Prime Minister Gaston Browne is anticipating that 30 percent of Barbudans will not return to the sister-isle after finding that life is “sweeter” in Antigua.
He told debate on amendments to the Barbuda Land Act that Barbudans are needed on the island to help in its reconstruction.
The Prime Minister told parliament that even though 50 homes have already been repaired “unfortunately the Barbudans are still here, they are not moving back home.”
“I suspect, Mr. Speaker, that we are going to lose 30 percent of the Barbuda population because they are not going back home.
Many of them have said to me that they are not going back to Barbuda.”
Browne said some Barbudans have found jobs here “and are still being paid by the council.”
“Personally I have signed no less than 40 duty-free waivers for brand new vehicles from Harney Motors for Barbudans,” Browne who is also minister of finance told the Lower House.
He said some of the government’s critics have also benefited from duty-free waivers and are staying at luxury resorts.
“Some of them who were cursing us they were staying at Jolly Beach drinking their cocktails and relaxing,” Browne added.
“They are living better in Antigua than they did in Barbuda. They have no interest to go back to Barbuda because if things are so bad here then go back home nah.”
The government said the lone secondary school on the island will be repaired in two months, the airport has been fenced and the terminal building repaired. The Barbuda council building has reportedly been repaired while work continues on the main hospital on the island. Water has also been restored.
Browne said “we need people back on Barbuda. The biggest problem undermining the recovery is that we do not have sufficient people on Barbuda. They need to go back home.”
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Do you blame them? Everyone wants to have a better life for themselves and their families. When opportunity comes knocking, you take it and run like hell. That being said, Barbudans need to do more to assist with the rebuilding of their island.
I Agree With You Wholeheartedly! Everbody Loves Antigua! They Should Too! Happy New Year To You!🍹💖💙🌴
Happy New Year and God’s richest blessings to you and your family!
Thank You!🍹💖💙🌴
Mr PM, isn’t that your intention, and that’s why your Government has been so slow in repairing the schools, hospital etc.? Are the residents to relocate to Barbuda and leave their children in Antigua?And what happen if they fall ill? Seems to me you want fewer of them there in Barbuda, so that there will be less voters, fewer protesters and more lands to grab.
Congrats to you for the success of your wicked scheme
This is crazy talk! Why would the PM allow Barbudans to live this lavish life, staying at hotels and sipping cocktails on the backs of taxpayers? If this is happening why is it being allowed to happen? We all know that it is not happening. It is FAKE NEWS, designed the fuel the rivalry between Antiguans and Barbudans and to drive home his false narrative. Where is THE RECOVERY PLAN? This PM has closely studied Trump and continues to experiment with his reckless talk and add gas to the fire! I feel sorry for my country!
Why don’t u go and help rebuild Barbuda instead of always have some negative crap to say like comparing the PM to President Trump
And as much as the world hates Trump America’s economy is actually recovering
To be honest if they find life better here in Antigua I have no kwarms about that let them be because we have Jamaicans, Guyanese, Spanish and other immigrants living here illegally that are not helping our society but just crippling this country and who querying about that? Let my Barbuda brothers and sisters be until they see fit to return cause at the end of the day we are one. What the government needs to do is go find the illegal immigrants who are not contributing to this country and send them back home.
Wat the man is saying makes a lot of sense before Barbuda was destroyed they wanted nothing to do with Antigua but to come and shop…. the hen they were told to come they didn’t want to so why stay now after you see things are a bit better here…. why should antiguans be the ones to build back everything for them and get ill and one person said.. why do someone have to force you to build back or reply something that is yours and u wanted No one else to be apart of a few months ago before destruction? Some of them are here and just living off of the government… at least the guyenese and jamicans look jobs rent houses and pay tax. They need to go and repair their country and that’s that!!
When they go back to Barbuda are they going to leave their children here to go to school. The school should have been fixed long time ago. Come on Mr. Prime Minister!!!!
So go fix them
Is this just a ruse? If Barbuda is abandoned, then government can get into a development scheme with the Chinses. There goes an entire culture!
They should go back and build back barbuda put tent and have school until the school build back.
Government is crazy. Antigua is thin on funds, but having Barbudans staying in expensive hotel is down right wrong. People really need to look into that happy new year Wadadlians
What will happen to the Barbuda Constituency? Suppose there are only 50 electorates on Barbuda will it still be considered as a constituent? Can the Barbudan electorates change their constituency since they now reside in Antigua? What happens in an Eclection if Barbuda is totally abandoned?
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