By Robert A. Emmanuel
In a significant blow to the opposition United Progressive Party (UPP), another high-profile member of the party, former government minister Dr Edmond Mansoor, has severed ties with the party and has joined the ruling Antigua Barbuda Labour Party (ABLP).
The former senator during the Baldwin Spencer administration resigned from the party on August 25, citing concerns with the direction of the party under the current leadership.
Dr Mansoor, who has been a medical practitioner for decades, also served under the UPP as Minister of State with responsibility for Telecommunications, Science and Information Technology.
In a letter obtained by Observer media, which was addressed to the party’s General Secretary, Shawn Nicholas, Dr Mansoor described the situation within the UPP as “deeply divided”.
“The current Chairperson, the current Political Leader and certain members of the Central Executive have completely failed in their utterly important mandate to strategically reposition the Party after losing the 2023 general elections by a mere few votes,” he wrote.
As a senior campaign strategist within the UPP, Dr Mansoor was reportedly named—according to former UPP Member of Parliament Anthony Smith Jr in a live Facebook interview—to serve as part of a leadership transition team after the resignation of former Political Leader Harold Lovell after the 2023 general elections.
Dr Mansoor, in his 25 August resignation letter, said that he spoke with former Prime Minister Baldwin Spencer, former UPP political leader Harold Lovell and other senior leaders about his concerns regarding the party’s future before coming to his decision.
“Given the high level of dissension and disunity and given the complete failure of the current leadership to discharge their duties to strengthen the Party and all its units and given my complete loss of confidence in the current leadership of the Party, I am resigning from the Party with immediate effect,” he stated.
Party Chairwoman D Gisele Isaac told our newsroom that she was unaware of the resignation letter and only learned of the situation with Dr Mansoor through the media.
“He made his decisions as he is free to do. The UPP remains committed to the Party’s principles, values and objectives, to its faithful members and supporters, and to making life better for all—not just some -– of the people,” she said.
Meanwhile, ABLP Chairman Chet Greene welcomed the news of the defection, noting the political and technical experience that Dr Mansoor would bring to the Labour Party.
With the UPP facing another high-profile resignation this year, current discussions indicate that party members are grappling with the news.
While some members argue for introspection and meaningful change, others defend the leadership of the party’s Political Leader, Hon Jamale Pringle which has come under scrutiny, with some members suggesting that his perceived lack of intellectual prowess has led to a reluctance among some members to serve under him.
There are also allegations of a deliberate attempt by some factions to undermine the UPP from within, with the aim of forcing leadership changes through attrition and public embarrassment.
The resignation of Dr Mansoor came after the resignations of former St Paul candidate Dr Cleon Athill, All Saints West MP Anthony Smith Jr, along with four members of the UPP youth arm’s executive. However, the former youth executive members have opted to retain ordinary membership.
The defections have particularly stung in some quarters, with long-time members expressing disappointment at seeing colleagues they’ve worked alongside suddenly aligning with their former political opponents.
Meanwhile, UPP’s MP for St George, Hon Algernon Watts, spoke about the ongoing recruitment efforts of the ABLP to reach influential people throughout the island over the weekend.
“They profile and they target and whether it is a good policy or not, it works for them because theoretically they are adding to their numbers while the UPP looks as though their people are falling off like dry leaves of a tree,” MP Watts said.
