Opposition members of both the Upper and Lower Houses of Parliament were noticeably absent from Monday’s delivery of the annual speech from the throne delivered by the Governor General Dame Louise-Lake-Tack.

The boycott for the second year in a row is believed to be aimed squarely at the governor-general, who has been blasted by the Antigua Labour Party for her partisan stance on matters of state.
So far, the opposition party has chosen to be silent on the real reason for them staying away from the joint sitting of parliament, but speculation is the only reason is Dame Louise Lake-Tack.

She has been blasted by Opposition Leader Lester Bird who was quoted as saying, “Since the lady has held the office, there has been overwhelming evidence of her bias against the Labour Party and her disregard for its constitutional rights.”

Bird has lashed out at Lake-Tack on several occasions, the recent being the GG’s refusal to honour some of the names that were chosen by the opposition for national honours during the Independence celebrations.

The opposition leader said there is total resentment on the part of the governor-general for the members of his party, since she was turned down for the position she now holds during his time as prime minister.

While the throne speech was being delivered on Monday, not too far away in the High Court of Justice, election petitions were being heard.

Among those who took the stand was Gail Christian, minority leader in the Senate. She along with several candidates that ran on the ALP ticket in the last general election are challenging the results in some constituencies that were in favour of the United Progressive Party. (Antigua Sun)