The Antigua and Barbuda government says the island will have to “paddle its own canoe” regarding the estimated EC$160 million needed to finance the redevelopment of infrastructure damaged by heavy rains over the past few days.
Prime Minister Gaston Browne said his administration is already seeking to raise at least 10 per cent of the funds needed and appealed to motorists and other road users to bear with his administration.
“People will have to endure with the bad roads for the time being. This is part of the pain one has to endure after a crisis or disaster,” he said.
Browne, who is also the finance minister, said that it is difficult to receive grant funding as well as loans at low concessionary rates.
He said in as far as grant aid is concerned “I want to say that that is almost an exercise in futility.
“In fact, the financial institutions may continue to exclude Antigua and Barbuda from any sort of assistance on the basis of our historically high gross domestic product and our per capita income for that matter and they are not looking at our vulnerability and our needs.
“At the regional level we continue to press for them to adopt the vulnerability index …adopted by the Commonwealth 30 years ago. So, in a sense we have to paddle our own canoe since we have been excluded…for grants and debt relief,” Browne said.
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You’re government is excluded from loans because of not paying loans back on time or never fully repaying that were given in good faith by financial institutions. In essence you have bad credit. Many loans remain outstanding. They have not being paid back for decades. Banks don’t give away free money. I’m surprised collaterals that guaranteed the loans have not being seized.
Guess your financial wizardry has worked some magic on the worlds financial markets.
As to the granting of aid. I believe that your government is not trusted to do the right thing once the aid reach the tentacles of GOAB. Too many examples out there for to reference. We know what they are. Barbuda relief monies come to mind. STOP blaming Antigua’s high GDP. It’s the corruption of the funds when given.
You’re getting creativity by offering up 10% of WIOC to the public. Key word “public” at the end of the month. Which will put GOAB of its signature acquisition back into minority ownership.
Thirteen days from today the shares are going on sale. What brokerage house is handling the transaction? What is the cost per share? Finally 10% of what number of shares will be available to the “public.” Enquiring minds want to know.
We are the place where we will simply have to beg for emergency assistance from our friends in China, Canada, India, our Arab friends, and hopefully the Biden government in the USA. We should also do some practical things like asking Cabinet and Parliament and all Permanent Secretaries to take some major temporary pay cuts. The same should happen with the heads of private enterprises. It’s a beginning.
160mill?? Hahahahaha! You wanna built a new Stadion ? For what that amount ?
All of this thanks to Gaston and his cronies. And in the meantime. his bank accounts fat from all the bribes and money passing under the table. He was relived of duties at a certain financial institution for unscrupulous practices. Now he in position where he screw our country and us people. Not everyone is shortsighted like the voters who accept the current administration’s bribes come election time. That’s the reason no one will lend us a cent. All Gaston been doing is begging and I am sure not all the funds end up where it is supposed to go. That’s all thanks to zero transparency.
There’s percentage of people who don’t care about our nation as a whole and will continue kissing Gaston bottom. Now let’s see how that will help them when all dem car get mash up from the shit “roads” we have here.
Notice how Gaston the Economic Power House (more accurately Economic World Liar) story change from our GDP is really good and CIP has given Antigua millions of dollars to we don’t have money to fix the roads. Nothing but empty lies. COVID has shown him and his administration up. I wonder how many people will vote the liar in again.
Let’s not forget the other minister who allowed his daughter to fly in from the UK sick with COVID. To make things worse, she goes around looking for medical attention preading the virus to the rest of us.
There’s MP Elmo who literally gets away with sexual offenses.
Another bow tie wearing MP accused of rape who still can’t be found or the excuse is he in quarantine.
A small island like Antigua and yet no one can find all those who are responsible for the kidnapping and execution style murder of Nigel Christian and his fellow worker.
And the latest, a Venezuelan contractor was allowed to go to and from work and meet with members of APUA has just died from the COVID. And because Gaston and company gave him special dispensation to do just that. COVID would honour that and not touch him. But wait, surprisingly COVID didn’t listen and he died and now we have all those who were in contact with him at risk as well as a risk to the rest of us.
Yet we are not allowed to do as Gaston and his regime does. All Gaston has done is lie and steal from us while running his “creative enrichment” scheme.
Anyone notice Gaston hasn’t said a thing about Yida? Yida continues to destroy the fragile marine habitat in the northwest and the so called “leader” hasn’t denounced a thing they are doing. All he says is govt will get a 10% cut when things are up and running. Well 10% of nothing is nothing.
So no valid reason why any nation or body would grant Antigua any funding. Keep on voting the Gaston regime in and you will see things continue to spiral downwards. You have no one else to blame but yourselves. Then before you know it, you will be forced out by the new owners of Antigua, if I have to spell it out, that would be Gaston’s Chinese “friends”.
I forgot to add the unjust Draconian rules the Gaston regime has inflicted on us. Tourists and come and go and do as they like but we the people are treated like shit.
Melchesidec
November 13, 2020 at 5:56 pm
LOL so what would the Cabinet have done if they had 14 days warning?
They tell us hurricanes coming weeks before but the hurricane still come and mash up the place.
Then the government go out and beg money, and help from whosoever will.
Yet to see them stop a hurricane in its tracks or do anything to prevent it from being destructive.
Well lawd this one sweet
Wow. Not long before this country just drops off the face of the earth! Doesn’t export anything, 99% of revenue generated from Tourism which is a sinking ship as it is. On top of that, the corruption of embezzled funds from any ‘aid’ given to the people of A&B! World end soon come……..
Antigua to raise raise funds to deal with damage cause by heavy rain.
What its going to be a cake sale?
Charging more people for not wearing mask?
Implementing new rules at citizen expenses like walking levies for citizens that dont drive?
When is the accused rapist going to be hauled before the judge? We waiting. He should be held in custody until his trial.
Editor:
Editor at Antigua News Room: Are there any follow ups on the stories of the 2 missing girls in Antigua.One from Potters and the other from Grays Farm.If they are found.The Police should be quizzing them as to where they were.If they were with adults,Those adults should be charged and be arrested.
What has become of the allege case of a Cabinet Minister and Rape? Was that a two days affair? So now it is under the rug.If you are an independent medium.Those matter should not have a short life span.
How many acres will be given away to “raise these funds?”
Mr. Prime Minister,
This is so unfortunate that you don’t have money to fix our road due to your misallocation of all the money received during the years.
You were not prudent at all. You are a good speaker but a man with no action. How sad.
We the youth are tired of you dictating things . I think you forget your are our servant.
My suggestion.
Get a contract with a concrete company one that is reasonable. Put aside politics and let them go around to the main road and fill all the potholes with concrete as a temporary measure. It is unfair for the public to be driving on the roads like this.
Put yourself in someone else shoes especially a poor person that have a vehicle to take hiM/her to work in these times.
Boasting of economic powerhouse exposes the lies in a short space of time. The greedy leader empower themselves at the expense of their citizens. When greed increase poverty will never cease. We need leaders that develop the people not try to control the people. A radical change is going to happen. Him that is arrogant will be humbled and him that is humbled shall be honoured .
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