Panton Says They had “Full Authority to Access the Building”

After the October 20 convention called by the Alliance for Democracy, the United Democratic Party (UDP) has faced tensions regarding its leadership. The newly elected interim Party Leader at that convention, Tracy Taegar-Panton, addressed these issues on the Channel 5’s Open Your Eyes.

Panton stressed the need for her supporters to move forward, stating, “We have spoken, and we need you to be able to operate the business of the United Democratic Party from the headquarters.” She clarified that while she has previously stated that the “institution is not the building. The institution is the people,” the party’s headquarters “is iconic. It is symbolic to the United Democratic Party.”

On Monday, Panton and her leadership team took over the party headquarters with “full authority to access the building” from trustee Phillipa Bailey. This move faced backlash from opposition leader Moses “Shyne” Barrow, who called the takeover “essentially criminal.” In response, Panton asserted, “There was no need for a court order.”

Despite the intense developments over this week, Panton urged Barrow to “respect” the leadership transition. “I really call on my colleague, the Honourable Moses “Shyne” Barrow, to respect the decision of the people of the United Democratic Party, the highest decision makers of the Party, determined on the 20th that there must be a leadership reset and even called on the former party leader and all the colleagues in the National Assembly to do what is right and ensure that the leader of the party is the leader of the opposition in the House,” Panton said.