In a stinging response to a letter from general secretary Maryclare Hurst, Asot Michael accused here and Party Leader of denying him his constitutional right to attend executive meetings as the elected representative for St Peters.
Micael also raised in the letter “Comrade Gaston Browne met me in this Party and embraced me as his brother when seeking to attain leadership. Now because I have raised questions as to his “wealth” which has only become known since he became Prime Minister, he has taken a public and nasty discourse towards me, and you Comrade General Secretary, in this have joined him”.
Michael in his letter also informed Hurst, “It is for this reason that I will continue to bring actions in the Court to hold all accountable. I do not seek to place our Party into disrepute in the eyes of the public, but must let all know the unlawful behaviour that is becoming so readily acceptable by Comrades today”.
Following is the full text of the letter:
23rd October 2021
Comrade MaryClare Hurst
General Secretary of The ABLP
The People’s Place
Nugent Avenue
St John’s
Antigua
Dear Comrade General Secretary,
I received your letter after 4:30p.m. on Friday 22nd October 2021. At the time, I had been in my office seeing constituents of St. Peter. Indeed, that day, I had personally seen approximately 100 persons. Having read your letter, it is obvious that the terms of your letter amount to punitive/disciplinary action against me. As such, your letter contravenes the express terms, if not the spirit of the injunction, which currently enjoins you personally, as well as Comrade Leader and Comrade Lionel “Max” Hurst as Chairman of the Tribunal.
The Party to which we are all members is an organisation formed to champion the rights of the ordinary man and woman of this Nation. It has a Constitution to which we all are subject without exception. My understanding of that Constitution does not give you the right to exclude me from Central Executive meetings as you have now done and/or any Central Executive forum. I am the duly elected Member of the House of Representative for the constituency of St. Peter and as such, I have not only the right but also the obligation to represent their interest at all Central Executive forums. Your actions not only undermine the spirit and Comradeship of our Party but also are a direct attempt to undermine my representation of my constituency.
It is no secret that Comrade Leader and myself have disagreements but you are not to be his “minion” determined to carry out any evil desires he may have. You are the last appointed General Secretary of the Party of which we are all members. Whereas you should be using your office to address the issues between us and seek to bring about a voluntary and peaceful resolution, you are stoking the fires of divisions.
I cannot stand by and allow the ABLP to go down this road. It is not a “Gaston Browne” party. He is not a “king”. We are all equal though he may currently be first amongst us. Lest we forget that position is fluid. Comrade Sir Vere Cornwall Bird Sr. once held it, as did Comrade Sir Lester Bryant Bird. None ever allowed for the exclusion of others in the Party who sought to hold them accountable. This Party belongs to the people of this country.
Comrade Gaston Browne met me in this Party and embraced me as his brother when seeking to attain leadership. Now because I have raised questions as to his “wealth” which has only become known since he became Prime Minister, he has taken a public and nasty discourse towards me, and you Comrade General Secretary, in this have joined him.
I am well aware that I initiated Court proceedings against you, the Leader and the Tribunal Chairman. I did so because I considered that all of you have acted unlawfully towards me as a member of the Party. The High Court so far has agreed with me and has ordered you by injunction from taking the actions that you persist in taking. It is my Constitutional right to seek redress from the Courts against wrongs against me by any person, including you and Comrade Leader. None of us are above the law. If you and Comrade Leader persist in contravening the law by use of your Office then don’t cry foul when your fate is like that of former President Jacob Zuma of South Africa.
The people of St. Peter, who have elected me to Parliament on the ABLP ticket in four (4) consecutive general elections, ought not to be marginalised in this way. The Constituency of St. Peter is being neglected and ill-treated simply because Comrade Leader does not like my criticism of his behaviour in office. You condone and add to this unlawful behaviour when you carry out these actions. I invite you both instead to engage me on the issues. If it is corruption that you allege that disqualifies me, then explain your own wealth and that of the Leader and how he has legitimately acquired it since coming into office. I know where my wealth came from and can gladly answer for same. If you allege that my exclusion from office is because I am going to be charged by the British or the Americans explain to me why I have not so been charged in the last four years.
Be honest and tell the people to whom we are all accountable why I am truly being excluded and why I was truly interviewed by the Police in England and at whose instigation.
I am yet again forced to seek legal counsel to protect the rights of myself as a member of this Party and the rights of the Constituents that I represent. I do not know what course that process will take but I can assure you I am not in any way intimidated by the bully tactics conveyed in your letter.
Nonetheless, I am compelled to remind you of my Comradeship and my burning desire to have these matters settled in an amicable manner in keeping with our comradeship and the historical oneness of our Organisation. I caution that we must not let outsiders come in and destroy from within what we have built up over the years. It is for this reason I ask that you pause, take legal advice, look around, listen to Comrades and let us hold our Party together.
In recent times we have departed from our Comradeship and aligned with personalities. This in my view is to the detriment of the Organisation. If each of us fails to act today then none will be able to tomorrow.
It is for this reason that I will continue to bring actions in the Court to hold all accountable. I do not seek to place our Party into disrepute in the eyes of the public, but must let all know the unlawful behaviour that is becoming so readily acceptable by Comrades today.
No matter who we are or what position we may currently hold, let us not forget that the laws of this Nation apply to us equally.
Sincerely yours,
_______________________
Hon. Asot A. Michael, MP
St Peter Constituency
cc: Hon. Gaston Browne, MP. Political Leader ABLP
Hon. E.P. Chet Greene, MP. Chairman ABLP
