Johnson Explains Decision to Leave Independent Senate Seat

Senator Johnson Says Authority to Act Drove Decision to Leave Independent Role

Government Senator Kiz Johnson told the Upper House on Wednesday that her decision to resign as an independent senator and contest elected office under the Antigua and Barbuda Labour Party was driven by a belief that advocacy without authority had reached its limits.

Johnson said she reached a point where speaking for change was no longer enough without the ability to directly influence outcomes.

“I could no longer speak for change without the authority to act,” she told the Senate during her contribution to the 2026 budget debate.

Johnson was appointed an independent senator in January 2023, a role she said was intended to give voice to citizens who did not wish to channel their views through a political party. She said that experience, including representing Antigua and Barbuda at international forums, clarified her sense of responsibility but also exposed the limits of an appointed position.

She told senators she could no longer encourage women to enter representational politics “while standing outside the arena myself.”

Johnson said she formally resigned as an independent senator on October 24, 2024, and later contested the December 4, 2025, Antigua and Barbuda Labour Party primary in St. Philip’s South, where she was successful.

She described the move as a response to what she called a clear call from the people of her constituency, rather than a rejection of her previous role.

“That call was unmistakable,” Johnson said, referring to her decision to seek elected office.

Now sitting on the government benches, Johnson said the transition from independent advocacy to representational politics was about moving from influence to impact. She credited Prime Minister Gaston Browne for what she described as embracing talent and leading a people-centred administration.

Johnson told the Senate that the seats in the Upper House are “not for titles but for impact,” and said her focus remains on delivering tangible results for the people she represents.

Her remarks came as senators continued debate on the 2026 Appropriations Bill, during which Johnson outlined education and human-capital development as central pillars of her legislative priorities.

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