{"id":116362,"date":"2020-09-04T08:11:17","date_gmt":"2020-09-04T12:11:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/?p=116362"},"modified":"2020-10-04T19:59:42","modified_gmt":"2020-10-04T23:59:42","slug":"hurst-says-request-for-barbuda-to-separate-is-nonsense-talk","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/hurst-says-request-for-barbuda-to-separate-is-nonsense-talk\/","title":{"rendered":"Hurst Says Request For Barbuda To Separate Is “Nonsense Talk”"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Chief of Staff Lionel Max Hurst has dismissed a request from the Barbuda Council to separate from Antigua.<\/p>

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The Barbuda Council wrote to the Cabinet on Monday to requesting the start of the process towards separate futures for the two islands.<\/p>\n

However, Hurst said today that the Barbuda Council cannot be serious.<\/p>

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\u201cThese guys they are not interested in any secession, don\u2019t pay them any mind. They know that they can\u2019t run a country because there aren\u2019t even enough people to form a civil service or a police force and so on,\u201d Hurst said.<\/p>

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\u201cIt is just nonsense talk. It\u2019s a nuisance and they want to make themselves a nuisance.\u201d<\/p>\n

He said the letter penned by the Barbuda Council Secretary borders on treason.<\/p>

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\u201cThe Secretary of the Barbuda Council is treading on treason. I should tell him that and you can be hung for treason,\u201d the Chief of Staff said.<\/p>\n

In addressing the matter at Thursday\u2019s post-cabinet briefing, Nicholas described the letter as \u2018without merit\u2019 and accused the Council of dwelling on matters of the past.<\/p>

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He acknowledged however, that the management of the environment in Barbuda is one area in which differences exist between the Barbuda Council and the central government.<\/p>

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\u201cThe Barbuda Council often assumes that it has equal authority and powers as the central government and until it is willing to accept its subordinate role in the governance of Barbuda we are not going to get very far,\u201d he remarked.<\/p>\n

Nicholas holds the view, however, that the tone of the dialogue needs to change. He recalled a cordiality between the two entities once existed in the past.<\/p>\n

The information minister is recommending that this be revived as part of efforts to improve the relationship between the Council and the central government.<\/p>\n

On August 31st 2020, the Barbuda Council wrote the Secretary of the cabinet of the Government of Antigua and Barbuda expressing dissatisfaction with the treatment meted out by the Gaston Browne led government. It claimed that since the passage of Hurricane Irma in 2017 government neglect has intensified.<\/p>\n

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The council listed a number of grievances including:<\/p>\n

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