ST JOHN’S, Antigua – Mobilising is one thing but manoeuvring is another. Chairman of the Antigua Labour Party (ALP) has denounced suggestions he is manoeuvring to assume leadership of the party as he boldly disclosed.
He is instead “mobilising for the inevitable achievement” since current leader Lester Bird is seemingly in the departure lounge.
The ALP’s deputy political leader directed his remarks to some of his colleagues, including Molwyn Joseph and Robin Yearwood, who he believes are afraid to declare their intentions.
“I am not afraid to say I am mobilising for leadership because it will happen. My leadership aspirations are known and I am not going to hide about them. I am not doing anything behind the scenes. Manoeuvring is doing it in secret and manipulating to get there and I believe in transparency,” Browne said.
The discussion on the matter began last week when MPs Joseph and Yearwood expressed disappointment that a vote of no confidence in Prime Minister Baldwin Spencer did not come to fruition because Bird fell ill.
Browne said he viewed his colleagues’ statement as a call for a leadership convention that should have been put to the party’s leader first.
When the ALP chairman made his interpretation public, his colleagues Joseph and Yearwood said he was wrong and was using them as scapegoats to raise the issue since he is the one seeking leadership.
“Whereas I have expressly stated my leadership intentions, there are others who have similar ambitions, but are too afraid to state those ambitions so they are clandestinely manoeuvring, and so from time to time they will make statements that will suggest the intentions. But clearly, for whatever reasons, they appear to be afraid to say publicly they have leadership ambitions and they wish to pursue those ambitions,” he said.
When asked to justify his comments Browne said, “I don’t believe I have to justify that statement. I believe that all right-thinking Antiguans & Barbudans would conclude there are several members within the ALP who have leadership ambitions and whereas I have expressly stated my position, there are others who are manoeuvring clandestinely, perhaps with the hope of throwing the hat in the ring.”
Browne said given the current structure of the party, he is confident he is next in line behind Bird to take the reigns of the ALP and ultimately, become the country’s leader.
“Seniority has nothing to do with how long you have been with the party, or experience. By virtue of my position as chairman and deputy political leader I am and will always be senior to my colleagues. There is only one leader,” Browne declared while adding he values the relationship with his colleagues.
Bird was unavailable for comment up to press time.
(More in today’s Daily OBSERVER)
Gaston, you are jostling for Leadership since you were elected as Chairman of the ALP. I can assure you that you WILL NEVER be Leader. Your inability to reason, & conform to party rules and regulations & your constant disrespect of your peers that put you in the position you are in just shows us that you are totally INCAPABLE of Leadership. You are not a Uniter you are a divider. You say what comes to “mind” without any thought to the ramifications.
You are BULLish and you clearly, like Baldwin you do NOT have your head on & you deffinitely DO NOT KNOW WHAT YOU ARE DOING.
The Members of the Lone Wolf have done what you refused to do, because you are clearly in bed with the UPP you refuse to admit that the power plant is OLD, while all the evidence proves otherwise. You decide to side with the UPP while they rob us blind. I’m sorry but you are NOT somebody that I would trust Leading my country as you have clearly demonstrated your instability and inability to lead from the front, instead you and your red shirt gang demonstrate BULLY like tendancies and that tells me that you are NOT fit to get my vote on convention day.
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