‘Namba’ glad Massiah saga finds resolution

Former United Progressive Party (UPP) Member of Parliament, Eleston “Namba” Adams, has commended both his party and his recently expelled colleague, Joanne Massiah, for the steps taken recently to end their two-year row.
Just over a week ago, the party’s disciplinary committee voted to expel Massiah, the MP for All Saints East & St Luke. Adams said he is glad something has finally been done to address the situation which started since 2015 leading up to the party’s convention and race for the post of political leader.
Adams was also a contender for the post, but lost to Harold Lovell, while Massiah pulled out after alleging there was bias to favour Lovell.
“I must commend the United Progressive Party for taking the decision and I must also commend Joanne Massiah for making that historic decision that she has made in the landscape of Antigua & Barbuda, and that has taken up the temperature a notch more,” Adams said.
He was referencing Massiah’s decision to form a new political party while the row was ongoing. The party has not yet had its official launch, but Massiah said this will be done soon and it will be fielding candidates for all 17 constituencies in the next general election, constitutionally due in 2019.
Adams commented, “A lot of people may say she should not have formed a party but it was her democratic right.”
“The fact is when the UPP political leader [Harold Lovell] decided to announce she [Massiah[ could not run on the slate, in my view it was one of the decisions I am sure the party regrets. I was sorry the [UPP] took that decision as well. Another decision I felt was untimely was when they broke off talks with her committee.”
Adams is another UPP member who was also sidelined by the party, which has since named a caretaker for the St Paul Constituency, where he served twice as MP during the party’s two terms in office.
(More in today’s Daily Observer)