ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA SHOULD BE FRIENDS OF ALL, BUT CONTROLLED BY NONE
By Yves Ephraim
Do you want to be a citizen of a country where its national interests are subservient to the interest of other countries?
As an Antiguan and Barbudan, do you relish being controlled by another country or even a foreign investor?
If you do, then what is the point of having independence from Britain?
Perhaps we should have stayed, considering how well most of the current colonies appear to be doing. Most have GDP performance that’s better than ours.
Is being a sovereign nation important to you as an Antiguan and Barbudan?
Are you comfortable in having no say in what happens around you?
Why then would you care about the level of crime that keeps you looking over your shoulders at night; or whether your garbage is collected; or whether you have running water; or whether you can afford groceries; or whether you have less potholes and more road to drive on?
In 1967 the late Prime Minister of Barbados, Errol Barrow, in his inaugural speech to the United Nations declared that Barbados is “friends to all, satellites of none”.
With that statement Barbados declared to the rest of the world that despite its small size, it fully intended to exert its full sovereignty by deciding with whom it will associate in accordance with its own national interests.
At the same time, the Barbadian people made it clear to the rest of the world that those with whom they chose to befriend will never be allowed to force them into servitude nor decide for the Barbadian people.
The Bajans understood that to gain respect, you must first have self-respect.
Moreover, the Barbados people declared to the world that they were willing to set boundaries on their relationships with other countries and considered themselves equals in negotiations.
You must really admire the Bajans for their sense of self-determination and confidence.
This ethos has been what has contributed to Barbados’ worldwide respect as a tiny nation and their fidelity to their national motto of “Pride and Industry”.
Moreover, Barbados has been blessed with a series of leaders that have mostly put Barbados First!
Deep down, all Antiguans and Barbudans, yearn for leadership that inspires us to be fiercely patriotic!
But how can you be inspired when deals are secretly being made to give away our national sovereignty?
It appears to me that our leaders are more concerned about not violating the non-disclosure agreement with our potential colonisers than being transparent with its own citizens who elected them.
Are we really sovereign when we must accept the fate that we cannot refuse the acceptance of deportees against our national interests, yet pretending that deciding how many will enter is somehow a choice?
Is this being pragmatic or subservient?
Are we saying that for the privilege of travelling to a country we are pragmatically willing to accept subservience in exchange?
Instead of being mere friends with other countries, as Errol Barrow declared regarding Barbados, is Antigua and Barbuda happy to settle as their prostitute?
I am embarrassed to admit, but our country is seen internationally as a desperate mendicant who will do just anything to attract a wealthy suitor who is willing to wine and dine us. We do not even care about the reputation of the suitor.
Our only prerequisite for a relationship is that this suitor must shower us with lots of money (so called investments) and in exchange we gratuitously give our current suitor everything we have to give, even if we have to wrestle away property from our own people.
This loose living has now made Antigua and Barbuda so entangled that it finds itself in a proverbial “love triangle”: in love with China but its estranged US lover is fiercely jealous.
Antigua and Barbuda must decide: does she pick one lover or does she leave both? She cannot have both lovers.
Unfortunately, since we have lived a life of not prioritizing our sovereignty and true national interests over money, we have entered into lots of “entanglements” that appear impossible to extricate.
This calls for new leadership that is motivated by protecting our people’s legacy above self-interests; promoting positive values; and having a strong sense of putting Antigua and Barbuda first!
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