High Court’s Decision on True U.D.P. Leader may Come After General Elections

The leadership tussle between Shyne Barrow and Tracy Taegar-Panton is also under the High Court’s scrutiny. Barrow’s claim includes a request for Justice Hondura to decide who the rightful U.D.P. leader is. The timeline will start in January 2025, with a case management session, but with general elections on the horizon, we asked Barrow if the legal outcome would even matter if he and the U.D.P. lose the national vote. Here’s what he had to say.

 

Isani Cayetano

“The matter that’s before the High Court where the legitimacy of the leadership of the United Democratic Party is concerned.  If the general elections are called and held before March 2025, looking at the timeline that has been given by the court, in terms of when they will have a case management and then when they’ll have the trial or the substantive matter before the court, you lose and the United Democratic Party loses the next general elections, would the leadership debate or the leadership argument that’s before the court be  an academic exercise at that point? Because they would be open and free to challenge your leadership at that point.”

 

Shyne Barrow, Leader of the Opposition

“I don’t know, because they are not members of the party.  That’s something that you have to look at.  These are people that have acted in complete circumvention of the United Democratic Party’s constitution and I believe that what happened in the High Court, the decision that was made by Justice Hondura really underpins the mindset and the behavior of these people, that they act outside of constitution.  They act outside of rules, it’s whatever they say.”