Political Leader calls for unity in the UPP amid growing internal discord

Political Leader of the opposition United Progressive Party (UPP) Jamale Pringle has called for party unity following a weekend of public criticism from fellow UPP parliamentarians and deepening fractures within the ranks.

Speaking during his weekly “Straight Talk” programme on Monday night, Pringle acknowledged the existence of internal challenges but emphasized the need to address these issues behind closed doors rather than in public forums.

“In every organization there are challenges and the United Progressive Party is no different,” he stated. “I am not going to engage in any public debacle, confrontation, as it relates to the United Progressive Party.”

The opposition leader’s comments came after three sitting UPP MPs—Algernon “Serpent” Watts, Kelvin “Shugy” Simon, and Richard Lewis—publicly criticized party leadership on Observer radio over the weekend, claiming they were not properly informed about the party’s recent “Fed Up” rally.

The trio stated they only learned about the event through social media on Monday before receiving a text message on Thursday asking, “Who is going to the rally and who will be speaking?” merely hours before the event.

Pringle urged party members to respect the UPP constitution and its provisions for resolving internal conflicts, warning that public disputes would only strengthen the ruling Antigua and Barbuda Labour Party.

“I am asking the public to allow the United Progressive Party to resolve its issues internally. I’m not going to fuel the fire for us to engage in a public brawl,” he said.

The opposition has been rocked by several high-profile departures since the 2023 General Elections, including former senator Dr Edmond Mansoor who resigned last August citing “complete loss of confidence” in the current leadership, along with former public relations officer Damani Tabor who left in September pointing to concerns about the party’s “cohesion, performance and political viability”.

Additionally, the party saw former Opposition MP Anthony Smith end his party affiliation and declared he was an Independent MP while several executive members of the UPP youth arm resigned from their posts.

Regarding the leadership position, the UPP’s Chairperson D Gisele Isaac announced on Monday that she will not seek re-election at the next convention.

Prime Minister Gaston Browne has already seized upon the opposition’s internal discord, characterizing the three vocal MPs as “deliberately destructive” and suggesting they had planned to form a new political organization but “got cold feet”. He further hinted at the possibility of calling an early general election to capitalize on the UPP’s current turmoil.

Despite these challenges, Pringle called on party members to refocus on pressing national issues.

“Let us not lose focus at this point, brothers and sisters. Let us regroup, let us fix our problems internally while we continue to focus on the hardship created by the Antigua and Barbuda Labour Party,” Pringle stated.