At a recent thanksgiving service honoring Jamale Pringle’s re-election, hosted by the All Saints East and St. Luke branch of Antigua and Barbuda’s United Progressive Party (UPP), Senate Minority Leader Chester Hughes delivered a stirring address centered on the constituency’s long legacy of independent political thought. The event marked a key milestone for the UPP, which has faced widespread electoral setbacks across the nation in recent cycles, making Pringle’s retention of the seat all the more meaningful for the opposition party.
Hughes opened his remarks by celebrating the unwavering autonomy of the constituency’s voters, emphasizing that residents have long rejected outside influence and vote-buying attempts. “The people of All Saints East and St. Luke are people who are independent in thought,” Hughes stated. “They will not be bought. They could not be dictated to, and they will not be told who to vote for, when to vote for them and how to vote for them.” He added that the constituency has weathered decades of political pressure, building a robust tradition of opposition representation that stretches back generations.
Delving into the area’s political history, Hughes recalled the 1994 election that saw former MP Charlesworth Samuel win the seat after relocating from St. Mary’s North. Following Samuel’s tenure, Hughes himself stepped in to represent the constituency after an “unfortunate incident” that cut short Samuel’s time in office, and he noted that both leaders prioritized delivering tangible support to local residents throughout their terms. When the UPP lost national power in the 2014 general election, Hughes was reassigned to contest St. Mary’s North, and Joanne Messiah was selected as the UPP’s candidate for All Saints East and St. Luke, opening a new chapter in the constituency’s political landscape.
It was during this transition that Jamale Pringle first emerged as a rising political talent, Hughes recounted. The young hopeful sought to contest the seat in 2014 immediately after Hughes’ reassignment, but Hughes encouraged him to bide his time and work within the party’s established leadership structure. “I said to him, wait your turn. Don’t go against the grain,” Hughes explained. “Allow the leadership to proceed with its course. What is for a man, he will always have it.” Pringle heeded that advice, and when a new candidate was needed for the constituency, Hughes threw his full support behind Pringle, convincing skeptical senior party leaders of the candidate’s potential. Hughes arranged a meeting with key party figures including Wilmer Daniel to make his case, noting that Pringle had been a critical partner in his own electoral and legislative success as the constituency’s representative. Hughes told party leadership that Pringle was the only potential candidate capable of holding the seat for the UPP.
That prediction proved correct in 2018, when Pringle won a narrow 10- to 11-vote victory during one of the UPP’s darkest periods in recent political history. Even as the party faced national losses, Pringle retained the seat, and has continued to advocate fiercely for both his constituents and UPP interests in the lower house of parliament ever since. Now, with Pringle’s successful re-election, Hughes reiterated that the constituency’s voters have once again affirmed their independent political identity, rejecting efforts by rival parties to sway their decision.
Turning to his own recent return to the Senate, Hughes shared that he initially approached the role with “mixed emotions,” uncertain how his tenure would unfold. But widespread encouragement from supporters across Antigua and Barbuda pushed him to step into a more aggressive opposition leadership role. “A number of persons have met me and said, ‘We want you to put fire in the Senate. We want you to do what has never been done before,’” he said.
Hugings closed by pledging that the UPP’s four senators would stand in full solidarity with Pringle, working to advance core democratic values and ensure that ordinary citizens can follow and understand all legislation debated in parliament. “Brother Pringle may be the only seat in the lower house, but there are four seats in the upper house that will fight … to ensure that our democracy is upheld,” he said, ending by thanking God for the wisdom All Saints East and St. Luke voters demonstrated in re-electing Pringle.