ST. JOHN’S, Antigua, CMC – The leader of the main opposition United Progressive Party (UPP), Jamale Pringle, is urging voters not to be “fooled by the glitz and glamour” of the ruling Antigua and Barbuda Labor Party (ABLP) as they get ready to cast their ballots for a new government on April 30.
Nomination Day for the election is April 13, and Prime Minister Gaston Browne told supporters that the ABLP wants to win all 17 constituencies, reversing the 9-8 position it held in the last general election on January 18, 2023.
But Pringle, who is leading the UPP into a general election for the first time, told supporters that he is confident the candidates ratified by the UPP will win the elections that Browne called more than 2 years ahead of the constitutional deadline.
“My commitment to service is not about my personal ambition, but I say to you, my commitment is about delivering an Antigua and Barbuda for my son, his children, your children, your grandchildren, all Antiguans and Barbudans.
“That is why Jamal Pringle is here. I am confident that the men and women standing behind me can ensure the country’s infrastructure is in better condition. I am confident that this team will deliver proper healthcare to the people of Antigua and Barbuda.
“I am confident that this team will stand on the backs of our people, ensuring that they are accountable to you, the electors. We cannot be fooled by the glitz and glamour of Gaston Brown and the Labor Party,” Pringle said, dismissing suggestions that he and Prime Minister Browne are friends.
“I have no friend in the name of Gaston Brown. My friends, I call them to check in on them. My friends call me to check in on me. My friends, come and let us have a dialogue. If I don’t speak to you, how can you be my friend?
“And I’m saying this because I want you to understand that your vote for Jamal Pringle will never be a vote for the Antigua and Barbuda Labor Party. I cannot and will not be bought. I come here to ensure that after me, there’s a United Progressive Party.
“I come here to ensure that the future of Antigua and Barbuda is in safe hands. And those hands are the hands of the men and women standing on this platform with me, and not the Labor Party. So when they come with their rhetoric, leadership is not for one person, especially the leadership of a country.”
Pringle, who said that he is prepared to “die for Antigua and Barbuda”, told supporters that “this fight is not for the faint of heart.
“Understand that they will come with anything and everything to ensure that they stay in government because I’m saying to you, my loyalty is not to anyone but the people of Antigua and Barbuda.”
Pringle said that “this battle is not just for the United Progressive Party, but it’s for all of us to fight. So I say to you: those persons who are out there with voter apathy, the future of Antigua and Barbuda, the future of your young ones, the future of the unborn, depends on all of us.
“So if you have not revalidated your voter’s card, I’m making a plea to go out and validate your voter’s card. If you stay home because you think the UPP would have failed you, you are doing the future of Antigua and Barbuda an injustice.
“So I say to you, we have committed ourselves to delivering for Antigua and Barbuda, and I don’t know what disunity that Gaston Brown is using to try to stay in office. This is a United Progressive Party. This is a united team, and together we will govern this country in the interest of all Antiguans and Barbudans.”
Pringle said that the current socio-economic situation is affecting all Antiguans and Barbudans, adding, “all that is needed is a plan, and that is what the UPP will deliver for the people of Antigua and Barbuda.”
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