections, held on July 28, 2024.” He continued, “The people of the Bolivarian Republic have given you, Excellency, yet another vote of confidence to continue the Chavez revolution begun in 1998. Your success at yesterday’s elections signals a strong message for an engaging democracy, a respect for sovereignty, tolerance and good political relations, not only in Venezuela but within the Caribbean and Latin America.” This, despite 17 nations, including the United States and Canada, fully condemning the elections.
THREE: The OAS Vote
The election results were so questionable that the OAS (Organization of American States), of which Antigua is a member, voted to conduct “an impartial investigation into the recent elections in Venezuela.” The 35-member OAS needed 18 votes to pass the motion but only garnered 17. Seventeen nations, including the United States, Canada, Jamaica, Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, the Dominican Republic, Suriname, Uruguay, and Argentina, voted for the impartial investigation. Not a single country voted against it. However, a handful of nations abstained from voting, causing the measure to fail. Again, this was not a vote on who won the election, it was simply a vote for an “independent investigation” of the results.
Unsurprisingly, Antigua and Barbuda refused to participate in the vote. Antigua’s single vote would have triggered an investigation which could have preserved the democracy for the 28.8 million citizens of Venezuela.
The Real Questions
Here are the questions we need to ask ourselves:
- Did the ABLP and Gaston Browne properly count the votes in the 2023 election, which kept them in power by only six votes? Were there any voting irregularities? How could there not have been?
- Is Gaston, as the first world leader to congratulate a knowingly corrupt dictator, creating the same environment here in our own country?
- If our government would get in the way of the OAS conducting an “impartial investigation” in the Venezuelan election, what would they do to stay in power in our own country?
The United States recently stated, “Given the overwhelming evidence, it is clear to the United States and, most importantly, to the Venezuelan people that Edmundo González Urrutia won the most votes in Venezuela’s July 28 presidential election,” said U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken. “In addition, the United States rejects Maduro’s unsubstantiated allegations against opposition leaders. Maduro and his representatives’ threats to arrest opposition leaders, including Edmundo González and María Corina Machado, are an undemocratic attempt to repress political participation and retain power,” Blinken added.
Does any of this sound familiar? How about Gaston Browne’s baseless attempt to have Kelvin “Shugy” Simon’s win overturned? We all need to understand and remember that Gaston Browne is capable of anything and will do anything to stay in power.
The real question is, has he done it once already?
Things that make you say hmmmm.
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I’m always amazed that the labour party with its current leader will
Do everything and anything to hold on to power!
I mean anything and everything!
Power must be real sweet!
Keep crying desperate UPP supporter, it won’t change a thing.
There is no hope for your party with Pringle, Bowen and Isaac running it into the ground so wipe away those tears or keep crying, we don’t care but boy, do we laugh!
I stop feeling sorry for them. They deserve everything they get.
Their politic is one of lies, division, and hate towards their opponent. There is no unity in their message. All about hate you brother and sister if they are from the Labour Party. That is why when they took office in 2004, it was all about victimization. Thank God Gaston Browne did not practice that type of politics. There were some ministers like Dean Jonas, Asot Michael and Michael Browne that he had to reign in. But it was never a Labour Party policy. If a school leaver was looking for a job in a government agency, there would be a team setup to scrutinize that person. And if they find out that your parents voted for labour party or they were told that the family is red, too bad for that youngster, but he/she would not be hired.
What is it with you Laborites? Talking bout tears from UPP clowns? Who’s really the clowns here?
You’re like low-down, dirty,love ugly fools.
ALP is a lawless,corrupt,thiefing (the 6 million dollar traitor’s words) cult,led by a power hungry Pimp,disregarding your laws and rules to remain in power at all cost. Then with a cabinet full of compromised clowns,the pimp does what the hell he pleases.
UPP is resilient and the departure of all these political prostitutes is like the whale vomiting Jonah when he was no longer was fit to task.
ALP is inundated with traitors,liards,unprincipled scums who are after on thing only….MONEY.
Take a look at your party @ More Tears From UPP Clowns,you have an elephant in your party that’s a bigger problem than UPP.
I say here that this writer is conflating the issue with Antigua election and melford and Gaston and Joann messiah trickery of 6 vote win which is petty in comparison with the venezuelan opposition getting their hands on the lottery of power to hand over all Venezuela oil resources to American company in reversal to Hugo Chavez nationalizing the oil resources to benifit the poor and the Caribbean islands, you allow the opposition and no more pdv- Caribe for senior citizens or food vouchers and discount on APUA light bill or $100 towards your bill, you can go ahead there and curse for america to attain it’s hegemony through a puppet opposition, so Gaston at this time is correct in political ideology, but I wish Gaston had that political ideology towards Barbuda and stop stealing their lands for white people to dominate, so he is just like the venezuelan opposition ready to give everything to white monopoly capital domination , but at this moment I don’t back any opposition win because it’s a win for america global corporation to enrich themselves from people resources.
To Watching – Your entertaining bunch of circus performers masquerading as a political party are getting weaker by the day as more and more of them abandon the sinking ship. I don’t blame them actually, it takes some guts to do that but they have a greater understanding than the average UPP supporter, like you, of what is really going on.
I look forward to seeing just how resilient the UPP really is! Time will tell but with Pringle and the rest of them unable to keep their own messy house in order, I see more people removing their UPP issued clown shoes, red noses, and wigs and promising to never ride a unicycle or juggle again for the UPP.
Its amazing how UPPites tend to make up their own facts. The writer knowingly lies when he/she suggests all local polls predicted a UPP victory. Fact is the polls done by Peter Wickham correctly predicted a ABLP victory. As for Venezuela, please note that election observers, brought in to observe the election there have congratulated Maduro on his victory. One of these groups is the The Congress of South African Trade Unions. A SA article makes clear; “The international observers, including the South Africans, witnessed a fair and free electoral process and as such the contention by the leader of the opposition that he won more than 70% of the vote comes as a complete surprise…The observers, including several African nations, experienced first-hand the pre-elections environment which allowed for unrestricted campaigning, and witnessed a peaceful the election day where all political parties and citizens could engage and move freely.” see https://mediadon.co.za/2024/07/30/cosatu-congratulates-venezuelan-president-madura-on-his-third-term/
Antigua people don’t get that PM’s response is all about West Indies Oil and who’s benefiting?
Why the American Government do not stay out of other countries politics? Why the always want someone in power who will do their bidding, so they can exploit that of country?
America Government want to exploit Venezuela oil, If the American government get their hands of Venezuela oil that will be the end of Alba, then pensioners like me will not get the $100 voucher per month to help pay my utilities.
Venezuelans are right to vote against a US Government back puppet President.
I think the real question from the writer here is: Why, if Antigua wants to put itself on the map and be known as a “regional powerhouse” for business and commerce, with a stable, honest government, would they not cast their vote to “independently investigate” the Venezuelan election? The people of Antigua, through the power vested in Gaston Browne, have the ability to trigger an investigation that could ensure democracy for 28.8 million Venezuelans. But they won’t do it. Why?
@teman please re-think your comment. There are 950 observers across nearly 40 International election observation organizations and the ONLY ones that say it was fair and impartial are the African National Congress (ANC), South African Communist Party (SACP), and the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu). Given South Africas history of fair elections, they probably think it was fair. #NotAntiguasStandard
@Francis- Please remember the US has deep interest in regime change in Venezuela and has in the past signaled it will do anything it can to make this happen. Here’s another group (see https://nlginternational.org/2024/07/national-lawyers-guild-report-election-monitoring-delegation-to-the-bolivarian-republic-of-venezuela/). The National Lawyers Guild (NLG) sent five election observers to monitor the presidential elections in Venezuela that took place on July 28, 2024. Guild members collectively visited a number of polling centers on the day of the election, where they observed thousands of voters participate. The delegation witnessed no instances of fraud or serious irregularities, and found overall voter satisfaction with the electoral process. We observed a deeply participatory and pluralistic process where the Venezuelan people are directly engaged in the social and political life of their nation…. The National Lawyers Guild, whose membership includes lawyers, legal workers, jailhouse lawyers, and law students, was formed in 1937 as the United States’ first racially-integrated bar association to advocate for the protection of constitutional, human and civil rights.
Members of the Delegation:
Suzanne Adely
Audrey Bomse
Nina Farnia
Ken Montenegro
Corinna Mullin-Rouabah
We must always remember that these organisations also have an agenda and are supportive of the United States of America who has an embargo against Cuba. Embargoes are a punitive measure designed to inflict suffering on the poor and vulnerable in any society. I don’t hear any of these human rights organisations condemning the United States Government for the Embargo against Cuba. So we must be careful in determinìg what is wrong and right.
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