On Tuesday 14th September, the Democratic National Alliance (DNA) received an invitation from Prime Minister Gaston Browne to attend a “VIRTUAL Consultation on Mandatory Vaccination Policy”. Similar invitations were sent to various representative organizations and associations.
Then, to our surprise, on Wednesday 15th September, the government released their “Policy on the Management of Covid-19”.
In light of the release of this policy document, what could be the purpose of such a consultation, other than to provide a fig leaf of legitimacy for measures already decided upon? Obviously, the call for consultations is quite insincere in the face of this fait accompli on the part of the administration.
The Gaston Browne Administration has mismanaged the pandemic from inception choosing rather to adopt a “know-it-all” approach in which medical and scientific professionals were sidelined and the views of the people ignored.
The government openly rubbished numerous calls for a more consultative and inclusive approach to fighting the virus. Any charge of the politicization of the pandemic must be laid squarely at the government’s feet.
Therefore, DNA deems the government’s published Mandatory Vaccination Policy to be draconian, insensitive, illogical, inconsiderate, high handed, and unreasonable. It is a frontal assault on the long-cherished rights, freedoms and privileges enjoyed by our people and protected by various international treaties, conventions and laws.
Indeed, the mass hysteria, fear and panic generated in our population by government actions and pronouncements for over a year including the perpetual state of emergency, can now be seen to have been a calculated and cynical campaign to prepare the population to accept this ill-advised and itself hysterical attack on the lives, livelihoods, freedoms, human rights and individual corporal sovereignty of our population. Further, this attack on public servants is intended to greenlight a similar private-sector crackdown and displacement of hard-working Antiguans and Barbudans.
The DNA takes this opportunity to alert the people of our beloved country that the pronouncements and actions of the Gaston Browne administration, under the guise of fostering national “immunity” to Covid-19, are a wedge to open the doors to the imposition of a rigid and ruthless dictatorial and autocratic control of our country and its population.
As such, we call on all people of conscience to resist this slide into dictatorship and autocratic rule. We must not allow our hard-won democracy to be destroyed by the perverted will of a misguided leader and his compliant and opportunistic cabal.
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Then what is the alternative?
So DNA, no mention of the virus then? Like the one absolute uppermost problem in Antigua and the world at the moment. And you expect your party to somehow be considered relevant?
Do you think the virus is the real issue at hand? Viruses come, some are eradicated and some will stay…but democracy is at stake here…we have it, but if its taken will we get it back?
ARNOLD is the statement by the DNA about the government’s mandatory vaccination policy? Please note as well that despite an invitation by the government to parties and organizations to meet to discuss the issue, the government went ahead and unilaterally declared it’s mandatory vaccination policy. What nonsense are you talking then by saying the DNA did not mention the virus. Your comment is therefore misguided and is pure nonsense.
Tabor just hush ….y’all are a bunch of hypocritical animals… continue showing your irrelevance in public
@CHARLESWORTH TABOR
DNA should shut up. DNA got 750 votes in the last election. All the CANDIDATES lost Their deposits. Tabor is looking for a merger between UPP and DNA. Both do not make ONE. TABOR LOSER.
*isn’t the statement by the DNA
DNA must STOP playing politics with our health. Shame on you.
Any government in the world has the right to demand vaccines for a pandemic that threatens the population. This is now happening in pretty much all the countries with civil workers, officers, nurses, doctors and teachers. The hospital is full and will be soon overwhelmed. It’s unfortunately the only way to stop this. In countries like Denmark everything is fully open with a vaccination rate of 80%, no one dies from COVID anymore and yes, the side effects kill 0.06%, but it’s no comparison of the benefit.
Unless you’re coming with solitions stay out of the argement.
@ CHARLESWORTH TABOR
TABOR agreeing with DNA ????? This is political suicide. Tabor agrees with anyone who is against Hon.Gaston Browne. Tabor is hoping that DNA and UPP will join together for election 2023.
DALE I have to give it to you. You are the best. LOL.
CHARLES TABOR …… PLEASE ANSWER THE QUESTION …. IS THE PERSON WHO TOOK THE SERPENT FROM THE HOSPITAL UNDER QUARANTINE…
44K people have taken at lease one dose of the vaccine based mainly on the advise of medical doctors who have almost ALL taken the vaccine. A minority in the country (and elsewhere) refuses the vaccine based on the nonsense spewed by primarily uneducated idiots or opportunists who prey on the stupid.
If that is a brain tease to you then unfortunately you do not have much of a brain and therefore deserve to be told or mandated as to what you must do. You always have the option to be marginalized and be afraid of the chip or whatever nonsense you believe or move to Redonda.
For the opposition parties, please note that Gaston won 15 seats with 25K votes in the last election. Imagine what 40k votes will do as you continue to speak with all corners of your month and p-off people who are trying to get their lives back together. A few votes from the idiots who believe in big foot etc. will not cut it to give you 9 seats.
No long talk.
Gaston did what he think he had to do.
Now we have to do what we have to do.
VOTE OUT THE A.B.L.P. Go and get registered so that when elections is called we could VOTE GASTON AND HIS GANG out of government.
Get registered to vote my people.
You need to mind what’s going on in USA. That’s the country you bragged that you pledged your heart and soul too. Kip out of Antigua and Barbuda business. You hypocrite!!!!!
Idiot. You see the hospital? Shut down is not an option- 70% of every dollar in Antigua and Barbuda come from tourism…. imagine 70% of the economy gets shut down now?
Knight I know you look board position but this in not the way to get it…. people lives are at stake here
THEN WHAT? THE NEW GOVERNMENT IS GOING TO REVERSE EVERYTHING? YOU’ALL REALLY NEED TO WAKE UP!
If the UPP or the DNA were in power what would they have done in a situation like this?
GAY (as in happy) Knight in Dull Armour…… PLEASE ANSWER THE QUESTION …. IS THE PERSON WHO TOOK THE SERPENT FROM THE HOSPITAL UNDER QUARANTINE… OH DID YOU VISIT THE VILLAGE IN NY AS YET
How could the ABLP be voted out of office. When some registered voters sold their Voter’s Card for crumbs from the table in the 2018 Elections. Anyone that it could be proven sold their Cards should be arrested and sent to 1735.
Who cares what you have to say Joann? Its show me how foolish you guys are, you would surely make the nation wipe out
Well it’s a good thing I didn’t make a contribution to your party or I would have to ask for a refund. You were supposed to be a different kind of opposition party. Not just opposing for opposing sake. What happened? Where are the local doctors and scientist opposing vaccination? You’ve decided to join the fight for peoples rights to be misinformed and die from COVID. What a shame.
Gaston is making it way to easy for the opposition. But then again, maybe his reward for getting citizens vaccinated is bigger than winning the next election.
The real abuse of power is not making the right decisions that interest them people of Antigua and Barbuda.
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