THE TUMPER AND THE TUMPEE
Mr.Asot Micheal’s New Year’s Day Address to the people of Antigua & Barbuda may go into the record books as one of the most consequential speeches in the history of modern politics in Antigua & Barbuda.
Mr. Michael is a 4-term parliamentary representative of the St.Peter Constituency in Antigua, defending his seat in the January 18,2023, elections as an Independent, having been rejected and replaced, albeit illegally, by Mr. Gaston Browne.
Mr. Michael and his family are deeply rooted in the Antigua & Barbuda Labour Party, and for decades they have been one of the most, perhaps the most, substantial and consistent source of support for that Party.
And he personally has been the ‘go to’ guy, the chief engineer, the man who made things happen, for the ABLP over the years, whether under the leadership of Sir Lester Bird or Mr. Gaston Browne.
Indeed, were it not for the efforts, the commitment and the bravery of Asot Michael, his former buddy ( or so Asot thought), Gaston Browne, might never have become the ABLP Leader and Prime Minister.
In addition, anybody who knows and who chooses to be honest will tell you that Mr. Michael has been one of the brightest, best connected and most resourceful and agile minds in public office in the Caribbean. I have seen none among his colleagues, at least among those who I know, to match him. And very few elsewhere.
And in terms of devotion and loyalty to his constituents, again there seems to be nobody better.
Now let us be fair and balanced: he has had his problems, many of which were self-caused. And those problems have hurt him, the Party and the country.
But we are all sinners, all fallen short of the glory. And we are, as was the man on the cross with Jesus Christ, capable of redemption. Just like Saul and David. Just like the adulteress.
I prefer to deal with sinners, like myself, who want to change and be better. They work better, they are better, they try harder.
And God knows, these precious little countries of ours need all of the talent, all of the willing hands, that we can muster. We are in serious peril, and we need to understand and work our way out of it. And we will not and cannot get there under the leadership of arrogant, viciously spiteful, self-serving and narcissistic, eggshell-ego despots.
And the Asot Michael that I am hearing and feeling, sins and scars and all, has emerged as one of the most, or maybe even the single most, influential voice in the political debate in Antigua & Barbuda right now.
The king maker, popularly positioned and supported in St. Peter, and apparently more confident, mature, and well prepared and organized than ever, seems poised, not only to retain his seat, but to be a force in the process of change. He exuded that in his new year’s Address.
This immediately raises the stock of the voters and people of his constituency, St. Peter, who, despite the efforts of Mr. Michael, had been taken for granted by Mr. Browne for the last 8 years.
And Mr. Browne realizes this, which explains his recent and, reportedly unprecedented, house-to-house visits, (one person has referred to these visits as “ last-minute panic and fake generosity tours”)and his chaperoning and hand-holding his candidate, Mr. Turner, in the constituency.
It was during one of those visits that Mr. Browne and Mr. Michael found themselves at the same property– the home where, as was seen on the viral video, a very agitated Mr. Browne threatened to ‘tump down’ the very calm and composed Mr. Michael.
This hostile and brutish behaviour of Mr. Browne can turn out to be a nail in his political coffin. Time will tell, and very soon.
A person who is so thin-skinned, so vindictive, so bitter and so petty cannot be suitable to lead a country. He cracks too easily. In fact, he is a danger to the best interests of the people of Antigua & Barbuda. Nothing personal, but this is a view shared regionally and beyond, among leaders and followers alike.
And number of his colleagues have come to realize this and cannot wait to see him go, even if it means losing this election and starting afresh.
But there are other nails in Mr. Browne’s coffin that were driven in by Mr. Michael in his very eloquent, comprehensive and well measured New Year’s Address.
He clinically exposed the weaknesses and the inner darkness of Mr. Browne’s Administration, and especially of Mr. Browne himself.
He exposed Mr. Browne’s lack of appreciation, compassion and respect for Mr. Michael’s constituents; and he informed the country of all that he, Mr. Michael, had done personally, out of his own resources, for his constituents.
He exposed Mr. Browne’s disregard for the rule of law and good governance. He revealed his own role in the rise of Mr.Browne to the leadership.
He said that the cause of Mr. Browne’s mission to destroy him was his own questioning of Mr. Browne’s wealth. And he went on to give some examples of Mr. Browne’s alleged deeds, which, in fairness to, and respect for, the voters, require a plausible response from Mr. Browne, especially at this critical moment when Antigua & Barbuda is in an election. The people need to know, so that they can vote correctly.
In my opinion, with these accusations, Mr. Michael has pushed Mr. Browne into a corner, and he cannot get out of that corner by use of abuse, arrogance, deflection and distraction.
And what has impacted me as much as Mr. Michael’s statesman-like Address, and its bounteous content, is his restraint over what has been a long period of time, and the strategic timing that he used to reveal his allegations. He has truly put Mr. Browne in a corner at the 11th hour.
Now with all of that said, who do you think has ‘tumped’ whom in the face? Looks to me like Mr. Michael is the ‘tumper’ and Mr. Browne, his bullying and bombast, is the ‘tumpee’.
Written by G.A Dwayer Astaphan, former Minister of Tourism & National Security of St. Kitts & Nevis & Atornney at Law
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