St. John’s, Antigua – Community activist Mary John has backed Prime Minister Gaston Browne’s recent call for vendors and mechanics to clean up public spaces but has challenged him to follow through with action rather than repeat past warnings.
In a strongly worded statement, John said Browne was “not only right, but damn right” in his remarks about vending and illegal roadside operations degrading Antigua. However, she pointed out that similar promises have been made for years with little to no enforcement.
John, who has been vocal about the issue for over a decade, recalled her 2011 article titled Time to Put Order to Vending, published in Observer Newspaper. She said she has continuously highlighted concerns about unregulated vending, makeshift pallet structures, unregistered businesses, and littered streets, often facing abuse and accusations that she is against the livelihood of Black people.
“This is not a new problem,” she said. “I’ve been speaking about it for 14 years, yet nothing has changed.”
She recounted a 2015 parliamentary statement by then-DCA Chairman Dean Jonas, who acknowledged her concerns and assured that the government would address illegal vending. However, despite being invited to a meeting to discuss solutions, she never received a follow-up call.
John also referenced a 2018 news article that used images she took of vending conditions in St. John’s, leading Prime Minister Browne to declare that he would not allow “Jamaicans and Guyanese” to “palletize and ghettoise” Antigua. At the time, she said, those who had previously ridiculed her suddenly agreed with the prime minister’s stance.
“A lot of articles were published about the plan to relocate vendors,” John noted. “That was never done.”
She pointed out that seven years have passed since that promise, with vending conditions only worsening, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic. She argued that the authorities—both the Prime Minister and the Development Control Authority (DCA)—allowed the situation to deteriorate.
“Now, seven years later, yet another warning. The exact same warning as in June 2018,” she stated. “Action speaks louder than words. When will there be action? I dare say never.”
John further claimed that some non-nationals have openly stated that neither the prime minister, DCA, nor the St. John’s Development Corporation (SJDC) would ever be able to move them.
“Is it really votes over country?” she questioned. “Prove me wrong, Gaston. Stop talking and take action!”
Beyond vending, John also called for tougher measures against criminal offenders, including deportation for murderers and child rapists who were released on technicalities or judicial decisions.
She also shared a personal legal dispute involving a neighbor’s mechanic shop, which, while not the primary subject of her claim, is a longstanding example of how authorities have failed to regulate roadside operations.
“Draconian measures are needed to stop it,” she concluded.
Her remarks add to growing frustration over the government’s response to urban planning and law enforcement issues, with many now watching to see whether the prime minister’s latest warning will be met with concrete action.
Advertise with the mоѕt vіѕіtеd nеwѕ ѕіtе іn Antigua!
We offer fully customizable and flexible digital marketing packages.
Contact us at [email protected]
Mary John makes a good point!
I hope small vendors aren’t pushed out in the process.
will he follow through?
Yes I agree with the Pm that one on whenner road needs to be moved , her location obstruct traffic as well . She’s selling and not paying her dues like many others on market street with her illegal selling . Sometimes she throws her garbage right behind the lil knock up shanty thing she has going on there …..nastiness. alot of them wanna come here and make here look like Jamaica 🇯🇲 nahhhh that’s not how our country should look . Place looking ghetto !!!!! We need to keep the island clean
As usual is all gonna be bulls**t talk and NO ACTION….. Not personal but political. Gaston has been called out. Let’s see what his next move is…….nothing? Of course!!
All of us sit there and say all talk and no action.
Open your mouth! Is your community. Call your MP everyday. Most of the times these vendors live in your area.
STOP BUYING FROM THEM!!
Why support them and then complain that they are messing up your community?
Mary John you will never see anything done on a serious level, with this PM votes are more important to him than anything else, most of the vendors are non-nationals and he is secretly afraid of them he only has strength for weak fraidy, fraidy Antiguans
PALLETS FOR VOTES!
BRING U PALLET AND COME!
The PM says these vendors are ghettoizing the place. The Prime Minister is an both a failure and an enabler.
Where are the controls and the policies? Where are the ACTs? Where are the standards that has to be adhere too?
In Colonial days the British would fine you if your toilet was not kept to certain standards.
It’s known that Saint Johns is a dilapidated town with smelly putrid water and vendors blocking its sidewalk.
The Hagglers halls of Jamaica are kept better than Saint Johns. Why is it allowed? Is the Prime minister and his ministers responsible for Saint John’s too busy with other pressing matters of national importance?
Make no mistake about it Prime Minister Gaston Brown is a micromanager. But like everything else it’s addressed like a political issue.
So the Chief Gethorizer rather than sending out the requisite civil servants to have the issue addressed with established deadlines; he deflects and blames.
Nothing new here. There is no creative enrichment to be had. Just a talking point with excuses to follow