{"id":256389,"date":"2025-11-01T17:01:41","date_gmt":"2025-11-01T21:01:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/?p=256389"},"modified":"2025-11-01T17:01:42","modified_gmt":"2025-11-01T21:01:42","slug":"richard-lewis-happy-independence-antigua-and-barbuda-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/richard-lewis-happy-independence-antigua-and-barbuda-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Richard Lewis: Happy Independence Antigua and Barbuda"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"antig-3513041559\" class=\"antig-ecab antig-entity-placement\"><a href=\"https:\/\/discoverflow.co\/web\/antigua\" aria-label=\"ANU CVP Digital Broadband 1200x400_1\"><img src=\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1201\/h:401\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/ANU-CVP-Digital-Broadband-1200x400_1-1.jpg\" alt=\"\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1201\/h:401\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/ANU-CVP-Digital-Broadband-1200x400_1-1.jpg 1201w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:300\/h:100\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/ANU-CVP-Digital-Broadband-1200x400_1-1.jpg 300w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1024\/h:342\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/ANU-CVP-Digital-Broadband-1200x400_1-1.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:768\/h:256\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/ANU-CVP-Digital-Broadband-1200x400_1-1.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 696px) 100vw, 696px\" width=\"1201\" height=\"401\"   \/><\/a><\/div><div id=\"antig-1735909330\" class=\"antig-before-content antig-entity-placement\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/medicalbenefitsscheme\" aria-label=\"ce741a73-c70c-446b-af7f-da2abe2b62bb\"><img src=\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1200\/h:400\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/ce741a73-c70c-446b-af7f-da2abe2b62bb.jpeg\" alt=\"\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1200\/h:400\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/ce741a73-c70c-446b-af7f-da2abe2b62bb.jpeg 1200w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:300\/h:100\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/ce741a73-c70c-446b-af7f-da2abe2b62bb.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1024\/h:341\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/ce741a73-c70c-446b-af7f-da2abe2b62bb.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:768\/h:256\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/ce741a73-c70c-446b-af7f-da2abe2b62bb.jpeg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 696px) 100vw, 696px\" width=\"1200\" height=\"400\"   \/><\/a><\/div>\n<p><a><\/a>We celebrate our 44th Anniversary of Political Independence under the theme: &#8220;Solid \u2013 Stable \u2013 Soaring&#8221;. It is said that the theme represents the nation&#8217;s strong historical foundation, its economic stability, and its forward path towards a promising future. Yes, we have a strong historical foundation that we should be building on. However, we are far from experiencing true economic stability. Too many in our society are living below the poverty line. Too many are living paycheck to paycheck. Too many are living &#8220;hand to mouth&#8221;. The wealth gap between the rich and the poor is widening. Income inequality is a major concern. How then can we claim economic stability?<\/p><div id=\"antig-3154585340\" class=\"antig-content_5 antig-entity-placement\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ablpag\" aria-label=\"BEAZER\"><img src=\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:883\/h:1080\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/BEAZER.jpeg\" alt=\"\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:883\/h:1080\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/BEAZER.jpeg 1309w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:245\/h:300\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/BEAZER.jpeg 245w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:838\/h:1024\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/BEAZER.jpeg 838w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:768\/h:939\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/BEAZER.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:883\/h:1080\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/BEAZER.jpeg 1257w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 696px) 100vw, 696px\" width=\"1309\" height=\"1600\"   \/><\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>In soaring to a promising future, we must work together to solve the myriad of economic and social issues plaguing our beloved nation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In soaring to a promising future, we must fully embrace integrity, accountability and transparency in our governance structure.<\/p><div id=\"antig-3151901089\" class=\"antig-content_4 antig-entity-placement\"><a href=\"https:\/\/discoverflow.co\/web\/antigua\" aria-label=\"ANU CVP Digital Broadband 1200x400_1\"><img src=\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1201\/h:401\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/ANU-CVP-Digital-Broadband-1200x400_1-1.jpg\" alt=\"\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1201\/h:401\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/ANU-CVP-Digital-Broadband-1200x400_1-1.jpg 1201w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:300\/h:100\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/ANU-CVP-Digital-Broadband-1200x400_1-1.jpg 300w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1024\/h:342\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/ANU-CVP-Digital-Broadband-1200x400_1-1.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:768\/h:256\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/ANU-CVP-Digital-Broadband-1200x400_1-1.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 696px) 100vw, 696px\" width=\"1201\" height=\"401\"   \/><\/a><\/div><div id=\"antig-25223998\" class=\"antig-content_12 antig-entity-placement\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ablpag\" aria-label=\"IMG_0040\"><img src=\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:864\/h:1080\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/IMG_0040.jpg\" alt=\"\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:864\/h:1080\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/IMG_0040.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:240\/h:300\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/IMG_0040.jpg 240w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:819\/h:1024\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/IMG_0040.jpg 819w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:768\/h:960\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/IMG_0040.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 696px) 100vw, 696px\" width=\"1080\" height=\"1350\"   \/><\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Corruption undermines the integrity of a nation and stymies our development. It plunders the nation&#8217;s wealth and fosters poverty. It robs the nation of its soul. We must fight against all forms of corruption and partisanship. Our leaders must show the nation that they can be trusted to resist corruption at all levels of government.<\/p><div id=\"antig-1195575137\" class=\"antig-content antig-entity-placement\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ReggaeInTheParkAntigua\" aria-label=\"lucanio\"><img src=\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:864\/h:1080\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/lucanio.jpeg\" alt=\"\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:864\/h:1080\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/lucanio.jpeg 1080w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:240\/h:300\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/lucanio.jpeg 240w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:819\/h:1024\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/lucanio.jpeg 819w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:768\/h:960\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/lucanio.jpeg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 696px) 100vw, 696px\" width=\"1080\" height=\"1350\"   \/><\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>There must be the national and political will to strengthen our legislative framework to promote good governance in our beloved nation. It&#8217;s time for action in this regard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As we celebrate the magnificent black, gold, blue, white and red of our flag, I pray for renewed peace and real economic and social stability in our nation.<\/p><div id=\"antig-754749072\" class=\"antig-content_2 antig-entity-placement\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.courts.com\/antigua\/\" aria-label=\"500X500 (1)\"><img src=\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:500\/h:500\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/500X500-1.jpg\" alt=\"\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:500\/h:500\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/500X500-1.jpg 500w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:300\/h:300\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/500X500-1.jpg 300w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:150\/h:150\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/500X500-1.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" width=\"500\" height=\"500\"   \/><\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Happy 44th Anniversary of Political Independence to all citizens and residents of Antigua and Barbuda and special greetings to the residents of the St. John&#8217;s Rural West constituency. May God bless Antigua and Barbuda.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/web.facebook.com\/watch\/hashtag\/antiguabarbudaindependence?__eep__=6%2F&amp;__cft__[0]=AZXsNUOP_z6YsQ6RjGjlouHUbdexOOmH8pTp3Pw18dDnTTN24euW9LxLYerqBXFLIUBohhYYGYNsHTlTD9I1J8Ru8x0jD-i3L9xGvYtAA0JdtfoUwqQP8wcSXcf6thXSuUQnXu-RvLcCD7rknqKvST67Qs0D1bxJzpTofZG773MqLCHC1RG65zp1Vpj_Uo099L2Vwm9kv9K3SsMja1TrQMyG&amp;__tn__=*NK-R\">#AntiguaBarbudaIndependence<\/a><\/p><div id=\"antig-2002218432\" class=\"antig-content_3 antig-entity-placement\"><a href=\"https:\/\/chtamarketplace.com\/\" aria-label=\"Social FaceBook Cover Desk_Mobile\"><img src=\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1920\/h:711\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Social-FaceBook-Cover-Desk_Mobile-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1920\/h:711\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Social-FaceBook-Cover-Desk_Mobile-scaled.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:300\/h:111\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Social-FaceBook-Cover-Desk_Mobile-scaled.jpg 300w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1024\/h:379\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Social-FaceBook-Cover-Desk_Mobile-scaled.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:768\/h:285\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Social-FaceBook-Cover-Desk_Mobile-scaled.jpg 768w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1536\/h:569\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Social-FaceBook-Cover-Desk_Mobile-scaled.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1920\/h:711\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Social-FaceBook-Cover-Desk_Mobile-scaled.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 696px) 100vw, 696px\" width=\"2560\" height=\"949\"   \/><\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/web.facebook.com\/watch\/hashtag\/eachendeavouringallachieving?__eep__=6%2F&amp;__cft__[0]=AZXsNUOP_z6YsQ6RjGjlouHUbdexOOmH8pTp3Pw18dDnTTN24euW9LxLYerqBXFLIUBohhYYGYNsHTlTD9I1J8Ru8x0jD-i3L9xGvYtAA0JdtfoUwqQP8wcSXcf6thXSuUQnXu-RvLcCD7rknqKvST67Qs0D1bxJzpTofZG773MqLCHC1RG65zp1Vpj_Uo099L2Vwm9kv9K3SsMja1TrQMyG&amp;__tn__=*NK-R\">#EachEndeavouringAllAchieving<\/a><\/p><div id=\"antig-2064279355\" class=\"antig-content_6 antig-entity-placement\"><a href=\"https:\/\/discoverflow.co\/web\/antigua\" aria-label=\"ANU CVP Digital Broadband 1200x400_1\"><img src=\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1201\/h:401\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/ANU-CVP-Digital-Broadband-1200x400_1-1.jpg\" alt=\"\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1201\/h:401\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/ANU-CVP-Digital-Broadband-1200x400_1-1.jpg 1201w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:300\/h:100\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/ANU-CVP-Digital-Broadband-1200x400_1-1.jpg 300w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1024\/h:342\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/ANU-CVP-Digital-Broadband-1200x400_1-1.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:768\/h:256\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/ANU-CVP-Digital-Broadband-1200x400_1-1.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 696px) 100vw, 696px\" width=\"1201\" height=\"401\"   \/><\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/web.facebook.com\/watch\/hashtag\/countryfirst?__eep__=6%2F&amp;__cft__[0]=AZXsNUOP_z6YsQ6RjGjlouHUbdexOOmH8pTp3Pw18dDnTTN24euW9LxLYerqBXFLIUBohhYYGYNsHTlTD9I1J8Ru8x0jD-i3L9xGvYtAA0JdtfoUwqQP8wcSXcf6thXSuUQnXu-RvLcCD7rknqKvST67Qs0D1bxJzpTofZG773MqLCHC1RG65zp1Vpj_Uo099L2Vwm9kv9K3SsMja1TrQMyG&amp;__tn__=*NK-R\">#CountryFirst<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/web.facebook.com\/watch\/hashtag\/stampoutcorruption?__eep__=6%2F&amp;__cft__[0]=AZXsNUOP_z6YsQ6RjGjlouHUbdexOOmH8pTp3Pw18dDnTTN24euW9LxLYerqBXFLIUBohhYYGYNsHTlTD9I1J8Ru8x0jD-i3L9xGvYtAA0JdtfoUwqQP8wcSXcf6thXSuUQnXu-RvLcCD7rknqKvST67Qs0D1bxJzpTofZG773MqLCHC1RG65zp1Vpj_Uo099L2Vwm9kv9K3SsMja1TrQMyG&amp;__tn__=*NK-R\">#StampOutCorruption<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/web.facebook.com\/watch\/hashtag\/patriotismoverpartisanship?__eep__=6%2F&amp;__cft__[0]=AZXsNUOP_z6YsQ6RjGjlouHUbdexOOmH8pTp3Pw18dDnTTN24euW9LxLYerqBXFLIUBohhYYGYNsHTlTD9I1J8Ru8x0jD-i3L9xGvYtAA0JdtfoUwqQP8wcSXcf6thXSuUQnXu-RvLcCD7rknqKvST67Qs0D1bxJzpTofZG773MqLCHC1RG65zp1Vpj_Uo099L2Vwm9kv9K3SsMja1TrQMyG&amp;__tn__=*NK-R\">#PatriotismOverPartisanship<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Richard S. Lewis MP<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Rural West to the Bone<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/web.facebook.com\/watch\/hashtag\/homegrown?__eep__=6%2F&amp;__cft__[0]=AZXsNUOP_z6YsQ6RjGjlouHUbdexOOmH8pTp3Pw18dDnTTN24euW9LxLYerqBXFLIUBohhYYGYNsHTlTD9I1J8Ru8x0jD-i3L9xGvYtAA0JdtfoUwqQP8wcSXcf6thXSuUQnXu-RvLcCD7rknqKvST67Qs0D1bxJzpTofZG773MqLCHC1RG65zp1Vpj_Uo099L2Vwm9kv9K3SsMja1TrQMyG&amp;__tn__=*NK-R\">#Homegrown<\/a><\/p>\n<div id=\"antig-603503162\" class=\"antig-in-comments_2 antig-entity-placement\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/@hadeedmotorsltd\" aria-label=\"Hadeed_WEB_Banner_MG-2\"><img src=\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1000\/h:250\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Hadeed_WEB_Banner_MG-2.png\" alt=\"\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1000\/h:250\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Hadeed_WEB_Banner_MG-2.png 1000w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:300\/h:75\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Hadeed_WEB_Banner_MG-2.png 300w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:768\/h:192\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Hadeed_WEB_Banner_MG-2.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 696px) 100vw, 696px\" width=\"1000\" height=\"250\"   \/><\/a><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>We celebrate our 44th Anniversary of Political Independence under the theme: &#8220;Solid \u2013 Stable \u2013 Soaring&#8221;. It is said that the theme represents the nation&#8217;s strong historical foundation, its economic stability, and its forward path towards a promising future. Yes, we have a strong historical foundation that we should be building on. However, we are [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":256390,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-256389","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v24.1 (Yoast SEO v24.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Richard Lewis: Happy Independence Antigua and Barbuda - 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\/richard-lewis-happy-independence-antigua-and-barbuda-2\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Richard Lewis: Happy Independence Antigua and Barbuda\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"We celebrate our 44th Anniversary of Political Independence under the theme: &#8220;Solid \u2013 Stable \u2013 Soaring&#8221;. It is said that the theme represents the nation&#8217;s strong historical foundation, its economic stability, and its forward path towards a promising future. Yes, we have a strong historical foundation that we should be building on. However, we are [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/richard-lewis-happy-independence-antigua-and-barbuda-2\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Antigua News Room\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/antiguanewsroom\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-11-01T21:01:41+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-11-01T21:01:42+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Independence_Message_Richard_Lewis.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2047\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1331\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Editor\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@AntiguaNewsRoom\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@AntiguaNewsRoom\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Editor\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/richard-lewis-happy-independence-antigua-and-barbuda-2\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/richard-lewis-happy-independence-antigua-and-barbuda-2\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Editor\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/person\/36cac05ef6398fe56ae3e6317f8535c5\"},\"headline\":\"Richard Lewis: Happy Independence Antigua and Barbuda\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-11-01T21:01:41+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-11-01T21:01:42+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/richard-lewis-happy-independence-antigua-and-barbuda-2\/\"},\"wordCount\":320,\"commentCount\":2,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/richard-lewis-happy-independence-antigua-and-barbuda-2\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1660\/h:1080\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Independence_Message_Richard_Lewis.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/richard-lewis-happy-independence-antigua-and-barbuda-2\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/richard-lewis-happy-independence-antigua-and-barbuda-2\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/richard-lewis-happy-independence-antigua-and-barbuda-2\/\",\"name\":\"Richard Lewis: Happy Independence Antigua and Barbuda - Antigua News Room\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/richard-lewis-happy-independence-antigua-and-barbuda-2\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/richard-lewis-happy-independence-antigua-and-barbuda-2\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1660\/h:1080\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Independence_Message_Richard_Lewis.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-11-01T21:01:41+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-11-01T21:01:42+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/richard-lewis-happy-independence-antigua-and-barbuda-2\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/richard-lewis-happy-independence-antigua-and-barbuda-2\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/richard-lewis-happy-independence-antigua-and-barbuda-2\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1660\/h:1080\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Independence_Message_Richard_Lewis.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1660\/h:1080\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Independence_Message_Richard_Lewis.jpg\",\"width\":2047,\"height\":1331},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/richard-lewis-happy-independence-antigua-and-barbuda-2\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Richard Lewis: Happy Independence Antigua and Barbuda\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/\",\"name\":\"Antigua News Room\",\"description\":\"News As It Happens\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Antigua Newsroom\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1080\/h:1080\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/IMG_1584.jpeg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1080\/h:1080\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/IMG_1584.jpeg\",\"width\":1260,\"height\":1260,\"caption\":\"Antigua Newsroom\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/antiguanewsroom\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/AntiguaNewsRoom\",\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/antiguanewsroom\/\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/person\/36cac05ef6398fe56ae3e6317f8535c5\",\"name\":\"Editor\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ad516503a11cd5ca435acc9bb6523536?s=96\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ad516503a11cd5ca435acc9bb6523536?s=96\",\"caption\":\"Editor\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/author\/editor\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Richard Lewis: Happy Independence Antigua and Barbuda - Antigua News Room","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/richard-lewis-happy-independence-antigua-and-barbuda-2\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Richard Lewis: Happy Independence Antigua and Barbuda","og_description":"We celebrate our 44th Anniversary of Political Independence under the theme: &#8220;Solid \u2013 Stable \u2013 Soaring&#8221;. It is said that the theme represents the nation&#8217;s strong historical foundation, its economic stability, and its forward path towards a promising future. Yes, we have a strong historical foundation that we should be building on. However, we are [&hellip;]","og_url":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/richard-lewis-happy-independence-antigua-and-barbuda-2\/","og_site_name":"Antigua News Room","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/antiguanewsroom","article_published_time":"2025-11-01T21:01:41+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-11-01T21:01:42+00:00","og_image":[{"width":2047,"height":1331,"url":"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Independence_Message_Richard_Lewis.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Editor","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@AntiguaNewsRoom","twitter_site":"@AntiguaNewsRoom","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Editor","Est. reading time":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/richard-lewis-happy-independence-antigua-and-barbuda-2\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/richard-lewis-happy-independence-antigua-and-barbuda-2\/"},"author":{"name":"Editor","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/person\/36cac05ef6398fe56ae3e6317f8535c5"},"headline":"Richard Lewis: Happy Independence Antigua and Barbuda","datePublished":"2025-11-01T21:01:41+00:00","dateModified":"2025-11-01T21:01:42+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/richard-lewis-happy-independence-antigua-and-barbuda-2\/"},"wordCount":320,"commentCount":2,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/richard-lewis-happy-independence-antigua-and-barbuda-2\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1660\/h:1080\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Independence_Message_Richard_Lewis.jpg","articleSection":["News"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/richard-lewis-happy-independence-antigua-and-barbuda-2\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/richard-lewis-happy-independence-antigua-and-barbuda-2\/","url":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/richard-lewis-happy-independence-antigua-and-barbuda-2\/","name":"Richard Lewis: Happy Independence Antigua and Barbuda - Antigua News Room","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/richard-lewis-happy-independence-antigua-and-barbuda-2\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/richard-lewis-happy-independence-antigua-and-barbuda-2\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1660\/h:1080\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Independence_Message_Richard_Lewis.jpg","datePublished":"2025-11-01T21:01:41+00:00","dateModified":"2025-11-01T21:01:42+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/richard-lewis-happy-independence-antigua-and-barbuda-2\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/richard-lewis-happy-independence-antigua-and-barbuda-2\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/richard-lewis-happy-independence-antigua-and-barbuda-2\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1660\/h:1080\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Independence_Message_Richard_Lewis.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1660\/h:1080\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Independence_Message_Richard_Lewis.jpg","width":2047,"height":1331},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/richard-lewis-happy-independence-antigua-and-barbuda-2\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Richard Lewis: Happy Independence Antigua and Barbuda"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/","name":"Antigua News Room","description":"News As It Happens","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#organization","name":"Antigua Newsroom","url":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1080\/h:1080\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/IMG_1584.jpeg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1080\/h:1080\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/IMG_1584.jpeg","width":1260,"height":1260,"caption":"Antigua Newsroom"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/antiguanewsroom","https:\/\/x.com\/AntiguaNewsRoom","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/antiguanewsroom\/"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/person\/36cac05ef6398fe56ae3e6317f8535c5","name":"Editor","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ad516503a11cd5ca435acc9bb6523536?s=96","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ad516503a11cd5ca435acc9bb6523536?s=96","caption":"Editor"},"url":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/author\/editor\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/256389","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=256389"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/256389\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":256391,"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/256389\/revisions\/256391"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/media\/256390"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=256389"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=256389"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=256389"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}