Antoine not bitter after exit from politics: I have moved on

Despite a turbulent end to his political career, retired Brig Gen and former minister of public utilities Ancil Antoine says he is not bitter over his departure from politics and is proud of the time he spent serving his country.

Antoine served as the MP for D'Abadie/O'Meara from 2015-2020.

He was also Minister of Public Utilities for a year, from 2015-2016.

Antoine was replaced as MP by the PNM after a video of him making several insulting remarks about the US during a campaign meeting in 2020 were posted on social media.

Referring to comments from then US President Donald Trump, who had insulted developing countries, Antoine countered that the US itself was a "s----hole country," criticising its response to the covid19 pandemic.

He was replaced by former Arima mayor Lisa Morris-Julian, with whom he worked in 2015 as campaign co-ordinator.

Speaking with Newsday in an interview on Thursday, Antoine, 67, said he felt the party had not given him a fair chance to serve his community and was not given a reason why his ministerial portfolio was removed.

"I was just called a morning, and they said, 'Look, pack up and leave,' and I was never given a reason and I never asked for one.

"I have moved on. That's their loss. I know I could have contributed more, and if it is they want to move me, then fine, but I've moved on.

"I'm going around selling books, and I realised the kind of things I've done for the PNM, I am doing it for myself now."

But while Antoine felt his removal was unfair, he said he was not bitter and that he had done work to be proud of in both roles.

"In 2016 I was able to bring water to one of those villages way up in Roxborough or somewhere.

"They said they never had water for the area, so I worked with WASA and the MP for the area...

"As an MP I had to go in with a boat at one time to carry out a woman who needed dialysis from Compensation Estate when there was flooding.

"I know I've done things, and I think I represented my people well, and I've moved on."

Asked if he would consider returning to politics, Antoine said the answer was a resounding no.

Referring to his new book, Attack with Full Force, which describes his experiences as a soldier during the 1990 attempted coup, Antoine said he has already made up his mind to focus on another passion: documenting local military history.

"Going into politics is like an eagle soaring and then the eagle comes down on the ground. When you're on the ground you open yourself to all kinds of trouble. Rather than that, I prefer to soar above it.

"I've retooled my life. So this is one book. My task is to document the achievements of soldiers, sailors, airmen and even the police in the years since Independence so we can have that documented history."