{"id":232797,"date":"2025-04-12T11:44:48","date_gmt":"2025-04-12T15:44:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/?p=232797"},"modified":"2025-04-12T11:44:48","modified_gmt":"2025-04-12T15:44:48","slug":"matthew-accuses-opposition-of-damaging-countrys-image","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/matthew-accuses-opposition-of-damaging-countrys-image\/","title":{"rendered":"Matthew Accuses Opposition of Damaging Country\u2019s Image"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Antigua MP Accuses Opposition of Damaging Country\u2019s Image<\/strong><\/p>

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A government minister in Antigua and Barbuda has accused opposition figures of seeking political power by portraying the country in a negative light.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Speaking at a political rally on Friday night, Daryll Matthew, a Member of Parliament for the Antigua and Barbuda Labour Party (ABLP), said there was a growing trend of what he called \u201cdangerous rhetoric\u201d aimed at undermining national achievements.<\/p>

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Mr Matthew told party supporters that while the ABLP government had delivered progress across several sectors, including education, healthcare and tourism, critics continued to \u201cspread lies and negativity\u201d.<\/p>

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\u201cThey want to destroy this country just so they can call themselves leaders,\u201d he said. \u201cBut we will never allow that to happen.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

The minister pointed to developments such as the growth of the University of the West Indies Five Islands Campus, which has expanded from 176 students five years ago to more than 1,200, as evidence of government success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He also addressed corruption allegations related to the luxury yacht Alfa Nero<\/em>, denying any wrongdoing and saying he had not witnessed misconduct during Cabinet meetings.<\/p>

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\u201cWhen they say people thief money and $10 million missing \u2013 they lie,\u201d Mr Matthew said. \u201cTell them Daryll Matthew say so.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

The opposition United Progressive Party (UPP) has raised questions over the sale of the seized yacht and alleged a lack of transparency in government dealings. Mr Matthew challenged critics to provide evidence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The ABLP, led by Prime Minister Gaston Browne, has been in power since 2014. Mr Matthew urged supporters to continue campaigning based on the party\u2019s record, and to reject what he described as efforts to \u201ctear the country down\u201d for political gain.<\/p>

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\u201cStop trying to become government by destroying the country,\u201d he said. \u201cYou can\u2019t burn the house down and then want to go move into it.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

The opposition has not yet publicly responded to Mr Matthew\u2019s remarks.<\/p>

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Antigua MP Accuses Opposition of Damaging Country\u2019s Image A government minister in Antigua and Barbuda has accused opposition figures of seeking political power by portraying the country in a negative light. Speaking at a political rally on Friday night, Daryll Matthew, a Member of Parliament for the Antigua and Barbuda Labour Party (ABLP), said there […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":232798,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[88,92],"class_list":["post-232797","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-antigua","tag-antigua-news"],"yoast_head":"\nMatthew Accuses Opposition of Damaging Country\u2019s Image - Antigua News Room<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/matthew-accuses-opposition-of-damaging-countrys-image\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Matthew Accuses Opposition of Damaging Country\u2019s Image\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Antigua MP Accuses Opposition of Damaging Country\u2019s Image A government minister in Antigua and Barbuda has accused opposition figures of seeking political power by portraying the country in a negative light. 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