Opposition Leader Jamale Pringle and Barbuda MP Trevor Walker will not attend Monday's first sitting of the House of Representatives following the general election, citing personal commitments abroad. According to Antigua.news, both men issued a joint statement Sunday explaining their absences and offering formal apologies.
Pringle, Political Leader of the United Progressive Party (UPP) and Member of Parliament for All Saints East and St. Luke, travelled to the United States last week accompanying his minor daughter, who is undergoing a medical procedure. Walker, leader of the Barbuda People's Movement (BPM), is also off-island attending to family matters.
Both men formally notified the Clerk to Parliament of their absence ahead of the sitting. In the statement, they extended apologies to parliamentary colleagues, their supporters, and the broader public for missing the occasion. They are expected to take their Oath of Allegiance at the next ordinary sitting of the Lower House.
Pringle and Walker also expressed regret at being unable to attend the investiture ceremony of opposition senator-designate Malaka Parker. The two leaders offered their congratulations and best wishes for her tenure in the Senate.
