LETTER: An Embarrassment Too Deep to Ignore: The UPP’s Leadership Has Failed… Again!

The results of the St. George primary should trouble every serious supporter of the United Progressive Party. Kelton Dalson emerged victorious with just nine votes, while Kem Riley and Buffy Kentish each secured two votes. Let that sink in.

Out of more than 260 registered Plus members, only 16 were deemed eligible to vote?

I delayed writing this article because the facts are frankly embarrassing. But silence helps no one, especially not a party that is visibly collapsing under the weight of its own dysfunction.

This is not a minor organizational hiccup. This is a glaring illustration of institutional decay. It represents the deterioration of the party’s internal democracy and exposes a level of calamitous incompetence within the current leadership structure that can no longer be explained away or defended.

When a political party cannot mobilize its own base, cannot properly maintain its membership rolls, and cannot conduct a credible primary, the problem is not the supporters; it is the leadership.

Under Giselle Isaac’s leadership, the UPP has drifted from being a serious political force to a shell of its former self. There is confusion instead of clarity, exclusion instead of engagement, and arrogance where there should be accountability. The St. George primary is not an isolated incident; it is a symptom of deeper rot.

At this point, one does not know whether to laugh, cry, or simply walk away from his own political party.

Hard questions must now be asked, starting at the top.

If Harold Lovell has no intention of challenging Jamal Pringle for the leadership of the party, then he needs to gracefully step aside and sit down. The party cannot afford permanent kingmakers who are unwilling to either lead or let go.

As for Jamal Pringle, the situation is even more stark. Leadership is about results, credibility, and momentum,none of which are currently evident. If the party continues to shrink, fracture, and embarrass itself under his watch, then the honorable course of action is clear, he should resign and go to the back of the pack.

The UPP cannot preach governance to the nation while failing at basic organization within its own ranks. You cannot claim readiness for national leadership while presiding over primaries decided by single-digit votes.

The St. George primary should be a wake-up call, but only if those in charge are willing to hear it. If not, then supporters must confront an uncomfortable truth: the greatest threat to the UPP today is not the opposition, but its own leadership.

And that is the most painful reality of all.

Advertise with the mоѕt vіѕіtеd nеwѕ ѕіtе іn Antigua!
We offer fully customizable and flexible digital marketing packages.
Contact us at [email protected]