Dear Editor,
I am becoming more and more fed up and sick of the Prime Minister Gaston Browne.
The PM acts as if every Antiguan and Barbudan who has gotten a scholarship during his tenure owes him something personally, or owes his party loyalty.
I stumbled upon one of the videos posted on this very site, of PM Browne speaking about the internal conflict in the UPP. There are moments in his monologue where he discusses what he considers to be his “magnanimity” and the “magnanimous” nature of his party.
One such example which he chose to use on national radio was the fact that (according to him) the son of an opposition member and former candidate obtained a government scholarship to study. The young man is also a vocal member of the youth arm of the main opposition party.
The Prime Minister is heard saying, “We could have taken the position that you can’t be bashing the government everyday and get government money, but we didnt take that position. We don’t hate anybody. We are not vindictive.”
His comments demonstrate one of the many diseases at the core of the party politics in this country, and that is that politicians see no separation between themselves and public resources or public office.
The personalisation of power and authority once they are elected and the personalization of public resources is a sickening norm in Antigua and Barbuda. How low are we as a nation when the Prime Minister says publicly that he ought to be commended for not victimising the children of members of the opposition / youth who are themselves vocal against his government???
The PM said, “We could have take the position that you can’t be bashing the government everyday and get government money.” What in the hell is that supposed to mean? Does that mean that citizens ought to fear that speaking against leaders or policies which they do not support will result in their being blacklisted by the government, unable to access opportunities funded by the government? The fact that the PM even suggests that this is something that could happen were he and his Cabinet to choose to do so is an indication of how systemically ****ed our government is.
It is unethical, immoral, and ought to be illegal for any public official to take measures to restrict or deny any person access to public resources on the basis of their political affiliation or political views or their lack of support for any administration.
And we know it happens all the time. Victimisation by politicians is nothing new to Antigua and Barbuda and its citizens know it well. It is so ingrained in our culture and in the expectations we have of our mostly worthless politicians that the Prime Minister can say that for him and his government not to victimise persons where they had the opportunity to do so should be seen as “magnanimity”.
They treat government and state resources as if they belong to them. They act as if any benefit you receive from the state are benefits which came to you by their personal favour.
They are so accustomed to intervening in what ought to be an unbiased merit and needs based system of distribution and manipulating it so that they can distribute benefits on the basis of favour, that they have forgotten that that benefits given to citizens from the public coffers ought to be given in a transparent, unbiased, merit and needs based way in the first place.
The have personalized every state asset, programme and resource. Check you minister to get that done, Check your minister for the simplest of things.
They have destroyed the public service, making it inept, bloated with unqualified personnel, corrupted with politically biased hires, and total incapable of impartial and unbiased administration. You are encouraged to check a politician for access to everything.
This is not the first time that Browne has done this. Anyone who speaks ill of his behaviour, his policies, or his administration, he knee jerk reaction is to suggest that are hypocritical because they enjoyed “xyz” benefits from “my administration” and are therefore somehow ungrateful.
By that pathetic logic, every pensioner should support him, everyone who uses medical benefits should support him, everyone who bought land from the government should support him, everyone employed or contracted by the state should support him, everyone who bought a government hom should support him, etc.
The sad sad thing is that this is how politicians in this pathetic country legitimately behave. They act as if their purpose is to “sell” public resources in exchange for political support.
They have been doing it for so long that they talk about it openly as if it were an ethically acceptable norm. And citizens have been turned into shoeless, ravenous whores, selling their support whoever comes offering the biggest inducements and whoever “helps” the most.
These disgusting politicians don’t feel citizens are entitled to a fair opportunity to access state benefits on the mere basis of being citizens. The concept is totally lost on them. Gaston literally believes that every opportunity to wrongly victimise someone that he does not take is a bragging right that demonstrates his virtue.
There is something fundamentally frightening about a public official who routinely says that he has many opportunities for wrongdoing, and ought to be commended for not taking them. What kind of third world, banana republic, keep us poor and backward, kind of politics is that???
I once witnessed Cutie Benjamin do the same thing. He got up in Parliament extolling the virtues of hi party and said its success was due to what it “did for people” and then began to list public servants BY NAME ON LIVE NATIONAL TELEVISION saying, “We educated so and so, and we educated so and so.” These people act like a ****ing mafia. You cannot receive any benefit whilst they are in office without them feeling that you owe some sort of debt of gratitude and loyalty.
If I am a citizen and I apply for a scholarship, and am approved by a board, and go a study, why in the hell is the Prime Minister of the country calling my name on public radio as an example of someone he could have victimized, but chose not to??? And he wonders why I might not support him and his pack of hyenas??
This place is sick and dangerous. So what, all government homes for sale are Gaston Browne homes? All scholarships for citizens are Gaston Browne scholarships?
All small grants for businesses are Gaston grants? All land for sale to citizens from the government are Gaston lands? Does anyone not see how sick this is?? And when you run into the roadblocks created by the ineptitue of the system which they themselves engineered or failed to properly engineer, you are encouraged to “check the minister” thereby instituting a personal relationship of clientelism where you find yourself begging politicians for benefits for which there ought to be an effective unbiased process.
And even when there is such an effective process, you still run the risk of people having your name on public radio on their Saturday Jack & Ass Show speaking about you as if it is by the grace of Gaston Browne that you have known progress in your life. Absolutely low and sick. It is mind-boggling to me that Antiguans and Barbudans want to live like this
And the way he carries around this useless pack of backside lickers who call in to worship him is pathetic and saddening. They jump online to attack anyone who expresses frustration with affairs in this country. Grown ass men and grown as women acting like a possie of teenage brats. Undignified sycophantic idol worship. Who sings the loudest a supper must get the most pie, I suppose. They dare not express a contrary thought for fear of censure. What a shameless joke.
Gaston wants a medal for each time he does not victimize. But any right thinking citizen should be concerned that the thought occurred to him in the first place, or that the opportunity for him and others to do so freely exists without legal restraint or repercussion. When he has these asinine outings on his station where he speaks this horseshi**, he is essential reminding us that he sees himself as untouchable. It’s basically, “I could have screwed you over, but I didn’t. Remember that and be thankful.”
William Moore
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Well written!
Great article,
I commend you author!
It’s pathetic, keep the people poor and begging!
In 2024, we in antigua are still practicing check your minister..
In 2024🤔
Some young people have to sleep with minister to get job and land!
Sad!!
God help us!
We need deliverance!!
Kudos to you Mr Moore for a brilliant, analytical article exposing the dictatorial, despotic, draconian behaviour of our PM. “How Long Shall They Kill Our Prophets While We Stand Aside And Look? Time For Action!
To the author, I must commend you for a well written piece. I certainly endorse all the points raised. As a fifty plus year old Antiguan I just cannot comprehend where we went wrong in this my beloved country.
The one thing I believe for sure is a day of reckoning is coming. Whether hurricane, earthquake or the people finally rising up, that day is coming.
Writer you admitted that the PM made clear they are not petty hence respect the recipients right to oppose them. Compare that to the prior government whose Deputy PM publicly made clear that APUA must stop renting the PM’s property because he opposed the then government. Recall the choir on Observer Media agreeing to those sentiments. Lets not forget their argument that ZDK should not get similar crfedit terms as other entities, simply because ZDK opposed the then UPP government. A court made clear such arguments do not stand
I THINK THAT IT IS TIME THAT THE GOVERNMENT OF ANTIGUA REALISE THAT DEMOCRACY IS GOVERNMENT OF THE PEOPLE BY THE PEOPLE.
IT SHOULDN’T MATTER WHAT PARTY IS IN POWER ALL CITIZENS SHOULD BE TREATED THE SAME
A COUNTRY CANT BEHAVE AS A COMMUNIST COUNTRY AND STILL CLAIM DEMOCRACY.
THIS IS BEING TWO FACED.
Unfortunately, until WE THE PEOPLE, demand better by showing them (via ballot box, or civil protest) what we will or will accept, things will never change. And that is the problem, as a people we want change, but are not willing to take the actions to affect those changes.
Superbly written article. Young man, Antigua and Barbuda needs a few more people who will stand up against this dunce who thinks Antigua and Barbuda belong to him.
After the PLM administration, ALP became more evil and vindictive and it is estimated that as much as 30,000 Antiguans and Barbudans applied for US visas,fleeing to escape the victimization.
I heard the recording. His son, an alleged millionaire at the time, got $ 5,000 from BOE.What the DAWG has selective memory?
And the Tree Locks and Pigmeat just sat there and allowed him to say these things. These people are nothing but lowlife scums and our society doesn’t need such.
Never mind the useless rhetoric of the asskissing @Tinman. He speaks from his vaulted position on his knees.
The country is corrupt, dirty minded and stagnant because of the depraved individual who sits in our highest office.
@teman. You have now resorted to lying to try to defend the indefensible. It’s PM Spencer himself who got APUA into Southmall and as far as I am aware, it remained there up to this day. What difference does it make that a loudmouth like Gaston said? The situation with ZDK was that they were benefitting for decades because of their closeness to ALP. You really a new govt would allow so me of those things to stand? The point is: Gaston is the last person to comment on this considering that his son who he claimed was a millionaire as a teenager still reached into the till intended for poor students for college funds. If that is fair to you well I can’t lead you any further.
With due respect though: the PM was contrasting his Government policies and actions with the way UPP operated. No where in your article do I see anything highlighting or pointing that out for context. You give the impression in your article that that is the practice of the PM, to disfranchise the citizenry of its entitlement to national resources. In light of lack of true context your analysis is as undermining as you are critical. In search of transparency, that’s my quest.
@tenman
“And the way he carries around this useless pack of backside lickers who call in to worship him is pathetic and saddening. They jump online to attack anyone who expresses frustration with affairs in this country. Grown ass men and grown as women acting like a possie of teenage brats. Undignified sycophantic idol worship. Who sings the loudest a supper must get the most pie, I suppose. They dare not express a contrary thought for fear of censure. What a shameless joke.”
Could someone,please tell me. If the money of the state is owned by Gaston Browne.He seems to forget that his son got tax payers money to attend College.The UPP were the Administration at that time. I am just thankful that in my life.I have never taken a penny from a Politician.My children went to Universities on their own merits and my support.
Glad to have my Ex boyfriend back after few months of break up,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,🙂
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