By Azara Lavia
Over the past two months, the United Progressive Party (UPP) has been hit with a number of resignations that have left many of its supporters and members worried for its political future.
The departures have also raised concerns about the UPP’s unity, internal affairs and leadership stability.
On Monday, the UPP’s Public Relations Officer, Damani Tabor, became the latest to quit the party he had served for many years in varying capacities.
Local political commentators say the high volume of resignations can mean a variety of things, such as disagreement with policies, personal circumstances, changes in personal lives, lack of engagement, internal conflicts, disagreements with other members, and the like.
Observer took to social media to garner feedback from its followers on Tuesday, and a number of diverse views emerged.
One Facebook user stated, “What is happening in the party is pure selfishness; everybody cannot be the leader. What will happen if there are no Indians and chiefs. I am not defending Mr Pringle, but some of the ungrateful defectors believe he should not be at the helm of the party. It’s time for the nonsense to stop. Everyone is saying Richard Lewis, Richard Lewis; what is he doing to bring unity to the party. I am truly sorry that Mr Tabor resigned from the party, but I pray he is not one of them who got caught up in the filthy lucre.”
Another person lamented, “There are bigger issues afflicting the country than resigning and blaming others. When Pringle was the only one in Parliament he wasn’t a problem, but now he’s the biggest problem. What do we really want in Antigua? To be redeemed or to run to the Antigua Barbuda Labour Party (ABLP) for their personal gain? We’ve been distracted from the real issues.”
Another person is of the view that the party should fix the issues internally and stop blaming everyone else. That person admonished the leader to start leading and stop being led.
“Every time that someone resigns, the first thing that the Chair does is curse the person; for heaven’s sake you should be uniting the party – stop cursing the people. Try working on uniting others before another resignation occurs, and get off your high horses,” they wrote.
Expressing frustration, one commentator stated, “Is the opposition party’s disruption more important than the issues that are plaguing the country?”
And one more person wrote, “Either they uproot and throw out the cancer that is causing this dilemma, or since most of the key persons have left, they should simply dissolve the party.”
Meanwhile, many are eagerly anticipating next month’s official announcement of the UPP’s slate of candidates for the next general election, constitutionally due in 2028.
