DCA’s Destruction of MP Pringle’s Property Was Politically Directed, UPP Says

Press Statement

The United Progressive Party (UPP) is asserting its support for Political Leader Jamale Pringle after the Development Control Authority (DCA) razed a costly tent where he did business, yesterday, at Morris Bay, and says the destruction was ordered by the political directorate.

The Party notes that during MP Pringle’s hard-hitting reply to the Budget Presentation on December 8, he dismissed the document as a “Tax and Thief Budget.”

He was highly critical of MP Maria Browne, the Prime Minister’s wife and the Minister of Works, laying out the failures of her Ministry, the corruption that dogs it, and her refusal to step aside and allow an independent investigation into the $15 million Vehicle-gate Scandal.

As Pringle spoke, PM Browne openly threatened to have his tent at Morris Bay pushed down.

Accordingly, Party leaders are convinced that the DCA’s action was political retaliation. According to reports, in November, several operators at Morris Bay were given removal notices by the DCA.

However, Pringle’s property was the only one destroyed. Party officials condemn the use of a backhoe as “excessive,” given that the tent was a collapsible structure and could have been dismantled by hand.

Ironically, Pringle is the area’s parliamentary representative and was instrumental in revitalizing the beach area, establishing it as a park, and constructing a public restroom. While the Political Leader is being advised by legal counsel, the Party and its supporters have accepted this action against Pringle as a declaration of war on the UPP.

“The Prime Minister is a frightened man – with Vehicle-gate and the corruption in Public Works looming – and he is desperate to win the upcoming election,” one Executive Member observes. “What happened on Wednesday is another reason to ensure he does not.”