To Whom It May Concern,
As a long-standing member of the United Progressive Party (UPP), it pains me to write this letter. However, the current state of our party leaves me with no choice but to voice my concerns publicly.
This is not the UPP I once knew, and it is certainly not the party that Baldwin Spencer led with such distinction.
Unlike many of my fellow members, I was not overly disappointed with the results of the last election. In fact, I saw the close outcome as a clear warning to the Antigua and Barbuda Labour Party (ABLP) and a sign that the UPP was still a force to be reckoned with. Coming within six votes of forming a government should have galvanized us to work harder, ensuring victory in the next election.
However, while the ABLP under Gaston Browne has taken the electoral results as a mandate to improve and adapt, the UPP has spiraled into disarray.
The ABLP has made strategic adjustments, positioning itself once again as the party of the people. Meanwhile, we remain bogged down in internal conflicts and public disagreements.
Our situation has deteriorated rapidly, turning a narrow one-seat difference into an 11 to 4 gap. We cannot rely on Asot Michael, a staunch supporter of his party despite his personal conflicts with Gaston Browne. His loyalty to the ABLP remains unshaken.
Similarly, Richard Lewis’s rumored discussions about becoming an ambassador and resigning from the UPP have only added to the uncertainty.
Instead of focusing on party unity and strategy, he seems more interested in personal ambitions, evidenced by his public statements and actions.
I recall being present when the phrase “Leadership Matters” was first coined. At the time, it represented our commitment to strong, principled leadership and brought us electoral success.
Sadly, under Jamale Pringle’s leadership, the party has lost its way. The momentum we once had is gone, and if an election were called today, I doubt even Pringle could secure his seat.
The UPP has become a shadow of its former self—intellectually stagnant, morally adrift, and devoid of innovative ideas.
Our current strategy seems to consist solely of protests and grandstanding, mistakenly believing that these tactics will lead us to power. The focus on obtaining diplomatic passports reflects a troubling shift in priorities.
I am deeply disappointed and ashamed of what the UPP has become. I have lost faith in the current leadership and the direction in which the party is heading.
My hope for a turnaround has dwindled to nothing, and it is clear to me that change is urgently needed. I am not alone in feeling this way; many have already left, and I suspect many more will follow.
It is with a heavy heart that I make this decision, but I can no longer remain part of a party that has lost its way.
Sincerely,
A Departing Member of the UPP
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Good letter. The UPP has gone adrift but there is an answer. Get rid of Pringle as party leader as he is not fit for that role, forget Richard Lewis as a leadership candidate as he seems to have gone adrift with all of this ambassadorial talk, appoint a strong candidate is All Saints West to take on and beat Anthony Smith and elect Shuggy as party leader. Fresh start.
LMAO!!!! you haffu drunk or a smoark some bad weed. elect who as party leader????? LOL!!!!! more exodus from upp if you even comtemplate the SHIRTLESS, PARTY BOY, NO INTEGRITY (intentional later resignation letter to get government salary).
who can forget that infamous press conference. He forgot to go over his script from the Man Cow…….so he stumbled and fumbled……poor Azara LAvia had to spoon feed him on the spot. horrible grammar, pronunciation…..SHUGY CANNOT READ OR DEBATE!!!!
@Not So Common- Shuggy is a big disgrace because my neice and god-daughter can pronounce those two words that,shuggy can’t pronounce!
PUT YOUR F%&KING NAME TO YOUR LETTER….ONE BIG CHUPSE. DISMISSING THIS LETTER AS RUBBISH.
SO TIRED OF PEOPLE WRITING LETTERS WITH NO NAME
This letter speaks to me. I am at a loss to understand why UPP members cannot see the deterioration of the party. Let’s have an introspection of the party and get rid of the cancer. Gaston Browne is having a time of His life. An election will be called early next year and UPP is lacking CARETAKERS IN a few constituencies.
There are a few Caretakers need CHANGING. Please view the following..
ALEX BROWNE
GLADYS POTTER
ALISTER THOMAS
SEAN BIRD
PETER REDZ
UPP will never win election with the above mentioned DEAD BEATS. I do not know who on UPP ticket will win another election.
If JOEL RAYNE become the ABLP nominee in St. George’s , word on the ground that He will definitely take that seat.
Mighty God! 16 million French men simply cannot be wrong. And so it goes, and so it goes! Really really sad!
Word on the streets is that someone is paid to stay in opposition and I wonder who that person/s are?
Word on the streets is that someone is paid handsomely stay in opposition and I wonder who that person/s are?
To swiftly re-energize the UPP, the party should swiftly recruit the following persons for leadership roles:
LINLEY WINTER
JOHN MUSSINGTON
KUBLI MANNIX
DR RADCLIFFE ROBINS
GAIL PERRO
LEON RODNEY
FLIPPER BENJAMIN
E ANN HENRY KC
Dr PHILMORE BENJAMIN
Restructure the party and give it back to the grass people. The list above consists of strong community activists, sadly the party is woefully lacking in this department.
The UPP ship will continue sink bcuz they have vision & proper objectives. Until that HATE,, LIES, BITTERNESS & DECEPTION is erased from UPP’s agenda then rest assure that UPP will capsize & end up in the dustbin of Antigua’s political history
I want to believe athlete Geolyna Dowdye and the other three of our under 20 qualifiers must have just sat back with their heads bowed.
I always admire Ms Dowdye’s form and after watching her Caribbean sisters whom she competes against in Carifta dominate the 100m – 1st,2nd,3rd and Ms Hodge from the British Virgin islands smashing the 200m, for gold she must be asking herself if this could have been me? And will forever remains a nightmare for these youngsters.
Yet the Wadadli athletic association keep moving on as if it’s nothing not a big deal, we will get it right next time around and not one word from Mr minister of sport. Just a set of Jokers.
I am convinced that this piece was dictated to, and posted by an ALP operative but we need to be reminded that the UPP is not the government and for all the things that have been traumatizing Antiguans and Barbudans for the past years and especially very recently, we should not be distracted by this garbage, at least, the present UPP with all its limitations couldn’t be such a failure as this ALP.
Here we go! The ABLP using the same old tiresome play book regarding the so-called demise of the UPP.
Boring set ah people dem.
This is what should REALLY concern them:
1), Lack of Transparency
2), The PM not responding to the Freedom of Information Act
3), High cost of living
4), The distinct lack of good quality housing
5), The ever growing tidal waves of crime
6), Prime Minister Browne Kowtowing to gang leaders and their members
7), Securing our ever porous borders
8), Continued self-enrichment
9), CIP third party outsourcing
10), Hoteliers getting a strong foothold through successful lobbying to the ABLP, and destroying our mangroves and then sectioning off some of our beautiful beaches for seclusion and private usage.
I could easily give another TEN examples as to why Antigua & Barbuda has so much more pressing issues to deal with than the ABLP’S constant focus on the so-called tumultuous goings-on within the UPP.
Again, ah pure cognitive dissonance from the partisan supporters, where Gaston or the ABLP can do no wrong.
Jokers the lot of you; and when the country mash-up, what you going to say?
SORRY JUST DOESN’T CUT IT …
I am with you on most of these issues but….
Antigua is not the only place in the world affected by the high cost of living
Antigua is not the only place in the world/Caribbean battling crime and gangs
Antigua is not the only place dealing with border issues and the expansions of hotels
…..and the list goes on.
AGAIN while I agree with you, I also agree with the writer and the UPP needs to introspect and see what is going on why people are leaving. Are the members not happy with the leadership? Are they not being heard? Are they just retiring?
The current happenings doesn’t really appeal to UPP supporters and voters in general who really want ABLP/Gaston out. Who are we to vote for? The UPP in shambles….DNA almost non existent…who??
So whether the writer is a ABLP operative or not doesn’t hide the truth that the UPP is no longer going under….they have gone under and FAST too, and they need to re-group if they are to make any kind of stance come next election.
How is the UPP in their current state going to lead this country….they cannot even pull themselves together much less rally a nation to support them? Come man…..
I hear you @ Truth is…., and although I agree with you regarding the troubles within the UPP (and what an opportunity we missed by not electing the Honourable Richard Lewis as new leader).
However, the entire focus by the ABLP is irrational and a downright deflection on the current troubles with this government.
People forget that the next General Election is in 2028, which leaves the UPP plenty of time to sort themselves out. Period!
BUT CAN WE SAY THE SAME SAID THING ABOUT THE 10 ISSUES I’VE RAISED PREVIOUSLY ABOUT ABLP AND GASTON BROWNE?
I THINK NOT …
🤣. Here comes these fools, 😂, trying to distract sensible pe Antiguan’s from the series of bad leadership policies that this Garbage leader have adopted, that have sink Antigua beyond any type of Recognition as a cohesive and peaceful nation.
First they try blame it on COVID, then when that didn’t work, they try blame it on the parents, when that didn’t work, they are now trying to deflect to UPP, who is not even in power.. 🤣.
What a bloody joke..
Fools, Gatson Browne is the leader of Antigua, the man you all voted in, the man that negotiates with gangsters and terrorist..This is y’all leader, focus on his terrible tract record, please..
Letter my backside..
Write a letter to your leader who is running Antigua to ruins.
To the antiguanewsroom.com admin, Your posts are always well organized and easy to understand.
You said you left the UPP but on your way out you just could not resist taking a swipe at Richard Lewis before you go.
You said you are a member of the party, and if you are, then you know damn well that all that ambassador talk about him is a load of hogwash concocted by Gaston Brown to create a storm in the UPP. He would never stand in a true setting facing Richard Lewis and swear that he had any conversation with him, or any other ALP minion about him wanting to be any ambassador. First Gaston Browne said Lewis wanted to go to Canada, then later he said that he told him he wanted to go to Jamaica. And Gaston Browne could only do this because he knows that Richard Lewis is not a fire cracker, otherwise he would have told him where to haul his parts and demanded he proved his lying words about him.
If you are a member of UPP as you say, then you should be honest and admit that the top leadership with the help of an unscrupulous lawyer, a house-broken vice chairman and a no-class mobilization officer, cheated in the voting in the convention so that Gisele Isaac and Jamal Pringle could win. You will also admit that the main problem of the UPP is Gisele Isaac who is a divider and is hell bent on expelling people who do not agree with her from the party and turn it into a women’s forum with a hand full of her chosen lapmen who are programmed to do her bidding.
Upp deteriorated when Gisele Isaac took over the reins. The woman does not understand people politics. She was afraid of a Harold Lovell-Richard Lewis combination which would have reaped dividends for the UPP, but would have meant that she would not have the power which she now has. She did everything to make sure that did not happen.
So here is the UPP, a victim of Gisele Isaacs ambitions for power in a political party.
How did the UPP come within six votes of forming the government. Been hearing this crap for some time now. UPP won six seats, BPM one seat, and one Independent. Had the former LO got the six or seven votes to win that would make seven seats for the UPP and as we have witnessed before BPM always worked alongside the UPP that makes eight seats to UPP and eight seats to ABLP. Does anyone in their right mind think that the Independent would align with UPP to form a Government even though he and the PM are not on good terms? Wishful thinking for the UPP supporters.
Ah, @Brixtonian and @Islanman26, it is refreshing to know there are still discerning citizens of our fair state.
Really, the verdict on this “letter?” Nothing to see here.
UPP is not in power. Whatever is going on in the party has absolutely zero effect on the deplorable conditions in our country. Our focus MUST be on this failure of a government, in every aspect,in every department, ministry or otherwise.
A FOI is filed and the courts sit on their asses on a foregone conclusion. We are 220 million dollars in the hole with the worst finance minister ever,except Molwyn Joseph maybe,running his botox mouth like the nile in flood,saying much and saying nothing.I just went 10 days without water but I’ve heard of people going longer. The APUA utility bills are tripling, food cost continues to escalate out of control and this idiot is negotiating with gangs.
People, the idiot DAWG has done NOTHING for this country, NOTHING . I challenge any of the mudslinging, low-down, semi-illiterate Labourites to refute this.
This is just another waste of good space.
“Instead of focusing on party unity and strategy, he seems more interested in personal ambitions, evidenced by his public statements and actions.”
THIS IS RICHARD LEWIS TO A TEE!!!! A most SELFISH, SELF-SERVING, POMPOUS, ARROGANT, ALL ABOUT SELF and not upp!!!
That letter was written by Smith of All Saints West Constituency.
@ wharf
Anthony counting his $$$, he no hab no time fu write nuttin
He Nah hab no time fu look bout asw ppl…plenty neva once see ANTHONY, Neva 2yrs ago and not in the last 2mths!
Time for coalition GOVERNMENT: BLUE ORANGE (colors of liat ’74) RED (color of xmas/aids/love) and asot & Anthony (independent color)