By Robert A Emmanuel
Former political leader of the United Progressive Party (UPP) Harold Lovell said that he has no regrets about his decision to resign from elective politics, having left his political Party in a better state.
In his first public interview following the January 18 general election, where he narrowly lost his bid to retake the St John’s City East seat by six votes, Lovell said his Party had to be proud about its performance in the general election.
“The party did not win the election, however when we look at the showings and the tremendous gains that we made, we have to be very proud.
“Besides the six seats that we won, look at my [constituency] I got 49.2 percent of the vote and the Labour Party candidate got 49.5 percent…then you go to St Mary’s North where [UPP candidate] Jonathan Joseph got 48.5% of the vote and Labour Party candidate got 49 percent of the vote…so all in all, the party was able to move from a situation where we got 38 percent in 2018, to 2023 where we got 45 percent of the [total national] votes when you take the non-ABLP votes,” Lovell said yesterday on Observer AM.
Lovell, who has been involved in elective politics since 1980 stated that his resignation was not a sudden impulse, and he left with his personal integrity intact.
“I appreciate the support that many have come forward and shown…however, it was not something that I did on the spur of the moment; I thought this thing through before, and…I felt responsibility goes a long way, and it is good for our political culture that persons do not hang around beyond their expiration date,” he explained.
Lovell was elected political leader back in 2015, following his Party losing the seat of government at the 2014 polls to the Antigua Barbuda Labour Party (ABLP).
He said that he originally entered elective politics to help others, and he is “leaving the way he entered in the sense that I have not enriched myself through politics.”
On the issue of who will replace him as the UPP candidate for the St John’s City East constituency, he revealed that there have been persons who have shown a willingness to take up the mantle.
“One of the pleasantly surprising features is that at least five persons have indicated an interest and… persons who I think would be extremely good candidates, and I will be there to assist anyone who comes forward,” he revealed.
Lovell praised the party’s candidates who were recently elected to Parliament, saying that he sees his role as more of a “big brother” to the future political leaders, and outlined his future outside the political field.
“My job is to be there to encourage and to support, and I feel like I have other sides to me than the political side, and so I am exploring those sides; I enjoy the law and so I am digging down deep into that…as far as the academic side is concerned…I hope to do a little writing and author whatever thoughts and insights I have,” he said.
Lovell also revealed that he hoped to be travelling to the University of Toronto in Canada next week Thursday as a guest lecturer.