OBSERVER by Newsco
Controversy surrounding on-air comments about a government minister has been called an “isolated issue.”
That statement was made by United Progressive Party (UPP) candidate for St George, Algernon ‘Serpent’ Watts, who defended comments made towards St. Mary’s South MP, Samantha Marshall on August 29.
Residents responded with heavy backlash, describing the comments as ‘crude’, ‘misogynistic’ and ‘strongly prejudiced against women.’
Minister of Gender Affairs and St George MP, Dean Jonas, even played Marshall’s social media response in last week’s Post Cabinet Press Briefing in condemnation of Watts’ comments.
Watts told Observer that the Antigua and Barbuda Labour Party (ABLP)Agriculture Minister has made several comments and posts on social media and in Parliament in an attempt to politicise his “abandoned” farm, publicly questioning Watts’ abilities in his business in the past.
“I don’t know what is her agenda, I kept quiet long enough in the face of, and in light of that criticism and attacks. I’ve ignored most of them, I just got to a point where I decided to respond, so without knowing the backstory maybe someone not knowing what is going on may think that, but it goes way deeper than that,” he declared in an interview yesterday.
The matter was also discussed on yesterday’s Big Issue show with a panel of experts providing their perspective on the matter.
Barbadian Senator Christina Hinds was supported by Democratic National Alliance (DNA) Candidate Chaniel Imhoff in her stance that the comments were a bit “unfortunate.”
They also said [that it was] “a little bit odd, considering the context of the show that I was able to listen to. I think it illustrates a level of political discourse that is less than admirable, and I hope that in the Caribbean we can move away from,” Hinds commented.
UPP Chairperson D Gisele Isaac shared her surprise that the matter was being debated given that it has occurred in the past with other officials and nothing was said or done.
“There are so many other important matters that we ought to be discussing right now that I question the timing of this particular incident being made news, when this has happened so many times in this country, in this context where somebody on radio says something about a political opponent and there is nothing said about it,” Isaac argued.
Political analyst, Dr Oswald Thomas, also shared his observations on the matter, saying the UPP has always upheld itself as virtuous, and the Political Leader Harold Lovell had previously gone on record to condemn similar comments made by opponents in the ruling party.
“In any other country, Serpent would have been asked to resign or fired,” Thomas said.
Meanwhile, Watts responded to the resignation suggestion by asserting, “I’m ignoring anything that he has to say because it is not coming from an independent mind.”
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Samantha you meet your match. If you can’t take the heat come out of the kitchen.
Top Dawg even said that when you are in politics, you are fair game. See OBSERVER July 26, 2021.
So a woman politician can attack a man politician and the man must just take it. If you want to give blows you must take blows!
EQUALITY IS EQUALITY!
Anyone ever heard Serpent discuss ISSUES ? Serpent is just a BIG MOUTH and All the Candidates and EXECUTIVES of UPP are afraid of Serpent because They need His Radio Station. That is the reason why They discussing that You DO NOT need a DEGREE to be PRIME MINISTER. Serpent is a DUNCE , LAZY Person. Hope St.George send Him a strong message.
@ PARM
YOU CAN GO AND VOTE FOR EVERYONE IN ST GEORGE.
BTW I THOUGHT DEAN WAS GONNA WIN, SO WHY EAT UP YOURSELF?
KNIGHT and SERPENT are two of a kind. I heard Knight this morning accusing Tanny Rose of calling His mother names. KNIGHT and JOAN from Monday to Friday calling Politicians all sort of derogatory names. Knight called DONNA CHAIA a prostitute . Now Knight cannot take the heat. Someone will bring a LAWSUIT to Knight soon.Knight and Serpent BIGGEST , DIRTY MOUTH in Antigua.
In other countries plagiarism is scorned upon. This article was lifted word for word from the daily observer, without any credit to the source.
Anyway, the hiporacy in antigua is precisely why the country is in the state it is. Where were all these paragon’s of virtue when Gaston on rumshop radio cussing people every week? Just give me a break!
You see why EDUCATION is IMPORTANT?
Now the Hon. Samantha Marshall is the Minister of Agriculture ‐ Serpent has 26 acres of Government’s Agricultural Land and only has one pawpaw tree on the 26 acres of land. Upp in which Serpent is a member and candidate, continues to accuse the Government of not focusing on food security.
The Hon. Samantha spoke about farmers with Government Agricultural Lands that are not producing while having lots of new farmers and small farmers that wants to start and expand respectfully. She mentioned Sepent having 26 acres and (the genus Serpent that is most bright) thinks that body-shaming and speaking about her African looking appearance thinking it’s the appropriate response.
Where is Antigua really heading?
I agree. Also, D. Giselle Isaac is talking about “bigger issues” being there to discuss… so why didn’t Serpent take that route? An absolute shame.
@ Chups, he took the route that YOUR ESTEEMED PRIME MINISTER RANSID MOUT WOULD TAKE. ALL THE PM DOES WEEK AFTER WEEK, DAY AFTER DAY IS ABUSE PEOPLE AND NOT A DRUM IS HEARD FROM YOU AND THE OTHER MINIONS, FROM THE SIDELINE ETC
Ask the same Samantha about cage bad and the Antigua black pineapple that is virtually nonexistent under her watch.
@Ruler but should that not have been Serpent’s response to speak about (perceived and or real) issues regarding her stewardship? Let me ask you though when Baptist allowed that hotel to bring in palms that were diseased and ended up destroying our local coconuts, how come you were still defending him and UPP? What of his actions that aided in the spread of the giant African snails? You really think his actions don’t have repercussions up to today on the farming industry? You don’t think those snails are not negatively impacting our pineapple production?
Get it right. Its not just any poopah tree he has. It is a male poopah tree which is non fruit bearing.
@ Jahson Bills
Where is it really heading too when a PRIME MINISTER CALLED AN ANTIGUAN WOMAN, ‘THE VILLAGE BICYCLE’
Where were you then to criticise him? HYPOCRITE!!!
What African appearance are you talking about?
Samantha fat and ugly. Really ugly!
Tell Gaston Browne that Ms Quinn fat and sweet.
Notes From A Native Son Of The Rock! @ Johnson Bills! “No problem can be solved from the same level of consciousness that created it.” – Albert Einstein!
Let the Congregants to the Church of Da Chat Room say Amen! Amen! Amen!
“Comrades, there is no true social revolution without the liberation of women. May my eyes never see and my feet never take me to a society where half the people are held in silence. I hear the roar of women’s silence. I sense the rumble of their storm and feel the fury of their revolt.” ― Capitaine Thomas Isidore Noël Sankara, The Upright Man, Pan-Africanist Revolutionary and former President of Burkina Faso born 1949 assassinated 1987, Women’s Liberation and the African Freedom Struggle!
What is most disappointing but not surprising is that the Most POWAful Grande Dame and Chairperson of The Party would support such a candidate and not ask for his immediate removal in this the International Decade For People of African Descent 2015 -2025!
“The importance of dialectical materialism lies in going beyond the inherent limits of biology, rejecting simplistic theories about our being slaves to the nature of our species, and, instead, placing facts in their social and economic context.” ― Capitaine Thomas Isidore Noël Sankara, The Upright Man, Pan-Africanist Revolutionary and former President of Burkina Faso born 1949 assassinated 1987, Women’s Liberation and the African Freedom Struggle!
Clearly The Most POWAFul Grande Dame has lost touch and forgotten that: The government of Antigua and Barbuda ratified this UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women on August 1, 1989; and, Antigua and Barbuda became the first country in the Caribbean to ratify the Violence and Harassment Convention, 2019! It would behoove all persons seeking political office to remember those Historical Referent Points! Hopefully the Party Leader, not the leader of Her Majesty’s Loyal Opposition (Pity My Simplicity) will either jettison the Albatross or educate the farmer to follow the instructions of @Cool Ruler as stated in the comments below!
“…in certain regions the party is organized like a gang whose toughest member takes over the leadership.” – Frantz Fanon! That epitomizes how that gentleman talk-show host arrived at this point in Time and Space! Many moons ago, this mere voice in the wilderness made representation to the party that unless they denounced the non-national inflammatory and Xenophobic language then emanating from the pseudo rasta and pan Africanist of the Planter Class, cloaked in Ambassadorial Robes to the Republic dedicated to National Hero José Julián Martí Pérez, they would suffer a ceremonial defeat! They took no action and were humiliated at the polls! The same fate will befall the DNA if they do not jettison such jetsam and flotsam into the deep Blue!
“Fighting for the freedom of one’s people is not the only necessity. As long as the fight goes on you must enlighten not only the people but also, and above all, yourself on the full measure of man. You must retrace the paths of history, the history of man damned by other men, and initiate, bring about, the encounter between your own people and others.” ― Frantz Fanon, The Wretched of the Earth!
Wow! To body shame anyone is wrong but to respond like you have enough because of what she says in the past is fair game. Both are public figures and criticism is fine but out of bounds when it is a personal attack like body shaming especially when the reasons can be medically related and or even psychologically challenging. We don’t discuss mental health like that in Antigua where many different things can cause people to struggle with the way they look. Serpent need to man up and recognize that if this rattle him, how are you prepared to lead a nation and deeper issues. Well said Jahson! A very intelligent and balanced response to this thread
Samantha looks everything like she father.
Serpent does not have any knowledge or command of policy issues, hence his need to resort to gutter politics. Minister Marshall calling out his inept performance in relation to the management of his farm is relevant, as he wants to be a future agriculture Minister. UPP also showing their hypocrisy by not calling out that type of behavior.
Exactly. Marshall addressed his inability to manage. And he has no answer to that and can only resort to the low low language of calling her all sort of names. He is a tug, nothing else. He should have done that to a man and get a tump in his mouth. These characters are as low as they come. From the gutter.
@ Sideline It now makes sense why Gaston Browne so often resorts to attacking both men and women. Gaston has no solutions on how to govern and address the pressing issues in the country, so he resorts to the usual name calling to distract from his failed leadership.
I follow your logic and for once you make sense. That said, the next time Gaston calls Barbudans deracinated imbeciles or refers to someone’s weight, please be objective and call him out.
@Gaston the Crook to your mind for GB to call some in Barbuda disloyal (the meaning of deracinated imbeciles, is akin to Serpent attacking Sam for her looks? You don’t recall the same Barbudan’s (Trevor et al)protesting in the UK when the government was trying to get funds from donors there to help build back their homes? What would you call someone who tries to burn down their own home and country?
tenman they just do not get it. They really think the big names Gaston uses are so bad. All they need to do is google the word or open the dictionary. Gaston never denigrated anyone. And again, when they want to refer to what he said about the lady’s weight, was in connection with her waiting so long to avail herself of taking the vaccine. That was more from a standpoint of care rather than abusing someone.
Gaston calls them all Laggards, Losers, Charlatans. And if you do not know the meaning of these words, don’t be offended because they sound very bad. It is the truth he is telling you of a person. These are not curse words.
@From The Sideline – I recall the discission re the sister. As usual the opposition decided to stretch things. The point was about the risk (covid ) due to obesity. It was never about demeaning the lady (sister), but showing a lack of care for her health considering the risk. Its due to the preaching from the PM regarding being healthy (especially due to covid), why I decided to step up living healthy. Took up cycling and intermittent fasting. Truly happy with the results. Of-course I have to overdo with the latest tech, lightest bike (carbon fiber) but its ok to have some vices once its not damaging. Watch me trying in my fifties, doing am good job I think of keeping up with healthy cyclist in their 20’s
Fat Boy Sidelines,you are a coward. You like many others to include the likes of Tenman are singing to keep your political incomes and suppers. Cannot wait to see the backs of the Gaston Browne Administration and his Band of Merrymen.Many would be squealing like pigs being hit at the trough. Gaston Browne as the Prime Minister,goes on his Pig Pen Station every Saturday and cuss men,women and picky.I have never seen where you red kool aid people ever speak out against Gaston Browne’s remarks about others,especially women.You are nothing more than hypocrites.John French,where the heck were you ? In a cave underground when Gassy cuss all and sundry.
Beach Bum.
What is Sideline correct name?
He want to chat like he too bad. But. I know he is a 💩 poo dle
@ Patriot
Please stop y’all HYPOCRISY. HAVE YOU EVER CALLED OUT GASTON’S, YOU BIASED USEFUL IDIOT???
NEVER ONCE I EVER HEAR YOU MINIONS CONDEMNING THE PM FOR ALL THE NASTY THINGS HE HAS SAID ABOUT PEOPLE
He should have responded with something in her portfolio that he can poke a hole in and back it up with evidence and empirical data. This is how you show that you are ready for this job. This is your interview to the people in the constituency you are representing and a subpar resume will have to be justified by the way you answer questions during the interview. You have to surpass the expectations of the ones who is looking at your answers to questions and this will be answered on the day of reckoning, Election Day. Serpent man up bro!
@ Kunta Kinte
OK USEFUL IDIOT
Most of you whose comments are against Serpent, I guess that you become deaf and dumb when your PM cuss Ebrybady, including Serpent, Dane Knight and Lydia Quinn on his Pointless Nasty Gutter Cussing Radio Station.you never hear him body shaming them? So continue right along to be the HYPOCRITES you are. Criticize your PM if you have the balls to and he’ll cuss you to.
Fighting fire with fire 🔥 will not put the fire. When PM Brown do things like these, it should receive the same fervor. But most times the response are with cussing and getting personal. So how does one addresses those things. How about the leader ask for a private meeting with the PM along with other ministers and try to really talk about how these negatively impact society and try to reach an agreement. This is a joke to some, but if those we elect to lead us cannot meet and hash out things like what the PM does, then nothing will ever change. I agree that the PM had many times gone too far but if it is a norm at the top, don’t expect a different outcome anywhere else. Decorum and respect has gone not even to the dogs so to speak, but in the latrine. Like your comments Ms Antigua
Also too, these guys are good friends behind close doors so to me it’s a ploy and a tack tic they use to pit one against another in order to divide and conquer. And may the best man or woman win.
@ From The Sideline
Can Samantha mange? The number of her constituents calling her MIA, the stench and filth of the constituency and Antigua in general.
Can Gaston mange , I guess he doesn’t call people all sort of names, I guess Gaston is not a ‘thug’ (poor spelling from you), I guess all the women and people that GASTON ABUSE ON HIS STATION EVERY WEEK SHOULD ‘THUMP’ (poor spelling again) in his mouth. NEVER ONCE DO I HEAR PEOPLE LIKE YOU DENOUNCING THE PM WHEN HE IS ‘AS LOW AS ANYBODY COULD COME’. GASTON IS WORSE THAN FILTH, HE BEHAVES JUST LIKE WHERE HE COMES FROM: THE GUTTER.
HE CALLED A YOUNG LADY FROM HIS CONSTITUENCY THE ‘VILLAGE BICYCLE’……THIS IS JUST A TYPICAL EXAMPLE FROM GASTON!!!!!
BUT NOW HE IS A MAN OF VIRTUE PER YOU THE USEFUL IDIOTIC HYPOCRITES!!!!
Was Nigel Christian clean? How can a customs officer have over EC one million dollar in one of his accounts?
@ Enquiring Minds
And how would you know that unless you and the PM who gets involved in everyone’s business is a part of the crime? Since he’s gone I do not put it pass you minions to make the money ‘disappear in your pockets’, knowing the amount of skullduggery that takes place in Antigua under this EVIL AND WICKED REGIME.
WHAT IS DONE IN DARKNESS WILL COME TO LIGHT.
JUSTICE FOR NIGEL
Giselle Isaac’s view on the saga was really poor… all she kept talking about was the PM.
Not once did she say Honorable Samantha Marshall said anything personal about serpent.
Anyway; she went into our parliament and gave the PM the middle finger so I expect no better.
@ Starrie
We DO NOT EXPECT YOU TO SAY ANYTHING BETTER, YOU ARE A MINION…….
DID NOT THE LEADER OF THE HIGHEST COURT OF THE LAND, THE SPEAKER REFERRED TO HER AS A PIG IN LIPSTICK?
GISELLE MADE BOTH MISS IMHOFF AND OSWALD THOMAS LOOK STUPID.
THE SENATOR FROM BARBADOS MADE THE PM LOOK LIKE HE IS…..A CONDUCT MAKER, SHE SAYS HES REGARDED AS A VAGABOND BY THE PEOPLE OF THE CARIBBEAN..STUDY THAT
Man, whoever you are GYPG!!!! My opinion is just that; my opinion! Minion my a**, You a wan dunce!!!!!!!!!!
@ Starrie
OK BRIGHT ONE, 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣.
SINCERELY, FROM THE DUNCE
😊
@ From the Sideline
Why don’t you move your hypocritical backside from the place and stop talking about punching serpent in the
face and mouth. Little batty bwoy. Why don’t you post your name, since you are now advocating violence. Let’s see who are the real badman. Keep on blowing Gaston. Useful Idiot.
What African appearance are you talking about?
Samantha fat and ugly. Really ugly!
Tell Gaston Browne that Ms Quinn fat and sweet.
So he attacked her personally because she pointed out he is not a good steward of the 26 acres of lands he should be farming. Recall the same man lamenting the inability of some to argue based on issues and instead turning to personal attacks. Clearly he describes himself because the truth is the man simply cannot take criticism without getting personal. Calypsonians have made many songs about the thinned skin nature of UPP politicians. Thomas, to his mind should be disregarded, because he is not “independent” minded. Serpent as a UPP candidate is not politically colored hence should be disregarded following his logic? Must add though that Thomas seem’s to have forgotten when even Harold (instigated by Serpent) was involved, on Serpent’s show, in trying to use sex to shame (personal attack) Donna Chaia (Biltmore hotel)
Tenman, why don’t you crawl back under the rock or under Gaston Browne. Everything you wrote here is applicable to yourself and Gaston Browne.
Who is the only politician that threatened to sue calypsonians? Hypocrite
@SAM-MONGSTER MARSHALL know your history. The former minister of information, under UPP, Eddie Mansoor not only threatened but actually sued Kasseba (Eugene Silcott). There are also some examples across the region eg Dominica.
Wow!!! All I can say is wow!!! Just look at us how we continue to degrade and bring down each other all in the name of politics and these politicians on whatever side of the fence have each others backs… We need to stop… Things are getting worse and worse by the minute…
SERPENT you are an AWFUL Person. My Family will bring a LAWSUIT against you shortly. Serpent knows what I am talking about. Serpent you need training. As Doctor Grant said on the BIG ISSUES yesterday, You should be FIRED.
@ GINNY
IF GASTON IS NOT FIRED WHEN HE HAS THE NASTIEST TONGUE IN ANTIGUA WHY SHOULD SERPENT BE? I AM NOT CONDONING SERPENT, BUT FOR GOD SAKE GASTON IS THE PRIME MINISTER AND PEOPLE SHOULD LOOK UP TO HIM AS AN EXAMPLE/ROLE MODEL.
SHAME ON ALL OF YOU RED MINIONS WHO NEVER ONCE CONDEMN HIM. JUST LISTEN TO PEOPLE WITH COMMON SENSE LIKE THE TWENTY-MAN.
I AM DISAPPOINTED.
People,People,People,Politics is a dirty game.There are no rules applied to Politics.If you cannot stand the heat,get out of the kitchen,exercise and eat less. The filthiness in Antigua needs to addressed now not tomorrow. I did drive around the island and could not believed my eyes. There were old cars on sides of every main street around St Johns and its environs. The City of St Johns is fast becoming a Ghetto.Many buildings in the Capital City are run down need to be painted.Take a drive down High Street it is full of potholes. That is what needs some attention,not some low hanging fruits of a statement. The nastiest place I did see is in the Point Area Constituency. That the Tap Dawg is supposed to be the Representative.
Gisele Isaac’s performance on the Big Issues reminded me of why the UPP is in oppisition today. We all know that Gaston and the ALP have said and done the most despicable of things. On those things they ought to be called out and taken to task. As an opposition party, u should take the high road and prove to the electorate that u r different (and better).
For 10 years, from 2004 to 2014, the UPP used the excuse that, “ALP did it for 28 years” to cover their bad deeds. It was déjà vu listening to Gisele Isaac. I guess we have more of the same to look forward to should the UPP win the next election
@ DadliMan
Even your illustrious PM said that his wife was fair game, that it was all in the name of politics, so where do you get off saying that an opposition party should take the high road. For years ABLP maligned Harold Lovell without a hint of rebuttal for him….the effect has damaged his brand. It is time to fight back for the soul of this country.
UPP is fighting back for the soul of the country……FIGHT FIGHT LIKE HELL AS IF THERE IS NO TOMORROW.
USEFUL IDIOT
I don’t know this “ Serpent “ nor have I listened to him on radio. He needs to retire that pic used in most articles, it makes him look like a thug, mean and grumpy.
Can’t get pass the look long enough to figure out what you stand for as a candidate for UPP.
But he is a Thug. What do you want him to disguise as?
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