Tensions within Team Gibbs had been palpable for several months. Today they are confirmed: Sofia Carti, Yawo Nyuiadzi, Annick Petrus, Maud Ascent-Gibs and Romeo Piper have left the Team to create a group of elected officials. They were joined by Steven Patrick. Together they held a video press conference; Annick Petrus having tested positive for covid-19 and elected officials declared contact cases.
Yawo Nyuiadzi is the second vice-president, Sofia Carti the third vice-president since Annick Petrus had to resign from this function when she became a senator last September.
Each in turn, they expressed their disappointment and their fed up with Daniel Gibbs' method of directing. "This team only exists in appearance because the president of the Collective has long since kept us away from responsibilities within the Collective", assured Sofia Carti. Yawo Nyuiadzi confirmed that "the president who can rely on his vice-presidents has never done so". "We must not abuse people," he agrees.
The main criticism expressed is the president's lack of consultation with his elected officials and his lack of communication with them. Sofia Carti and Annick Petrus affirmed that elected officials were not aware of several reports such as the one on the economic development plan or the tax reform project, "yet carried out with taxpayers' money," said the senator. She also specified that she was not the recipient of the report from the French anti-corruption agency (Afa) either. “Yet we were auditioned and this report was intended for elected officials. He (the president, Editor's note) told us that he could not give it to us because there were names of cities, ”she reported. "If we are denied access to documents, it is because there must be something to hide", conceives Annick Petrus. "This opacity leaves us no other alternative than to form a group in order to obtain answers to inform the people", they declared. "Through this new group, we want to be able to request access to these files," added Yawo Nyuiadzi.
Finally, the elected representatives justified themselves when they chose to leave the majority, less than three months before the next territorial elections. They explained that before, it had seemed delicate to them to do so because of the post Irma context, health crisis and tense relations with the state authorities. “We didn't want to create an institutional crisis,” they confessed.
In addition, Sofia Carti insisted that it was not a political group for the elections "but a working group open to all". The five elected have already been joined by Steven Patrick. (soualigapost.com)
7,374 total views
No comments