By Kieron Murdoch | Opinion Contributor

The ouroboros is an ancient symbol depicting a serpent or a dragon eating its own tail. While its historical depiction has been used more often to signify eternity, renewal, and the cycle of birth and death; it has also been used in modern times to infer an act of mere self-destruction. The question we are trying to answer is whether the United Progressive Party’s apparent purge – signalled by this week’s announcement from its beleaguered Leader that ten new prospective candidates would be joining the slate – is an act of renewal or purely one of self-destruction.

A quasi purge had already been in effect with a series of resignations from persons claiming they had been alienated within the party, or that the leadership was deaf to their pleas for a change in direction. It is now not a secret that the UPP quickly descended into turmoil upon the conclusion of the party convention in April of this year, and the somewhat surprising defeat of Richard Lewis MP by Jamale Pringle MP.

It appears that those who supported Lewis and the MP himself, have either distanced themselves from the party, left the party altogether, been marginalised within the party by the leadership, and or are claiming victimisation in some form. Lewis has been a relative no-show since April, limiting his political outings and fending off ceaseless rumours of his impending resignation or possible conversion to the Church of Labour.

But perhaps, one ought to have seen all of this coming. After all, Jamale Pringle won the UPP leadership despite virtually every other MP and caretaker-candidate in place from the 2023 slate endorsing his opponent Richard Lewis. The only people absent from the signed endorsement which found its way into the press were Pearl Quinn Williams, who was herself running for the party leadership; Gladys Potter; Harold Lovel, who had resigned from active politics after the election; and Dr. Cleon Athill, who had resigned from the party in February.

Two of the caretakers who endorsed Lewis – Jonathan Joseph and Sherfield Bowen – later recanted their heretical beliefs, after what was no doubt a swift inquisition that followed the publication of the letters by the press. How do you win the leadership of the party despite not having the support of the vast majority of MPs and caretakers on the party’s national slate? What sway do these MPs and caretakers have with their branches and constituents? And most importantly, in what world can a man lead a team of persons who have all expressed in writing that they have no faith in his leadership? There was sure to be a fallout.

What appears to have made that fallout particularly bad is the apparent inability of the current party leadership, spearheaded by Political Leader Jamale Pringle and Party Chairman Gisele Isaac, to usher in a period of conciliation. Instead, reports from numerous disaffected party members appear to suggest that the atmosphere within the organisation since the Convention has been divisive and chaotic, with marginalisation, backbiting, and disrespect occurring too often.

Whether the blame is to fall on those who supported the leadership bid of MP Lewis and cannot now be reconciled, or on the leadership and supporters of Pringle who are perhaps not willing to reconcile, is a question we simply cannot answer. Reports differ. Listen to Jamale Pringle or Gisele Isaac or former Political Leader, Harold Lovell, and you are likely to be convinced that the departures have more to do with an effective campaign of inducement by the Antigua and Barbuda Labour Party, and the unwillingness of those who were dismayed at the defeat of Richard Lewis to come to terms.

Conversely, if you listen to former UPP member, Anthony Smith MP, who now sits as an independent, and is likely to be the next Labour candidate in All Saints West, you may be convinced that the trouble lies with the Pringle-Isaac leadership and their retinue. In a tell-all style interview following his shock departure from the party in July, Smith discussed with host, J. Truth, a litany of divisive and allegedly ill-intentioned moves made by “the leadership within the leadership” of the UPP, both in the lead up to the party convention and afterwards.

He took particular aim at the Chairman, labelling her a source of ceaseless division within the organisation and accusing her of having put her crosshairs on Richard Lewis’ back. One would be wise however, not to accept Smith’s word wholeheartedly when he professed that love of country and the interest of his constituents is solely what drove him to accept a position in the Cabinet of Gaston Browne, whom he has in the past vilified.

Nevertheless, it was arguably MP Smith’s shock resignation that appears to have ignited what was a tinderbox waiting to catch fire. Since his departure, several members of the UPP Youth Forum resigned from their role the same month, claiming they felt “disrespected” within the party. Party stalwart and former Minister of Information Communication Technology, Dr. Edmond Mansoor resigned in August citing a “high level of dissension and disunity” and “the complete failure of the current leadership to discharge their duties to strengthen the Party and all its units”.

He wrote to the party General Secretary, saying, “The current Chairperson, the current Political Leader and certain members of the Central Executive have completely failed in their utterly important mandate to strategically reposition the Party after losing the 2023 general elections.”

This week, party stalwart and vocal campaigner, Winston Henry, who is a former chair of Rural East Branch, announced his resignation, criticising the leadership for creating an atmosphere of divisiveness in the organisation and promoting an “us vs. them” mentality. Henry, who has staffed various roles in the party over more than 20 years, said the leadership had failed to work toward unity. Simultaneously, this week, Rural East caretaker and 2023 candidate Sean Bird has openly confirmed that he too is considering his position, claiming that the leadership was aiming to replace him and suggesting that he may resign.

“Most of the meaningful individuals who meant a lot to the party and its progress have decided that the direction the party is going in is not the right way,” he said during an interview with Twin Island Media 94.1 FM. He continued, “The majority of persons who supported Richard Lewis in the convention have either resigned, moved away, or been marginalised.”

Of course, based on the simple maths behind the Political Leader’s announcement of 10 new incoming caretakers, there are many who might be marked for Pringle’s purge. The UPP runs in 16 constituencies – all except Barbuda. Within the 16 constituencies, there are 5 sitting UPP MPs, 3 vacancies (City East, St. Paul, ASW), and 8 UPP caretakers. One can assume that given the vacancies in City East, St. Paul, and All Saints West left by the resignations of Lovell, Dr. Athill, and Anthony Smith respectively, that at least 3 of the 10 new caretaker candidates will cover those constituencies.

With the 3 vacant seats of the total 16 dealt with, that leaves 13 seats occupied either by current UPP MPs or caretakers that could be in line to be replaced. If we assume that 2 out of those 13 seats – the Political Leader’s seat and that of his most pious Deputy, Sherfield Bowen – are not in jeopardy, then that leaves us with 11 seats which are occupied either by current UPP MPs or caretakers that could be in line for replacement.

Of those 11 seats, 3 are held by MPs, namely Serpent Watts, Shugy Simon, and Richard Lewis. The remaining 8 seats are held by caretakers, namely Gladys Potter, Alex Browne, Pearl Quinn-Williams, Franz DeFraitas, Alister Thomas, Jonathan Joseph, Trevaugn Harriette, and Sean Bird. With 3 of the 10 to be announced new caretaker candidates presumably going to staff the vacant seats of City East, St. Paul, and All Saints West, it means there are 7 new faces remaining who may replace any of the 3 MPs or 8 Caretakers mentioned above. It suggests that only 4 of the 11 MPs/caretakers will keep their positions. In any event, we are not certain of what the party constitution says about such matters.

The question we asked at the onset is whether the cannibalisation currently ongoing within the UPP will be for better or for worse. We are minded to conclude that it will leave the party worse off. It may even risk making it unelectable. The business of politics is to gain support, not lose it. If a considerable faction of the party (and the nation) were of the genuine view that Richard Lewis was a better choice for party leader, then it was incumbent on the Pringle-Isaac leadership group to move heaven and earth towards a reconciliation. It was also incumbent on Lewis and those behind him to meet them.

Instead, the inability of the leadership of the party, its slate, and its significant members, to find unity of purpose in moving forward as an opposition is lessening the party’s chances at the next election. At the same time, the alienation of those who lacked confidence in the leadership of Pringle and instead preferred the candidacy of Lewis will only provide oxygen to the ever proselytising missionaries of the Church of Labour, the doors of which are open to all regardless of their political sins, as Max Hurst often reminds us.

If such a thing as a Book of Labour existed, it might well read:

None are unworthy of political redemption. First, kneel upon the altar of Gaston Browne, humble and penitent, for he is merciful to those who would beseech his benevolence. Then, confess to your political heresy, and accept the Antigua and Barbuda Labour Party as the one true political faith. Finally, publicly renounce the false political idols to which you have offered worship. Do these things earnestly and eagerly, and you may yet be saved. Oh, how joyous it is to be redeemed, to have the burden of political sin removed, to be washed in the blood of Labour, and to be born again!

What’s more, and though many in the UPP would not admit it, Jamale Pringle does not have the confidence of the wider population to be a Prime Minister. His slate knew it and the public knows it. If the party is losing people who favoured Lewis, then it is likely losing people who had the vision and the grasp on reality necessary to know that Lewis serving as Leader was in the party’s best interest. That means it will be left with the near-sighted who cannot understand that Pringle is unlikely to swing public confidence toward the UPP.

The party, therefore, would be entering a future election relying solely on chances that the population may be fed up with the Browne administration but not on its current Leader’s ability to inspire confidence in his own right. That said, it becomes necessary for us to ask: To what extent has Jamale Pringle really made his presence felt as Party Leader and Opposition Leader since the resignation of Harold Lovell? Has he been inspirational and thought provoking on the national stage? Has he been memorable in a positive way? What is his vision for the nation? How much does it resonate with people?

As challenging as things appear now for the UPP, it is actually possible that the 10 new caretakers and prospective candidates, depending on who they are, might bring some vigour and excitement to the organisation, giving it the momentum to refocus. However, if those candidates are lacklustre, or the placement of those candidates requires undemocratic decisions by the leadership that risks further alienating members of the party, then the new caretakers may well invite more division and chaos than there already is now.

Ultimately, what the party needs more than anything is to adopt a more conciliatory atmosphere internally for handling disagreement. Many of those who have passed through often claim to have been victims of attacks and backbiting from within. In that regard, the UPP is starting to appear as though it has an autoimmune disorder. Members mistake, target and attack other members as if they were foreign organisms trying to do harm, when they simply disagree on policy, direction or leadership. The party needs to reject the tendency of some of its members to engage in visceral and caustic attacks against anyone they believe opposes them. It alienates voters who’ve supported the Labour party. It alienates the party’s own dissenting members. And it alienates the party’s up and coming leaders.

They must ask themselves, were snap elections to be called tomorrow, what would be the result? Has the Labour Party gotten weaker or stronger since the election of 2023? Why? Has the UPP gotten weaker or stronger since 2023? Why? Social commentator Anderson Carty recently called for the formation of a new opposition party, saying that the UPP’s current turmoil has shown it to be unviable going forward. While we do not yet share that view, the current situation has the potential to make the party unviable if it continues to experience this level of division and lose support.

About the writer:

Kieron Murdoch worked as a journalist and later as a radio presenter in Antigua and Barbuda for eight years, covering politics and governance especially. He is an opinion contributor at antigua.news. If you have an opinion on the issues raised in this editorial and you would like to submit a response by email to be considered for publication, please email staff@antigua.news.