By Robert Andre Emmanuel
Youth advocates, regional politicians, and leaders within the United Progressive Party (UPP) opened their Convention on Saturday with the message to continue standing together, and advocating for a better country.
The theme of ‘Together in Unity: Forward to Victory’ was on display throughout Saturday’s opening ceremony as Party Chairwoman D Gisele Issac spoke about the need for Party members to work alongside and ahead of its leaders to see the change they hope to see in the country.
“My concern is that after the Convention; what will we do with all the passion you have poured into the Party these last two years.
“Monday April 22 (today) is not the day in which you exhale, relax, and hang blue suede shoes until 2027. Monday April 22 marks the day in which our new crusade begins, the crusade to complete the work that began last January, because now more than ever, we need to rescue, redeem, and restore Antigua and Barbuda,” Issac said.
Issac said that there were too many issues plaguing the country for the Party to fall into complacency.
“Now, more than ever, we need to rally; in the four months of 2024, we have gone through an increase in the sales tax, sin tax, in Social Security deductions, and constant increases in the cost of food and services.
“As painful as these are already, we received two more increases, an increase in pay for government ministers and an increase in duty allowance,” she said.
She added that the work, and sacrifice of Party members throughout the last 31 years is recognised and appreciated, even as the Political Party elected its newest leader – MP Jamale Pringle – yesterday.
Meanwhile, former Political Leader and Chair of the Party’s Convention Planning Committee, Harold Lovell, gave a rousing speech on the need for unity in continuity, diversity and philosophy.
Lovell referenced the need for Party stalwarts to pass the baton “at the same” but “maximum speed” to its next generation, and the need to continue to welcome all trends and philosophies, as he reiterated the Party’s stance on foreign issues like Cuba.
The Antigua and Barbuda Workers Union Chair, Kem Riley, praised the Party for its leadership on certain issues, announcing that the two entities have been in dialogue over the creation of a Severance Protection Fund Law to help protect workers who face financial challenges when a business declares bankruptcy or becomes insolvent.
“On too many occasions when companies collapse, workers are asked to go home empty-handed, despite the moral and legal obligations on the part of the companies to provide severance entitlement.
“However, with the Severance Protection Act, companies will be asked to set aside a portion of their monthly or annual payroll, so in the event of insolvency, workers can access their entitlement,” Riley remarked.
Remarks were also made by MP for Barbuda Trevor Walker, Youth Advocates Jonathan Wehner and Kamya Gussie, Former Trinidad and Tobago MP Mickela Panday, Chief of Operations in Boston, Dion Irish (he hails from Potters) and Political Leader of the Dominica United Worker’s Party, Dr Thomson Fontaine.
“As you unite in the fight for a better Antigua and Barbuda, you must be fearless, driven, focused, determined like your grandmothers, mothers, sisters, teachers and leaders who cleared the path for you to claim your place on the political stage,” former MP Mickela Panday told female attendees.
The week which ended with the election of a new Party executive team, as well as the election of a political leader, began earlier on Thursday with young people voicing the charge to the Party, an exhortation that that the UPP must not just be a party of growth, but also of development.
Shadow Minister of Education in Jamaica, Senator Damion Crawford, following his guest speech on Thursday at the Progressive Youth’s Youth Connect event, once again remarked that development is indicated by change over time, and that while the Party’s youth must use time as the metronome, the Party as a whole must exert itself as changemakers.
“That change must be defined, because change has two aspects – the distance of change and the direction of change— so therefore, not just change, it must be established that [the Party stands for] change in the direction of better,” Senator Crawford explained.
He added that when people are organised and united for the betterment of their society, change brought by weaponry or violence, and change brought by wealthy or influence will be overcome.
