The Alternative People’s Party (APP) has denied contacting Joshua Francis to become its political leader. Joshua is the former deputy political leader for the United Workers Party (UWP) and the parliamentary representative for the Roseau South constituency.
Francis, an attorney, lost the parliamentary seat to DLP’s Cheika Lockhart-Hypolite in 2019 and announced his retirement from politics in February 2020. He cited the need for self-restoration, self-repair, and self-development as reasons for his retirement from the UWP and politics in general.
An anonymous source that is close to the APP revealed to media outlets that the new party approached the attorney to be its new political leader, but another source close to the party said there is no truth in the report. When contacted, APP’s interim president, Tahira Blanchard, said neither her nor any other executives of the party had contacted Joshua for anything.
“I have not contacted Joshua Francis to be the member of the APP and no other member has contacted him,” Blanchard said.
The party source who first denied that the party contacted Joshua stated emphatically that “as much as he’s admired as a wonderful political actor, there has been no discussion, either way, with Joshua Francis as to leadership or involvement in the movement. In fact, that leadership matter will be settled at the first national convention of the political party on May 16, 2021.”
When contacted, Joshua Francis would not say anything about the development; he would neither deny nor confirm the allegations. Meanwhile, the APP has condemned in strong terms the calculated attempts of “politricksters” to denigrate one of its executives, 19-year-old Sherlyn Sabaroche, the party’s administrative assistant. The media and public relations coordinating team of the party said in a release that the “APP is not into gutter politics” and should not be “forced to deal with the ugliness of Dominica’s gutter politics.”
This article is copyright © 2020 DOM767
