The UPP needs to wake the hell up and realize that Jamale Pringle will NEVER be Prime Minister of this country. IT WILL NEVA HAPPEN. A party having a leader who cannot fill the shoes of Prime Minister signals that the party is not ready to govern. Wake up.
In a display of complete political ineptitude on Tuesday, he led his entire opposition bench into a meaningless boycott of day one of the budget debate which resulted in himself and all his UPP MPs losing the opportunity to actually debate the budget in Parliament.
It was utterly poor political strategising on his part, especially as the UPP has since made it clear in a subsequent release, that Pringle had every intention of going to Parliament after Tuesday to respond to the budget statement.
If he actually intended to do so on Wednesday or Thursday, it means he completely overlooked the possibility that all of the government MPs might present on Tuesday, and then they may simply vote to pass the Bill, ending the debate without the Opposition, which they did. That means he clearly underestimated Gaston Browne. As Opposition Leader, he CANNOT afford to do that.
This is one of the few budgets in which this administration presented a significant adjustment to taxes, the other being the introduction of UBT some years ago.
The Prime Minister has successfully drawn criticism away from the budget statement by (a) dropping news of the ABST tax hike in advance and also during the Christmas ABST holiday, so that people lost sight of the fact that ABST is going up, and then by (b) manoeuvring the opposition out of parliament by merely pressing them to respond to his budget in a short time.
Now what will they do? They will go and convince their supporters (who are already convinced) that the government’s policies are bad, while missing an opportunity to preach to the whole nation via the budget debates instead. Where is the logic in that?
So what if the government tried to shafts you with little time to digest the estimates and prepare? That means you simply don’t show up? No. You’re supposed to go into Parliament and publicly shame the government for its ineptitude and inability to bring materials to Parliament in a timely manner. Lambaste them IN PARLIAMENT.
But no, you skip Tuesday, thinking you can come back on Wednesday, totally forgetting that the government could just screw you over and end the debate. Now you’re here with your pants down talking about a people’s parliament, trying to save face.
I accept that the administration has often treated Parliament as a mere passing formality, as opposed to giving parliamentary issues the time and attention they deserve, and failing to give the opposition reasonable time to properly respond. But you adapt. You know who you’re dealing with.
As Opposition Leader, you cannot allow the government to so easily chase you out of Parliament. Is it that everytime the government does this sort of thing, you will just abandon Parliament and hold townhall meetings instead?? Is it that easy for Gaston to silence the opposition in Parliament and drive them back onto their radio stations and to hall meetings and to press releases? – as opposed to going head to head with the government on the floor of the assembly?
And what of the rest of Pringle’s MPs who are still relatively new to the parliamentary setting? Was he not keen to give them the opportunity to represent their constituents and their party? Was he not eager to give them the opportunity to spar with the government ministers on the other side? Why has he led them out of Parliament, and into some “people’s parliament” charade supposedly to happen in January?? Is he serious?
He’s been Leader of the Opposition since 2018, was deputy UPP leader for several years, and has been leader for months now. And he can’t master the art of using Parliament to his advantage? Not yet? Still, not yet? Then when?
Parliament is one of the principal tools in the arsenal of any opposition in a Caribbean parliamentary democracy. It is a national platform given to you on a platter. It is as much a forum for debate and accountability as it is a stage to demonstrate your worthiness.
As Opposition Leader, your responses to the government in Parliament should steal national attention away from most other things. And this administration gives nothing but ammunition.
But there you are, on Cursader, and Observer, and in your townhalls instead of being in Parliament. And all the government had to do to put you there was to lessen the days you had to prep a budget response. And boom. You gone.
And why hasn’t the UPP moved towards a convention? What the actual ***k are they waiting for? This is the perfect time. The Labour Party has no viable slate. They are holding primaries in different places to replace dead horses that the PM wants out of the race. They just completed one in Rural West.
They have others to do in St. George, St. Phillip’s North, St. Phillip’s South, All Saints East and St. Luke, St. Mary’s North if Molwyn is serious about not running again, St. John’s Rural North is Fernandez is serious about not running again.
THIS IS THE PERFECT TIME FOR A UPP CONVENTION. Have the damn leadership debacle now and done. Otherwise, by mid next year, the PM will have a fresh new slate ready to go at a moment’s notice. And meanwhile, Placeholder Pringle will still be taking up space.
Who in their right mind sees Jamale Pringle as the next Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda??? Representing us at the UN? Presenting a budget? Debating foreign leaders from CARICOM? Inspiring a national swing through his articulation of a new vision for the country?
An actual likable, competent, well spoken, and inspirational leader, could take the main opposition party over the edge. Instead they are riding solely on the dissatisfaction of the people in the governance of Gaston Browne. What is their leadership alternative to Gaston? Jamale Pringle? A can of potato chips could inspire us more.
Ernest J. Farfingbottom
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Seems to me that the UPP are fearful of having a convention to elect a new leader. They said it would be June of 2023 but nothing happened. They remain quiet about it. Not sure why as having a new leader selected will be a good thing as long as it is not Pringle. They need to settle this question of leadership as they seem now to be a collection of men without any specific leader. The longer they delay, the more they seem to be rudderless. Do something!
Let me take the time to congratulate the U.P.P. Members in Parliament (both Houses) on their stance to not participate in the sham Budget Debate that was recently held.
I will encourage the U.P.P. to keep themselves in a position where they separate themselves from the clown show that the labour party is presently having.
It is at the General Elections where it matters and it would be wise for the U.P.P. to keep building within the various Constituencies to make a difference where it matters (at the next General Elections).
Let gaston and his clowns keep up their circus acts. The circus will soon be out of town.
So you get paid by the tax payers to do a JOB. And you are saying that not doing the JOB you are paid to do is fine with you. GENERAL ELECTIONS!!! That what being in opposition is all about???? Waiting on general elections.
You get paid to do a job and you failed to do it. And you are good with that!!!!!
Shame on you and all who agree with what they did.
@ LOVE OF COUNTRY FIRST!!!!
ABLP NEVER BOYCOTTED PARLIAMENT, MANY MANY TIMES, even more than the now opposition. Where were the bells then?
You need to get to f**k outta Town. Such a clown you are. This mek sense to you?
“I will encourage the U.P.P. to keep themselves in a position where they separate themselves from the clown show that the labour party is presently having”.
Ow tell me, dat mek sense to you? You understand the article? Ah parliament he ah talk bout.Your statement is out of depth obviously. You are in the wrong lane. I am surprised ANR posted this crap!!!
DUNCE CHECK!!!!
@ Rastaman chant over Jordan
I respect Mr Farfingbottom views, but I totally disagree with him.
The GREATEST ATTRIBUTE ANY LEADER CAN POSSESS IS: humility, SOMETHING THAT GASTON DOES NOT HAVE AND TOO LATE TO CULTIVATE IN HIS LIFE.
On the other hand, Pringle is not power hungry and is a people man, as the Bible says: he that humbles himself shall be exalted and he that exalts himself shall be abased.
With that said, PRINGLE IS MILLIONS OF MILES AHEAD OF GASTON———————————–. HE WILL MAKE A GREAT LEADER.
humble where? the guy is arrogant as fuck!!
Earnest, Earnest. Your focus seems misdirected. What Antigua and Barbuda should be concerned about is not Jamaal Pringle but the idiot who continues to drag the country into an abyss.
11 billion in 9 years and he raises taxes, when all he has to do was collect the outstanding 51%owed by those who withhold ABST.
The Alpha Nero piracy, costing us hundreds of thousands of dollars weekly; the high unemployment rate fueling crimes in broad daylight ; ridiculous concessions to the rich, robbing the country of needed revenues; selling out our lands without prejudice to the rich; borrowing us into debts we can only imagine; lands being purchased at peppercorn prices for him and his cronies. Earnest, the list is long. Antigua is dirty, water is still an issue, the roads are deplorable, garbage collection is unreliable, our Healthcare system is in shambles.
Our problem her is Gaston Browne. Nice attempt at misdirection Earnest, but thinking Antiguans and Barbudans know better. UPP and Jamaal Pringle are not the problem here.
ABLP HAVE A REAL FEAR OF THE HON. JAMALE PRINGLE. HAHA. KEEP HAMMERING THEM SIR WITH YOUR QUESTIONS. YOUR QUESTIONS HAVE THEM SQUIRMING IN THEIR PANTS.
Sorry Ernest, I normally agree with what you’ve written in the past, but on this occasion we have to agree to disagree.
Here’s my no-nonsense take:
The UPP at present may or may not have the correct leader in charge, however, eventually one way or the other this will be resolved by the 2028 General Election.
The real issues – as you yourself has written in the past – is having a Prime Minister that continually makes the wrong economic and domestic decisions that stifles growth and doesn’t encourage sìngle or collective entrepreneurship here in Antigua.
Gaston Browne is constantly trying to do deals with countries that others are doing their utmost to avoid.
Yet, your focus is on the Honourable Jamale Pringle of the UPP.
I agree, that he isn’t ideal candidate, but this can be easily addressed before the GE. Furthermore, never forget that in recent months some outstanding UPP candidates have come to the forefront and shown that they are more than capable to replace Gaston Browne and go on to govern this country for the people.
So at present Ernest, the Honourable Jamale Pringle isn’t the problem to Antigua & Barbuda, that UNWANTED TITLE goes to Gaston Browne. Simple!
UPP wake up. You are missing in action. Gaston Browne is making an ASS of you Guys. UPP call a PTOTEST only 10 people showed up. UPP missing the budget debate. Something is wrong.
@ MIRA
Only 10 FAITHFUL persons were there because they the others are afraid of ABLP’s VICTIMISATION. Antiguans are just afraid of Gaston and losing their jobs.
Not so in Barbuda.
You should not be proud of your ABLP as they govern with FEAR to the masses- have you forgotten 08/08/2021 and teargas CUTIE and GASTON. U TINK PEOPLE WANNA DIE?
‘UPP call a protest, only 10 people showed up’. Are you saying that we are all, excluding the ten, quite satisfied with the happenings in the country? It’s evident that we have all let our country down.
Remember, Brixtonian laying the blame where it REALLY lies …
Jamal Pringle is not the proboem with UPP. The problem with UPP is, until they get the rid of D. Giselle Isaac, the party will go nowhere.
Who you feel gave the decision to not show up for their jobs, what they are getting paid by taxpayers to do?
Show up on Tuesday, give yourself an advantage to have the debate last as long as you are able to deliver YOUR plans.
Look what staying away ended up doing. Giving them no chance to utter one word. Then robbing the people with this sham meeting somewhere, sometime. What good will that do except pleasing your base. What of the rest of us who actually wanted to see you at work? The work you are being paid to do.
@ LOVE OF COUNTRY FIRST
You know nothing of politics and strategy when it comes to the operations of parliament. The UPP boycott of parliament was the most effective way of letting the Gaston Brown administration look bad. Whether they were there or not would not have made a difference in its passage.
I think you have a JEALOUSY PROBLEM WITH THE UPP AND GISELLE. YOU SEEM TO DISDAIN HER BECAUSE SHE IS BRILLIANT. IS IT ALSO BECAUSE SHE CAUSED YOUR PARTY TO FORK OUT $3,500,000.00 TO HER FOR AN UNMERITED CASE?
We can see through you and your fellow minions.
Are you blaming the Honourable Jamal Pringle for the hike in taxes? If the opposition, who makes up the minority in Parliament had debated, would that have caused a decrease in the tax hike or the withdrawal of the bill? I think not.
As a people, we should be standing up for ourselves, and fighting back on these increases that will only make life in our fair land harder. Gaston is the incompetent one, on matters of government. As are most unscrupulous and unethical individuals, he is indeed a boss at using cunning and deceiving tactics to achieve his end goal. This we know. So stop shying away from the fact that he should have been attacked for this heartless and conconscionable act of increasing the cost of living in Antigua and Barbuda. Why as a people can’t we be bold and responsible enough to standjuo for our rights, and put party colours aside? This new move will only enrich there 1%, and burden the rest of us.
Why is it fair for the 1% to be benefiting, to the point where we cannot get grants and subsidies because our country is deemed to have sufficient resources to maintain ourbpopul, yet the 1% pay the sma eamount of taxex as the rest of us?
These are the issues that should cause a public outcry and not the opposition staying way from a debate, because they are against the measures being taken by the government. So am I to believe that we are more worried about an opposition debating a bill that their stance would not affect, than on the bill itself and what effect it will have livelihood?
One major difference about the UPP is that they come together and make decisions when on the other hand with the ABLP Gaston Brown makes all the decisions, a UPP government will do wonders for the people of Antigua and Barbuda
Here, here @ Winston Russell. Highlighting the fact that Gaston Browne controls the country with an iron fist and not the ABLP … 👏🏾
@ Winston Russell
Well said Mr Russell. UPP is no dictatorship.
UPP reminds of the the so called BAD BOY of the village.. Always on the outside throwing stones. UPP will be in Opposition for a loooong time.
@ GILES
I totally agree with you. The UPP will be in opposition for a looooong time, not because the people want the ABLP, but because the ABLP are a bunch of election thieves:
Your PM admitted to stealing the last election by transferring voters in various constituencies to enable his colleagues to win. ABLP is an illegitimate government and that is why the country is in an awful state: water-NON, garbage collection-NON, hospital supplies-NON, good road network- NON, instead we have more potholes than roads, hunger and starvation in the land resulting in an increase in crime……..I will stop here GILES, perhaps you should be praying for a change of government because it is not just opposition supporters that are suffering, you the minions are in dire straits too. 😢😢😢😢
Dear Gaston Browne
You misread one thing. The UPP now is not the same one like before. This set is not afraid to take it to you.
You miscalculated with your plan to railroad them into your bogus, hurry-cook budget debate, but they fooled you, didn’t they? You never expected they would have boycott you, because the UPP before would have gone there like little meek lambs and performed for you, debating their hearts out and enduring your insults from across the aisle. You were counting on them coming in and listen you to play for the gallery and your grinning hyenas.
Things have changed, Dawg. This bunch of fellas will go into your kennel to confront you or chase you down a rabbit hole if they have to.
This is not your mother’s UPP, Gaston. You are warned.
Sir Viv For City West!
Sir Viv For City West!
Sir Viv For City West!
Sir Viv For Leader of The UPP!
Sir Viv For Leader of The UPP!
Sir Viv For Leader of The UPP!
Jumbee_Picknee aka Ras Smood
De ‘ole Dutty Peg🦶🏿 Garrat Bastard
Vere C. Edwards
Leave viv out a are you politics, because he can’t be compartmentalize by no UPP or ALP,
As matter of fact viv will rip up all the injustices in Barbuda that smell of racism and apartheid and all evil done against the people, just like how he refused an open cheque from the Oppenheimer that is funding Barbuda PLH project and loaning Gaston $100 million for airport. This man viv and party politics couldn’t get along, because of justice beating in his heart.
Do you all know he use to sneak off from cricket in troubled countries of suffering created by the west where people are killed to help boost their morale to fight on with bombs and bullet dropping around him, he has been fighting black suffering all his years, I believe he used his nat as an expression of hitting away raciiand injustices.
Leave viv out a are you politics, because he can’t be compartmentalize by no UPP or ALP,
As matter of fact viv will rip up all the injustices in Barbuda that smell of racism and apartheid and all evil done against the people, just like how he refused an open cheque from the Oppenheimer that is funding Barbuda PLH project and loaning Gaston $100 million for airport. This man viv and party politics couldn’t get along, because of justice beating in his heart.
Do you all know he use to sneak off from cricket in troubled countries of suffering created by the west where people are killed to help boost their morale to fight on with bombs and bullet dropping around him, he has been fighting black suffering all his years, I believe he used his bat as an expression of hitting away racism
and injustices.
Ernest well said. You are soon on with everything you said.
The opposition like the government were employed by the PEOPLE. You can’t get anything done from outside yet you have all the time to be on the radio. Hard working citizens work in hotels late at night then get up early the next day to go to work, yet you are complaining about time. Burn the midnight oil and prepare but shame them from the parliament rather than on media. These guys are soft and nuh ready for what it takes. The PM job is not to make it easy for you, you have to get up and fight like that hotel worker who gets up and grind no matter the few hours of sleep he or she gets so they go to work to take care of his family. Yet, most people are not making the income you even as opposition is getting. Gaston will win the next election at this rate, and I’m not speaking as a supporter of the government.
@ Kunta Kinte
Your last statement gave you away ”…and I’m not speaking as a supporter of the government”. You obviously are. I can smell detractors from a mile away, and when they say things like ‘they all do it’ or ‘am not a supporter of any party”, that is a trigger point.
More people listen to radio than parliament. People just don’t waste their time.
U DRINKING WAY TOO MUCH OF THE RED COOLADE …!!! IS 2024 WE LIVING IN. 2 B $ FROM LEADER 1B$ CIP AND GASTON AND ALP AH RAISE TAX PAN BASIC FOOD AND CLOTHES. Economic growth is not reflected in The Consumer Price Index . Consumir confidence has plumeted as reflected this Xmas presently.
Are U Full ah shit
@GILES, beware. You can bully the reprehensible cowards in cabinet but these UPP parliamentarians will not ho quietly into the night. Whenever the idiot DAWG pulls his lawless, bad-minded stunts, they will kick back exposing him for the failure he is.
Way to go UPP. Let the ALP minions cry fowl. The DAWG’s days are numbered. Then the books will be opened.
*go
Well- written. The UPP needs to be held accountable for punking out of Parliament and poor party planning.
Thank you for this.
They said the same about Honourable Baldwin Spencer. The greatest PM, so far. Mr. Pringle, don’t let them distract you. Keep doing what you are doing. They are trying to year you down, but Gad bar sleep. Those who condone wrong, would lose an island.
Anyone who believes that they can just confiscate a $120. Million asset and sell it within ten days under the false ill-advised guise that it a danger to the harbour AIN’T GETTING THE NOD FROM ME. A homeless hungry vagrant can’t even get away with steal a $7 tin of corn beef.
Just give me a break talking about opposition boycott budget debate, you all forget the time when senator Weston was fired for attending Parliament and debating the ABST in 2006. JUST GIVE ME A BREAK.
My advice to the UPP is…make this your policy going forward boycott when not given the usual week.
This society is in decadent. What shameful and disgusting politicians represent the A&B.
And still wasting their time commenting in the only things those deceiver are good…talking crap right and left ( do you forget,most of them are related?).
Duality system work real good for the SHEPPARD
While we are aware of the fact that this young man who happen to have been thrusted upon us as opposition leader in parliament in 2014 is not a skill fluent orator in semantics that is doing a disillusionment when the likes of Gaston using all kind of academic jargon he plagiarized from people of that subject matter, for example Lennox Weston is a hundred times more qualify to speak on finance topics, but the party structure where Gaston is the leader Lennox had to dumb down himself in protocol. And the budget presentation had Gaston personality to it of been erratic, like unreasonable and commandeering , so if the the opposition apply themselves in that feat as Gaston disrespectfully manipulate people around him to do, then the personality of Gaston budget will look supreme as the narrative would be determined by the lack of preparation of the opposition given due notice of time to study that lengthy document. You see Gaston has become Customary of beating his one inexperienced horse jammal Pringle, but with new faces on the opposition benches it has changed oblivious to Gaston and the speaker Gerry watts. This important document should be study since a nyanco and passport sale is loose out there with no money trail, the opposition is been merely call upon to rubber stamp ostensibly illegal activity of the countries tax money. It need a person of that acumen like sherfield Bowen and Trevor walker to lead the fight in parliament against Gaston and his finance quack presented to the country, Mr Pringle having to learn on the job at this critical juncture of our country is only adding fuel to the fire to help Gaston grand standing of destroying the country black natives development while he build white monopoly capital as in Barbuda and the Chinese given lands freely, the things that will never happen for a black person but for the ruling politicians themselves , but they are in the coconutification process, where a coconut brown outside and white inside, they will extract wealth for themselves as the whites been doing for hundred of years and leave the black ad poor as had been bequeathed by slavery, conspicuous consumption get to their head, like offshore banks where their loot is stashed creating low interest loan for European whites. Sometimes I think the EU is hypocritical when they bring stringent tax policy requirements against us and we the poor citizens can’t demand they open their books on our politicians large bank account in tax sharing information which should be reciprocal.
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