#GE2020: Ancil Antoine Stripped From Election Candidacy After “Insensitive” Comment About The US

July 5, 2020

#GE2020: Ancil Antoine Stripped From Election Candidacy After “Insensitive” Comment About The US

The People’s National Movement (PNM) is now forced to find a new candidate to contest the D’Abadie/Omeara seat, after withdrawing Brigadier General Ancil Antoine from the election race after he referred to the United States as a “sh*t-hole country”.

Prime Minister and PNM political leader, Dr. Keith Rowley, confirmed that Antoine had been withdrawn in a social media post on Sunday.

“The PNM Leadership has withdrawn Brigadier General Ancil Antoine (Ret.) from the list of candidates to be presented to the Central Executive for final approval, scheduled for tomorrow,” Dr. Rowley wrote, describing Antoine’s statements as “insensitive”.

“This candidate’s removal is as a direct consequence of insensitive and objectionable statements made by him at a campaign launch recently, such statements are not representative of our party or country’s position,” he said.

Speaking at his campaign launch at The Red House, Banyan Boulevard, Malabar on Saturday night, Antoine contrasted Trinidad and Tobago’s management of the COVID-19 pandemic to America, saying “It is a great contrast to (US) President (Donald) Trump who has gone against his scientists and his experts and now America is a sh*thole country. Sorry to say that. And we will have to make sure that we don’t allow Americans to come in to Trinidad. You know all them Trinidadians who run into America and they have to send back their barrel and so forth. Make sure that you tell them stay out of Trinidad for the rest of the year. “

Antoine has since apologised for his comments.