A bitter rivalry that goes beyond politics

Antigua PM Gaston Browne

Question: “What do you think of Gaston Browne?”

Response: “I think he is crass, I think he is immature.”

The question was posed to the Leader of the United Progressive Party Harold Lovell back in mid-January, ahead of Prime Minister Browne’s UNDP controversy that appears to have left many Antiguans and Barbudans embarrassed and pointing to what is being described as Gaston Browne’s “lack of diplomacy”.

Browne last week Friday accused a team from the United Nations Development Programme of “taking all the credit” for repair work to homes in Barbuda after only contributing “a few sheets of plywood”.

The incident occurred in Barbuda when Browne was there for a tour of homes, the roofs of which were repaired, and for a launch ceremony.

During the tour he saw ‘UNDP-China Aid’ stickers on homes on which the government had worked. The stickers bore two logos; one logo was that of the UNDP and the other said ‘China Aid.

“You come and plaster UNDP sticker all ‘round de place like you did some big large amount of work? That is totally unacceptable,” the prime minister declared there.

A former Parliamentarian for Barbuda has since urged Browne to “show some decorum”, describing the statement as “totally unacceptable”.

That kind of approach by the Antigua and Barbuda prime minister doesn’t surprise his main rival Lovell, who wants to unseat Browne and his Antigua Labour Party at the next general election.

“I think his style of governance has set Antigua back, he has not been able to distinguish between a politician on the corner and a statesman leading an entire country,” Lovell said in an interview on January 18 made available to DNO.

Harold Lovell also quoted comments about Browne made by a former CEO who spoke of “juvenile temper tantrums that the prime minister was wont to engage in. He also referred to the fact that the prime minister at the last meeting of CARICOM heads – he stormed out and left the day the conference was due to start”.

“I don’t think those are the actions of a mature prime minister who has the necessary statesmanship or the qualities of a statesman to really lead Antigua forward,” Lovell concluded.

Asked if he is aware of what Gaston Browne thinks of him, Lovell responded curtly: “I don’t care”.

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12 Comments

  1. in these times
    February 6, 2018

    He does look a bit like a self absorbed prick in this pic though

    • in these times
      February 6, 2018

      “im Gaston Brown, im the PM of Antigua. Im blablablabla”

  2. colombo Thomas
    February 2, 2018

    Gaston Browne and ABLP will win the election again… Harold Lovell will loose big time…. Stay outta Antigua politics you haters…. Antiguans would never forget the rein of Harold Lovell as finance minister..he run the country into the doldrums….. Take that…..

  3. Civil servant
    February 2, 2018

    Am Dominican with Dueal citizenship for Antigua and am sure to help vote out this Gaston Browne Dynasty .I heard this man berating one of his supporters on his radio station .Only in Antigua a prime minister knowingly would allow a man to use public money to do personal business and publicly say so on his Radio station and this is not investigated by the police.We are living in a Police State where the commissioner of police is the puppet of the prime minister.Antigua is the dirtiest,and has the worse roads in the Caribbean.According to him election is coming like a thief in the night..They have money to sponsor free concert and not to take care of the workers at mental home where workers are working in deplorable conditions.

    • Irma
      February 2, 2018

      Sir/Madam you could be describing Dominica eh…the similarities are just too glaring.

      • Cabbage PA like st,jean
        February 5, 2018

        Irma Antigua is made of Dominicans large % like Algerians in France.
        Meme bete meme puel see like Kenya boast giving America Obama we in DA gave em Simon from south of DA.

      • Toto
        February 5, 2018

        Same scenario all over the Caribbean. Big cocks treading scrawny chickens featherless.Right now in St..Eustace the Dutch government taking over again because he local self government are making a mess of it, governing for themselves only. Pity, we don’t have a sensible big brother like that.

    • Lol
      February 5, 2018

      Civil servant ask him to cool out on th just for men on the mustache

      • Me
        February 5, 2018

        Does he want to look like Hitler? That lip hair is only good for storing yestay’s soup.

  4. Illuminator
    February 2, 2018

    Maybe the project document states, “it is a collaborative effort between the Government of Antigua, the UNDP and China Aid.” In which case PM Brown has a very valid point in my opinion. But some people insist it is not what you say but how you say it….

  5. Ibo France
    February 2, 2018

    That’s what power does to you if you are not well grounded. Gaston Browne wants to hog all the glory for himself as general elections are foremost on his mind. He wants to take credit for all things good and make them his campaign slogans. Most Caribbean leaders see people as voters not as human beings. Power is so intoxicatingly pleasurable that Gaston Browne and many his CARICOM colleagues want to rust in the seat of government.

    • Barbara Saunders
      February 6, 2018

      And others want to kill and destroy to get there. Antigua made a change didn’t they? so live with it nuh man?

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