DEAR EDITOR:
There is a saying that: “comparisons are odious”. To compare the economies of Antigua and Barbuda and Barbados is like comparing “chalk to cheese”. CLICK HERE TO JOIN OUR WHATSAPP GROUP FOR NEWS UPDATES.
Barbados has a very highly diversified economy, including a lot of locally produced foods and a lot of manufacturing is done there. Barbados exports a lot of manufactured goods to the rest of the Caribbean, including to Antigua and Barbuda.
Barbados is the 52nd richest country in the world in terms of GDP (Gross Domestic Product) per capita, has a well developed mixed economy and a moderately high standard of living.
When I lived in Barbados in the 1980’s as a student of the University of the West Indies (UWI) that country was producing all its poultry needs in terms of chicken and eggs. To get an idea of Bajan manufacturing, just look at the number of Bajan Companies operating as distributors in Antigua and Barbuda and swamping this country’s economy with Bajan produced goods: W. B. Hutchinson & Sons (Antigua) Limited, A. S. Bryden & Sons (Antigua) Limited, Frank B. Armstrong (Antigua) Limited and others.
Antigua and Barbuda is doing more to feed Bajans than it does to feed its own people. We always get the short end of the stick. Don’t believe that Prime Minister Mia Motley of Barbados is allowing her picture to go up side by side with Mr. Harold Lovell for nothing. All she wants is to guarantee that she has another jackass in Antigua and Barbuda to ride, because she doesn’t trust Prime Minister Gaston Browne.
I find Mr. Harold Lovell is extremely persistent with his so called thinking outside the box. The fact of the matter is that his mathematics is dead wrong. And, if given a chance one of the following events will occur within six months of his United Progressive Party (UPP) taking the Government:
1. Government will cease to be able to pay public servants their salaries on time.
2. Government will lay off Public Servants.
3. Government will reintroduce Personal Income Tax.
4. Government will approach the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a bail out loan, with all its conditionalities.
5. The Five Islands Campus of the University of the West Indies will close down by lack of Government’s continued support.
6. People in Antigua and Barbuda will start dying from starvation like flies.
7. Civil disorder will erupt in Antigua and Barbuda and the Government will be unable to put it down.
I don’t don’t wish for those things to happen in Antigua and Barbuda. But, apparently Mr. Harold Lovell has not learnt from his mistakes during his tenure as Minister of Finance in the last United Progressive Party (UPP) Government.
The remedies applied by the Barbados Government will not work in Antigua and Barbuda, because our economy is not large enough nor diversified enough to absorb or withstand certain shocks that his proposals imply.
Roy R. Jackson
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I hope you’re living in Barbados!
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE ROY JACKSON.
JUST SHUT TO HELL UP.
DO YOU KNOW WHAT HUNGER IS LIKE….ALL YOU MINIONS DO IS JUSTIFY THE UNJUSTIFIABLE.
AGAIN YOU ARE NOT NO DAM ACCOUNTANT NOR ECONOMIST…….HAROLD IS RIGHT, DO YOU GUYS HAVE A CONSCIENCE TO HELP POOR, HUNGRY STARVING PEOPLE IN ANTIGUA, TALKING ABOUT IF THIS IS ALLOWED TO HAPPEN THERE WOULD BE SO MUCH STARVATION IN THE COUNTRY??
FYI: THERE IS OVERWHELMING STARVATION IN ANTIGUA NOW, THATS WHY HAROLD’S POLICIES WILL PROVIDE THE SOLUTIONS.
USEFUL IDIOT: YOUR ARTICLE DOES NOT MAKE ANY SENSE
What’s Harold Lovell policies?
YOU ARE OBVIOUSLY DUMB AND CANNOT READ.
YOU LACK COMPREHENSION, JUST LIKE LB BIRD SAID OF ALL ABLP SUPPORTERS……NOT ME SAY SO, LESTER SAID IT AND IT SEEMS TRUE, IF YOU ARE ASKING SUCH A QUESTION.
Was Nigel Christian clean?
I believe your name is jackass and not Jackson
Roy Jackass:
How much are they paying you to be an alarmist? Every other Caribbean island has introduced some form of economic relief.
In St Kitts the Government has given civil servants a 10% increase and removed duties on food. In Grenada the Government is absorbing much of the fuel price increases resulting in cheaper fuel prices than here in Antigua and Barbuda. The Government of Grenada is also supplying farmers with heavily discounted fertilizer.
In St Vincent the Government is heavily subsidizing fuel for the national electricity company to reduce to the cost for households and businesses. St Vincent currently has the lowest fuel prices in the OECS.
BTW Mia Mottley recently went the IMF route. So stop your BS
Gaston Browne can do more to help the people of Antigua and Barbuda. And of course he will, once the election gets closer.
Roy, “Real News” an affiliate of the UPP is spewing the rhetoric about what the UPP will do. If Lovell is serious about what he is proposing then come and speak in timelines when such will be done and just dont leave it open ended. Tell us what will be done by what time if you form the government. Commit to the people that if the said policy decision(s) are not met then commit to fold your government. But guess what…he wouldnt because they are playing on peoples emotions and would be quick to say they did not know such and such was the state of the county’s finances.
Like how Gaston recently said that he could not finish the 500 homes in 500 days because when he got into office the state of the country’s finances were not what he was expecting.
SO ITS ALRIGHT FOR ABLP TO SAY SO, BUT FOR NO ONE ELSE……IF YOUR LOGIG IS TO APPLY!!!
USEFUL IDIOT
Even if a house that was promised in 500 days took 1000 atleast it was delivered. #HFWL making promises that he can’t deliver. Yes ALP pro bloggers sing for their supper as you all will say just like how you all UPP nearga barking for you all bread!!!
These opinionated articles are not news worthy. They are in fact, comparative subjections of someone’s characterization of thought. How can one deduce such a summary from not having first hand experience whilst not residing in the other country? Please, loww me with this.
It is quite refreshing to read the truth about what an ABLP administration will do to Antigua if re-elected!
Writer, you have been able to document and articulate what Barbados is doing. However, what has ABLP done in similar ways as Barbados and to return Antigua to it’s status of Gateway To The Caribbean and Leader in the region? I will answer for you…, ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!!! You seem to be able to forecast what Hon Harold Lovell is unable to accomplish and how Antigua will fare under his leadership. Please give us a baseline for what Gaston and ABLP has done so we’ll know it is Harold’s out-of-the-box thinking that will or has sunken Antigua into further demise. While, I know you cannot produce any substantial or credible evidence, I’m asking anyway. Rather than trying scare tactics; thinking we (Antiguans and Barbudans) are dumb, blind and stupid, please give us the evidence so we can make a solid case for why UPP does not have the nations best interest at heart. So we can compare GBs grab and pillage record to the Statesman Harold. Whose, ideas to provide for our nation and people are sound and will stand the test of time. …And, while you’re prepping your response, please tell us how come GB got so rich over the last 8 years as a Civil Servant. Enquiring minds want to know!!
Just amazing to me that Barbados lessening VAT on electricity is deemed as superior to the 0 VAT in ANU on said electricity. Barbados power and light is currently pushing for a 11 percent increase in electricity rates. Electricity fuel rates have been increasing in BDS in the past year (in april by 22%), but in APUA has held strain for at least the past year. Their higher gas prices, 28.68 EC per uk gallon, are deemed better than 17.50 ec for same. You really have to be inebriated to fall for UPP rhetoric.
Tenman… What I want UPP to tell the people is when exactly they plan to put all their plans in place if elected. Give us time lines if they are so cock sure what they are saying can be done. Eg you plan to pay $100 million plus to liat workers, when you going to do that 6 months after elected? These are the questions need to be put to these people rather than allowing them to reign free with their rhetoric.
Have you ask the same of Gaston? Because nothing but propaganda is happening now.
@Roy: “FAKE NEWS”.
MIA MOTTLEY CARE BOUT PEOPLE
GASTON BROWNE DON’T HAVE ANY VISION
@ Former Labourite
You’re wrong Gaston Browne have vision only for his financial gain at our mercy. We are just his slaves.
Waiting patiently to cast my vote for the party with the plan to resuscitate this dying country. UPP and Harold Lovell is the right choice for Antigua and Barbuda. The only choice for a brighter future.
The same Harold Lovell who when Finance Minister presided over the worst economic performance in our history? The Only year, during his stewardship as FM, we had growth was 2012 (3.4%), the next year we were back in recessions (-0,6%). Choose UPP headed by HL if you want failure
@Economist they say a Promise Is A Comfort To A Fool especially one coming from HL. Ask Lovell how is it that when he was minister over social security, UPP did not fulfill its 2009 manifesto promise to implement unemployment insurance. When they made the promise in 2009, even in though they were in government for 5 years, they did not know SS was broke? Clearly, based on pas experience, they (UPP) are a recipe for a bleak future
@Tenman your ABLP government is a failed experiment and the sooner you realize it the better your conscience will feel for embrasing the truth. On election day I will be making the right choice in voting for the UPP and Harold Lovell. My extended family will be doing the same. We have the witnessed your Narcissist political leader fail to bring to the table any economic policies or investment that will help to resuscitate our dying economy.
You saying it doesn’t make it true. You can continue living in your dream. We are living with facts. 2020 was the 0nly year that we had negative growth and the reason for that is Covid. But even in 2021 we manage to grow the country’s economy once again. The projection for this year is 8% growth, but Gaston is aiming for 10%. These are facts not fictions.
I am not an economist. It’s clear that many people are crying out for help and that crime is at an all time high. I am not a huge fan of a lot of social programmes that encourage long term dependency, although sometimes people need a hand in an emergency to get out of trouble before they can work steadily to improve their lives. In the long term I personally prefer programmes focused on entrepreneurship. There have been some good ones proposed, but they do not appear to be readily accessible. E g. if three village friends decide to team up to start a business, where should they go, what should they do? Is there guidance available at community centres or a particular Ministry? What about regular small business creator workshops or incubator programmes in different sectors both online and off? Perhaps if these programmes were more obviously available, persons would seek them out more instead of pursuing a life of crime. So, a mix of short term social programmes plus long term readily accessible empowerment options would be preferred. Just my two cents.
The real “Chalk to Cheese” comparison between Barbados and Antigua is in the matter of Governance. Barbados has a competent and progressive Government with a Prime Minister who is well respected, locally, regionally and internationally. Antigua and Barbuda, sad to say, is saddled with a corrupt and incompetent Government, led by a Prime Minister who is widely regarded as a joke and a clown and a disgrace to the office that he holds. This, Mr. Jackson, is the real “chalk to cheese” comparison.
What a bundle of crap. I am a Barbadian and its disappointing that a citizen of Antigua could predict such crap in the name of politics. Sir, what have you done lately for Antigua?
No surprise. Gaston Browne is a dictator only in it for himself and his financial gain. Mia Motley works for the people. That’s the way the govt should be not the other way around like it is here in Antigua.
This jackass Jackson. I was following his article with enthusiam until he made a complete jackass of himself. I studied ar UWI also and agree that it is nonsense to try to compare an organized country like Barbados to a decading “ghetto” like Antigua and Barbuda has become under ABLP. I often wonder if you labourites do not care that your children and grandchildten will be burdened with the costly, vanity projects, that this riduculous ABLP is putting on them?
Or, are you are only concerned when another govt spend our money? Between UWI-Five Islands and LIAT, how much is it costing us? And what is the social cost? The country looks rundown; our treasury is empty; prices are high; poverty is everywhere; not to mention increasing crime.
I hope you realize that there is a price to pay by you people that try so hard to mislead our people, when many of you very well know that we are heading nowhere with Gaston Browne and ABLP. Lord help us!!!
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