Alliance heard of Mather’s switch the day it was announced

Stacy Mather

Members of The Alliance were only told of At-Large Representative Stacy “Budda” Mather’s decision to join the Dr Natalio Wheatley-led government on the day the decision was publicly announced, according to Mather himself.

Mather recently crossed the floor from the Opposition to the government side, a move that has reshaped the political landscape and has fuelled fresh concerns of divisions within Opposition ranks. Before his switch, Mather was part of an informal alliance alongside Second District Representative Melvin “Mitch” Turnbull and Opposition Leader Myron Walwyn.

Speaking during a recent interview with JTV, Mather said there was no warning to his political allies that he would join the government benches.

“On the day that I was going to make my announcement, I called three of my colleagues on the opposition,” Mather said. “I called Honourable Turnbull, Honourable Skelton, and I called Honourable Walwyn. I’m not going to tell the order I made those calls and what those conversations were about but they were informed that I was making an announcement.”

Notably absent from that list, however, was Eighth District Representative Marlon Penn — the only member of the Opposition who did not receive a courtesy call from Mather on the day of the announcement.

Asked why he did not personally reach out to Penn, Mather said the decision reflected the nature of their working relationship rather than personal animosity.

“When it comes to my conversations while in the House of Assembly, most of my conversations have been between Honourable [Ronnie] Skelton, Turnbull and Walwyn,” Mather explained. “When it comes to anything that deals with the district or those kind of things, that’s when I have conversations with Honourable Penn. So for that, I chose not to reach out.”

During the interview, Mather also explained that he had long voiced dissatisfaction about what he described as the difficulties in bringing change as a member of the Opposition.

“I have had conversations with members of the Opposition over the years, where I’ve said, ‘Why is it that they won’t take my suggestions? Why is it that they’re not listening to us?’” Mather said, adding that he had observed similar frustrations experienced by other Opposition members, including Turnbull, Walwyn and Skelton.

He noted his move shouldn’t be a surprise as every Opposition member has, at some point, been approached by the government about crossing the floor, and said that weighing such an option was not unusual.

“I think every one of us has weighed that option,” Mather stated. His move has left many in the community wondering how the remaining members of the Opposition plan to organise themselves and whether the remaining members will align to unseat Walwyn as Opposition leader.

Such a decision would please some sections of society, but others would not approve, as they see Walwyn as a formidable political leader who has been holding the government accountable and rightfully exposing their shortcomings.