PM Browne’s circulation of 2024 Expenditure is only an attempt to save face, Party Chairman asserts

17
Isaac

Source Real News- Chairman of the United Progressive Party D.Gisele Isaac has
accused Prime Minister Gaston Browne of trying to “save face”
after he claimed that Opposition parliamentarians were included
in the 14 percent salary increase that he and his ministers
awarded themselves.

The Browne Administration recently circulated the 2024
Recurrent Expenditure for Parliament as proof that the
Opposition Benches were to be included in the pay hike.

However, Isaac challenges the prime minister, asking how
Opposition parliamentarians could have been granted a raise
when they neither knew about nor have seen any such salary
increase.

According to the UPP Chair, if everything had been above board,
the matter would not have been shrouded in secrecy.
She adds that, prior to the Administration’s circulation of the
Expenditure page, no Cabinet Notes or any other information
from the Government had announced that any such raise was to
take effect for parliamentarians.

Even more telling are two separate circulars – one dated
December 29, 2023, and the other January 17, 2024 – that were
signed by the financial secretary and addressed to the clerk to
Parliament.

The documents explicitly excludes parliamentarians and
ministers from the January 2024 public-sector salary increases.

Isaac notes that, in a further cover up, the prime minister claimed
there was a “glitch” in the relay of information from the
Parliament.

The UPP chair explains that any such “glitch” is unlikely – since,
with the December 2022 dissolution of Parliament, the term of
office for all parliamentarians – Government and Opposition –
was ended.

All elected persons would then have begun a new term in office
on January 18, 2024.

Therefore, if any such salary increases had been put in place for
all parliamentarians, Isaac says, the Opposition lawmakers would
have been included.

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17 COMMENTS

  1. Its telling how the opposition tend to hear only what it wants to: “Prime Minister Gaston Browne revealed on the weekend that “many of my ministers, since last term, would have said to me that at some point we have to review the parliamentary pay.. Prime Minister Gaston Browne revealed on the weekend that “many of my ministers, since last term, would have said to me that at some point we have to review the parliamentary pay”…However, he added that while increases can be considered, it would not be possible now and certainly not without also increasing the salaries of public servants.” see Public servants request salary increase after talk of pay rise for gov’t ministers 11 January 2022. Public servants have received their increase.

  2. A UPP insider shared with me a planned listing of possible appointees to boards had UPP won the last election. Interestingly in many cases the boards would have been filled with known operatives who bring nothing to the table except that they make noise on radio stations weekly and some are even hosts of these radio programs. Long and short no one has no interest of the country at heart but are simply agitating for their turn to eat the fat.

  5. This woman destroyed Jamale Pringle,destroyed UPP and still have the BIGGEST chat. She should NOT be the CHAIRMAN of UPP again. She is the reason why UPP will remain Opposition forever. ( MAN COW ).

    • @ PING and PAM and INGRAM (who are one and the same person aka GASTON)

      Why do you guys fear intelligent and powerful women? IS IT BECAUSE YOU ARE DUNCES? OR THE FACT THAT SHE CAUSED YOUR GOVERNMENT TO FORK OUT $3,500,000.00 ON A FRIVOLOUS LAWSUIT BOUGHT BY MICHAEL AND GASTON BROWN???
      IS THAT WHY GASTON AND U THE MINIONS HATE HER SO MUCH?
      WHATS GONNA HAPPEN WHEN SHE IS RETURNED AS THE CHAIRWOMAN? U GUYS, INCLUDING GASTON WILL DIE!!!!

  6. D.GISEL Isaac want Pringle to win because She cannot push around Richard Lewis.

    She has Pringle as a foot stool. Wonder when Pringle will wake up.

    • @ PING and PAM and INGRAM (who are one and the same person aka GASTON)

      Why do you guys fear intelligent and powerful women? IS IT BECAUSE YOU ARE DUNCES? OR THE FACT THAT SHE CAUSED YOUR GOVERNMENT TO FORK OUT $3,500,000.00 ON A FRIVOLOUS LAWSUIT BOUGHT BY MICHAEL AND GASTON BROWN???
      IS THAT WHY GASTON AND U THE MINIONS HATE HER SO MUCH?
      WHATS GONNA HAPPEN WHEN SHE IS RETURNED AS THE CHAIRWOMAN? U GUYS, INCLUDING GASTON WILL DIE!!!!

    • @ PING and PAM and INGRAM (who are one and the same person aka GASTON)

      Why do you guys fear intelligent and powerful women? IS IT BECAUSE YOU ARE DUNCES? OR THE FACT THAT SHE CAUSED YOUR GOVERNMENT TO FORK OUT $3,500,000.00 ON A FRIVOLOUS LAWSUIT BOUGHT BY MICHAEL AND GASTON BROWN???
      IS THAT WHY GASTON AND U THE MINIONS HATE HER SO MUCH?
      WHATS GONNA HAPPEN WHEN SHE IS RETURNED AS THE CHAIRWOMAN? U GUYS, INCLUDING GASTON WILL DIE!!!!

  8. Folks, one thing we can credit Gaston Browne with, is for an apt description of the Labourites and Gastonites. They are some of the lowest, dirtiest, semi-illiterate, lowest echelon of our society.
    How they swarm unto D. Giselle Isaac’s words like vermin. Like vultures, circling, looking for carion to sweep down onto.
    The DAWG is being caught in all sorts of lies and instead of seeing the scourge this clown is to our country, they find some utterance he spills on the Rumshop and devour it.
    Then there’s Tinman, like an extinct parasite trying to spin the obvious.
    The man lies when the truth would serve him better and still they follow him like flies follow decaying matter. There’s no helping these.

    • @ Watching, have you noticed how the ABLP acolytes; Gastonites; sycophants latch on to the most insignificant things – like this story – that makes them so happy?

      But, when Antiguans go hungry, cannot get their regular wages on time (if at all!), suffering from the economic downturn, fighting to keep a roof over their heads, and witnessing the greed and avarice of those sitting at the top table; these awful excuses for human beings stay silent about it all.

      Thank goodness I saw the light and walked away …

      TERRIBLE SET OF UNGODLY PEOPLE!

  9. Listening to Pointe FM with Colin and Lamin and the Spanish radio station the Biltmore is so toxic, you have to have a strong constitution to stomach even 5 minutes of them. Colin and Lamin are good with thelies and the Biltmore is extra good with the bile. Don’t know if she knows how bitter and desperate she sounds. What a combo!

    They congratulated Pringle for showing admiration for Gaston and thrashed Richard Lewis to the max. Then they brought in Shoul to enhance the “kill Lewis” campaign.

    Maybe we can understand why they are doing it. They are afraid of Lewis. They thrashed Lewis for not coming to Pringle’s defence. Seems they forgot Pringle is Lewis’ opponent in the UPP leadership race.

    One thing on the Pringle statement. Mr Pringle, if you want to be leader of the UPP and you express admiration for the leadership style of Gaston Brown, why then do you expect the party to choose you as leader? Shouldn’t they just keep Gaston? After all, he is there already and more experienced at his style than you.

    You have to admit you misspoke. Those are not the things you say about a man whose job you want. You would already lose if you do that. It shows you are not for the job. A leader has to be able to think on his feet in a rational and composed manner. You should have just said you were reserving your opinion of the current leader since he is still in office. He has done a lot of stuff to the UPP, and even to you. He has disparaged you and even still refuses to give you a proper place to do your official work. Is that the forcefulness you like?
    You obviously did not do good thinking on your feet.
    BTW, did I hear Darren gloating?

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