I regretfully submit my resignation as Deputy Political Leader of the United Workers Party, effective immediately. This decision follows careful consideration of recent events and the existing leadership environment in the party. While my commitment to the party’s founding principles and vision for our nation remains unwavering, I find myself unable to effectively carry out the responsibilities of Deputy Political Leader due to several unfortunate developments:
1. The events following my decision in parliament on March 19th—a decision that in effect aligns with the party’s position on the Registration of Electors Act. —have been particularly troubling. I have faced vicious public attacks from within the party, along with repeated calls for my resignation and/or removal from the party.
2. Since March 19th, the public dissemination of inaccurate and misleading information, especially by Political Leader Dr. Thomson Fontaine, has and continues to undermine my position as Deputy Political Leader. In media interviews locally and around the region, Dr. Fontaine has made several claims calculated to ridicule me and make me a target of public odium and contempt:
“Paris, like ourselves, has no issue with the House of Assembly and the election officer part of the act… those two pieces. We thought these were OK… The issue we had concerns about campaign finance and the voter’s list has to do with the election of… the electors list, the registration of electors’ portion of the bill”.
“So, according to “Paris’s” explanation when it was presented, it was of the view that they were going to do separate calls for votes on the separate pieces of legislation. He did not realize at the time that when it was announced, they announced the three of them, and having supported these two pieces of legislation, he said yes, not realizing that that was the end of it.”
“He made a mistake; that’s what it is, I guess people were not thinking straight… And only he and one government minister spoke on the bill before it was passed. That’s how he explained it.
All of Dr. Fontaine’s statements are fallacious. The recording of the parliamentary session on March 19th,2025, available on the Government Information Service website, will demonstrate that the three bills were individually presented, read, and passed by the House of Assembly’s procedures and established parliamentary practice. Consequently, I had no alternative expectation that the bills could be passed collectively. Dr. Fontaine, having served as a legislator from 2015 to 2017, should possess full awareness of these procedures.
His effort to present an alternative narrative, in my view, is intentional, particularly considering that I had a telephone conversation with Dr. Fontaine on the afternoon of March 19th, during which I explained the events that transpired in parliament that day, a conversation he subsequently refuted on public radio the following day.
I also provided a comprehensive briefing to the national executive committee members on the night of the 19th, during an emergency meeting convened by the party’s president. No reference has been made to that briefing.
The recommendations contained in a communique from the United Workers Party dated September 2023, and the January 14th, 2025, letter to the Prime Minister signed by Dr Fontaine, plainly contradict his public statements after March 19th, 2025, that the party had agreed to the House of Assembly Elections Act.
Election Campaign Finance is not a feature of the Registration of Electors’ bill. And the issues raised in the Political leader’s communication to the prime minister, such as Election Campaign Financing, Election Offenses – Bribery and Treating, Abuse of Incumbency and Access to all Media, all fall under the House of Assembly Elections Act. None of these issues were addressed or resolved in the House of Assembly Elections Bill passed on March 19, 2025. To assert that the party had agreed with this Bill is another dangerously misleading statement that erodes public confidence in the organization and threatens to paint its leadership as incompetent and ignorant.
My Vote in support of the Registration of Electors Act was not a mistake. It was a vote in support of the things that the United Workers Party and others have advocated for for years.
Please note, for the avoidance of doubt. There were three separate pieces of legislation passed on March 19th,
– The Registration of Electors Act 2025
– The House of Assembly Elections Act 2025
– The Electoral Commissions Act 2025.
I only voted for the Registration of Electors Act. I was not present to pass the other two bills. I did not vote for them. It is unfortunate that such a degree of misinformation has been publicly disseminated, and is yet to be corrected, amounting to defamation, derision, and untruths, to diminish and discredit my integrity.
3. There appears to be a fundamental misalignment between my values and the current direction of the party’s leadership. Particularly in youth engagement and support for the most dynamic and significant demographic in our society. The apparent rejection of real youth participation in the party’s development and upward mobility is disturbing and disappointing, especially given that several young individuals within the party continue to complain of being ignored, ridiculed, hurt, and intimidated by senior party members.
However, dealing with these and other issues does not appear to be a priority for the NEC, which I believe is unacceptable.
4. I have encountered persistent resistance to innovative leadership approaches, strategies, and ideas that I consider vital for the party’s growth and relevance in the current political landscape and prevailing climate. In this current context, one scenario among several others is particularly notable, as I am yet to receive a response from the political leader concerning the detailed list of recommended amendments I presented to the special parliamentary committee before the electoral reform legislation was passed. These recommendations were sent to the Political leader for his comments and feedback on February 11th, 2025. Since then, I have only received a standard acknowledgment of receipt. (Please refer to the attachment)
Throughout my short tenure at the executive level, I have sought to serve with integrity, dedication, and a sincere aptitude for service above self. I remain committed to the ideology that promotes the upliftment of our constituents and to the core values that drew me to the United Workers Party. I’m grateful to those who supported and worked alongside me during my stint. I also thank the party’s grassroots members whose enthusiasm and dedication continue to fuel it.
I will forever remain committed to the development of our nation and the values of good governance, transparency, accountability, and principled leadership.