Description

"I'm not ready to [go]. And I'm not going to be pushed out." That's what disgraced Labour MP Asot Michael warned his party leader while on his feet in Parliament in February this year. "I come from the bowels of labour!" he bellowed, describing his relationship to the Antigua and Barbuda Labour Party (ABLP). Now that his party is finding his replacement, Michael is remarkably silent. But then again, why show your hand so early? Why give your opponent time to react? Patience and cunning perhaps? Maybe he learned from Joanne's mistakes.

Of course, it could well be that Michael has changed his mind and resolved to take a back seat in political life. Political parties tend to offer up whatever's necessary to get their disgruntled to go away quietly. Ambassadorships. Senatorial appointments. Statutory boards. Commissioners of this and that. But surely, after the Prime Minister Gaston Browne publicly lashed out at Michael, calling him "deceitful" and alleging corruption on his part, there is no way Browne could ever find a place in public life for the disgraced MP. Surely, the PM has more backbone than that, right? 

So what if Michael runs independently? Could he win? It depends. He's known for his patronage, or "helping" people as politicians insidiously call it. Many are endeared to him for that reason alone. He's been St. Peter's MP since 2004, and not only has he won four elections there, but he's increased his majority each time. He won with 58.31% of St. Peter's vote in 2004; 63.24% in 2009; 69.09% in 2014; and 73.90% in 2018 (see source). Though many consider him a moral plague, his shambles of a reputation when it comes to integrity hasn't prevented him from winning an election before. Who's to say he couldn't do it again?

This is not a full episode. It is an extract from the episode titled: Labour All the Way! GB's ABLP Heading for Third Term? The host is Kieron Murdoch. The guests are:

1. Carlon Knight, a political and social commentator. An early student of politics at the UWI, he is now a graduate student studying economics further abroad.
2. Dr. Oswald Thomas, a political and social commentator who is currently Director of Political Affairs at the New York firm, Paramount Communications Inc. He is a longtime member of the ABLP.
3. Dr. George Brathwaite, Lecturer in the Department of Government, Sociology, Social Work and Psychology at The University of the West Indies (UWI) Cave Hill. Former Consultant Editor at the Caribbean Times. It was an Antigua based newspaper reportedly owned by Asot Michael, now defunct.

This is an extract from a programme that first aired on NewsCo Observer Radio 91.1 FM on August 8th, 2021. Get the latest news from Antigua and Barbuda at the Antigua Observer online.