In a recent town hall meeting held in Seaview Farm, Prime Minister Gaston Browne of Antigua and Barbuda launched a scathing critique against opposition politician Harold Lovell, urging residents of All Saints West to reject the United Progressive Party’s (UPP) candidate in the upcoming general elections. Browne labeled Lovell as a “spent force” and “delusional,” questioning his capacity to effectively represent the constituency and highlighting his alleged decades of political shortcomings.
Browne referenced biblical scripture to underscore his point, stating, “A spent force. A man who is 70 years of age. The Bible says what? Three score and ten. So nothing tall futuristic about him. Now, a 70-year-old man can’t have no energy. But he’s going around telling people that he’s younger than Comrade Smith. I say better look at me.”
In contrast, Browne praised Hon. Anthony Smith Jr., a young leader who recently joined the Antigua and Barbuda Labour Party (ABLP) after departing from the UPP. Browne lauded Smith’s “energy and ambition,” positioning him as the embodiment of the constituency’s future. “I want the people of All Saints West to understand that by supporting this young man, Comrade Smith, you are literally supporting the future,” Browne asserted. “Why would anyone want to go back to a candidate who is on rewind? We are moving forward—he’s on rewind.”
Browne further criticized Lovell’s tenure as the former Member of Parliament for St. John’s City East, alleging that his former constituents had repeatedly rejected him and that he failed to deliver essential community improvements. “The place where he came from, City East, where he spent practically all his life—they rejected him eight out of ten times,” Browne remarked. “He was finance minister and representative, and he didn’t see the Bishopgate Street Clinic in disrepair. It took Gaston Browne in 2014 to get the People’s Republic of China to build a new polyclinic in Villa.”
Concluding his address, Browne warned that electing Lovell would “reverse progress” in All Saints West, urging constituents to send a clear message: “It is for the people of this constituency to send Harold Lovell a firm message—go back from whence you came.”